star trek online cardassians

Star Trek Online

Originally posted by Earl of Dudley : i seen i ther personel cardassians ut nothnig about the ships an but available for kdf or federation, so confussing, could somone give me a link pls

Originally posted by Earl of Dudley : I want to be like legit damar, but would be good if had more races playable an with ships like the ferengi an cardassian an maybe more, sto is a fantastic game but could be so much more

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Published Aug 11, 2022

Everything You Need to Know About the Cardassians

We've got a 101 guide to the cunning humanoid race from the Alpha Quadrant!

StarTrek.com

As the Star Trek Villain Showdown continues, this week sees two Cardassian operatives facing off against each other. In one corner, we have Gul Dukat , the cunning and charismatic military leader who became the embodiment of evil on Deep Space Nine . In the other, we have Seska and her nefarious, traitorous schemes to undermine Captain Janeway and defeat Voyager . While their journeys were quadrants apart, they were both united in their support for the Cardassian government.

Curious about the Cardassians? Want to know just what motivates both Dukat and Seska? Read on, and then let us know @StarTrek on social media what your favorite Cardassian centric episode is!

The Next Generation

The Cardassians, as a whole, are a complicated culture in Star Trek lore. We are first introduced to them in The Next Generation , but the species and their world gets fully fleshed out in Deep Space Nine , which features several recurring Cardassian characters. In Voyager , Seska is the only major Cardassian player, as the Cardassians hadn’t infiltrated the Delta Quadrant yet. There would be no reason to have one on a Starfleet vessel at the time, unless they were undercover.

In the era of TNG, DS9, and Voyager , the Cardassians were an enemy of the Federation . Prior to the events of TNG, Starfleet had been involved in multiple skirmishes with the Cardassian military, despite an existing peace treaty. In the first episode featuring the characters, “ The Wounded ,” a rogue Starfleet ship had begun attacking Cardassian ships. Interestingly, the actor playing the main Cardassian in the episode was Marc Alaimo, who would go on to play Gul Dukat in Deep Space Nine .

It was in the fifth season of TNG that Bajor , and the Cardassian occupation of the planet, was introduced. This would be explored more in Deep Space Nine . Similarly, the Maquis , a rebel group who fought back against Cardassian occupation, was introduced in the show’s seventh season; revealing that the Cardassians' treaty with the Federation left several Federation colonies stranded in Cardassian territory.

Perhaps the most famous appearance of the Cardassians in TNG was the two-parter “ Chain of Command ,” which revealed not only details of the Cardassian government but their government’s brutality as well. Captain Picard is captured and tortured by Gul Madred , a Cardassian officer, on a mission. Picard is ultimately saved, but not before he survives horrific treatment at the hands of his captor. This episode was undoubtably on the minds of fans when the Cardassians played a larger role in Deep Space Nine .

Deep Space Nine and Voyager

Cardassians and Bajorans provided the beating heart of Deep Space Nine , as the series is set on a former Cardassian station turned over to the Federation. Gul Dukat, the former prefect of the station, resents turning it over to Starfleet, and resents the end of the Bajoran occupation even more. We’ve recapped his journey previously , but Dukat’s evil stretches across all seven seasons of the show.

However, despite the backdrop of atrocities, Deep Space Nine also served to deepen our understanding of Cardassians outside of the military. One key figure was Garak , an exiled former member of the Obsidian Order (the Cardassians' secret military spying organization), who became a tailor on Deep Space 9 with a passion for literature and getting into everyone’s business. Garak is an incredibly popular character in the Star Trek franchise, beloved for his moral ambiguity and for his intense relationship with Federation doctor Julian Bashir . What makes Garak interesting is his devotion to Cardassia above all else, though, he ultimately aids in the revolution that destroys the more imperialist and militant Cardassian government.

Deep Space Nine spent multiple episodes exploring what it meant to be a Cardassian and what the government’s evils had done to both Bajor and its own citizens. In one key Season One episode, “ Duet ,” Bajoran revolutionary Kira Nerys is faced with a Cardassian who claims to have run a prison camp on Bajor . However, it is revealed that he was a clerk who worked at the camp, who had hoped to return to Bajor to die as punishment for the atrocities he did not oppose. A key moment in Kira’s development, this episode is a powerful and painful look at what justice looks like.

The Cardassian government, during Deep Space Nine ’s run, allies itself with the Dominion and tries to help them seize control of the Alpha Quadrant . However, through the actions of both Starfleet and the Cardassians — including Garak —  as well as Bajorans who will not stand for more oppression, Cardassia’s independence was restored. However, the Dominion heavily bombed the planet, leaving it in a state of disarray and panic. Garak ultimately returned to Cardassia to help his people heal, leaving us with hope for a better, more egalitarian future.

The U.S.S. Voyager disappeared prior to the Dominion War. Seska was embedded in the Maquis to feed information back to the government, showing loyalty to her leaders’ more militaristic goals. Her motivations were either selfish or to help Cardassians wipe out their opponents; read up on her deep dive .

Besides a reference noting plans to sign a treaty on Cardassia in Lower Decks , we don’t know much about what happened to Cardassia following the events of Deep Space Nine and the Dominion War. However, we do know that in the 32nd Century, the Federation is led by half-Cardassian, half-Bajoran President Rillak. This would imply that not only did Cardassia join the Federation at some point, but that Bajoran and Cardassian relations had improved following the end of the Dominion War. Rillak doesn’t share much about her family history, but we’re sure it is fascinating.

The Cardassians are a key part of the TNG/DS9/VOY era of Trek . While ostensibly the antagonists of many episodes, they are also afforded a great deal of depth as well, leading to some of Trek ’s finest hours.

Julian Gardner (they/them) is on the editorial team for StarTrek.com

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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Star Trek Online talks about the Cardassians

In the Star Trek universe, the Cardassians generally aren't listed in the same breath as the Klingons or the Romulans as adversaries. That is, unless you've seen Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Then you likely won't stop going on about the rigid and hidebound social structure and the backstabbing government plots, or even just about Elim Garak . The Cardassian faction was hinted at some time ago in Star Trek Online , but while the official page hasn't yet filled out the page, we do have a fair amount of information on the faction. And while it may or may not satisfy everyone looking forward to the faction, there's plenty for fans of the game to get excited about. At this point, the once-grand empire has been reduced to a difficult existence trying to rebuild the government and society after the events of the Dominion War, recounted on the game's official timeline . The socially-minded Detapa Council, however, is facing opposition from the True Way, an organization seeking a return to Cardassia Prime' s more militaristic society. There are also rumors that the Obsidian Order might be still running around, something that almost any fan of the series would have expected. Star Trek Online looks to have plans for the Cardassians, and while it probably won't involve a tailor on the bridge crew, we can only hope. Click past the break for a short official video giving a peek of the Cardassians in action, as well as the in-universe dossiers by Starfleet and the Klingon Empire. %Gallery-83750%

From Commander Bradden, Starfleet Intelligence: The Cardassians are a warlike and xenophobic people. Once they ruled a far reaching star empire with an iron fist, dominating the various native populations they conquered. They were a fierce military force. However, they are now a people barely surviving. Their ill-fated alliance with Dominion forces during the Dominion War resulted in near total destruction to the Cardassian homeworld and decimated their population. The Detapa Council, a civilian, democratic organization, came into power following the Dominion War, and has attempted to rebuild both the agriculture of the planet and the economy. Unfortunately, the council has faced considerable opposition from a group known as the True Way.

The True Way aims to return to the military order. While the Detapa Council leads Cardassia, and, indeed, the Cardassian Union, the True Way has a large and impassioned following. Quite regrettably, Cardassians have a history of turning to a strictly regimented military in times of trouble. Their homeworld has never been plentiful, resulting in a period of famine in their early history. To resolve the lack of natural resources on Cardassia Prime, the military decided to expand outward and appropriate the resources of other planets and peoples. They treated subjugated peoples as slave labor, regularly committing atrocities against the native populations. For that matter, the military government spied upon and, by many accounts, tortured their own citizens using an intelligence organization known as the Obsidian Order*.

Most unfortunately, this has limited the amount of aid that the Federation has been able to offer the Cardassians. The Federation has, naturally, made an attempt to assist in reconstruction efforts. The Andak Project, lead by Federation botanist Keiko O'Brien, is one of the few such attempts the Cardassians have allowed. The Andak project has provided agricultural assistance in rehabilitating Cardassia Prime's depleted food resources. However, there is far more work to do to rebuild the planet.

It is worth noting that while the Cardassians have engendered animosity in numerous other species, the conflict between Bajorans and Cardassians is particularly bitter due to the brutal Cardassian Occupation of Bajor from 2328 to 2369.

We fought, and defeated, them in the Dominion War. The Dominion suckered them, the poor bastards. They had no chance once they allied with those honorless targs.

Now, the Cardassians are trying to rebuild their empire on a lifeless ball of rock. It would be a miracle if they succeeded, after the Dominion bombarded their planet at the end of the war. They rebelled against the Dominion at the end, which helped us. Distract the enemy, leave them open to attack! Yes, the Cardassians were useful. Misguided at times, but useful.

We shall see if they regain their military might, though I doubt it. I doubt it greatly. Their leading council now is far more concerned with agriculture and kowtowing to the Federation. Pah! Although rumor does say that Gul Madred is leading a potential military force known as the True Way. These next few years should be interesting for the Cardassians, if they don't die out first.

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A Mirror for Humanity: Why the Cardassians are Trek’s Best Alien Race

From their first introduction on The Next Generation to later their central role on Deep Space Nine, the Cardassians were never just “plain and simple”.

In the Season 4 episode of Enterprise titled “The Forge”, there is a wonderfully insightful conversation between the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, Soval and Admiral Maxwell Forrest of Earth’s Starfleet.

Soval: “We don’t know what to do about Humans. Of all the species we’ve made contact with, yours is the only one we can’t define. You have the arrogance of Andorians, the stubborn pride of Tellarites. One moment you’re as driven by your emotions as Klingons, and the next you confound us by suddenly embracing logic!” Forrest: “I’m sure those qualities are found in every species.” Soval: “Not in such confusing abundance.”

As much as those qualities define humanity, they also define the Cardassians as well, who are arguably the most compelling alien race in Star Trek because they serve such a striking parallel to much of human history, both past and present. And in doing so, they act as a cautionary tale about the dangers of our own species’ internal demons.

