Cardassia Prime

Cardassia Prime
Class:	M
Satellites:	1 (unnamed)
Native Species:	Cardassians
Location:	Alpha Quadrant
Affiliation:	Cardassian Union, Dominion (2373-2375)

Cardassia Prime, also known as Cardassia or the Cardassian homeworld, was the second planet in the system, inhabited and therefore considered the system's prime planet. The planet is known to have one moon. Cardassia Prime was seen as the capital of the Cardassian Union, and the homeworld of the Cardassians, a warp-capable humanoid species.

Planetary features

In comparison to Humans, Cardassians preferred a darker, warmer and more humid environment, most likely reflecting the surface conditions on their homeworld.
Two major cities were Lakarian City, destroyed by the Jem'Hadar, and Lakat. Common animals were the vole, gettle, riding hounds, taspars, and wompats.

Planetary History

Prior to the militarization of the Cardassian government, Cardassia was home to some of the finest art and architecture in the galaxy. However, due to the planet's scarcity in natural resources, the Cardassian civilization fell in to severe decay. Impoverished from famine and disease, millions died. In their recorded 19th Century, the Detapa Council, Cardassian Central Command, and Obsidian Order were jointly established, forming what was eventually known as the Cardassian Union. By the mid-22nd century, Cardassian interstellar space travelers had been covertly observed by the Organians. The "First Republic" existed as of the early-23rd century, and was known for its serialist poetry. As an impoverished species, the Cardassians turned to militaristic ways to keep things in order, and their population alive.

The Cardassian people relied heavily on their military's expansion into the galaxy, obtaining the natural resources they needed to keep Cardassia's people alive. In order to sustain the population, the military colonized numerous worlds, and in return had complete power over the people, ruling as a totalitarian military dictatorship. In order to battle recurring famines on Cardassia, the military would occupy nearby planets, subjugating the native people to work as forced laborers. The Cardassian occupation of neighbor Bajor began in 2319, before the planet was formally annexed in 2328, under Federation pressure. Their expansion also brought the Cardassians into conflict with the Klingon Empire, as well as the Federation, which led to the creation of the Federation-Cardassian Demilitarized Zone.

When the Cardassian Obsidian Order no longer existed, and unable to keep the population in line, a fanatical separatist group began to unleash their frustration on the Federation and Bajor, through terrorism and sabotage. They blamed the Federation for Cardassia's economic and political problems, and strongly opposed the Bajoran-Cardassian Treaty signed the prior year. During the Dominion War, the Cardassian Union's borders returned to their pre-war state. Under the Dominion rule, Cardassian government was purely for show, and Cardassians become second-class citizens within their own territory. With the Dominion destruction of Lakarian City, the remaining Cardassian troops switched sides in the war, helping the Federation to defeat the Dominion. However, the Dominion had ordered the Jem'Hadar to punish Cardassia for their betrayal, and the planet was left devastated.

Over eight hundred million Cardassians were slaughtered in the Jem'Hadar's planet-wide genocide. The Cardassian military was reduced greatly from two years of total war against the Federation Alliance, and their economy was crippled. In the Treaty of Bajor, the Cardassian Union agreed that all Alpha Quadrant territories would revert to the status before the Dominion's entry into the quadrant.

Timeline

• Ancient history: The spiritual and peaceful First Hebitian civilization thrives on Cardassia Prime, leaving behind burial vaults and artifacts of jevonite.

• 16th century: By stumbling upon tachyon eddies, Bajoran explorers in their lightships reach Cardassia Prime, crashing on the planet and possibly initiating first contact.

• 19th century: The Detapa Council, Cardassian Central Command and Obsidian Order are jointly established, forming what is eventually known as the Cardassian Union.

• Mid-22nd century: By this time, Cardassians travel through interstellar space. Also during that century, the impoverished Cardassian population discovers and plunders the ancient First Hebitian burial vaults.

• Early-23rd century: As of this time, the First Republic exists on Cardassia.

• 2319: Around this year, the Cardassian Union begins "to help and develop" Bajor, starting its de facto occupation.

• 2328: Bajor is formally annexed by the Cardassian Union.

• 2346: Gul Dukat becomes Prefect of Bajor and begins the 5 years-long construction of Terok Nor, an ore-processing and command station.

• 2360: Dukat assumes command of the now-completed Terok Nor.

• 2367: The Federation and the Cardassian Union sign an armistice, ending the Federation-Cardassian War.

• 2369: The Cardassian Union withdraws from Bajor, ending the Occupation.

• 2370: A Cardassian scheme to reassert their influence over Bajor fails. Later that year, the Federation-Cardassian Treaty is signed, leading to the establishment of the Demilitarized Zone, but also the formation of a resistance movement, the Maquis.

• 2371: The Bajoran-Cardassian Treaty initiates the normalization of relations between both governments. Later that year, the Obsidian Order is wiped out by the Dominion in the Battle of the Omarion Nebula.

