Menu
The Closest of Neighbours
So DS9 is my favorite series, overall. And the first episode of Star Trek I ever saw was "The Wounded". It should come as no surprise, then, that I really like the Cardassians. I have some more complicated feelings towards the Bajorans, however it is fair to say that, besides the Klingons and maybe the Vulcans, the Cardassians and Bajorans are the Star Trek species that we know the most about. Most of, if not all of our understanding of these peoples comes from DS9. While they did appear in TNG, they fell into the all too common "species with 1 hat" trap that Star Trek is oh so fond of.
From the get go, the Cardassians were evil. Their whole visual aesthetic was meant to distance you from them. Palid, scaly, greasy things with beady eyes and oddly chiseled features. More alien than most aliens on Star Trek. The Cardassians were also painted as a brutal adversary, one that Starfleet wanted desperately to make peace with. While there was some moral ambiguity about how O'Brien, and Starfleet as a whole, viewed the Cardassians, It was clear that the "bloody Cardies can't be trusted". In "The Wounded" and later TNG epsodes involving the Cardassians, they were always duplicitous. They had a seemingly undeserving sense of superiority and were more than a little racist towards humans Klingons and especially Bajorans. Interestingly, the Cardassians only really came about because the production team on TNG thought that they were overusing the Romulans. So you can see why, from the get go, there are a lot of similarities between those 2 factions.
As for the Bajorans, they were belligerent good guys. Throughout their appearances on TNG, the Bajorans were always shown to be at odds with Starfleet, but ultimately working towards the same goals. They were principally antagonistic towards the Cardassians, for obvious reasons, and their hostility towards the Federation was framed as a sense of betrayal because, by making peace with the Cardassian Union, the Federation had freed up the Cardassian military to go and curb-stomp the Bajoran Resistance on Bajor and dozens of rogue colonies.
So we have 2 very clear-cut societies that aren't really shown to deviate much from their archetype in TNG. The Cardassians are the baddies that have to be shown the way of Federation peace and democracy, while the Bajorans are the good guys that are there to guilt trip Starfleet into acting against injustice.
From the get go, the Cardassians were evil. Their whole visual aesthetic was meant to distance you from them. Palid, scaly, greasy things with beady eyes and oddly chiseled features. More alien than most aliens on Star Trek. The Cardassians were also painted as a brutal adversary, one that Starfleet wanted desperately to make peace with. While there was some moral ambiguity about how O'Brien, and Starfleet as a whole, viewed the Cardassians, It was clear that the "bloody Cardies can't be trusted". In "The Wounded" and later TNG epsodes involving the Cardassians, they were always duplicitous. They had a seemingly undeserving sense of superiority and were more than a little racist towards humans Klingons and especially Bajorans. Interestingly, the Cardassians only really came about because the production team on TNG thought that they were overusing the Romulans. So you can see why, from the get go, there are a lot of similarities between those 2 factions.
As for the Bajorans, they were belligerent good guys. Throughout their appearances on TNG, the Bajorans were always shown to be at odds with Starfleet, but ultimately working towards the same goals. They were principally antagonistic towards the Cardassians, for obvious reasons, and their hostility towards the Federation was framed as a sense of betrayal because, by making peace with the Cardassian Union, the Federation had freed up the Cardassian military to go and curb-stomp the Bajoran Resistance on Bajor and dozens of rogue colonies.
So we have 2 very clear-cut societies that aren't really shown to deviate much from their archetype in TNG. The Cardassians are the baddies that have to be shown the way of Federation peace and democracy, while the Bajorans are the good guys that are there to guilt trip Starfleet into acting against injustice.
And then DS9 throws all of that on it's head within its first season. Hell, within the first 5 episodes, our understanding of both species has been entirely changed. Much of the serious work towards these concepts would come later, and at length, but by this stage we already know that both species are a whole lot more complicated than TNG had time to show them as.
By the end of the first season, we know that there are Cardassians with wildly different word views than are espoused by the "all knowing Cardassian state". This comes mostly from Amon Marritza and Garak. The former is an old file clerk from a Cardassian labour camp who is so horrified by his experiences that he contrives a plot to force Cardassia to own up to it's war crimes. Fascinatingly, his character displays that while there are many men like Gul Darheel, the butcher of Galitep who did unspeakable things to Bajoran slaves and encouraged acts of cruelty in his soldiers, there are also Cardassians like Marritza, who are deeply traumatized by the actions of their comrades and who feel strongly ashamed of Cardassias actions.
Then, of course, we have Garak. Plain, simple Garak. His actions are, throughout the series, always slightly at odds with the rest of the crew. However he seems to hold a higher ideal of what Cardassia should be than his counterparts in the Cardassian military. Garak is in a position to help serve the Obsidian Order and High Command on Deep Space 9, but he often chooses to help Starfleet, whom he considers to be the lesser evil.
And there were absolutely Cardassians that lived up to the pre-existing expectation of their race. The unforgettable Gul Dukat was, in many ways, the quintessential Cardassian. A foil to Sisko, conniving, self serving and self obsessed. But also coldly competent. Dukat was a perfect representation of how the ruling class of Cardassian society acted and felt towards the Federation.
The Cardassians would go on to get much better characterisation as the show progressed, particularly from Garak, Dukat and eventually Damar. While the first season didn't completely rethink our view of the Cardassians, it definitely broadened the scope of what they could be.