When you consider the other main alien races within the Trek universe, they don’t compare to the type of consistent characterization and development that the Cardassians received. The Andorians and the Tellarites, first seen in The Original Series episode “Journey to Babel”, are not seen again until Enterprise (if we’re not counting The Animated Series ), and even then, we as the audience don’t know that much about them outside of a handful of admittedly wonderful episodes. The Vulcans, surprisingly enough, also fall into this paradigm. Although a Vulcan is the most iconic alien being in all of Trek (in the form of Spock), outside of select scenes from the movies and a handful of episodes from The Original Series and Voyager , the audience doesn’t learn that much about Vulcan culture or society until Enterprise . And although we do learn a lot about Vulcans from that series, particularly how they used to be very much like humans in the past, the fact that they’re in a more evolved and advanced state from humanity takes away from their ability to act as a parallel to our lives now. The Romulans, like their Vulcan cousins, are often referenced in Trek canon, but from what we see of them in terms of characterization and development is often more one-dimensional in nature. The Klingons, probably the most well-known of the Trek races, certainly don’t suffer from a lack of screen time, on television or in the movies. But with a few exceptions, they are also one-note and archetypical in characterization, especially in The Next Generation era. The Bajorans, on the other hand, do not fall into this paradigm.  First introduced in TNG and later in Deep Space Nine , they are admittedly well-drawn both as a culture and as a society, particularly regarding their faith and spirituality. But speaking for myself, the Cardassians are more compelling due to their unique and tragic narrative denouement, something that the Bajorans lack. Cardassia ultimately endures a fate that is akin to the greatest of Greek tragedies and in doing so, truly acts as a cautionary tale for all of humanity.

A Cardassian delegation aboard the Enterprise-D

One of the first things that jump out to long-time fans of the franchise is the fact that the Cardassians didn’t have an origin based upon The Original Series . They were the relative newcomers to the galactic neighborhood, having been introduced in the third season TNG episode “The Wounded”. From their first portrayal here to their eventual role as the primary antagonists in Deep Space Nine , the Cardassians were conceived with the idea that they were going to be more three-dimensional than previous alien races.  The episode’s director, Chip Chalmers  noted  “We introduced a new enemy that’s finally able to speak on the level of Picard. They’re not grunting, they’re not giggling, they’re not mutes or all-knowing entities. Here are the Cardassians who also graduated first in their class and they’re able to carry on highly intelligent conversations with Picard, but they’re sinister as hell. It was fun to introduce a whole new alien race.” In this episode, we see the critical seeds of the more well-known aspects of the Cardassian mindset being planted: their militarism, their inherent suspicion of outsiders, and their penchant for duplicitousness and strategic maneuvering. Indeed, for Cardassia, the only instrument that can ensure order and security is a strong Nation State bound by common purpose, force of arms, and an unwavering sense of right and wrong that can ward off its enemies, both internal and external. In order to ensure the State’s survival, two institutions were key in Cardassian society: the military in the form of the Central Command and the intelligence and internal security apparatus in the form of the Obsidian Order.

  Gul Dukat of the Central Command and Garak, formerly of the Obsidian Order

However, it is important to remember that although a strong militaristic ethos has always infused Cardassian culture, the entire race is not uniformly depicted as such. A number of portrayals do indeed add much needed texture and nuance in this regard.  For example, in the season three DS9 episode titled “Destiny”, there is a marvelous portrayal of Cardassians that have other career paths than ones that aspire to be a glinn, gul, or even legate in the Central Command. As civilian scientists, Ulani Bejor and Gilora Rejal demonstrated that not every Cardassian necessarily desired to join the military or intelligence ranks. Furthermore, as female members of their race, they were able to provide texture and nuance about larger Cardassian gender dynamics, most notably around the idea that since females were perceived to be smarter than their male counterparts, they would naturally gravitate towards the sciences, whereas the males would often be inclined towards “less” intellectually rigorous pursuits such as the military and politics. It’s a shame that the DS9 writers didn’t carry this fascinating idea forward because it serves as a reverse mirror of our own society and how women are still underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields today. It was even shown that consummate career military officers, such as Gul Dukat and Gul Madred, also had interests and passions for art, archaeology, philosophy, history, and other intellectual pursuits. There existed a Cardassian Institute for Art and an entire art movement on the homeworld called “The Valonnan School” that ostensibly emphasized impressionistic art. There were entire genres of diverse Cardassian literature that ranged from serialistic poetry to repetitive epics and enigma tales. And perhaps most telling, there even existed a Cardassian underground dissident movement, comprised of academics, scholars, young people, and other idealists, who opposed the stranglehold that the Central Command and the Obsidian Order had on Cardassian society and sought to restore the power of the civilian-led Detapa Council.

Two female Cardassian scientists, Ulani Bejor and Gilora Rejal

Through nearly all of these unique manifestations of Cardassian culture and thought, there is a singular theme that runs through them: the idea that individual needs are subordinate to the collective good of Cardassia. At the heart of this idea to promote the collective good lies the family. Indeed, in the second season DS9 episode “Cardassians”, Kotan Pa’Dar noted that “We care for our parents and our children with equal devotion. In some households, four generations eat at the same table. Family is everything.” Thus, it should come as no surprise that someone such as Elim Garak would consider “The Never Ending Sacrifice”, a literary epic focusing on seven generations of citizens devoted in service to the State, to be the “finest Cardassian novel ever written”. This creed is in essence a variation on the theme that Spock espoused in “The Wrath of Khan” and would later become an informal ethos for the Federation, and by extension humanity: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”. But as evidenced by humanity’s own history, such an ethos can be manipulated and perverted to justify unspeakable crimes and atrocities and Cardassian history is no exception.

A striking example of how this desire for the collective good can be used for terrible ends is witnessing how the Cardassian judicial system operates. In the second season DS9 two-part episode “The Maquis”, Dukat lays out to Commander Sisko its underpinnings:

SISKO: They’ll be tried for their crimes under the Federation Code of Justice. DUKAT: And if they’re found innocent? SISKO: I doubt that they will, but if they are, they’ll be set free. DUKAT: How barbaric. On Cardassia, the verdict is always known before the trial begins. And it’s always the same. SISKO: In that case, why bother with a trial at all? DUKAT: Because the people demand it. They enjoy watching justice triumph over evil every time. They find it comforting. SISKO: Isn’t there ever a chance you might try an innocent man by mistake? DUKAT: Cardassians don’t make mistakes.

A Cardassian trial is publicly broadcast 

Thus, in the view of Cardassian jurisprudence, the individual rights of the accused to face their accuser and the presumption of innocence is completely irrelevant. Their entire concept of justice is precisely inverted from our own in order to vindicate the State, its prosecution, and its methodology in reaching a guilty verdict because it is simply inconceivable that the State, in its effort to promote the collective good, could ever be wrong. In the penultimate episode of that season entitled “The Tribunal”, we see in vivid detail how Cardassian justice is implemented. The following exchange between Miles O’Brien and his state appointed counsel in that episode is particularly revealing.

O’BRIEN: I’ve been told that I’ve already been charged, indicted, convicted, and sentenced. What would I need with a lawyer? KOVAT: Well, Mr. O’Brien, if it sounds immodest of me I apologize, but the role of public conservator is key to the productive functioning of our courts. I’m here to help you concede the wisdom of the state.

Kovat “defending” O’Brien before the Cardassian court

The very title of the state appointed counsel, “public conservator” illustrates the extent to which Cardassian justice is conservative in nature and only seeks to uphold a presumed incorruptible status quo. Such proceedings are then broadcast to the citizenry and to young children in particular in order to strengthen their belief and faith in Cardassian institutions and to provide a cautionary example that criminals in Cardassia are always guilty and should only seek the mercy of the court. This dual imperative of breaking the will of the presumed guilty and showing a younger generation the wisdom of such a process is demonstrated masterfully in TNG’s sixth season two-part episode “Chain of Command” when Madred not only invites his young daughter to the room where he is torturing Captain Picard, but also when it is shown that breaking Picard’s will into recognizing “five lights” is what ultimately mattered to him, instead of any Federation military secrets. Such a portrayal is a vivid and poignant reminder of the show trials, witch hunts, and inquisitions that have marred our own history when governments and regimes have used such dubious tactics in the pursuit of their own definition of “justice”.

Gul Madred bonding with his daughter, with a tortured Picard nearby

The greatest manifestation of how the pursuit of the collective good can be perverted into something terrible is how the Cardassians acted in their dealings with the Bajorans and the Maquis. First introduced in the TNG Season 6 episode titled “Ensign Ro”, the Bajorans were a race that had been subjugated by the Cardassians forty years prior in a grand colonization effort, beginning in 2328 and ending in 2369. During this decades-long period known as “The Occupation”, Cardassians engineered a systematic and coordinated campaign of strip-mining, forced labor, and genocide to control, dominate, and exploit the people and physical resources of Bajor. Those that could escape the devastation being wrought on the surface of Bajor would relocate as refugees throughout the galaxy. And many others would also take part in the Resistance, an organized effort by the Bajorans using whatever tactics (guerrilla, terrorist, or otherwise) to force the Cardassians to withdraw from their homeworld. The Bajorans would eventually succeed in this goal, as seen in “Emissary”, the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine . However, the moral compromises the Bajorans had to make in order to achieve this, when taken into context with the harsh conditions imposed by Cardassia, is a striking and sobering commentary on our own current socio-political issues of displacement, resistance, terrorism, and occupation. And this was achieved because it was always intended to serve such a purpose. Producers Michael Piller and Rick Berman at the time noted that “The Bajorans are the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), but they’re also the Kurds, the Jews, and the American Indians. They are any racially bound group of people who have been deprived of their home by a powerful force”, who in this case was the Cardassian Empire.

  A Cardassian guard closes a gate on Bajoran slave workers

They added, “When you talk about a civilization like the Bajorans who were great architects and builders with enormous artistic skills centuries before humans were even standing erect, you might be thinking a lot more about Indians than Palestinians.” The parallel to the historic plight of Native Americans is especially poignant because it deals directly with another fractious relationship the Cardassians had, this time with the Maquis: Federation colonists who were displaced by the new borders established by the Federation’s peace treaty with Cardassia and refused to leave their homes. They eventually adopted the name “Maquis”, a term dating back to the French underground resistance to the Nazis during the Second World War. The original concept behind the Maquis was conceived of in TNG’s Season 7 episode entitled “Journey’s End”, which featured descendants of Native Americans resettling on a Federation colony near the Cardassian border only to face the threat of forced relocation. The Maquis would eventually come to encompass many other Federation settlers caught behind these new borders, as well as disaffected and disillusioned Starfleet officers who felt that the Federation had sold out its own citizens to appease a duplicitous and aggressive adversary. Consequently, the Maquis would actively engage in insurgent and terrorist actions against both the Federation and the Cardassians in defense of their “independent nation”.

