Long ago, a race of highly advanced humanoids roamed the stars, seeding life on many worlds,
using their own dna as a model to create other life forms, some of which would evolve into
interstellar powers, such as Humans, Klingons and Romulans.
Another famous species that found its origins in these beings, came to be known as the Cardassians,
hailing from the planet Cardassia Prime.
Before the formation of the modern Cardassian government, they were known as the hebitians,
a spiritual culture famed for their art and architecture.
They were also known to bury their dead in elaborate tombs, filled with jewels, treasure
and artwork.
The humanoids of this world evolved to have grey skin, two thick vertical ridges on their
neck leading to their head and a tear or spoon shaped ridge on their foreheads.
They also preferred, darker, hotter and more humid environments.
In the 16th century, a Bajoran lightship designed for short range space flight was transported
to Cardassia Prime when it made contact with Tachyon Eddies that created a warp style jump
through space.
Unfortunately the voyage did heavy damage to the ships causing them to crash land on
the Hebitian homeworld.
And while this was a noteworthy historical landmark for the Bajorans, the later Cardassian
government denied these early flights ever took place, until the 24th century when Captain
Benjamin Sisko and his son proved the journey was possible, forcing them to admit the truth.
Aside from the mineral Jevonite, the Hebitians had few resources they could extract from
their home planet, and as a result, by the 19the century, were facing widespread famine
and disease.
The ruling powers were then replaced with a new government led by the military, which
would reform their society, to ensure it survived.
Ruling this newly formed Cardassian government was the Detapa Council, overseeing Central
Command which led the military and the Obsidian Order, which ran espionage and intelligence
operations.
Although many were involved in the transition to a new form of government, Tret Akleen,
was often noted as the father of the Cardassian Union.
The drastic reformation of Cardassian society changed their values and morality, creating
a foundation for their new lives based entirely on devotion to the family unit and ultimately
the state.
The government in turn assured they were fed and had all that was necessary to thrive.
Cardassians came to respect a rigid hierarchy within their culture, often engaging in espionage
and underhanded tactics, as they ruthlessly competed against each other to obtain power
within the structure.
As a result Cardassian were highly suspicious not only of other species but also each other.
The humanoids of this world who once were a highly religious and spiritual people, left
that behind, with the new ruling power declared and non-theist government.
Over the centuries, they became less and less superstitious, believing their own actions
determined outcomes rather than relying on gods or luck.
As the citizenry fell into a subservient role to the government, practicality became highly
valued, believing that the ends justify the means.
Using this philosophy as a guiding principle, their legal system consisted of a show trial,
in which all criminals were found guilty even before the trial began.
And so the televised event was in reality just a way for the prisoner to confess in
order to reassure the Cardassian population that the government was always right, and
criminals were always caught.
This unique idea about devotion to the state even influenced their art and literature,
such as the famous tale The Never Ending Sacrifice, an epic story spanning seven generations within
a Cardassian family which displayed selfless obedience to Cardassia.
Education was also highly valued in their new society with intense mental training giving
most cardassians incredible memories, even attaining sufficient mental discipline to
resist Vulcan Mindmelds.
Courtship rituals were based around conversation, with passionate argument and debate seen as
forms of flirtation.
Although females primarily went into the sciences and engineering, some joined their male counterparts
in the military and government, though they remained male dominated.
The Cardassian military was known to use surprise tactics, traps and espionage in their strategies,
often creating complex and intricate plans to defeat their enemies.
Over the next 5 centuries, the Cardassian Union sent the military to colonize new worlds
and systems, gaining access to essential resources and expanding their territory greatly within
the Alpha Quadrant.
However as their borders grew, so did their population and need for more resources.
By the 22nd century, Cardassia Prime struggled once again with starvation and famine.
So when the ancient Hebitian Tombs were discovered, the rich treasures and art hidden away was
ransacked by locals.
In addition, any relics able to be preserved and held in a museum, were later sold by the
government to feed their population.
In this same century, a species of powerful aliens known as the Organians performed an
experiment on a group of Cardassians, infecting them with a deadly virus to see how they would
react.
And while the healthy initially showed compassion for the sick, they eventually killed the infected
in order to save the larger group.
Although it is uncertain when exactly first contact between Cardassians and Humans was
established, by the years 2152, both species were exploring the same areas of space.
In the 23rd century, the Cardassian government fell temporarily allowing for the rise of
the First Republic.
This period became known for the serialist poetry of the time, as exemplified by the
author Iloja of Prim, whose was eventually exiled to Vulcan.
By the 24th century, the Detapa Council was once again in power, however after so many
years of rule the group began to slide to the background, with Central Command and the
Tal Shiar rising to prominence and acting largely as independent powers.
In 2319, the continuous need for more resources to supply the cardassian union, led the military
to begin efforts to occupy Bajor, then formally annexing the planet in 2328.
Believing themselves to be the superior race,* the Cardassians were ruthless overlords, mocking
the primitive religious beliefs of the local population while using them as forced labor
and stealing their natural resources.
However the Bajorans were not content to simply live as servants and slaves, creating a rebel
movement that used guerilla tactics and terroristic attacks to fight back against their technologically
superior Oppressors.
BY 2369, the Bajorans had done so much damage and caused such chaos among the occupation
army, the Cardassians withdrew, granting victory to Bajor.
And while the Cardassian Union saw this as a humiliating defeat, it was but one of the
many 24th century conflicts that would ultimately lead them to utter devastation.