Then we have the Bajorans. Much of the first season was filled with great characterisation for the Bajorans. We get to see that there were actual, hardline terrorists and racial supremacists in the resistance. We see that a lot of them would be much happier if the Federation and provisional government fucked off and left them to their own devices, and we see that the Bajorans can have a much more antagonistic relationship with each other.
The first season introduces us to a plethora of different political and philosophical elements within Bajoran society. They are fiercely divided on most things, from how their government should be composed to how "progress" can be achieved. However there is one unifying element of their culture. Their faith, strengthened by tangible proof of their gods' existence, is a very strong recurring theme for the Bajoran people. 2 of the 4 most influential Bajorans in the entire show are Vedeks, sort of like a Bishop. Vedeks Bareil and Winn are wildly divergent in their political views, so much so that Winn tries to have Bareil killed, however they are both deeply devoted to their faith.
In many ways, these 2 represent a splitting of the TNG imagining of the Bajorans. Winn is the belligerent, anti-Federation side of the Bajorans, constantly at odds with Sisko and seeking to distance Bajor from Earth's influence. Her traditionalist, nationalist leanings make her a popular and powerful figure as the show progresses.
Whereas Bareil is the "good", pro-Federation sentiment of the Bajoran people. He has grand designs for Bajor's future and it's clear that he's banking on the Federation to keep the Cardassians from coming back and ruining everything. He's certainly more liberal than Winn, however his popularity is characterised as charisma and notoriety.
Throughout the show, oth of these characters would have a lasting effect on Bajor, which can best be typified by the most important Bajoran to the show, Kira Nerys. Kira is a microcosm for Bajor's evolution over the course of the show. Even within the first season, she switches from an early stance much closer to Winn and her traditionalists to supporting Bareil's more placatory policies. As one of the main characters, Kira is uniquely positioned to coontrast against the ideals and morality of Starfleet and to chart the progression of Bajor, as a nation.
By the end of the first season, we know that there are Cardassians with wildly different word views than are espoused by the "all knowing Cardassian state". This comes mostly from Amon Marritza and Garak. The former is an old file clerk from a Cardassian labour camp who is so horrified by his experiences that he contrives a plot to force Cardassia to own up to it's war crimes. Fascinatingly, his character displays that while there are many men like Gul Darheel, the butcher of Galitep who did unspeakable things to Bajoran slaves and encouraged acts of cruelty in his soldiers, there are also Cardassians like Marritza, who are deeply traumatized by the actions of their comrades and who feel strongly ashamed of Cardassias actions.
Then, of course, we have Garak. Plain, simple Garak. His actions are, throughout the series, always slightly at odds with the rest of the crew. However he seems to hold a higher ideal of what Cardassia should be than his counterparts in the Cardassian military. Garak is in a position to help serve the Obsidian Order and High Command on Deep Space 9, but he often chooses to help Starfleet, whom he considers to be the lesser evil.
And there were absolutely Cardassians that lived up to the pre-existing expectation of their race. The unforgettable Gul Dukat was, in many ways, the quintessential Cardassian. A foil to Sisko, conniving, self serving and self obsessed. But also coldly competent. Dukat was a perfect representation of how the ruling class of Cardassian society acted and felt towards the Federation.
The Cardassians would go on to get much better characterisation as the show progressed, particularly from Garak, Dukat and eventually Damar. While the first season didn't completely rethink our view of the Cardassians, it definitely broadened the scope of what they could be.
Then we have the Bajorans. Much of the first season was filled with great characterisation for the Bajorans. We get to see that there were actual, hardline terrorists and racial supremacists in the resistance. We see that a lot of them would be much happier if the Federation and provisional government fucked off and left them to their own devices, and we see that the Bajorans can have a much more antagonistic relationship with each other.
The first season introduces us to a plethora of different political and philosophical elements within Bajoran society. They are fiercely divided on most things, from how their government should be composed to how "progress" can be achieved. However there is one unifying element of their culture. Their faith, strengthened by tangible proof of their gods' existence, is a very strong recurring theme for the Bajoran people. 2 of the 4 most influential Bajorans in the entire show are Vedeks, sort of like a Bishop. Vedeks Bareil and Winn are wildly divergent in their political views, so much so that Winn tries to have Bareil killed, however they are both deeply devoted to their faith.
In many ways, these 2 represent a splitting of the TNG imagining of the Bajorans. Winn is the belligerent, anti-Federation side of the Bajorans, constantly at odds with Sisko and seeking to distance Bajor from Earth's influence. Her traditionalist, nationalist leanings make her a popular and powerful figure as the show progresses.
Whereas Bareil is the "good", pro-Federation sentiment of the Bajoran people. He has grand designs for Bajor's future and it's clear that he's banking on the Federation to keep the Cardassians from coming back and ruining everything. He's certainly more liberal than Winn, however his popularity is characterised as charisma and notoriety.
Throughout the show, oth of these characters would have a lasting effect on Bajor, which can best be typified by the most important Bajoran to the show, Kira Nerys. Kira is a microcosm for Bajor's evolution over the course of the show. Even within the first season, she switches from an early stance much closer to Winn and her traditionalists to supporting Bareil's more placatory policies. As one of the main characters, Kira is uniquely positioned to coontrast against the ideals and morality of Starfleet and to chart the progression of Bajor, as a nation.
But more on that later
It is my intention to write 2 longer pieces. The first will look at the Cardassians and why they work as antagonists and why they're well liked by fans of DS9. And the second covering the Bajorans and how they came to be much less popular.