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A Mirror for Humanity: Why the Cardassians are Trek’s Best Alien Race

From their first introduction on The Next Generation to later their central role on Deep Space Nine, the Cardassians were never just “plain and simple”.

In the Season 4 episode of Enterprise titled “The Forge”, there is a wonderfully insightful conversation between the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, Soval and Admiral Maxwell Forrest of Earth’s Starfleet.

Soval: “We don’t know what to do about Humans. Of all the species we’ve made contact with, yours is the only one we can’t define. You have the arrogance of Andorians, the stubborn pride of Tellarites. One moment you’re as driven by your emotions as Klingons, and the next you confound us by suddenly embracing logic!” Forrest: “I’m sure those qualities are found in every species.” Soval: “Not in such confusing abundance.”

As much as those qualities define humanity, they also define the Cardassians as well, who are arguably the most compelling alien race in Star Trek because they serve such a striking parallel to much of human history, both past and present. And in doing so, they act as a cautionary tale about the dangers of our own species’ internal demons.

When you consider the other main alien races within the Trek universe, they don’t compare to the type of consistent characterization and development that the Cardassians received. The Andorians and the Tellarites, first seen in The Original Series episode “Journey to Babel”, are not seen again until Enterprise (if we’re not counting The Animated Series ), and even then, we as the audience don’t know that much about them outside of a handful of admittedly wonderful episodes. The Vulcans, surprisingly enough, also fall into this paradigm. Although a Vulcan is the most iconic alien being in all of Trek (in the form of Spock), outside of select scenes from the movies and a handful of episodes from The Original Series and Voyager , the audience doesn’t learn that much about Vulcan culture or society until Enterprise . And although we do learn a lot about Vulcans from that series, particularly how they used to be very much like humans in the past, the fact that they’re in a more evolved and advanced state from humanity takes away from their ability to act as a parallel to our lives now. The Romulans, like their Vulcan cousins, are often referenced in Trek canon, but from what we see of them in terms of characterization and development is often more one-dimensional in nature. The Klingons, probably the most well-known of the Trek races, certainly don’t suffer from a lack of screen time, on television or in the movies. But with a few exceptions, they are also one-note and archetypical in characterization, especially in The Next Generation era. The Bajorans, on the other hand, do not fall into this paradigm.  First introduced in TNG and later in Deep Space Nine , they are admittedly well-drawn both as a culture and as a society, particularly regarding their faith and spirituality. But speaking for myself, the Cardassians are more compelling due to their unique and tragic narrative denouement, something that the Bajorans lack. Cardassia ultimately endures a fate that is akin to the greatest of Greek tragedies and in doing so, truly acts as a cautionary tale for all of humanity.

A Cardassian delegation aboard the Enterprise-D

One of the first things that jump out to long-time fans of the franchise is the fact that the Cardassians didn’t have an origin based upon The Original Series . They were the relative newcomers to the galactic neighborhood, having been introduced in the third season TNG episode “The Wounded”. From their first portrayal here to their eventual role as the primary antagonists in Deep Space Nine , the Cardassians were conceived with the idea that they were going to be more three-dimensional than previous alien races.  The episode’s director, Chip Chalmers  noted  “We introduced a new enemy that’s finally able to speak on the level of Picard. They’re not grunting, they’re not giggling, they’re not mutes or all-knowing entities. Here are the Cardassians who also graduated first in their class and they’re able to carry on highly intelligent conversations with Picard, but they’re sinister as hell. It was fun to introduce a whole new alien race.” In this episode, we see the critical seeds of the more well-known aspects of the Cardassian mindset being planted: their militarism, their inherent suspicion of outsiders, and their penchant for duplicitousness and strategic maneuvering. Indeed, for Cardassia, the only instrument that can ensure order and security is a strong Nation State bound by common purpose, force of arms, and an unwavering sense of right and wrong that can ward off its enemies, both internal and external. In order to ensure the State’s survival, two institutions were key in Cardassian society: the military in the form of the Central Command and the intelligence and internal security apparatus in the form of the Obsidian Order.

