Cardassian

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SPECIES
Cardassian Union logo.png CardassianCardassian Union logo.png
Cardassian Union logo.png
Homeworld:
Cardassia Prime
Quadrant:
Alpha
Affiliation:
Cardassian Union
Biology
Average Male Height:
175 cm (5 ft. 9 in.)
to 198 cm (6 ft. 6 in.)
Average Male Weight:
79.4 kg (175 lb.)
to 117.9 kg (260 lb.)
Average Female Height:
168 cm (5 ft. 6 in.)
to 191 cm (6 ft. 3 in.)
Average Female Weight:
79.4 kg (175 lb.)
to 108.9 kg (240 lb.)
Minimum Academy Age:
N/A
Life Expectancy:
140
Distinctive Features:
Playability
PRC Rated:
Approval from Admin team required
NPC Rated:
Approval from Admin team required
AlphaQuadrant.jpg


Gul Dukat, a male Cardassian

The Cardassians are a humanoid species from the Alpha Quadrant. They are native to the planet Cardassia Prime.
This species is playable with approval from the Admin team.


Biology & Physiology

Often referred to as "reptilian humanoids", Cardassians prefer a darker, hotter, and more humid environment than other humanoid-type species.

Externally, this species is easily recognizable by their light-gray skin, two thick, vertical neck ridges that recede back towards the crown of their head, and an inverted tear-shaped ridge in the center of the forehead. Said ridge is thickest immediately above the eyes, protecting them and creating an especially deep-set appearance. Some Cardassians have another ridged feature, also in the shape of an inverted tear, in the center of their chests, while other members of the species do not have this trait.

  • Some Cardassians, especially females, choose to "color in" their head ridge and/or neck ridges for cosmetic purposes.
  • Cardassian neck ridges were sensitive to touch and massaging them stimulated pleasure.


Cardassians typically have straight hair, which varies in color from dark brown to jet black.

As with Humans, their hair turns white with age, though some male Cardassians have a tendency to dye their hair, instead of letting it show white.


  • Cardassians have red blood.
  • The Cardassians have a reputation for having "photographic memories," which according to some accounts, are enabled by rigorous childhood training.
    Some Cardassian minds are trained to be so hardy that they can resist a Vulcan mind-meld.
  • Possibly due to this, Cardassians are known for being meticulous record keepers.
  • Their sense of hearing is said to be less acute than that of Humans.
  • Common medical conditions include Rudellian plague, Coleibric hemorrhage, Kalla-Nohra Syndrome, Pottrik Syndrome, and Yarim Fel Syndrome.


Evolution

Cardassians appear to have evolved from a creature with both reptilian and mammalian traits, perhaps similar to Earth's prehistoric Therapsids.

Their head and torso ridges evolved as a defense mechanism against predatory attack. (These ridges grow more prominent as Cardassians grow.)


Anatomy

  • Cardassians are barrel-chested and slightly heavier than Humans, a result of both evolution and Cardassia's thicker atmosphere and slightly higher gravity.
    Their thick skins and tough bodies allow Cardassians to tolerate pain better than most other species which meant that they possessed a higher pain threshold.
  • Elongated vertebrae, covered in scaly plate sections, extend along their necks.
  • Segmented brow ridges extend down from the forehead and circle the eyes, giving them a slightly "hooded" look.
  • An unsegmented ridge known as "chufa" extends upward from the tip of the nose to a spoon-shaped protrusion in the center of the forehead.
  • Heads and torsos have an array of prominent ridges, made up of cartilage, and evolved as a defense against predatory attack.
    These ridges grow more prominent as young Cardassians develop through adolescence.


Cardassians are well known for genetic engineering, even allowing other galactic powers to study their creations, such as the Federation.
To distinguish their own creations, Cardassians always built distinctive monoclonial links into the DNA they used.


At age ten, it is told that Cardassians give their first molar to the Bureau of Identification.


Reproduction

Cardassians are able to produce offspring with a variety of species, including Bajorans, Kazon, and Humans.

  • Although the basic facial features of half-Cardassians are softened by hybridization, they nevertheless show additional unmistakable traits of their Cardassian heritage of dark hair and gray skin.


Culture

This culture is hierarchical, with the State at the top in public life, and parents within the home.

  • Family are highly valued, with both male and female parents sharing authority.

Cardassians value advanced age as a sign of strength, power, and wisdom, and the thirtieth birthday in particular is cause for celebration.


Cardassian architecture itself reinforces their established hierarchy by placing important individuals in physically high locations. The emphasis on hierarchy and other factors are also fertile ground for intense rivalries between individuals and families. As a result, Cardassians were generally suspicious and regarded those who were not as foolish.

  • Cardassian homes are typically multi-generational, and great value is placed on the continuation of family lines.
    In contrast to the close-knit family unit, Cardassian culture did not regard orphans highly, and provided no obvious means of social welfare for them, though adoption was not unheard of.