The Maquis and the Cardassians, locked in battle

Cardassian actions to stamp out both the Bajoran and Maquis resistance were cruel, brutal and unrelenting. The Empire’s desire to secure its own collective good at the expense of others would lead to the use of harsh and brutal tactics that often precipitated the use of such tactics in return and perpetuated a bitter cycle of violence. The irony is that these tactics were ultimately counter-productive for Cardassia. Bajor won its independence regardless and the Maquis stubbornly refused to be suppressed. As we have witnessed, there is nothing more dangerous than a national ego that has been bruised. It has spawned two world wars in our own recent history, and countless other conflicts in the past. Cardassia, stinging from its own self-perceived weakness in dealing with the Bajorans and the Maquis and only exacerbated by its recent military losses to the Klingons, would eventually make the ultimate deal with the devil. Under the sway of a charismatic leader in the form of Gul Dukat, Cardassia joined the Dominion with grand notions of renewed patriotism and restored glory.  However, none of this would come to pass. Instead, Dukat’s actions would help plunge the entire Alpha Quadrant into a war that would ultimately leave Cardassia completely broken and its people devastated, with over 800 million of its own citizens dead at war’s end.

  Gul Dukat leading Cardassian and Jem’Hadar forces under the banner of the Dominion

Throughout the broad strokes of Cardassian society and culture, it’s evident we can see so many parallels to our own history. As we ourselves have witnessed, the appeal of patriotism, self-pride, the rule of law, the security of order, and the desire for the collective good are all powerful and beneficial motivators. But they can also be corrupted, manipulated, and exploited to justify unspeakable acts in the name of ensuring and preserving those very same things. But the most important aspect of a mirror is how it reflects everything, both the good and the bad. Thus, the most vital component of the Cardassian mirror for humanity is one that actually represents redemption. And in the grand story of Cardassia, there is no other person that better represents redemption than Damar.

A younger Damar as the model Cardassian soldier

Initially only introduced as a tertiary character and one that was little more than a background henchman for Dukat, the character of Damar eventually became the embodiment of the entire Cardassian people. As the ultimate archetype of a true patriot, he believed that everything done in the name of Cardassia was worth doing and he personally relished in the brutal excesses and military conquests of the State. But only near the end, when he realized what a terrible cost such an attitude inflicted, both on his people and to him personally, Damar became the catalyst for the Cardassians to openly rebel against the Dominion. In doing so, he helped his people break free from the centuries-long cycle of aggression that had finally brought their society to ruin. And much like the symbols of our own history who became martyrs in defense of a greater ideal, Damar’s death in defense of the idea that Cardassia could choose its own fate, one that was no longer driven solely by aggression, was not only his attempt at personal redemption, but also redemption for his entire civilization.

Damar leading the rallying cry of rebellion against the Dominion

  The ruins of Cardassia Prime following the war

When everything said is done, I can’t think of a greater example of a more powerful allegory in Star Trek than the ones told about the Cardassian people. It contains every element of humanity’s own ugly past and present, touching everything from torture, terrorism, slavery, genocide, colonialism, and xenophobia, all terrible acts that unfortunately still haunt us today. But it also balances out this portrayal by showing a race that is not solely defined by these actions. The Cardassians weren’t just fierce prideful warriors, they were passionate poets and writers, talented artists, brilliant scientists, and insightful philosophers as well. And they were also fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters.  In providing such a rich milieu of depth and complexity, the Cardassians are in my opinion the best and most compelling alien race in Star Trek. And in the process, they act as the perfect mirror for humanity, reminding us to always be vigilant against our own internal demons, lest they destroy all of us as well.

Addendum : For those that wish to continue the epic tale of the Cardassians, I highly recommend the excellent Star Trek books of Una McCormack, which can be found here . Known around Trek literary circles as “The Queen of Cardassia”, Ms. McCormack uses her background as a sociologist to further build the world of the Cardassians, particularly in chronicling their struggle and triumphs following the devastating Dominion War.

Acknowledgements : I also like to thank Mark Mitchell, Norman Lao, and my wonderful wife Nicole, for their invaluable help in proofreading and editing this article!

Will Nguyen lives in the Boston area. You can tweet him at @Will_Nguyen . He’s also a regular contributor to Warp 5, a weekly Enterprise show on Trek.fm , a dedicated podcast network that talks about every aspect of the Trek universe from television, the movies, literature, and everything in between.

Will Nguyen is an avowed Star Trek cosplayer and fan. You can follow Will on Twitter @boomerniner .

11 Comments

Felipe Franco

April 19, 2015 at 3:25 am

i Love this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CHFtjXc5qo

I think all the fans we like the Cardassians, they were complex and with a great history.

I like books in the Cardassian Union at the end was rebuilt into a prosperous democratic state which has good relations with its vecionos and eventually joins the kithomer accords

Jeff O'Connor

April 25, 2015 at 6:27 am

What a beautiful article. Thank you so much for summing up just why I fell in love with the Cardassians. When I was a kid I’m sure most of this stuff flew over my head, but now as an adult whenever I rewatch DS9 I pick up on another layer of depth. It’s great to see it all compiled in a single place!

Ms. McCormack’s novels are indeed terrific continuations, too.

Will Nguyen

April 29, 2015 at 4:19 pm

Thank you so much for the kind words! Thanks for reading.

Adam Hirsch

April 29, 2015 at 1:13 am

“…define humanity, they also define the Cardassians ….a striking parallel to much of human history,” fun fact kardas(cardas) is the word for sibling in turkic languages

Harry Hollins

April 13, 2016 at 1:28 pm

My favorite species. Well written, you understand them well.

Christopher Dalton

November 22, 2016 at 11:00 am

Never liked the Cardassians and I never will. They got what they deserved in the end. The downfall of their entire race and their society ruined.

A clear message of where the state of humanity is going if it does not straighten its act out and for the better.

November 25, 2016 at 11:29 pm

They also goes along with the deterioration of the temperament of Star Trek which Mr. Roddenberry himself created and enforced while he was alive. After his passing, the canon of Star Trek deteriorated away from his nearly-ideal utopia and a goal to strive for and turned into the cliché and proverbial lion’s den where peace and utopia and righteousness are mere plot pawns. Star Trek is dead.

Winnie the GRIZZ

May 31, 2017 at 11:00 pm

While the Federation was presented as a Utopian society, there were others that were still a dystopia allegory. The first episode I can think of is the white blacks vs. the black whites eventually killing each other TOS. That is also part of what made Star Trek good science fiction. Aren’t the Romulans also a xenophobic echo of the Roman empire, and the Ferengi unrestrained capitalism, etc.etc.?The Cardassian story arc was much longer than one episode, and the Enterprise/Voyager couldn’t waltz away from the problem (which was never resolved or even returned to except for Kahn in Star Trek 2). Watching through DS9 again, I see myself watching Bajor, the Federation, the Klingons, the Cardassians, and even the Romulans striving to achieve their nearly-ideal utopia. Maybe this is a better Star Trek than Captain Kirk taking a heavy battleship into the heart of the Dominion and using his libido on a Changeling woman in a bikini to solve the problem. End of episode; now onto romancing the Borg queen.

May 31, 2017 at 11:15 pm

Mrs. Grizz here (AKA Free the Birds) Recently, it occurred to me that all of the worst Star Trek enemies have something in common: they are all, to some degree, Statists. The Borg and the Founders were the ultimate Collectivists. The Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans were all large empires ruled by a very small ruling class. Average citizens are not given much, if any, say in the governance of their respective empires. This goes against the American ideal of individualism and self-government. Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future was very much like this, and even the Prime Directive allowed cultures not in the Federation to be self-governing, rather than imposing our culture, ideals, religion, economic and political system on them.

August 22, 2019 at 8:31 pm

So they made a more “three-dimensional” race of aliens by basically just making them NAZIS? Great writing guys.

Simon Foston

Excellent article. It makes me want a lot more Cardassian stories in Star Trek.

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Early life [ ]

Elim Garak was the son of Enabran Tain : a nefarious Cardassian who never grew tired of repeating to his son " I should have killed your mother before you were born. You have always been a weakness I can't afford. " ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

Garak had a strong, almost crippling, case of claustrophobia . ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ") He told Ezri Dax that, in his youth, his father would discipline him by locking him in a closet . ( DS9 : " Afterimage ")

At age four, Garak and his father spent a day in the country together, their "only day" as Garak would later recall. Garak impressed his father by mounting a riding hound despite falling off numerous times. As he limped home, his father held Garak's hand and would later recall that he was very proud of him that day. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

At one point, Garak also spent time on Tzenketh , where he was trapped in a small room with moving walls. ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ")

Life in the Obsidian Order [ ]

At one time, Garak was a high-ranking member of the Cardassian intelligence agency, the Obsidian Order . He was the protégé of his father, who had become the head of the Order in 2348 , though their familial relationship was kept secret throughout Garak's life (and only openly addressed by Tain on his deathbed). During his time as an operative, Garak was instrumental in the arrest, torture and execution of Gul Dukat 's father . ( DS9 : " The Wire ", " For the Cause ", " In Purgatory's Shadow ") That fact contributed to Dukat later regretting not having had Garak executed (though not for lack of trying, according to Garak). ( DS9 : " Civil Defense ") Garak had a vindictive streak and once tried to invent charges of treason against a gul just for being long-winded, but Tain stopped him. ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ") He also spent time on Romulus , posing as a gardener at the Cardassian embassy . During his time there he may have been involved in the deaths of several important Romulan officials, including Proconsul Merrok and Sub-Commander Ustard and the Romulan ambassador (though this was based on stories Garak told of his own past, which were not reliable). ( DS9 : " Broken Link ", " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

As an Obsidian Order operative, Garak had a cranial implant installed in his skull which would help him resist torture . The implant caused his brain to release endorphins when in pain, thus making the experience of torture pleasurable. When Garak was exiled to DS9 he hacked the device so that it remained on continuously, in order to make his exile tolerable. Finally the implant failed and he was brought to sickbay in excruciating pain. While there he confessed to Bashir that life on DS9 was itself torturous. Despite Garak's best efforts, he was unable to acquire a replacement implant and was thus forced to endure life without the pleasure creating endorphins to which he had become addicted. Enabran Tain told Bashir that he wanted Garak to live a long, miserable life, rather than simply executing him. ( DS9 : " The Wire ")

Garak's masterful skills for subterfuge were such that even in the most dire of scenarios he would lie and misdirect any attempt to ascertain the truth or his intentions. Enabran Tain commented that Garak would " Never tell the truth when a lie will do. " ( DS9 : " The Wire ") Later, Garak claimed that he considered lying a skill that required constant practice. ( DS9 : " Broken Link ", " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

Garak was an expert interrogator and torturer. In one interrogation, Garak eschewed physical torture and extracted a confession simply by staring at his prisoner, a Doctor Parmak , for hours. Garak took a great deal of pride in his ability to force information from people and did not need to be ordered to do so. ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ")

Garak learned Klingonese at some point during his time at the Obsidian Order, a fact he revealed when he spoke to a group of Klingons confronting Constable Odo . ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

In 2368 , Garak somehow betrayed Tain, and Tain ordered him killed. Garak escaped, but was exiled from his homeworld of Cardassia Prime .

