Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Cardassians

2. They Were Humanised So Much That They Stopped Being Villains

Star Trek Deep Space Nine Destiny Cardassians
CBS Media Ventures

Ira Steven Behr believed that, by the time Deep Space Nine's fourth season debuted, the Cardassians had become so muti-faceted that they were no longer purely antagonists. This, combined with the rise of the Dominion, and the outbreak of the Klingon war, pushed the Cardassians out of the villainous limelight.

Behr believed that they had become so complicated that it was difficult to hate them, whereas Robert Hewitt Wolfe countered this. He explained that, despite understanding the Cardassians, this added to their complexity when these people committed truly heinous acts. 

Introducing the Civilian Government was meant to soften the Cardassians, but only temporarily. Having Dukat switch sides in The Way Of The Warrior was well within character for him - as Sisko said, he saw which way the wind was blowing, and switched sides. Yet this is the same man who then negotiates with the Dominion in the fifth season. 

In Dukat, the Cardassians are exemplified as more than any one thing - no matter how unpleasant some of those things may be. 

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"