  Gul Dukat of the Central Command and Garak, formerly of the Obsidian Order

However, it is important to remember that although a strong militaristic ethos has always infused Cardassian culture, the entire race is not uniformly depicted as such. A number of portrayals do indeed add much needed texture and nuance in this regard.  For example, in the season three DS9 episode titled “Destiny”, there is a marvelous portrayal of Cardassians that have other career paths than ones that aspire to be a glinn, gul, or even legate in the Central Command. As civilian scientists, Ulani Bejor and Gilora Rejal demonstrated that not every Cardassian necessarily desired to join the military or intelligence ranks. Furthermore, as female members of their race, they were able to provide texture and nuance about larger Cardassian gender dynamics, most notably around the idea that since females were perceived to be smarter than their male counterparts, they would naturally gravitate towards the sciences, whereas the males would often be inclined towards “less” intellectually rigorous pursuits such as the military and politics. It’s a shame that the DS9 writers didn’t carry this fascinating idea forward because it serves as a reverse mirror of our own society and how women are still underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields today. It was even shown that consummate career military officers, such as Gul Dukat and Gul Madred, also had interests and passions for art, archaeology, philosophy, history, and other intellectual pursuits. There existed a Cardassian Institute for Art and an entire art movement on the homeworld called “The Valonnan School” that ostensibly emphasized impressionistic art. There were entire genres of diverse Cardassian literature that ranged from serialistic poetry to repetitive epics and enigma tales. And perhaps most telling, there even existed a Cardassian underground dissident movement, comprised of academics, scholars, young people, and other idealists, who opposed the stranglehold that the Central Command and the Obsidian Order had on Cardassian society and sought to restore the power of the civilian-led Detapa Council.

Two female Cardassian scientists, Ulani Bejor and Gilora Rejal

Through nearly all of these unique manifestations of Cardassian culture and thought, there is a singular theme that runs through them: the idea that individual needs are subordinate to the collective good of Cardassia. At the heart of this idea to promote the collective good lies the family. Indeed, in the second season DS9 episode “Cardassians”, Kotan Pa’Dar noted that “We care for our parents and our children with equal devotion. In some households, four generations eat at the same table. Family is everything.” Thus, it should come as no surprise that someone such as Elim Garak would consider “The Never Ending Sacrifice”, a literary epic focusing on seven generations of citizens devoted in service to the State, to be the “finest Cardassian novel ever written”. This creed is in essence a variation on the theme that Spock espoused in “The Wrath of Khan” and would later become an informal ethos for the Federation, and by extension humanity: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”. But as evidenced by humanity’s own history, such an ethos can be manipulated and perverted to justify unspeakable crimes and atrocities and Cardassian history is no exception.

A striking example of how this desire for the collective good can be used for terrible ends is witnessing how the Cardassian judicial system operates. In the second season DS9 two-part episode “The Maquis”, Dukat lays out to Commander Sisko its underpinnings:

SISKO: They’ll be tried for their crimes under the Federation Code of Justice. DUKAT: And if they’re found innocent? SISKO: I doubt that they will, but if they are, they’ll be set free. DUKAT: How barbaric. On Cardassia, the verdict is always known before the trial begins. And it’s always the same. SISKO: In that case, why bother with a trial at all? DUKAT: Because the people demand it. They enjoy watching justice triumph over evil every time. They find it comforting. SISKO: Isn’t there ever a chance you might try an innocent man by mistake? DUKAT: Cardassians don’t make mistakes.

A Cardassian trial is publicly broadcast 

Thus, in the view of Cardassian jurisprudence, the individual rights of the accused to face their accuser and the presumption of innocence is completely irrelevant. Their entire concept of justice is precisely inverted from our own in order to vindicate the State, its prosecution, and its methodology in reaching a guilty verdict because it is simply inconceivable that the State, in its effort to promote the collective good, could ever be wrong. In the penultimate episode of that season entitled “The Tribunal”, we see in vivid detail how Cardassian justice is implemented. The following exchange between Miles O’Brien and his state appointed counsel in that episode is particularly revealing.

O’BRIEN: I’ve been told that I’ve already been charged, indicted, convicted, and sentenced. What would I need with a lawyer? KOVAT: Well, Mr. O’Brien, if it sounds immodest of me I apologize, but the role of public conservator is key to the productive functioning of our courts. I’m here to help you concede the wisdom of the state.