While suffering from the degradation of his cranial implant, he gave three versions of the reason for his exile to Doctor Julian Bashir :

• He first claimed he was a gul in the Cardassian Mechanized Infantry and was exiled for killing several Cardassians, including his first officer, a man named Elim, as well as the daughter of a prominent military official, who were on board a transport going from Bajor to space station Terok Nor , when he destroyed it. Garak thought he was in fact killing members of the Bajoran Resistance who were planning to sabotage Terok Nor.
• He then changed his story to say that as he and his assistant Elim were interrogating a group of Bajoran children he felt pity for them and let them go instead of turning them over to be executed. He was exiled when Elim turned him in to the authorities.
• Garak also said that he was exiled after being framed by his best friend Elim with evidence that a member of the Obsidian Order was allowing Bajoran prisoners to escape.

Dr. Bashir later discovered from Enabran Tain that "Elim" was actually Garak's first name, indicating that none of these explanations were entirely true. ( DS9 : " The Wire ") Another time, he claimed he was exiled for tax evasion. ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ") Even this account (and any others), however, are almost certainly fabricated or distorted, as Garak was fond of saying, "The truth is usually just an excuse for lack of imagination." To Garak truth is the lines in between lies; he once claimed that all he says is true – " especially the lies". ( DS9 : " The Wire ")

When Sisko asked Garak if the attempted assassination plot against him in 2371 was somehow related to his exile, he stated that he seriously doubted that the finance ministry would try to kill him for not paying his taxes. ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ")

After his exile, Garak took up residence aboard Terok Nor, under the command of Gul Dukat. Bitter over Garak's involvement in his father's death, Dukat attempted to have Garak executed. ( DS9 : " Civil Defense ") Garak again escaped death's grip, surviving to see the Cardassian government withdraw from the station in 2369 . He set up a tailor's shop, and went into business soon after his fellow Cardassians left the station. ( DS9 : " Past Prologue ")

Garak loved Cardassia and the Cardassian state, which he saw as one and the same, and he loved working for the state. Exile to him was torturous. He longed to return to Cardassia, even at one point agreeing to murder fleeing members of the Cardassian dissident movement in return for a pardon (an agreement that was broken by the gul who made it with him). ( DS9 : " The Wire ", " Profit and Loss ")

Those who had exiled Garak from Cardassia said he didn't deserve a quick death. His old Obsidian Order boss Enabran Tain said, " I want him to live a long, miserable life. I want him to grow old on that station, surrounded by people who hate him, knowing that he'll never come home again. ". ( DS9 : " The Wire ")

Life on Deep Space 9 [ ]

Garak hated living on Deep Space 9, mostly because it meant he was exiled from his home, Cardassia, which he loved and which he now felt like he could not serve. ( DS9 : " The Wire ")

Garak kept contacts in the Cardassian Union after his exile, and when Starfleet took control of Terok Nor, renaming it Deep Space 9 , he attempted on occasion to use his position as the only Cardassian still aboard to regain his usefulness. Many on the station believed Garak was still a spy. He befriended Dr. Julian Bashir, and began to reveal small bits of information to the doctor about his past and current events. When once asked by Bashir whether he was an outcast or a spy, Garak suggested that maybe he was "an outcast spy." The Doctor asked how he could be both, and Garak simply replied " I never said I was either. " ( DS9 : " Profit and Loss ") Bashir and Garak began to have weekly lunches , where they grew to be friends. ( DS9 : " Cardassians ") His assigned quarters were Chamber 901, Habitat Level H-3. ( DS9 : " The Wire ")

Garak helped uncover Tahna Los ' real intentions after he was granted asylum by Sisko. He invited Bashir to hide in his shop and overhear the Duras sisters selling a substance that was used for explosives . ( DS9 : " Past Prologue ")

Garak after having his hand bitten by Rugal

Along with Bashir, he foiled a plot by Dukat to embarrass a Cardassian diplomat who opposed Dukat's dictatorial ways. Dukat had accused Kotan Pa'Dar of abandoning his child after the occupation of Bajor ended. ( DS9 : " Cardassians ")

In 2370 , Garak was offered a chance to regain his position on Cardassia by killing members of the Cardassian Underground . When the deal was revealed to be a lie, he instead killed the gul who had made the offer and helped the rebels escape. ( DS9 : " Profit and Loss ")

Garak grimacing in pain caused by his malfunctioning cranial implant

Later that year, Garak began having life-threatening headaches. He had been using his cranial implant continuously for two years to alleviate the pain of being exiled to a Bajoran space station (he had had the implant inserted into him years previously by the Obsidian Order in order to help him resist torture: the implant released endorphins into his body). The implant began to malfunction, and Doctor Bashir was forced to deactivate the device. Garak had to learn to live without it, overcoming severe withdrawal symptoms. ( DS9 : " The Wire ")

Garak was not part of the crew that entered the Gamma Quadrant in search of the Dominion, however, he was included in a simulation conducted by the Founders after capturing that crew. In the simulation, the Garak character was killed trying to stop the Dominion from taking over Deep Space 9. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ")

He helped rescue Kira from the Cardassians who had surgically altered her and tried to convince her that she was actually a Cardassian agent who had been reprogrammed into thinking she was Kira Nerys, which was in reality an attempt to reveal the ties a former legate had to the Cardassian Underground. When the station was set to self-destruct because of an automated Cardassian anti-terrorist program, he tried to use his Cardassian security codes to disable it. He became part of Bashir's nightmare caused by an alien who was using mind control on Bashir. ( DS9 : " Second Skin ", " Civil Defense ", " Distant Voices ")

Reunited with Enabran Tain in 2371

In 2371 , an explosion destroyed Garak's shop. Garak was later revealed to have caused the explosion himself, to preempt an upcoming assassination attempt by the Flaxian Retaya by drawing Odo into the investigation. The two later learned that the assassination was ordered by his former mentor, Enabran Tain . Tain offered Garak his old position in the Order back, and despite their past history, Garak accepted. ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ") Garak joined Tain on a joint Obsidian Order/ Tal Shiar mission to destroy the Founders' homeworld in the Gamma Quadrant . During this time, he was briefly assigned to interrogate Odo using an experimental device that prevented him from shape-shifting when approaching the point when Odo would have to return to his natural form, but Garak eventually ended it after Odo revealed nothing more interesting than that he still wanted to return to his people, Garak realizing that he didn't have it in him to torture those he was close to any more. The mission failed and the Dominion destroyed Tain's fleet at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula , though Garak escaped aboard the USS Defiant . He returned to Deep Space 9 and rebuilt his shop. ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ")

Garak hemming trousers for Morn

When, in 2372 , Starfleet learned of the Invasion of Cardassia, rather than betray the Klingons Captain Benjamin Sisko asked Garak to measure him for a suit while Worf made an intelligence report to the captain. When it was clear that the captain wasn't in need of a suit, and the entire meeting was a method of back-channel communication to the Detapa Council , Garak thanked the captain and said that he had " Everything I need. " Garak contacted Gul Dukat to warn him of the impending Klingon invasion of Cardassia. The two enemies fought side-by-side to defend the Detapa Council members during the First Battle of Deep Space 9 . ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ") Garak later admitted, however, that he was tempted to shoot Dukat in the back during the conflict but decided against it, if for no other reason than that he couldn't possibly defeat all of the Klingons alone. ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")

Garak with Bashir in the Julian Bashir, Secret Agent holoprogram

When Quark wanted to hire Garak as an assassin in order to kill himself as part of a contract he should not have done when he thought he was dying, Garak, realizing he did not want to die, seemingly played along with his wishes in order to help him deal with the horrible dilemma he was in and, in time, solve it. ( DS9 : " Body Parts ")

When Dukat's half - Bajoran daughter, Tora Ziyal , came to the station in 2373 , Ziyal became attracted to Garak. The two formed a bond as the only Cardassians on the station, and Ziyal fell in love with him. ( DS9 : " For the Cause ")

In hopes of finding any survivors of the Cardassian fleet, Garak returned to the Gamma Quadrant on the Defiant in 2372 . During the trip he was informed by the Female Changeling that there were no survivors, and that in fact, one day all Cardassians would die by the Dominion's hand. While in orbit of the Founders' new homeworld, Garak attempted to obliterate the Great Link using the ship's quantum torpedoes . His attempt failed when he was discovered by Worf, and he was imprisoned on Deep Space 9 for six months. ( DS9 : " Broken Link ")

Garak embracing Tora Ziyal

Garak received a message from the Gamma Quadrant the following year from Enabran Tain. Traveling to Dominion space, Garak and Lieutenant Commander Worf were captured and imprisoned on Internment Camp 371 . There he found Tain, dying. On his deathbed, Tain finally admitted that Garak was his son, and told Garak that he was proud of him. While Garak was at the camp, Gul Dukat, as the new leader of Cardassia, arranged for the imprisoned Cardassians to be freed – with the single exception of Garak. Despite his claustrophobia temporarily immobilizing him when he was forced to work in a confined space, Garak eventually modified Tain's subspace transmitter to allow the prisoners to escape from the camp, with Worf and the recovered General Martok both complimenting his courage, Garak in return complimenting Worf's strength at providing him time by fighting with various Jem'Hadar. He returned to his shop on the station, and Ziyal. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ", " By Inferno's Light ")

Garak, after boarding Empok Nor

For some reason, the inhabitants of the station eventually began to trust Garak, something he found disconcerting. He joined a mission to station Empok Nor to find parts to repair Deep Space 9. While there, he was exposed to a psychotropic drug. Garak became deranged and killed a Starfleet officer, Amaro , before being subdued by Chief Miles O'Brien. After recovering from the effects of the drug, Garak asked O'Brien to express his regrets to Amaro's wife. The event also made Garak and O'Brien come closer to each other because of their similar traumatic experiences in their life. ( DS9 : " Empok Nor ")

The Dominion War [ ]

When Starfleet withdrew from the Bajoran sector at the start of the Dominion War , Garak joined the crew of the USS Defiant . He explained that he would rather stay with his Federation associates than live on the station, which would soon be under the command of Gul Dukat once more. ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")

Garak with Sisko on a Jem'Hadar vessel

He was part of Sisko's crew that destroyed a Ketracel-white facility. Though the attack was successful, the ship was disabled, and crash landed on an uncharted planet. Garak helped fight Jem'Hadar soldiers also stranded on the planet. ( DS9 : " A Time to Stand ", " Rocks and Shoals ")

Following this, Garak remained at Starbase 375 where he underwent several debriefings, as his knowledge of the Cardassians proved a valuable asset to Starfleet Intelligence , though he cooperated rather reluctantly. He rejoined the Defiant 's crew for Operation Return . ( DS9 : " Favor the Bold ") When Starfleet retook Deep Space 9 during Operation Return , Garak found that Ziyal had been killed by Damar , noting to Major Kira that he had never understood Ziyal's feelings for him and would now never have the chance to learn more about them. ( DS9 : " Sacrifice of Angels ")

