CARDASSIAN DICTIONARY-ENCYCLOPEDIA
Behavior and Customs
From
A Stitch in Time and the Terok Nor trilogy
|
Psychological Factors Two factors contribute to the Cardassian mindset, the DNA of the reptilian ancestors and the infusion of Preserver DNA, which was mammalian, into the reptilian population. That Cardassians have a highly developed sociopolitical structure does not overshadow the fact that the Cardassian mind perceives the environment in instinctive and reptilian ways. "A Cardassian remembers everything on every level all the time. For us, past and present are not neatly separated. We live with everything in the moment, including the nightmares." (Elim Garak in a message to Dr. Bashir during the reconstruction of Cardassia. A Stitch in Time) What this means is that Cardassians make associations and draw conclusions from past, present and future memories at once, not in a linear, logical and often selective manner like humans do. " In Cardassian society, we are taught from an early age to mask all feelings and thoughts, to deflect all outside perception and observation." (Ibid.) "Cardassians come into this life with an awareness of their protected perimeters, what the doctor calls ‘our reptilian brain dominance," and die defending them." (Elim Garak to Captain Sisko, A Stitch in Time.) BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMS Cardassian children are taught at an early age to mask their emotions behind a secretive calm mask. They are trained to remember every detail of what they see or hear, enhancing their natural tendency towards an eidetic memory. They are taught to focus completely on a problem and to use all resources and methods at hand until an answer is found. These learned behaviors make the Cardassians seem cunning, devious, and ruthless to humans. They are meticulous and ordered, preferring set rules to live by rather than the total freedom of free will. To the highly ordered mind of a Cardassian, democracy is tantamount to chaos. Everything must be in its place and everyone must be in his or her class. From early childhood a person is evaluated, trained for, and placed in the work they will do throughout life. Cardassians are very competitive and will jockey for power in society through their many contacts, collectively known as vesala, in order to call in favors, such as placement into a higher position or obtaining a sponsor for their child. Posturing for power is evident in their fondness of speechmaking and witty conversation, laced with sarcasm. Faced with a mental challenge, such as getting information out of someone, all avenues will be used, from mental intimidation to outright torture, until the information is gotten. Faced with a physical challenge, a Cardassian will keep going until his body or his mind gives out. Cardassians love good conversation and good food, and will linger over a finely prepared and attractively served meal, engaging in lively conversation with their dining partner. Cardassian Guls personally entertain guests traveling aboard their ships, acting as gracious hosts. Freighter Captains take a percentage of the cargo for themselves. Cardassians do not engage in team sports. One-on-one combative competition serves the purpose of survival and fitness, not sport. A Stitch in Time Cardassians exhibit irritability between sexes as part of the mating process. Females who are actively looking for mates will paint their forehead crests a bright blue. Females who can produce young are highly prized. Females who cannot produce young are considered unsuited for enjoining (marriage.) Cardassians revere their aged members for their wisdom and family units tend to be multi-generational.
The same cannot be said for orphans.
Without a family, an orphan has no vesala, and so no place in Cardassian
society. They are placed in orphanages and unless they manage to befriend
someone with influence in society, they seldom find a way to become productive
members of Cardassian society. Orphans who have come of age, if they don’t
become a part of the homeless or criminal element, may try to find a way off
planet, perhaps finding a life on a colony or ship outside of the Cardassian
system. |
Females tend to dominate the sciences, the judicial system and intellectual professions. Males tend to dominate the physical professions and their military is completely male. Males and females share child-rearing duties, except when the male is called away to duty off planet. They
are xenophobic. Being a Cardassian is more than cultural identity, it is their
entire existence.Cardassians are a fiercely devoted species and need to be a
part of a group. Family, the Union, the Cardassian Way all contribute to the
Cardassian sense of belonging. Exposure to foreign ideas,
aliens, and mixed-breeds upset the natural order of things and threaten to taint
the Cardassian way of life. Being a Cardassian is more than cultural identity,
it is their entire existence. An outcast Cardassian is a miserable Cardassian. Spirituality Before the Central Command rose to power, the Cardassians were a spiritual people and valued art of all kinds. One of the religions described in Andrew Robinson’s "A Stitch in Time" was the Oralian Way, which was outlawed along with all religions in the Cardassian Union by the Central Command. Oralius was a winged reptilian non-corporeal being worshipped by the Hebitians. The religion taught that all life was interconnected at the spiritual level, and that by remaining connected, they would nurture one another and experience love and peace. Oralius was referred to both as a "she" and a "he" over the ages, but the teachings, written down in ancient Hebitian scrolls known as "the Writings" remained unchanged. When the climate of Cardassia Prime changed and mass starvation and disease decimated the Hebitians, invaders from the sky descended on the planet, conquered the beleaguered Hebitians, and interbred with them, becoming the Cardassians. The hardship of adjusting to the changing climate caused the Cardassian leaders to forsake religion, even to the point of forbidding its practice, in favor of the relentless pursuit of resources. Savagely persecuted and nearly exterminated during the occupation of Bajor, the Oralian Way slowly came out of hiding during the reconstruction of Cardassia at the end of the Dominion War.
Holidays,
Celebrations, and Ceremonies Burial Ceremony It is forbidden for aliens to view a Cardassian corpse. Cardassians bury their dead and then conduct a memorial with chants for the departed. Emergence Ceremony When a student completes the 9 years of schooling at his Institute, a ceremony is held at the school. This also represents passage into adulthood. Gul Minok Celebration On the eve of the day when Gul Minok defeated the Samurian Invaders, Cardassians begin the longest period of festivities in the year. Founding of the Union Cardassians honor the day Tret Akleen founded the modern Union some centuries before. It was ironic that on this day of remembrance, the popular vote was conducted, by the people to decide between the "party" that wanted to go back to the old days and the "party" that wanted to move forward with democracy. |
Updated September 2008 by the webmaster Carol Thompson.