Kovat “defending” O’Brien before the Cardassian court

The very title of the state appointed counsel, “public conservator” illustrates the extent to which Cardassian justice is conservative in nature and only seeks to uphold a presumed incorruptible status quo. Such proceedings are then broadcast to the citizenry and to young children in particular in order to strengthen their belief and faith in Cardassian institutions and to provide a cautionary example that criminals in Cardassia are always guilty and should only seek the mercy of the court. This dual imperative of breaking the will of the presumed guilty and showing a younger generation the wisdom of such a process is demonstrated masterfully in TNG’s sixth season two-part episode “Chain of Command” when Madred not only invites his young daughter to the room where he is torturing Captain Picard, but also when it is shown that breaking Picard’s will into recognizing “five lights” is what ultimately mattered to him, instead of any Federation military secrets. Such a portrayal is a vivid and poignant reminder of the show trials, witch hunts, and inquisitions that have marred our own history when governments and regimes have used such dubious tactics in the pursuit of their own definition of “justice”.

Gul Madred bonding with his daughter, with a tortured Picard nearby

The greatest manifestation of how the pursuit of the collective good can be perverted into something terrible is how the Cardassians acted in their dealings with the Bajorans and the Maquis. First introduced in the TNG Season 6 episode titled “Ensign Ro”, the Bajorans were a race that had been subjugated by the Cardassians forty years prior in a grand colonization effort, beginning in 2328 and ending in 2369. During this decades-long period known as “The Occupation”, Cardassians engineered a systematic and coordinated campaign of strip-mining, forced labor, and genocide to control, dominate, and exploit the people and physical resources of Bajor. Those that could escape the devastation being wrought on the surface of Bajor would relocate as refugees throughout the galaxy. And many others would also take part in the Resistance, an organized effort by the Bajorans using whatever tactics (guerrilla, terrorist, or otherwise) to force the Cardassians to withdraw from their homeworld. The Bajorans would eventually succeed in this goal, as seen in “Emissary”, the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine . However, the moral compromises the Bajorans had to make in order to achieve this, when taken into context with the harsh conditions imposed by Cardassia, is a striking and sobering commentary on our own current socio-political issues of displacement, resistance, terrorism, and occupation. And this was achieved because it was always intended to serve such a purpose. Producers Michael Piller and Rick Berman at the time noted that “The Bajorans are the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), but they’re also the Kurds, the Jews, and the American Indians. They are any racially bound group of people who have been deprived of their home by a powerful force”, who in this case was the Cardassian Empire.

  A Cardassian guard closes a gate on Bajoran slave workers

They added, “When you talk about a civilization like the Bajorans who were great architects and builders with enormous artistic skills centuries before humans were even standing erect, you might be thinking a lot more about Indians than Palestinians.” The parallel to the historic plight of Native Americans is especially poignant because it deals directly with another fractious relationship the Cardassians had, this time with the Maquis: Federation colonists who were displaced by the new borders established by the Federation’s peace treaty with Cardassia and refused to leave their homes. They eventually adopted the name “Maquis”, a term dating back to the French underground resistance to the Nazis during the Second World War. The original concept behind the Maquis was conceived of in TNG’s Season 7 episode entitled “Journey’s End”, which featured descendants of Native Americans resettling on a Federation colony near the Cardassian border only to face the threat of forced relocation. The Maquis would eventually come to encompass many other Federation settlers caught behind these new borders, as well as disaffected and disillusioned Starfleet officers who felt that the Federation had sold out its own citizens to appease a duplicitous and aggressive adversary. Consequently, the Maquis would actively engage in insurgent and terrorist actions against both the Federation and the Cardassians in defense of their “independent nation”.

The Maquis and the Cardassians, locked in battle

Cardassian actions to stamp out both the Bajoran and Maquis resistance were cruel, brutal and unrelenting. The Empire’s desire to secure its own collective good at the expense of others would lead to the use of harsh and brutal tactics that often precipitated the use of such tactics in return and perpetuated a bitter cycle of violence. The irony is that these tactics were ultimately counter-productive for Cardassia. Bajor won its independence regardless and the Maquis stubbornly refused to be suppressed. As we have witnessed, there is nothing more dangerous than a national ego that has been bruised. It has spawned two world wars in our own recent history, and countless other conflicts in the past. Cardassia, stinging from its own self-perceived weakness in dealing with the Bajorans and the Maquis and only exacerbated by its recent military losses to the Klingons, would eventually make the ultimate deal with the devil. Under the sway of a charismatic leader in the form of Gul Dukat, Cardassia joined the Dominion with grand notions of renewed patriotism and restored glory.  However, none of this would come to pass. Instead, Dukat’s actions would help plunge the entire Alpha Quadrant into a war that would ultimately leave Cardassia completely broken and its people devastated, with over 800 million of its own citizens dead at war’s end.