Helping Captain Sisko in 2374

Later in 2374, Captain Benjamin Sisko asked for Garak's help in finding evidence that the Dominion was planning an invasion of Romulus. Garak contacted his remaining contacts on Cardassia Prime and found them willing to assist, but then they were all killed within one day of speaking with him. Garak then proposed that they fabricate the evidence in order to give the Romulan Star Empire reason to join the war. However, he doubted that the faked recordings would fool the Romulans, so without Sisko's knowledge, he had Romulan Senator Vreenak assassinated and implicated the Dominion so that the Romulans would enter the war. ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ")

Garak with Ezri Dax

Garak spent the rest of the war decoding Cardassian transmissions for Starfleet Intelligence. Although he excelled at this duty, the thought that he was betraying and enabling the deaths of numerous Cardassians was so deeply troubling that it subconsciously aggravated his claustrophobia to such a debilitating severity, that even by Garak's own admission, spaces he found tolerable, such as his tailor shop and other areas, were now inducing panic attacks. However, Ezri Dax , in her first major case as the station's counselor , was able to treat his psychological difficulty to a manageable degree, helping Garak accept that defeating the Dominion had to take priority. ( DS9 : " Afterimage ")

During the final months of the war, Garak used his contacts in the Cardassian Union to find the leader of the Cardassian Liberation Front , Damar. Finally returning to his people with Commander Kira – given a battlefield promotion to Starfleet commander so that the Cardassians would find it easier to take orders from her on Garak's suggestion – and Constable Odo, Garak aided Damar's resistance against the Dominion. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ") When the fledgling resistance was crushed by the Jem'Hadar , Garak, Kira, and Damar retreated to Tain's house, his boyhood home, where he was reunited with Tain's housekeeper and confidante, Mila . From there they led a civilian uprising on Cardassia. ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ")

After Mila was killed in the final days of the Dominion War , Garak led the uprising with Damar and Colonel Kira and participated in the storming of Dominion Headquarters , killing Weyoun 8 , who was the last of Weyoun 's clones. With the war over, Garak's exile had ended. He returned to his planet as a possible leader, being supported by the Federation and Klingon and Romulan Empires. However, the Cardassia he knew was gone forever, destroyed by the Dominion. The reconstruction would be dire, as his final, preoccupied and sorrowful look showed. ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ")

Friendships [ ]

Garak introduced himself to Bashir during the Tahna Los incident on the station, in which Bashir suspected him of being a spy, which made him curious about him. ( DS9 : " Past Prologue ") This developed into many mutual meetings, in which they both liked each other's intellect, which led to a long-term friendship, which was then enforced when they worked together to expose a plot by Dukat to embarrass a Cardassian official who wished to reconcile Cardassia with Bajor. ( DS9 : " Cardassians ")

When his past as a spy was exposed and Julian had a need to learn about being a spy, in which Garak knew a lot, their friendship was solidified. ( DS9 : " Our Man Bashir ")

Garak and Odo both hide their feelings very well, which led to the beginning of a friendship when Garak learned about Odo's wish to return home, a sentiment he was quite familiar with. Odo reciprocates his friendship offer, when he takes notice of their similarities and realises how ashamed Garak was about having tortured him on Tain's orders. ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ")

In time, it also led to them having many meetings during dinner and to many other close conversations. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Broken Link ", " Call to Arms ")

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Truth is in the eye of the beholder, doctor. I never tell the truth because I don't believe there is such a thing. That is why I prefer the straight line simplicity of cutting cloth. "

" I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidences. "

" Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't? " " My dear Doctor, they're all true. " " Even the lies? " "Especially the lies. "

" Treason, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. "

" Are you sure that's the point, doctor? " " Of course. What else could it be? " " That you should never tell the same lie twice. "

" Do you know what the sad part is, Odo ? I'm a very good tailor. "

" The truth is usually just an excuse for lack of imagination. "

" Paranoid is what they call people who imagine threats against their life. I have threats against my life. "

" Lying is a skill like any other. And if you want to maintain a level of excellence, you have to practice constantly. "

" A pity. I rather liked him. "

" You'd shoot a man in the back? " " Well, it's the safest way, isn't it? "

" That's why you came to me, isn't it, captain? Because you knew I could do those things that you weren't capable of doing. Well, it worked. And you'll get what you wanted: a war between the Romulans and the Dominion. And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal… and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain. "

" I don't understand. " " That's the thing about love. No one really understands it, do they? "

" I'm going to miss our lunches together. " " I'm sure we'll see each other again. " " I'd like to think so… but one can never say. We live in uncertain times. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Past Prologue "
• " Cardassians "
• " Profit and Loss "
• " The Wire "
• " The Search, Part II " (simulation only)
• " Second Skin "
• " Civil Defense "
• " Distant Voices "
• " Improbable Cause "
• " The Die is Cast "
• " The Way of the Warrior "
• " Our Man Bashir "
• " For the Cause "
• " Body Parts "
• " Broken Link "
• " Things Past "
• " In Purgatory's Shadow "
• " By Inferno's Light "
• " Empok Nor "
• " Call to Arms "
• " A Time to Stand "
• " Rocks and Shoals "
• " Favor the Bold "
• " Sacrifice of Angels "
• " In the Pale Moonlight "
• " Tears of the Prophets "
• " Afterimage "
• " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges "
• " When It Rains... "
• " Tacking Into the Wind "
• " Extreme Measures "
• " The Dogs of War "
• " What You Leave Behind "
• VST : " Holograms All the Way Down " (background hologram)

Background information [ ]

Garak was played by actor Andrew Robinson .

According to the script for "Afterimage", the character's first name was pronounced as "EE-lim". [1]

Characterization [ ]

Getting the characterization of Garak right was important to both the crew and the actor himself. Of the origins of the character, Peter Allan Fields said that " we needed a Cardassian who didn't act like one, so I finally put him in a tailor shop, and nobody hit me, so we kept him there. " Director Winrich Kolbe said of the performance that " we agreed that Andy could push the envelope, but he couldn't leave the Cardassian platform. We had long talks about wardrobe and makeup, but we also talked about attitude, so that he would retain that stiffness that you see in all Cardassians. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 22)

Ronald D. Moore commented: " I know that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was definitely one of the influences on Garak's character. Ira in particularly is a big fan of that British series ". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 49 ,  ? )

Andrew Robinson was involved in the development of Elim Garak as a character, particularly in the later stages of the series where he became a key part of DS9. The actor commented, " Garak is one of those guys, we all know someone a bit like him, who you can't trust as far as you can spit. The moment you see him you put your hand on your wallet, and the moment he opens his mouth you know he's going to lie to you, but yet, somehow, you'd rather be in his company than with almost anybody else. He's a charming rogue, you can't deny it. Even I get sucked in by him. Although it's me playing him, when I see Garak on TV, I swear to god this is true, I'm fascinated. " [2] Robinson also said of the character, " He's all subtext. If a smart guy like Garak says that he's 'plain and simple', you realize that he's not plain and not simple. And that there is a lot going on. Regardless of how innocuous or simple each line is, there's always something going on underneath that belies the line. And his eyes and the tone of his voice say something different than the words he's speaking. It's not an easy thing to work with subtext, but when you do it well, you really get people's attention. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 22)

Andrew Robinson provided insight into his role when interviewed by Amazon.com, stating, " I started out playing Garak as someone who doesn't have a defined sexuality. He's not gay, he's not straight, it's a non-issue for him. Basically his sexuality is inclusive. But – it's Star Trek and there were a couple of things working against that. One is that Americans really are very nervous about sexual ambiguity. Also, this is a family show, they have to keep it on the 'straight and narrow', so then I backed off from it. Originally, in that very first episode, I loved the man's absolute fearlessness about presenting himself to an attractive Human being. The fact that the attractive Human being is a man (Bashir) doesn't make any difference to him, but that was a little too sophisticated I think. For the most part, the writers supported the character beautifully, but in that area they just made a choice they didn't want to go there, and if they don't want to go there I can't, because the writing doesn't support it. " [3] See also: Non-heterosexual characters in Star Trek

Contributing to this speculation is his occupational status as an operative in the Obsidian Order, where romance and sexuality would have been an intolerable distraction and liability to one involved in such treacherous business (as they proved to be in Enabran Tain 's case, who was obligated to conceal his amorous relationship and subsequent fatherhood of Garak, these familial connections perpetually posing "a weakness [he couldn't] afford.") ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

Ira Steven Behr commented: " I wish we could have done a little bit more with the Garak character. I talk about it in the doc. I mean, he was clearly gay or queer or however you want to say it. I think I would have loved to have taken that and see where that went and how that affected his relationship with Bashir ". [4]

Robinson commented: " I’m not saying anybody was jealous about the amount of material I was getting, but some of the regulars would laugh and say, “Jesus, you’re getting a good bite out of this.” And it’s true. If I fell in love with Garak, I think it’s because the writers fell in love with Garak. As a matter of fact, I know they did ". [5]

Garak originally had a larger role in " Tears of the Prophets ", the final episode of the sixth season . Ronald D. Moore commented, " In the original outline, we had included a Garak-Kira storyline which had them going off to the Badlands in an attempt to find and intercept Dukat. Garak had been obsessively looking him for months and then got a lead on his movements which suggested he was in Dominion territory and might be crossing back over the border soon. Garak and Kira go out to the Badlands to lie in wait for him, but in the end they are tricked into capturing the wrong ship, allowing Dukat to slip past them and arrive on DS9. We dropped this story because ultimately it went nowhere and served only to make our heroes look bad. " ( AOL chat , 1998 )

Garak's profession as a tailor was an homage by producer Peter Allan Fields to the 1960s television show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , in which Del Floria's tailor shop served as the secret entrance to U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. Fields was a writer on that show. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia , 2nd ed., p. 492)

Reception [ ]

Ira Steven Behr commented, " Garak is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. So who he is, what he really is, who the hell knows? And I think it took a more sophisticated audience to really get behind that kind of a character, because back in the day, it seemed anyway, that mystery and … I don't want to say subtlety, but something along those lines … That's not what people want, that they wanted their TNG good, bad, everything very clear, everything very clean, everything very understandable. And at the end of the day, everything was safe. Everything was basically safe. And Garak is not a safe character. And the fact now that he's so popular says something about how the audience has matured. And that's a good thing ". [6]

Behr also commented, " Getting back to telling character-oriented stories, getting back to having conflict between Human beings; plot at the service of character… I think we created a much more complete universe in which you can have all these characters with all these back stories, all these races, all these supporting characters. You knew more about 'Garak' or 'Gul Dukat', ultimately, than you knew about ' Riker '. " [7]

Hans Beimler commented, " To me, the guy that embodied the show was Garak. He was a fuckin' spy, man! He was a bad guy, in a way. But you got to know and understand him. And he got to know us and understand us. Even appreciate us. He wasn't such a bad guy at the end of the show. " ( Science Fiction Television Series, 1990-2004 , p. 270)

Andrew Robinson commented, " He’s an every man. All of us have our secrets and sometimes have challenges to our ethical and moral lives. In that way, he’s very Human. He’s not a brave, heroic figure like Captain Kirk. Nor was he one of the bad monsters on a planet that the original cast or The Next Generation cast would visit weekly. Garak was something else. " [8]

Apocrypha [ ]

Literature [ ].

