The Cardassian Union (also referred to as the Cardassian Empire or simply Cardassia) was the official governing body of the Cardassian people. The capital world was Cardassia Prime. The Cardassian Union was regarded as one of the great powers in the Alpha Quadrant as well as the Duyi'zu Universe. Until the 2370s (1510s), it was run by the civilian Detapa Council, a powerless entity which approved the demands of the military Central Command.
The Cardassian Union was formed under a treaty that established a power-sharing agreement between the Cardassian Central Command and the Obsidian Order. Friction always existed between the two organizations as the Central Command worked to expand the reaches of the Union and the Obsidian Order worked to suppress it. The civilian Detapa Council was established to serve as the chief governing body between the two branches, however, in practice, the Council was virtually powerless. Following the Beta Quadrant War, the Cardassian Union officially became a member of the Axis of Empires.
In 2373 (1520 NE), the rogue military commander Skrain Dukat seized power and joined forces with the Dominion until following the and the period known as "the Fire", in which eight-hundred million cardassians were slaughtered and numerous more died, the Union developed under Alon Ghemor and his successors into a representative democracy led by a castellan with a parliamentary Assembly. The union was based on planet Cardassia Prime, with the centre of the union Cardassia City. Ultimately the Cardassian Union rebuilt and became an allied state of the Alliance of Nations.
History[]
Government[]
The Cardassian Union was formed under a treaty that established a power-sharing agreement between the Cardassian Central Command and the Obsidian Order. Friction always existed between the two organizations as the Central Command worked to expand the reaches of the Union and the Obsidian Order worked to suppress it. The civilian Detapa Council was established to serve as the chief governing body between the two branches, however, in practice, the Council was virtually powerless, and the Union functioned as a totalitarian military dictatorship.
In late-2371 (1518 NE) or early-2372 (1519 NE), following the destruction of the Obsidian Order at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula, the Detapa Council and the Cardassian dissident movement overthrew the Central Command in a coup d'état, establishing civilian control over the Union.
In 2373, Gul Dukat secretly negotiated with the Dominion for the Cardassian Union to become its newest member. The Detapa Council was abolished in another coup and Gul Dukat was made the leader of the new Cardassian government. The Cardassian Union officially remained autonomous and would expand itself across the Alpha Quadrant. This arrangement was later revealed to be an inaccurate description of reality, as Dukat (and his successors Legate Damar and Legate Broca) were actually subservient to the Vorta and the Founders.
The Cardassian military was led by the Central Command and the Cardassian forces were divided into several orders. The Obsidian Order, the intelligence agency of the Union, was sometimes referred to as part of the structure of the Cardassian military orders.
The highest court of justice in the Cardassian Union was the Supreme Tribunal. The Cardassian Articles of Jurisprudence provided the laws governing treatment and rights of prisoners in the Cardassian justice system.
Culture and Society[]
Economics[]
During the 24th century, the Cardassians maintained trade alliances with the Valerians and Klaestrons. They also were known to use the Xepolites and Lissepians as trade intermediaries in arrangements that may otherwise have been considered illegal outside of the Union.
Many of the primary worlds in the Cardassian Union lacked an abundance of natural resources. For this reason, the Union relied heavily on strip mining resources from neighboring planets which were not part of other Alpha Quadrant powers, such as Bajor. As opposed to making trade alliances with them, the Cardassian Central Command would often occupy worlds and use the populations as forced laborers.
Military[]
Yhe primary space force of the Cardassian Union is the Cardassian Guard, which is administrated by Central Command. The Obsidian Order served as the primary intelligence organization for the Union, but no longer. A common award given by the Cardassian Union is the Legate's Crest of Valor. Though the Proficient Service Medallion was also a prestigious award. The head of the military and of Central Command was a Cardassian who held the rank of Gul-Tar.
In 2367, the military made use of transporters with active feed pattern buffers, despite the Federation having more advanced transporter technology. The Guard also made use of high-energy subspace fieldson ships to jam enemy sensors. The Cardassian Union also possessed inferior replicator technology to that of the Federation, as of 2369.
Common mêlée weaponry[]
- Club
- Javelin/spear (can be thrown)
- Knife (can be thrown)
- Mace
- Sword
Common ranged weaponry[]
- Compressor-beam pistol or rifle
- Plasma-emission pistol or rifle
- Spiral-wave disruptor pistol or rifle
Pistols and rifles have "overload" options.
Subject Species[]
Territory[]
The Cardassian Territories were noted to have borders with the Talarian Republic, Breen Confederacy and the Tzenkethi Coalition. In addition the Ferengi Alliance and the United Federation of Planets shared a border with the Cardassian Union, including the human colony world of Iadara, which resulted in a number of border tensions as far back as the 2280s (1420s). In the 2330s, the Union was also adjacent to territory belonging to the Ubarrak Primacy; the two powers both maintained a presence in the "Oblivion" sector.
In 2368 (1515 NE), territories near the borders of the Union included the Federation worlds Minos Korva and Solarion IV, the neutral planets Torman V and Tohvun III, and the Valo system, located approximately 13,000 kilometers from the border in neutral territory. Federation facilities near the border at this time included Starbase 211, Lya Station Alpha, and the Argus Array.
Sectors 21305 and 21503 are on the Federation side of the border.
Cardassian territory was at least partially re-defined in 2369, as the Cardassians withdrew from Bajor. In 2371 (1518 NE), Prophet's Landing was the Bajoran colony closest to the new Cardassian border.
Cardssian territory also bordered Romulan space, at least during the final decades of the Beta Quadrant War. Their territories met in the Glintara sector. Following the Dominion War, Union territory was reduced to the Algira, Almatha, Cardassia and Dorvan sectors.
Planets[]
- Amleth Prime
- Cardassia
- Cardassia III
- Cardassia IV
- Celtris III
- Doltec
- Kestian
- Lazon II
- Omekla III
- Orias III
- Sunzek
- Ventani II
Star systems[]
- Actrium system
- Amleth system
- Avenal system
- Celtris system
- Chin'toka system
- Cuellar system
- Dameron system
- Davon system
- Hurik system
- Kelrabi system
- Ketch'Tor asteroid belt
- Orias system
- Pentath system
- Septimus system
- Torg'Q system
- Trelka system
- Velos system
- Ventani system
Other features[]
- Almatha sector
- Farside Station
- McAllister C-Five Nebula
- Outpost 47
- Outpost 61
- Rokat colony
- Sector 21505