  Gul Dukat leading Cardassian and Jem’Hadar forces under the banner of the Dominion

Throughout the broad strokes of Cardassian society and culture, it’s evident we can see so many parallels to our own history. As we ourselves have witnessed, the appeal of patriotism, self-pride, the rule of law, the security of order, and the desire for the collective good are all powerful and beneficial motivators. But they can also be corrupted, manipulated, and exploited to justify unspeakable acts in the name of ensuring and preserving those very same things. But the most important aspect of a mirror is how it reflects everything, both the good and the bad. Thus, the most vital component of the Cardassian mirror for humanity is one that actually represents redemption. And in the grand story of Cardassia, there is no other person that better represents redemption than Damar.

A younger Damar as the model Cardassian soldier

Initially only introduced as a tertiary character and one that was little more than a background henchman for Dukat, the character of Damar eventually became the embodiment of the entire Cardassian people. As the ultimate archetype of a true patriot, he believed that everything done in the name of Cardassia was worth doing and he personally relished in the brutal excesses and military conquests of the State. But only near the end, when he realized what a terrible cost such an attitude inflicted, both on his people and to him personally, Damar became the catalyst for the Cardassians to openly rebel against the Dominion. In doing so, he helped his people break free from the centuries-long cycle of aggression that had finally brought their society to ruin. And much like the symbols of our own history who became martyrs in defense of a greater ideal, Damar’s death in defense of the idea that Cardassia could choose its own fate, one that was no longer driven solely by aggression, was not only his attempt at personal redemption, but also redemption for his entire civilization.

Damar leading the rallying cry of rebellion against the Dominion

  The ruins of Cardassia Prime following the war

When everything said is done, I can’t think of a greater example of a more powerful allegory in Star Trek than the ones told about the Cardassian people. It contains every element of humanity’s own ugly past and present, touching everything from torture, terrorism, slavery, genocide, colonialism, and xenophobia, all terrible acts that unfortunately still haunt us today. But it also balances out this portrayal by showing a race that is not solely defined by these actions. The Cardassians weren’t just fierce prideful warriors, they were passionate poets and writers, talented artists, brilliant scientists, and insightful philosophers as well. And they were also fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters.  In providing such a rich milieu of depth and complexity, the Cardassians are in my opinion the best and most compelling alien race in Star Trek. And in the process, they act as the perfect mirror for humanity, reminding us to always be vigilant against our own internal demons, lest they destroy all of us as well.

Addendum : For those that wish to continue the epic tale of the Cardassians, I highly recommend the excellent Star Trek books of Una McCormack, which can be found here . Known around Trek literary circles as “The Queen of Cardassia”, Ms. McCormack uses her background as a sociologist to further build the world of the Cardassians, particularly in chronicling their struggle and triumphs following the devastating Dominion War.

Acknowledgements : I also like to thank Mark Mitchell, Norman Lao, and my wonderful wife Nicole, for their invaluable help in proofreading and editing this article!

Will Nguyen lives in the Boston area. You can tweet him at @Will_Nguyen . He’s also a regular contributor to Warp 5, a weekly Enterprise show on Trek.fm , a dedicated podcast network that talks about every aspect of the Trek universe from television, the movies, literature, and everything in between.

Will Nguyen is an avowed Star Trek cosplayer and fan. You can follow Will on Twitter @boomerniner .

11 Comments

Felipe Franco

April 19, 2015 at 3:25 am

i Love this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CHFtjXc5qo

I think all the fans we like the Cardassians, they were complex and with a great history.

I like books in the Cardassian Union at the end was rebuilt into a prosperous democratic state which has good relations with its vecionos and eventually joins the kithomer accords

Jeff O'Connor

April 25, 2015 at 6:27 am

What a beautiful article. Thank you so much for summing up just why I fell in love with the Cardassians. When I was a kid I’m sure most of this stuff flew over my head, but now as an adult whenever I rewatch DS9 I pick up on another layer of depth. It’s great to see it all compiled in a single place!

Ms. McCormack’s novels are indeed terrific continuations, too.