The Deep Space Nine relaunch novel A Stitch in Time , written by Andrew Robinson himself, portrayed Garak's life on Cardassia, following the Dominion War, and the role he played in the rebuilding of Cardassian society, detailing his role in Cardassia's reconstruction. The novel revealed that Mila was, in fact, Garak's mother; this would explain why she was so dear to Garak, and why Garak lived with her and Tain when Tain never acknowledged him as his son. It's also revealed that after Garak was exiled from Cardassia, he came to Terok Nor and was placed under Dukat's command. Though Dukat wanted to kill Garak, Tain arranged it so he couldn't, and instead assigned Garak the meager task as station tailor in the hopes of demeaning him. Garak, however, decided to infuriate Dukat by proudly taking up his new post and performing his duties well. After the Cardassians withdrew from Bajor, Garak decided to stay, hoping to act as the eyes and ears to a world where he was no longer welcome in the chance of redeeming himself. Andrew Robinson based the novel on the notes about Garak which the actor had written and kept during the run of the series, so the novel provided a large amount of background information on Garak developed by Robinson.

In the novel The Never-Ending Sacrifice by Una McCormack , Garak became the Cardassian ambassador to the Federation and resides in Paris . Following political turmoil on Cardassia Prime in the later novel The Crimson Shadow , Garak stood for election as Castellan, the post-Dominion head of state, and won handily due to his ties to Damar and to the first post-war leader of Cardassia, Alon Ghemor, both venerated figures to the Cardassian people. He recognized that he was the only qualified candidate who truly understood the wisdom of Cardassia maintaining its alliance with the Federation, musing that he will attempt to make sure that he made the right decisions in his new role by thinking of Tora Ziyal when he has to make an important decision and asking himself what she would approve of. Enigma Tales also continues this storyline.

In the anniversary trilogy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Millennium , Garak traveled twenty-five years into the future with the crew of the Defiant , and was briefly trapped in a Pah-wraith Hell – where he was condemned to work as a Bajoran slave, given orders by Tain that he was incapable of carrying out – until he was "rescued" by Dukat (although Garak was able to use techniques he learned in the Obsidian Order to escape by himself and leave Dukat trapped in his Hell once Dukat's presence confirmed the unreality of his current situation). While attempting to undo the events that created the future timeline they experienced, Garak traveled back to before the Day of Withdrawal and met with his own younger self, providing his past self with the necessary codes to deactivate Terok Nor's self-destruct sequence after the Cardassians leave, the younger Garak later erasing his memory of his future self's visit.

Elim Garak of the alternate reality

The alternate reality version of Elim Garak appears in the fourth issue of the Star Trek: Ongoing story arc The Q Gambit where he leads a group of Cardassian soldiers in a set-up created by Quark to capture Kira, Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy . Though Kira attempts to fight, Spock restrains her seeing as the fight is already lost, with Garak agreeing. He then seizes the Reckoning Tablet and explains how he heard rumors of it being buried on Bajor but didn't believe them until now. Kira then threatens to break out and take back the tablet and wouldn't stop until she was dead, to which Garak replies that he has no permission to kill them just yet, so he takes the three prisoners and the tablet back to Terok Nor to discover its secrets together.

In the Star Trek: Picard novel Second Self , Garak became the Cardassian Ambassador to the United Federation of Planets following the end of the Dominion War and diligently performed his duties for years until he retired in the early 2390s . By 2399 , Garak had fallen out of favor with both the Cardassion Union and the Federation when Cardassia considered him an embarrassment as he was the last surviving member of the Obsidian Order, and the Federation considered him a liability as protecting him could mean a straining in the Federation-Bajoran relations so when Bajoran Intelligence discovered that in 2340 that he had been responsible for the destruction of a Bajoran settlement on the planet Ordeve, he was branded a criminal and forced to hide. When he was sighted on Ordeve, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard tasked Lieutenant Commander Raffaela Musiker to track him down and arrest him. She recruited Elnor and the two were transported onto the planet by Captain Cristóbal Rios with the USS Stargazer . By then, Garak had surgically altered himself to look Bajoran and adopted the cover identity of a vedek named "Saba Taan", a man he had first met on the planet almost 50 years before. He was found and identified by Raffi and Koma Tath agent Toze Falus and taken prisoner, but they were unable to take him to custody as a force field protected by Obsidian Order codes had activated behind them, forcing them to go further in the Caanta valley. There they found a Bajoran settlement where people reacted to Garak's presence by welcoming him with happiness and love and revealed to him that they were the children who had survived Garak's attack in 2340 and that he really was Saba Taan, and due to a temporal causality loop , was destined to go back in time to save them from his actions and protect the Orb to redeem himself for his crimes, while Toze initially opposed the news, he eventually allowed Garak to use the Orb of Restitution to travel back in time, official reports listed him dead while trying to protect the Orb from a Tal Shiar attack. Garak arrived in 2340 five months before the arrival of his younger self and used the time he had to create a safe haven for the children and help the Bajoran Resistance smuggle weapons through the local temple, he also briefly met his younger self and told him that he forgave him for what he was about to do. When the younger Garak attacked the settlement, he snuck away with the children and the Orb in the Caanta valley where he raised and protected them until he died in 2357 after performing Shri-tal with his Bajoran charges. After his death, he was buried in a tomb adorned with a Bajoran holy symbol and the coat of arms of the Obsidian Order and was remembered by his new family with much love.

Computer games [ ]

Robinson reprised his role as Garak for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen .

The story for Star Trek Online had Garak becoming a leader of the new Detapa Council on Cardassia. Garak appears in the game's fourth expansion, Victory is Life , voiced once more by Andrew Robinson. Garak attends a conference on DS9 called by Odo to deal with the threat of the Hur'q ; following the conference, he can be regularly found in his old tailor's shop. In the course of the campaign, Garak discovers a transponder of apparent Dominion manufacture on the Dominion world of Karemma , attuned to lure in the Hur'q; he informs Odo and Captain Kira Nerys that he found one of similar design in the Kendra Province on Bajor just after the recent Hur'q attack against DS9. In the mission "Tenebris Torquent", during the confrontation with the Female Changeling on the ruined Hur'q homeworld, Garak reveals that he set one of the transponders on the Founder homeworld of Empersa as insurance. Following the success of the campaign, Garak conducts successful negotiations to bring the Cardassian Union into the Khitomer Alliance, remarking to the player that they could expect to see more Cardassians around (a reference to Cardassians being made a playable species in Victory is Life ).

External links [ ]

• Elim Garak at Wikipedia
• Elim Garak at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Elim Garak at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

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Play as a Cardassian!

By Ambassador Kael | Tue 17 Apr 2018 09:00:00 AM PDT

With the coming of Victory is Life, and its connections to Deep Space Nine, it made sense to bring about one of the longest requested features in Star Trek Online: we’re adding Cardassians as a playable species for both Starfleet and Klingon Factions. Cardassians have a unique species trait and a unique optional trait – check below for some details on what this new race will bring to the table.

DISCLAIMER: All information in this blog post is subject to change.

Once a dominant force in the Alpha Quadrant, the Cardassian Union fought on the losing side of the Dominion War.  The impact of that conflict is felt to this day on Cardassia Prime, left in a devastated state during the war’s final days.  Despite many hardships, the proud, ruthless and cunning people of Cardassia have forged their way into the 25th century with a grim determination.

After the Dominion war, Cardassia’s military is a shadow of its former self, reduced to a defensive, peacekeeping force. With the re-emergence of the Dominion and the threat of the True Way terrorist group, many Cardassians feel that more has to be done to protect their home. A number of them have pledged their support to the Klingon Empire or the Federation as a result. After a heavy vetting process, these proud citizens of Cardassia are accepted into the ranks of the KDF and Starfleet.

Trait Information

Inherent Species Space Trait: Recalled Tactics Cardassians are well known for their photographic memory and mental strength, which is utilized during combat to recall the extensive combat training instruction. For every 5 seconds you are in combat, you will gain one stack of Recalled Tactics, which will increase your Damage, Accuracy, and Defense for a short time.  

Unique Ground Trait: Superior Mental Fortitude Increases your resistance to mind controlling attacks, enhancing innate resistance to the effects of Confuse, Stun and Placate. This also makes you immune to the Vulcan Nerve Pinch!

Stay tuned for more information on how to unlock this new playable race, which will be testable on Tribble very soon!

Robert “CrypticRidi” Hrouda Systems Design Star Trek Online

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Episode 172: Star Trek TNG: Season 2, Episodes 13 & 14 Keeping Up With the Cardassians

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We're back after a Memorial Day hiatus, and of course the conversation turns to meat. How do you like it? Rare? Medium Rare? Well-Done? Joe and Rob continue their rant against urgent care, and Nick doesn't make a compelling case of why you should use it. In the 2nd half, the Cardassians review the season 2 episode "Time Squared"

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8 Alpha Quadrant Things Star Trek: Voyager Found In Delta Quadrant

• Star Trek: Voyager finds familiar things from the Alpha Quadrant in the Delta Quadrant, sparking important questions and connections.
• Encounter with Ferengi negotiators leads Voyager crew to stop their interference in a pre-warp civilization for profits.
• Janeway and crew discover humans abducted by aliens in the 1930s living in the Delta Quadrant, including Amelia Earhart.

For a show with the conceit of being so far from home, Star Trek: Voyager found a surprising number of things in the Delta Quadrant that originated in the Alpha Quadrant, including several from Earth itself. The USS Voyager, commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and Commander Chakotay's (Robert Beltran) Maquis raider Val Jean were both brought to the Delta Quadrant in 2371 by the Caretaker (Basil Langton). After Janeway destroyed the Caretaker's array to save the Ocampa , Voyager and the Val Jean were left without a ticket back to the Alpha Quadrant, and banded together to make the long journey.

Finding something familiar in an otherwise totally alien corner of the galaxy brought a sense of familiarity to the USS Voyager crew and viewers at home alike, but the presence of something from the Alpha Quadrant in the Delta Quadrant inevitably raised important questions , like how familiar people and objects traveled 70,000 light years from home in the first place, and whether the find could lead Captain Kathryn Janeway towards a quicker path home to Earth.

Star Trek: Voyagers 20 Best Episodes Ranked

A pair of ferengi negotiators, arridor and kol, star trek: voyager season 3, episode 5 "false profits".