• 2372: The Cardassian dissident movement overthrows Central Command and full authority is restored to the Detapa Council. Fearing Dominion involvement in the recent civilian takeover, the Klingon Empire starts the Klingon-Cardassian War and occupies parts of Cardassian territory. A terrorist group known as the "True Way" soon emerges and blames the Federation for Cardassia's troubles.

• 2373: Gul Dukat leads his people into becoming a full member of the Dominion. With Jem'Hadar assistance, the Maquis are destroyed, and the Klingons are expelled from Cardassian territory. Toward the end of the year, the Dominion-Cardassian forces conquer Deep Space 9, starting the Dominion War.

• 2374: After an initial string of successes, the Federation succeeds in retaking DS9, forcing the Dominion to withdraw to Cardassian territory. Leadership of the Cardassian Union is transferred to Damar. Later that year, the Federation Alliance manages to occupy the Chin'toka system, the first part of Cardassian territory lost during the war.

• 2375: The Breen join the Dominion's side in the war. The Cardassian Rebellion is launched against the Dominion. The Rebellion incites a civilian uprising on Cardassia, to which the Dominion responds by destroying Lakarian City. This causes the Cardassian fleet to switch sides and join the Federation Alliance during the Battle of Cardassia. The Female Changeling's last order to exterminate the entire Cardassian population is never carried out and the Dominion surrenders after at least 800 million Cardassians (including Damar) have been killed and Cardassia Prime is in ruins. The Cardassian Union subsequently becomes a signatory of the Treaty of Bajor, formally ending the Dominion War.

To read a more in-depth history of Cardassia, please visit this page.

Federation Space Canon

The New Order

The Cardassian Intelligence Bureau, formed from the remnants of the Obsidian Order during the Dominion War, has been biding their time. Seeing the humbling of the military once again, they see their opportunity and come back to the forefront. Rakek, the new chief of the Bureau, renamed them back to the Obsidian Order. The Allied Powers protested, but devastated as they were by the just-completed war, they were unable to do more than protest. By 2401, the Order had claimed the Bryma System and begun construction of a new facility, 'Ilusra Kerar. It wasn't completed until 2406, but at that point it was cloaked, and no foreign power has seen it since.

During the Second Federation / Romulan War, the Order assisted the Romulans clandestinely through intermediaries, though rumors of cloaked Cardassian ships persisted throughout the Federation and its allies. When the Borg invaded and ended that war, the Order withdrew to Union space and waited. When several worlds in the Federation attempted to secede following the Borg Invasion, the Order attempted to assist them and bring them into the Union, though to no avail. They were successful, however, in acquiring several specimens of Borg technology and ships, which were brought back to Ilusra Kerar and promptly disappeared.

When the Third Romulan Civil War began, the Cardassians provided assistance to both sides, mostly in the form of materiel and loans. The Order saw the war as a boon: no matter which side won, the Romulans would be taken down a peg, and they saw that as vengeance for the Omarion Nebula Incident.

Krynar War

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When the 4th Fleet attempted to secede from the Federation, the Cardassians watched happily. As tensions rose between 1st Fleet and 4th Fleets, they were hoping that the Federation would fall to a civil war, and began to mobilize the Union's military to take advantage of it, the majority of the fleet building up at Ilusra Kerar. Unfortunately for the Cardassians, the dispute was resolved before the Union was in position to take advantage of the chaos.

At the same time, seeing the chaos that the Krynar wrought on the quadrant, the Cardassians saw that they need allies. They reached out to the Breen Confederacy, seeing them as a natural ally. They were in close proximity to each other, and they served well during the Dominion and General Wars. Unfortunately for them, the Breen saw the Cardassians as untrustworthy and dangerous. While this was a step above how the Breen saw the other powers of the quadrant, the negotiations stagnated as the Breen did not see the need for an ally.

Not wanting their military buildup to go to waste, the Cardassians began to claim several systems along their border with the Talarian Republic in 2417. There was a wide belt of unclaimed systems separating the two empires, and they looked to be easy pickings for the Union. The Talarians, seeing this move as a hostile act from their neighbor, began to claim other systems within the belt, stating that they wished to "defend these worlds from Cardassian aggression," though the idea of adding some extra buffer between themselves and the Union was likely a stronger motivating factor.

As their claims got closer and closer together, the two sides began to clash. Most began to refer to this as the Cardassian/Talarian War, though it was truly more a series of border skirmishes than a true, protracted conflict. Eventually, the two claimed all of the worlds within the region, though there were ongoing disputes as to who possesses which systems. Rumors began of strange ships and weapons being utilized.

In 2418, the Federation decided to explore the depths of the Alpha Quadrant and established Pioneer Outpost in the Dozaria System. This was seen as a hostile act by the Cardassian Union, though not a full act of war. With the claiming of Dozaria by the Federation, the Union was now surrounded: the Federation to the galactic east and west, the Breen Confederacy to the north, and the Talarian Republic to their south. Pioneer's construction also cut off yet another planned route of expansion, and tensions began to rise. The founding of Pioneer also demonstrated to the Breen that the Federation was more dangerous than they had anticipated, and talks of alliance began in earnest.