Will Nguyen

April 29, 2015 at 4:19 pm

Thank you so much for the kind words! Thanks for reading.

Adam Hirsch

April 29, 2015 at 1:13 am

“…define humanity, they also define the Cardassians ….a striking parallel to much of human history,” fun fact kardas(cardas) is the word for sibling in turkic languages

Harry Hollins

April 13, 2016 at 1:28 pm

My favorite species. Well written, you understand them well.

Christopher Dalton

November 22, 2016 at 11:00 am

Never liked the Cardassians and I never will. They got what they deserved in the end. The downfall of their entire race and their society ruined.

A clear message of where the state of humanity is going if it does not straighten its act out and for the better.

November 25, 2016 at 11:29 pm

They also goes along with the deterioration of the temperament of Star Trek which Mr. Roddenberry himself created and enforced while he was alive. After his passing, the canon of Star Trek deteriorated away from his nearly-ideal utopia and a goal to strive for and turned into the cliché and proverbial lion’s den where peace and utopia and righteousness are mere plot pawns. Star Trek is dead.

Winnie the GRIZZ

May 31, 2017 at 11:00 pm

While the Federation was presented as a Utopian society, there were others that were still a dystopia allegory. The first episode I can think of is the white blacks vs. the black whites eventually killing each other TOS. That is also part of what made Star Trek good science fiction. Aren’t the Romulans also a xenophobic echo of the Roman empire, and the Ferengi unrestrained capitalism, etc.etc.?The Cardassian story arc was much longer than one episode, and the Enterprise/Voyager couldn’t waltz away from the problem (which was never resolved or even returned to except for Kahn in Star Trek 2). Watching through DS9 again, I see myself watching Bajor, the Federation, the Klingons, the Cardassians, and even the Romulans striving to achieve their nearly-ideal utopia. Maybe this is a better Star Trek than Captain Kirk taking a heavy battleship into the heart of the Dominion and using his libido on a Changeling woman in a bikini to solve the problem. End of episode; now onto romancing the Borg queen.

May 31, 2017 at 11:15 pm

Mrs. Grizz here (AKA Free the Birds) Recently, it occurred to me that all of the worst Star Trek enemies have something in common: they are all, to some degree, Statists. The Borg and the Founders were the ultimate Collectivists. The Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans were all large empires ruled by a very small ruling class. Average citizens are not given much, if any, say in the governance of their respective empires. This goes against the American ideal of individualism and self-government. Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future was very much like this, and even the Prime Directive allowed cultures not in the Federation to be self-governing, rather than imposing our culture, ideals, religion, economic and political system on them.

August 22, 2019 at 8:31 pm

So they made a more “three-dimensional” race of aliens by basically just making them NAZIS? Great writing guys.

Simon Foston

Excellent article. It makes me want a lot more Cardassian stories in Star Trek.

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Star Trek: The Cardassian Race, Explained

Who were these dinosaur-looking space Nazis, and what role do they play in the Star Trek universe?

Over the years, Star Trek has slowly and steadily expanded. New shows exploding onto the small screen even today, and each one brings with it a new host of characters, alien races, and vastly complex intergalactic socio-political atmospheres.

While new is good, there are still races that return time and again to play important parts in the various shows. Vulcans are one timeless classic, but there are some races that make a big impact in a show, only to be delegated to the background after the show concludes. One of the biggest examples is the highly antagonistic Cardassians.

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What is the Cardassian Race?

The Cardassian race is, like many races in the Star Trek franchise, humanoid in appearance , though they are distinguished by the ridges on their foreheads, cheeks, and necks. The Cardassians hold dominion within the Alpha Quadrent. Their space and domain are creatively named the Cardassian Union, at the center of which is their home world Cardassia Prime. Their appearance is memorable, with the dinosaur-like head ridges and gray skin. However, it was their personality and attitude that made them stand out from the rest of Star Trek ’s memorable aliens.

Cardassians are among the most ruthless of species known to the Federation. They managed to even surpass the mighty Klingons in their ferocity. Their main attribute is extreme xenophobia toward other races, considering themselves to be superior. The biggest example of this was their occupation and enslavement of the Bajorans, whom they put to work, tortured, and oppressed much like what Nazi Germany did to others during WWII. They are referred to by many as natural predators. To quote the Cardassian enemy and much-disliked Captain Jellico , they have an "instinctive need to establish a dominant position in any social gathering."