The USS Voyager encounters a pair of Ferengi negotiators, Arridor (Dan Shor) and Kol (Leslie Jordan), who claim to be the prophesied Great Sages of the Takarians, a society with Bronze Age level technology. The Ferengi have no Prime Directive to deter them from interfering with the Takarians' development , so they're performing "miracles" with a standard replicator to reap the monetary benefits of the Takarians' worship. Voyager's crew know the Ferengi reputation well enough to know they're no Sages, so they must figure out how to put a stop to Arridor and Kol's grift.

"False Profits" serves as a Star Trek sequel episode to Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 8 "The Price", as Voyager catches up with Arridor and Kol (formerly played by J. R. Quinonez) seven years after their Delta Quadrant arrival. The Ferengi took a test flight through the supposedly stable wormhole near Barzan II, which was supposed to emerge in the Gamma Quadrant, but instead stranded the Ferengi in the Delta Quadrant, where they made the best of their situation as only Ferengi can.

Star Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 23 "Distant Origin"

"Distant Origin" opens on Forra Gegen (Henry Woronicz), a scientist who discovers that his people, the Voth, share certain genetic similarities with the humans aboard the USS Voyager. While this confirms Gegen's theory that the Voth are the descendants of a species brought to their homeworld millions of years ago , religious leader Minister Odala (Concetta Tomei) refuses to accept the truth. Even with Commander Chakotay present as a living specimen of humanity, Odala pushes Gegen to recant, because Gegen's theory goes against the Voth Doctrine that keeps Odala in power.

After meeting Gegen's assistant, Tova Veer (Christopher Liam Moore), Janeway and the Doctor use the holodeck as a research guide to extrapolate how hadrosaurs might look in the 24th century if they'd been able to evolve into a humanoid form with comparable intelligence. The result resembles Veer, so Janeway and the Doctor conclude, like Gegen, that the Voth evolved from hadrosaurs into a highly advanced species on Earth , then fled to the Delta Quadrant in spacefaring vessels instead of being wiped out with the other dinosaurs.

The Friendship One Probe

Star trek: voyager season 7, episode 21 "friendship one".

By Star Trek: Voyager season 7 , the USS Voyager is in regular contact with Starfleet Command, and Starfleet gives Voyager a mission to retrieve a 21st-century Earth probe, Friendship One . The probe proves difficult to find, but once discovered on an alien planet suffering devastating climate collapse, the implications of Friendship One's launch become clear. Besides the irreversible damage to the planet's climate, the inhabitants are all suffering from radiation sickness, and bear understandable hostility towards Earth, because the aliens believe humans orchestrated their destruction with the Friendship One probe.

The United Earth Space Probe Agency was one of the early names for the organization the USS Enterprise belongs to in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Charlie X".

Friendship One was launched in 2067 by the United Earth Space Probe Agency with the intention of making friends with whomever found it, as the name implies. Although Friendship One, the 400-year-old Earth probe, traveled for centuries carrying messages of peace, musical recordings, and ways to translate languages, the people who discovered Friendship One in the Delta Quadrant took a greater interest in the antimatter it used to travel across space. Without the proper knowledge of its use, antimatter proved devastating to the planet and its people, resulting in death and disease for generations.

Dreadnought, a Cardassian Missile

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 17 "dreadnought".

The USS Voyager discovers a dangerously powerful, self-guided Cardassian missile in the Delta Quadrant, which Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) recognizes as one nicknamed "Dreadnought" . When B'Elanna was with the Maquis, Torres had actually reprogrammed the missile herself, with the intention of turning the Cardassians' own weapon against them. Without a Cardassian target in sight, the artificially intelligent Cardassian Dreadnought targets a heavily-populated Class-M planet , Rakosa V. B'Elanna determines she must be the one to keep Dreadnought from hurting anyone else, and boards the missile to convince it to stand down.

While no concrete reason is given for exactly how the Dreadnought wound up in the Delta Quadrant, its last known location in the Alpha Quadrant was the Badlands, the same rough patch of space where Voyager and the Val Jean, Chakotay's Maquis raider, fatefully met. Because of this, Torres theorizes that Dreadnought arrived in the Delta Quadrant the same way that Voyager and the Val Jean did , courtesy of the Caretaker.

Star Trek: Voyagers BElanna Is More Klingon Than TNGs Worf Ever Was

A klingon d-7 class cruiser, complete with klingons, star trek: voyager, season 7, episode 14 "prophecy".

The USS Voyager certainly never expected to find a Klingon ship in the Delta Quadrant, but more surprising is the fact that the crew of the Klingon D-7 Class Cruiser believes their savior, the prophesied kuvah'magh, is aboard Voyager . Janeway assures the Klingon captain, Kohlar (Wren T. Brown), that the Federation and Klingon Empire have been allies for the past 80 years, and offers Voyager's own half-Klingon, Lt. B'Elanna Torres, as proof their societies are working together now. The kuvah'magh is Torres' unborn daughter, who does save the Klingons, but not the way they expected.

Centuries ago, Kohlar's great-grandfather set off on a quest to find the kuvah'magh, and the Klingon D-7 Cruiser became a generation ship that is now crewed by the descendants of its original crew . The quest begun by Kohlar's great-grandfather brought Kohlar and his crew to the Delta Quadrant after four generations of searching. Whether B'Elanna's child is actually the kuvah'magh or not, Kohlar desperately wants the baby to be their savior, so that his people may finally rest.

Amelia Earhart

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 1 "the 37s".

The discovery of a 1936 Ford truck, seemingly disconnected from any parent vehicle, leads the USS Voyager to a nearby Class-L planet, where they find eight humans who have been in cryo-stasis since they were abducted by aliens in the 1930s. Among them are one of Janeway's personal heroes, legendary American aviator Amelia Earhart (Sharon Lawrence) , who disappeared without a trace while attempting to fly around the world, and Earhart's navigator, Fred Noonan (David Graf). Earhart and the other preserved humans are known by the planet's inhabitants as "The 37s", and revered as sacred.

Originally thought to be aliens, the natives of the unnamed planet are the descendants of humans. A species called the Briori abducted the natives' ancestors, along with Earhart and the other 37s, from Earth centuries earlier , and took them to the Delta Quadrant. Once held as slaves, the humans who weren't in stasis revolted to free themselves from the Briori, and developed a thriving, Earth-like civilization in the Delta Quadrant. Voyager's crew consider staying with the humans in their little slice of home, while Janeway also offers a ride back to Earth to anyone who wants it, including Amelia Earhart.

The USS Equinox

Star trek: voyager season 5, episode 26 & season 6, episode 1 "equinox".

The crew of the USS Voyager believe they're the only Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant until they find the USS Equinox, five years into their journey home. Captain Rudolph Ransom (John Savage) and the Equinox crew have had a harder time in the Delta Quadrant than Voyager, with more damage, fewer starting resources, and fewer opportunities to make friends along the way. Ransom's survival tactics include sacrificing innocent nucleogenic life forms for a more efficient form of fuel, which Janeway finds hard to stomach, and decides that Ransom needs to be held accountable for defying Federation ideals, regardless of how badly the Equinox is damaged.

Although Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) suggests that the Equinox might be in the Delta Quadrant on a rescue mission to find Voyager, the USS Equinox's specs don't fit the profile of a starship that would be assigned to a long-range mission. The explanation of how the Equinox arrived in the Delta Quadrant in the first place seems fairly simple, because Captain Ransom tells Janeway that the Equinox was also abducted by the Caretaker , just like Voyager, but the Equinox has only been in the Delta Quadrant for 2 years, and Janeway destroyed the Caretaker's array 5 years earlier.

Seven of Nine

Debuts in star trek: voyager season 4, episode 1 "scorpion, part 2".

When Captain Kathryn Janeway allies with the Borg in order to secure safe passage across Borg space, Janeway refuses the cursory assimilation that the Borg want to use to communicate with Janeway and Voyager's crew, and instead requests a speaker for the Borg, citing the existence of Locutus (Patrick Stewart) as precedent. Seven of Nine , Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01, is selected as the Borg drone to act as liaison between the Collective and Voyager, likely because Seven of Nine had once been a member of Species 5168, like most of Voyager's crew -- in other words, human.

Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier" provides even more detail of the Hansens' fateful journey.

After Seven's link with the Collective is severed, more information about Seven's human origin comes to light. In Voyager season 4, episode 6 "The Raven", when Voyager nears the Hansens' ship, the USS Raven, memories of Seven's early life surface, revealing that Seven had been six-year-old human Annika Hansen , the daughter of Magnus Hansen (Kirk Baily) and Erin Hansen (Laura Stepp), Federation scientists who were studying the Borg when they were assimilated. Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier" provides even more detail of the Hansens' fateful journey, showing the Raven arriving in the Delta Quadrant by following a Borg Cube through a transwarp conduit.

10 Ways USS Voyager Changed In Star Treks Delta Quadrant

Star Trek: Voyager links back to the greater Star Trek universe with people and starships from the Alpha Quadrant. Connections to the familiar were especially important early on, because Voyager 's place in the Star Trek franchise was established and aided by the legitimacy these finds offered. Later, when the USS Voyager used the Hirogen communications array to communicate with Starfleet Command, links back to the Alpha Quadrant were plentiful again, not only to prove that the USS Voyager was closer to home, but to help Star Trek: Voyager maintain connections to Star Trek and carry the franchise in its final years.

Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Voyager

Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo

Release Date May 23, 1995

Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure

Network UPN

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga

Rating TV-PG

When is the 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 finale? Release date, cast, where to watch

Warning: May contain spoilers .

U.S.S. Discovery's final mission is almost at its end, with the last episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 5 scheduled to release this Thursday.

The fifth and final season of the hit TV series had followed Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncover a mystery that sent them on "an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries," according to Paramount+.

"Star Trek: Discovery" debuted in 2017 and is the seventh in the Star Trek series. Here's what to know about Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery," and when the final episode will be dropping.

When is 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 finale?

The final episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 5 will release on Paramount+ on Thursday, May 30. Paramount+ did not specify what time the episode will be available on its platform.

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Nine episodes of Season 5, and Seasons 1 to 4 are available to stream on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' on Paramount+: Subscribe

Will 'Star Trek: Discovery' have another season?

No. Paramount+ had earlier announced that Season 5 will be the last in the "Star Trek: Discovery" series.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 cast

Season 5 of "Star Trek: Discovery" brings back new and old faces along with recurring guest stars. Cast members include:

• Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham
• Doug Jones as Saru
• Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
• Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
• Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber
• David Ajala as Cleveland “Book” Booker
• Blu del Barrio as Adira
• Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner
• Elias Toufexis as L’ak
• Eve Harlow as Moll

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 trailer

Paramount+ dropped the official trailer for Season 5 on Feb. 23.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Looking for reliable options to stream "Star Trek: Discovery" on Paramount+? Check out USA TODAY Home Internet for  broadband service plans  in your area.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

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Netflix’s Eric, Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale, and more new TV this week

Plus: The end of Hulu’s Under the Bridge, Hacks season 3, and more

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Share All sharing options for: Netflix’s Eric, Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale, and more new TV this week

The week has barely started (if you’re in the U.S. and reading this on the Monday holiday: even less so!), and already there’s a whole lot of TV to get through.