Cardassians are known for their punctuality, as well and their cleanliness.


Relationships

Cardassians enjoy debate and conversation in general. Cardassian meal time is as much about discussion as it was about eating. They have been known to speak at length about a topic to show their knowledge, avoid saying something incriminating, or to obtain some piece of information from the person they were speaking to. Such was their love of conversation that it played a major role in their courtship. Courtship among Cardassians may include bitter, ferocious arguing. Pressing the palm of one's hand to another's palm was the equivalent of a kiss on the cheek.


Neither of the two Cardassian genders are considered universally dominant over the other, though each tends to be dominant within certain specific fields within their society.

Among their people, female Cardassians were generally considered too important to be allowed within the military, due to their ability to carry young.

  • Marriage ceremonies ("enjoinments") typically required the woman to return to relative safety, while the male continued to serve.
  • In the past, males had prominently lead a life focused on military and political service, and thus societal advances in technology and engineering have always been spearheaded by Cardassian females.
  • This does not mean that women are relegated to maintaining the Cardassian technological base, as there were various female ship commanders and political leaders.


Cardassians have been compared to Romulans due to their xenophobic tendencies.

They are known for treating their prisoners with little tolerance or sympathy, with no qualms regarding using torture in order to extract information.


Religion

According to Cardassian beliefs, their race was raised to sentience from the swamps of Cardassia by their creators, who watched over Ailam and Neeron; the first Cardassians.

The Cardassians were gifted with both sentience and a soul by the creators, who gave the race the umbilicus that marks their foreheads.


Post-Oralian religion practices the worship of the helmeted Galor, a type of demonic deity that symbolizes power.

  • This mythological, warrior being also inspired Cardassia Prime to launch the vessel class with the same name.


Ancient Cardassian civilization exhibited vibrant religious practice; its rituals and structure were unknown. In order to survive frequent famine and plagues, Cardassian society embraced a totalitarian police-state. As the ancient religion was a deviation from utter devotion to the government, the modern Cardassian Union was founded as a non-theistic society where loyalty to the State achieved profound importance.


After first contact with the Bajoran people, the Oralian Way died out, though fragments of it continued to exist secretly in their society.

  • Following the collapse of the military regime in 2376, such religious suppression began to be lifted, and the Oralian way began to grow in popularity.


Cardassian have been observed conducting funeral practices. Services are open to the public, especially in the cases of memorials. Graves are believed to be only in-ground burials, and are marked, especially those of high-ranking or famous people, such as war heroes or great scientists, with monuments of varying degrees. Cardassians considered viewing of their corpses by non-Cardassians taboo.

A unique aspect of Cardassian end-of-life practice was known as "Shri-tal", when a dying family member passed on all their secrets to their surviving relatives so they could use them against the dying one's enemies.


Judicial System

In jurisprudence and criminal trials, the conclusion is always determined beforehand: the ruling of each case is a guilty verdict.

  • The purpose of the proceedings were not justice (in the Human sense), but bringing the offender to recognize the power and benevolence of the State.


The purposes of a Cardassian trial are therefore opportunities for the State to reveal the defendant's guilt. The notion that an innocent man would be tried by mistake is a foreign concept to the Cardassians, as they always operate[d] under the assumption that "Cardassians don't make mistakes."


Cardassian philosophy typically upholds the idea that the ends justify the means.

  • For example, the extraction of Bajor's natural resources was considered an appropriate means to feed Cardassia's population, despite the fact it required the occupation of the Bajorans' homeworld.


Education & the Arts

Cardassians consider their education system to be unparalleled in the Alpha Quadrant. Children are often put into intensive mind-training programs, from as early as three or four. During this time, they are trained to have photographic memories.


The arts, specifically literature and painting, are highly regarded in Cardassian culture.

  • Literature often reflects values, such as family, duty, and the glorification of the state.


Technology

By 2367, Cardassian technology had become notably inferior compared to Starfleet. However, Cardassian ships did possess the ability to mask the contents of their supply ships from Federation scans.

Despite advances in Federation technology, Cardassians remained formidable opponents to the Federation. Though shield technology was weaker, weapons were quite capable in their own right.


Known Cardassian technology includes starships, transporters, shields, phase weapons, and cloaking devices.


By the late 24th Century, Cardassians were known to use beritium, dolamide, kelindide, rhodinium and uridium in the construction of ships and military equipment.


The Cardassian Union -or at least the Obsidian Order- is proficient enough to hold superior mastery of espionage technology, genetic engineering, surgical alteration, torturing techniques and devices, and even memory wiping and implantation technology.


Recent History

For a full history of Cardassia Prime, please click HERE.



When the 4th Fleet attempted to secede from the Federation, Cardassians hoped the Federation would fall into civil war, and began to mobilize the Union's military to take advantage of it.
The Federation dispute was resolved before the Union was in position to take advantage of the chaos.


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.


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, as Pioneer's construction also cut off a planned route of Cardassian expansion, and tensions began to rise.