Alongside their historic brutality, the Cardassians are known to be extremely intelligent, often due to rigorous training since childhood. They are known to possess photographic memory, and often were able to resist Vulcan mind melds , a staggering feat of resilience and mental discipline. Their hearing, however, was said to be less sensitive than that of humans, and, at least according to Patrick Stewart, they smelled pretty bad.

When Do Cardassians First Appear?

While the Cardassians played a massive part in Deep Space 9 's story, they were actually first introduced in The Next Generation . They appeared as a tentative enemy of the Federation throughout their appearances. The fairly militaristic Starfleet had several run-ins with them prior to their first appearance in TNG, despite there being a peace treaty in place between their cultures.

The Cardassians first showed their faces in the episode "The Wounded," which first showed their nefarious nature. However, it was when TNG introduced the notion of the Bajoran occupation and the famed Maquis rebels in season 5 that they began to make a name for themselves as serious antagonists. The episode “Chain of Command” is burned into many a fan’s mind as a prime example of the Cardassians' brutality. In the episode, Picard is captured and tortured by a Cardassian officer named Gul Madred, actions not only sanctioned but encouraged by their government.

Cardassian appearances in TNG left such an impact that they became a main focus of the DS9 series that followed. The titular space station was an old Cardassian station where Bajorans were put to work during the horrific occupation that ended several years prior. The show focused heavily on the tensions between the two races under an uneasy peace treaty, showing not only the emotional aftermath of occupation on both parties , but the awkward line the Federation had to walk to keep peace.

Who is the Most Popular Cardassian Character?

It was in DS9 that some of the most popular Cardassians characters where introduced. The three most memorable are Gul Dukat, Garak, and Legate Damar.

Of course, popular does not always mean well-liked. Gul Dukat was a masterfully created villain, hated by many fans but at the same time oddly relatable. He was not always an active villain. Instead, he spent most of his time trying to politically undermine Starfleet for the nefarious gains of Cardassia, all while maintaining and keeping (at least appearing to keep to) the treaty. He ultimately snapped after the death of his daughter and became the unhinged villain he was always supposed to be. He was a slippery character, cunning, smart, and manipulative, all fantastic traits for a great series villain.

Legate Damar

Legate Damar was another great Cardassian figure, whose story is memorable perhaps because of how devastating it was . He replaced as head of the Cardassian Union during the Dominion war, and went from being a big bad guy to one who sacrificed everything to bring peace to the Quadrant. He saved not only the Cardassians, but the Federation, from being entirely wiped out by the Founder dictatorship. He was the first political leader of Cardassia that could have actually made a difference, and brought Cardassians into a new era of peace in which they could make amends for the sins of the past. This was all nipped in the bud. Not only was he brutally killed right in the last moments of war, but his entire family met their deaths too.

Of course, there could not be a list of favorite Cardassians without including the franchise's best anti-hero and talented tailor Garak. Garak, an ex-spy for the very secretive and often downright evil Cardassian Obsidian Order ( basically their equivalent to the Federation's section 31 ), played a massive part in changing the franchise forever . His actions in the famous episode “In the Pale Moonlight” set the tone for the much darker DS9 series .

However, it was his camp, playful, and often innuendo-ridden persona that made fans fall in love with him. They knew he was dangerous, but it was all so perfectly hidden behind an expert facade that made him so interesting. Occasionally, cracks would show, no more so than in his wonderful monologue in the aforementioned episode. But even then he remained a wonderful enigma that was enjoyable to watch.

MORE: Star Trek Voyager’s Most Unexpectedly Sad Moment

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Published Jan 22, 2017

Designing The First Cardassian Warship

Rick Sternbach established the Cardassians’ design lineage with his design of the Galor class cruiser that first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation ‘s season four episode “ The Wounded .”

The reptilian appearance of the Cardassian species was already established and Sternbach built on that. “We knew the Cardassian makeup involved that sort of little elongated oval on the forehead, so I thought maybe that was an interesting shape to play with,” he told Star Trek: The Magazine in October 2001.

Sternbach recalled in 2010 that early designs had the Galor looking like a scorpion, “with a few dorsal tail pods and some forward cannons looking like pincers” but it felt too contrived. “The pods disappeared along with the cannons but a flat disruptor forked tail thing remained.” The green pyramids on the “wings” were designed as smaller disruptors comparable to phaser strips on Starfleet vessels.