With any luck, the long weekend gave you some time to catch up with things — after all, as our summer preview is any indication, there’s only gonna be even more coming soon. But while a bunch of new stuff might be coming up, there’s plenty to watch this week alone. Under the Bridge and Hacks are both wrapping up really strong seasons, while shows like Pyramid Game and We Are Lady Parts are just ramping up.

Here are all the best new TV premieres and finales this week.

New shows on Netflix

Genre: Drama miniseries Release date: May 30, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Abi Morgan Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann, and more

Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a puppeteer happily living and working in 1980s New York City. Then, his 9-year-old son goes missing on the way to school, plunging Vincent into a dark, volatile depression. Vincent believes his son will come back if only he can get Eric, a monster based on a drawing his son did, to the screen.

Genre: Teen show Release date: May 30 Based on the book by: Holly Smale Cast: Emily Carey, Sarah Parish, Emmanuel Imani, and more

Harriet (Emily Carey) is just another geek trying to get by in high school, even if it means brushing off some mean girl bullies to do it. But everything changes when — against the odds and Harriet’s wishes — she finds herself scouted to be the next hot supermodel.

New shows on Hulu

The veil season finale.

Genre: Spy thriller Release date: May 28 Showrunner/creator: Steven Knight Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, Josh Charles, and more

The stage is set in London for a deadly attack. But Imogen (Elisabeth Moss) and Adilah (Yumna Marwan) are also on the move. And with Imogen keeping her master plan secret from even us, it seems likely that this attack could go either way.

Under the Bridge finale

Genre: True-crime mystery Release date: May 29 Showrunner/creator: Samir Mehta, Quinn Shephard Cast: Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and more

There’s nothing about the murder of Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) that feels easy to swallow, and it’s a testament to Under the Bridge that the show has been able to balance the complexities of that reality in its seven episodes so far. Now, it’s coming to a close — one that no doubt will carry the weight of every ounce of tragedy in this story.

New shows on Max

Hacks season 3 finale.

Genre: Comedy Release date: May 30 Showrunner/creator: Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Jean Smart, and more

It’s all happening for Deborah (Jean Smart), now that she finally got her dream of hosting a late-night show. Only suddenly, there’s some last-minute doubt: Will Ava (Hannah Einbinder) be allowed to come along for the ride?

New shows on Paramount Plus

Pyramid game.

Genre: Thriller Release date: May 30, with all 10 episodes Showrunner/creator: Choi Sui Cast: Bona, Jang Da-a, Ryu Da-in, and more

Seong Su-ji is a new student at the Baekyeon Girls’ High School, and everything is already feeling like a fight for survival as she battles bullies and studies alike. And then she’s introduced to a new ranking system that lets people secretly vote for who they think should be a class outcast. Now, Su-ji has to decide whether to keep going along (and possibly accepting the violence that comes with it) or else lead an uprising against this shadowy “Pyramid Game.”

Star Trek: Discovery series finale

Genre: Star Trek Release date: May 30 Showrunner/creator: Akiva Goldsman Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, and more

The end of an era! By which I mean not only the season we got of 900 years in Star Trek’s future, but also Discovery , which wraps up this Thursday. It’s the end of the first Star Trek show of the modern era, and is free in a way Star Trek hasn’t been in a long, long while , all while paving the way for more Trek to come.

New shows on Peacock

We are lady parts season 2.

Genre: “Yeah, I’m in a band” teen comedy Release date: May 30, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Nida Manzoor Cast: Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, and more

We Are Lady Parts is back and ready to record their debut album. Which means it’s the perfect time for more bandmate shenanigans — including battling a rival Muslim band, playing a festival, exploring your “villain era.” All that and Malala Yousafzai is supposed to show up sometime this season!

New shows on Apple TV Plus

Loot season 2 finale.

Genre: Comedy Release date: May 29 Showrunner/creators: Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard Cast: Maya Rudolph, Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon, and more

The Wells Foundation — and Molly (Maya Rudolph), the billionaire woman who runs it — are nearing their greatest success yet. Which, of course, means reality is about to come crashing in with some major personal decisions. How will the dust settle in the season 2 finale?

New shows on Showtime

Couples therapy season 4.

Genre: Documentary series Release date: May 31, with one episode; on-air premiere at 10 p.m. EDT on June 2 Showrunner/creator: Dr. Orna Guralnik Cast: Real-life couples in therapy

It’s a new season of Couples Therapy, and an all-new cast of couples to undergo real therapy with Dr. Orna. The result will be unpredictable — couples therapy, after all, is about figuring yourselves out together, not necessarily saving the relationship. The good news? It will most likely be cathartic, one way or another.

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• Playable Alien starships
• Zen Store starships
• Tier 6 Ship
• Science Dreadnoughts
• Hangar Bay: 1
• Intel starships
• Starships with a standard Cloaking device
• Playable Cardassian starships
• Victory is Life

Cardassian Damar Intel Science Dreadnought

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• View history

Release date: June 5, 2018 The Cardassian Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought is a Tier 6 Science Dreadnought which may be flown by characters of any faction . This starship can be used from any level upon completion of the tutorial experience. As you level up, this ship gains additional hull, weapon slots, and console slots.

• 2 Starship Mastery
• 3.1 Universal consoles
• 3.2 Active Sensor Arrays
• 3.4.1 Carrier commands
• 3.5 Sensor Analysis
• 3.6 Subsystem Targeting
• 3.7 Specialization seating
• 4 Standard configuration
• 5.1 Equipment slots and seating
• 5.2 Hull strength
• 5.3 T6-X upgrade
• 6 Ship comparison
• 7 Admiralty ship
• 8 External links

Overview [ | ]

Recent starship development on Cardassia has changed a lot from the time of the Dominion War , and before. More focus is given these days to sizing up your opponents before leaping into the fray, rather than trusting on the strength of your armaments and skill of your crew. Better to be prepared, than to be dead.

The massive Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought exemplifies these qualities with its intelligence gathering capabilities well-tuned to support its rather vast array of scientific capabilities. This flagship vessel is named after the famous (or, some might say, infamous) military leader who redeemed himself in the closing days of the Dominion War by leading a stand against Cardassia's Dominion oppressors, inspiring the people of Cardassia to free themselves from their harsh rule.

Starship Mastery [ | ]

Abilities [ | ], universal consoles [ | ].

The Cardassian Damar Intel Science Dreadnought comes equipped with the [ Console - Universal - Cardassian Support Platform Cluster ] .

This ability is part of the Reformation Reinforcements Set , which also includes [ Console - Universal - Cardassian Mobile Torpedo Platform ] and [ Console - Universal - Spiral Wave Blast Module ] obtainable with Cardassian Intel Flight-Deck Cruiser (T6) and Cardassian Intel Escort (T6) , but also equippable on the Cardassian Damar Intel Science Dreadnought. For each console added after the first, an additional passive bonus is unlocked.

Active Sensor Arrays

As an Intelligence starship, the Cardassian Damar Intel Science Dreadnought is capable of deploying an Intel sensor drone with the Gather Intelligence ability.

While the target is Vulnerable , one of three Expose Vulnerability abilities can be used. These powerful abilities find a critical weakness in the targeted foe and allow players to briefly exploit it.

Intelligence vessels also have a built-in passive ability which renders them undetectable at long range.

The Cardassian Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought has a cloak that allows the ship to cloak when not in combat, granting stealth and a damage bonus upon decloaking.

Hangar bay [ | ]

The Cardassian Damar Intel Science Dreadnought comes equipped with a single wing of Yukawa Frigates .

These small craft represent an updated design of the Hideki -class frigates still seen in use around the galaxy. These versatile craft have been refit with abilities designed to impede enemy damage output. These fighters are equipped with three fore Spiral Wave Disruptor Beam Arrays , one fore Photon Torpedo Launcher and one aft Spiral Wave Disruptor Beam Array , and can use Torpedo: Spread I and Suppressive Armaments .

The Advanced variant of the Yukawa Frigates can be obtained from the Dilithium Store , while the Elite variant is obtainable from the Fleet Starbase with unlocked Tier V Communications Array.

Carrier commands [ ]

Sensor Analysis [ ]

Sensor Analysis is an active toggle ability. While maintaining a Sensor Lock on a target, the player gains a stacking effect that either improves the damage and power drain against an enemy, or improves any heal directed towards an ally. This effect stacks every 3 seconds, to a maximum of 6 stacks after 18 continuous seconds. To maintain the desired effect, the player must hold the sensor lock.

Subsystem Targeting [ ]

The Cardassian Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought comes with built-in Subsystem Targeting abilities. These built-in abilities stay at Rank I and do not automatically rank up when acquiring higher tier Science starships. They are separate from Subsystem Targeting abilities gained through Tactical Space Bridge officer abilities .

Activating a subsystem targeting ability will upgrade all energy weapons to inflict a stacking power drain on the foe's targeted subsystem for the next 10 seconds. They will also have a small chance to knock the targeted subsystem offline for a short duration.

Specialization seating

The Cardassian Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought features the following specialist seats:

Standard configuration [ | ]

Starships come with standard equipment and weapons of the lowest mark available at the ship's minimum rank. The items provided are appropriate to the type of vessel and its related playing style.

Fore Weapons

Aft Weapons

Scaling starship

This starship's equipment slots, base hull capacity and shield capacity scale as your level increases.

Equipment slots and seating [ ]

As you rank up every 10 levels, up to level 40, the ship's forward weapon slots, aft weapon slots, tactical console slots, engineering console slots, science console slots and available bridge officer (boff) abilities will slowly increase toward endgame capabilities:

Hull strength [ ]

This table shows how the ship's hull strength scales at each level. The base hull of all scaling starships is 10,000, which is then multiplied by the ship's hull modifier (1.25 for the Cardassian Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought), and then multiplied by the scaling multiplier below at each level.

T6-X upgrade

By using an [ Experimental Ship Upgrade Token ] , the Cardassian Damar -class Intel Science Dreadnought may be upgraded to T6-X , unlocking an extra ship device slot, universal console slot, and the ability to slot an extra starship trait .

Ship comparison [ | ]

Admiralty ship [ | ].

External links [ | ]

• Victory is Life Dev Blog - Announcing Two New Discount Packs for Victory is Life!
• Victory is Life Dev Blog - Gamma Vanguard Pack
• Victory is Life Dev Blog - Jem’Hadar Vanguard and Cardassian Intelligence Starship Stats & Abilities
• 2 Playable starship
• 3 Infinity Prize Pack - T6 Ship