Though
far from the largest military confrontation of the 24th Century, the Federation-Cardassian
conflict that would become known as the Cardassian Wars, was easily one of the most important
and far-reaching events of the era, beginning a series of developments that would eventually
lead to fundamental changes in the political structure of the Alpha quadrant.
After watching the slow but relentless growth of the United Federation of Planets for over
a decade, the leaders of the Cardassian Union became certain that the Federation would initiate
an invasion of their territory before long.
The inciting incident for the conflict came in 2347, when Cardassian Frontier scouts reportedly
mistook a developing Federation Colony on the planet of Setlik III, for a military staging
ground.
There is some historical debate as to whether this supposed misidentification was in fact
a front for a deliberate attack on a Federation Settlement, but either way, the report was
enough to inspire the Cardassian Central Command to launch a brutal surprise attack on the
colony.
The so-called Setlik III Massacre claimed the lives of almost one hundred civilians,
and was considered one of the greatest tragedies in recent Federation history.
After days of brutal fighting, Cardassian ground forces were eventually driven off Setlik
III, largely due to the actions of Petty Officer Miles O’Brien of the USS Rutledge, who successfully
rallied the remaining Starfleet garrison to attack a Cardassian Military Camp, where they
used guerrilla tactics and improvised transporter devices to ambush and eliminate an entire
hostile regiment.
Though the Federation had long condemned the Cardassian Union for their ongoing occupation
of the neutral Bajoran system, they had never risked direct conflict by intervening, but
The Setlik III Massacre was seen as more than ample justification for open warfare, and
in mid-2347, the United Federation of Planets formally declared war on the Cardassian Union.
The Federation’s general disdain for conflict and violence, especially following its recent
Golden Age of Exploration, had led to a complete lack of purpose-built warships among the ranks
of Starfleet.
As a result, more tactically-focused exploration and logistics vessels were deployed to engage
the Cardassians during the wars, with ships of the Nebula, New Orleans and Constellation
Classes becoming most associated with the conflict.
This lack of combat experience and equipment led to major losses, and after only a few
short weeks, the Federation was desperately seeking a ceasefire agreement.
The Cardassians took full advantage of the desperation shown by the Federation, even
responding to a truce offering in 2355 only to brutally ambush the USS Stargazer when
it arrived at the rendezvous site.
During the conflict, the Cardassians made extensive use of gravitic minefields, often
forcing the Federation into prolonged ground battles by denying their access to orbital
gravity wells.
One particularly brutal engagement saw a Federation Border outpost under Cardassian siege for
three days, before the attackers were finally driven off by Lieutenant Kathryn Janeway and
the crew of the USS Al-Batani.
Many of the gravitic mines deployed by the Cardassians during the conflict remained unexploded
decades later, continuing to cause violent accidents and endanger settlements.
Open hostilities between the Federation and Cardassia finally came to a close in late
2366, and an armistice between the two powers was signed in early 2367.
This agreement left a number of questions regarding the border regions however, and
was directly violated when the Cardassians attempted to annex the Minos Korva system
in mid-2369.
Eventually a full peace treaty was agreed upon in early 2370, but the Federation was
forced sign a number of worlds over to the Cardassian Union in order to save themselves
from an extended conflict that they could not reasonably endure.
A Demilitarized Zone was established between the Federation and Cardassian Borders, causing
many of the systems within to change ownership.
Though some Cardassian worlds did fall under Federation control, the arrangement worked
largely in the Cardassians favour, placing a great number of Federation Colonies within
the purview of the Union.
The disgruntled settlers of these worlds would ultimately form the famed resistance movement
known as the Maquis, who would go on to be a thorn in the side of both the Federation
and the Cardassians for years to come.
Much like the Battle of Wolf 359 and the disastrous First Contact with the Dominion, the Cardassian
Wars present an example of the Federation being caught completely unprepared for armed
conflict, and being forced to endure heavy casualties and sign unfavourable agreements
in order to restore peace.
The events of the wars would leave an indelible mark on the Federation Starfleet, fostering
an uncharacteristic degree of xenophobia against Cardassians among many of its members.
In spite of the wars brutality, the conflict was still not enough to inspire the construction
of defensive warships by the Federation, a decision they would only take when faced with
the might of the Borg Collective.