Galor model construction

The Galor model under construction (Ed Miarecki)

The ship ended up looking more like an Egyptian ankh, which Sternbach found appropriate, given how the Cardassians “were like the pharaohs to the Bajoran slaves,” as he put it in an interview with Forgotten Trek in 2007. “I’m a big fan of iconic shapes or more correctly shapes that somehow remind you of something without beating you over the head with it.” In the Star Trek: The Magazine interview, he added, “We even spec’d the ship out as being a desert yellow color with some cobalt blue accents and dark Chinese red, very much like the Tutankhamen sarcophagus.”

The model was built by Ed Miarecki and Tom Hudson. The latter writes on his website that it was “one of the most complex things” either of them had worked on until then.

Lighting was set up in several circuits: impulse engines, collectors, windows, navigational deflector, navigational beacons. Windows and the navigational deflector were lit with custom neon tubes; other lights were incandescent bulbs.

Ed Miarecki and Tom Hudson pose for a photo with the Galor model (Tom Hudson)

Tony Meininger later added fins to the aft section of the hull for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , as well as a superstructure to the upper middle part of the ship to create the Keldon class. These additions weren’t permanently affixed so the model could be reverted back to its original configuration and used for both starship classes.

The Keldon only appeared in two episodes. The Galor appeared in 29, including Star Trek: Voyager ‘s pilot “ Caretaker ” and season six's “ The Voyager Conspiracy .”

The Galor was “digitalized” for the final two episodes of Deep Space Nine by Brandon MacDougall at Foundation Imaging.

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Star trek: the 10 best cardassian episodes, according to imdb.

Gifted with ruthless cunning, the Cardassians are one of the biggest villains in Star Trek. These are the 10 best Cardassian episodes, ranked by IMDb.

First introduced in  Star Trek: The Next Generation , the ruthless Cardassians came into their own as full-time characters on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Recently ousted from many of their imperial holdings, the Cardassian union has a massive chip on its shoulder and is willing to do anything to get revenge.

RELATED: The Best Star Trek Series, Ranked According To IMDb

Whether they were torturing Captain Picard or betraying the Federation to the Dominion, the Cardassians never failed to be conniving and evil. Though most of the episodes featuring the Cardassians are great, a select few are worthy of the highest scores on IMDb .

Indiscretion (Deep Space Nine) - 7.7

One thing that  Star Trek  writers liked to do over the course of the franchise was stick two characters together who didn't particularly like one another. "Indiscretion" finds Kira on a mission when she discovers that the years old wreckage of a resistance ship was found. However, to her dismay, Gul Dukat insists on coming along for his own reasons.

Dukat was consistently one of the slimiest and most unlikable characters in  Trek,  which made him an instant fan-favorite with many viewers. His adventure with Kira was enlightening for many fans, and it even showed the pair bonding over humorous situations. In the end though, it is Dukat's cruelty that inspires Kira to show compassion towards a Cardassian, something she would not have done in the past.

Empok Nor (Deep Space Nine) - 7.8

With the Cardassians always around on  Deep Space Nine , viewers were given a lot of opportunities to learn about the race, and their culture. In the episode "Empok Nor" a small group, including Chief O'Brien and Garak, are dispatched to the abandoned Cardassian station Empok Nor to salvage parts. Once there, they discover that the Cardassians left behind a brutal surprise.

Though he pretended to be a simple tailor, Garak was one of the most complicated and fascinating Cardassians that Starfleet ever encountered. The episode really puts distrust at the forefront of the story, and Garak does his part to pick at old wounds, especially O'Briens military experience.

Second Skin (Deep Space Nine) - 7.9

While they are one of the strongest aliens in  Star Trek , the Cardassians often use mind-games when physical assault is off the table. "Second Skin" finds Major Kira on Cardassia Prime as a Cardassian. Much to her dismay, she is told that she was actually a Cardassian spy the entire time, and that her memories were simply implanted to make her a better subject.

With a laundry list of evil Cardassian deeds known to most fans, their actions in "Second Skin" are some of the most deplorable. Proving that they are adept at mental torture, Kira is put through the wringer as she questions her entire life up to that point. Unlike many alien species who simply attack, the tricky nature of the Cardassians makes them even more frightening.

Necessary Evil (Deep Space Nine) - 8.1

Before the full scale outbreak of the Dominion War, the Cardassians acted one way with the Federation, and entirely differently when left alone. The episode "Necessary Evil" sees Odo reliving dark memories of his time as constable before the Federation took over Deep Space Nine.

RELATED: The 10 Best Ferengi Episodes Of Star Trek, According To IMDb

"Necessary Evil" is not only a great episode about Odo, but it also offers a fascinating look at Cardassian society when left to its own devices. The lawlessness of Terok Nor stands in stark contrast the uniform order of Deep Space Nine, and the story offers a glimpse of how Cardassians conducted themselves during the Bajoran occupation.

The Wounded (The Next Generation) - 8.1

Planting the seeds for many of the franchises most fascinating stories, "The Wounded" was the audience's first look at the Cardassians. When a Federation captain goes rogue, the Enterprise must hunt him down before he reignites a war with the Cardassians.

Featuring Miles O'Brien in the story prominently for the first time, the episode is a tense exploration of trauma and hatred. Unable to trust the Cardassians because of his time fighting them, O'Brien struggles with cooperating with his uneasy allies. Coming on strong, the Cardassians are their usual unlikable selves, which makes things all the more difficult.

The Wire (Deep Space Nine) - 8.2

As was usually the case on  Deep Space Nine , the past actions of the Cardassians comes back to haunt the current Federation crew of the station. The episode "The Wire" finds Garak slowly being killed by an anti-torture device that was previously implanted in his brain by the Cardassian government.

With his past always shady, Garak's true nature slowly unraveled throughout the series. Absolutely baffled by the cruelty of the Cardassians, Dr. Bashir knows he must do his duty to save a man he doesn't fully trust. Coming as one of the best episodes of  DS9 , "The Wire" is a back and forth story that pushes Dr. Bashir to the brink of his medical expertise.

Chain Of Command Part 1 & 2 (The Next Generation) - 8.3/8.9

While they had been introduced in previous episodes, the  TNG  two-part episode "Chain of Command" really showed the Cardassians' true colors. The command of the Enterprise is turned over to a new captain as Picard is dispatched on a secret mission in Cardassian space. Falling into a trap, Picard is captured and tortured by a ruthless Cardassian leader for the information he possesses.

Generally regarded as one of the best episodes of  TNG , "Chain of Command" perfectly balances its two storylines. The bulk of the drama takes place between Picard and his torturer, and the perseverance of the captain is admirable. Proving that Cardassian cruelty knows no bounds, it was only by sheer luck that Picard wasn't broken by his emotional and physical abuse.

The Lower Decks (The Next Generation) - 8.7

Though they are merely a small portion of the episode, "The Lower Decks" offered fans a different view of a Cardassian. The episode follows several lower ranking members of the Enterprise crew as they go about their usual duties amongst the confusing efforts of the command crew. One crew member, a Bajoran, is tasked with a dangerous mission involving a Cardassian defector.

RELATED: The 10 Best Romulan Episodes Of Star Trek

While they are usually shown to be militaristic, and without scruples, Dal shares his sympathies with the Federation's quest for peace. Considering what eventually transpires during the Dominion War, it is an interesting reminder for viewers that not all Cardassians are as cruel as some of their contemporaries.

In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light (Deep Space Nine) - 8.7/8.8

Coming as one of the best two-part episodes of  Deep Space Nine , "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light" play out like an exciting action film. Garak receives word that his mentor may yet still live, and Worf accompanies him into Dominion space to find the missing man. Once there, they discover a Dominion fleet is planning an invasion of the Alpha Quadrant.

Worf frequently made his position on Cardassians clear, and seeing him work closely with Garak was an interesting dynamic. While his motives are always suspect, Garak proves himself to be capable of helping for a good cause, even if begrudgingly so. With dark things on the horizon, the episode points the way for another sinister twist from the Cardassians.

Duet (Deep Space Nine) - 9.0

Although  Deep Space Nine 's scope grew as the series went on, some of the best episodes played out on a small scale. When a Cardassian dignitary arrives on DS9 suffering from a rare disease that indicates he worked in prison camps, Kira is determined to get him convicted of war crimes.

Kira spends most of  DS9 's run carrying a lot of pain from her life during the occupation, and "Duet" was one of the first chances for viewers to sympathize with her plight. Getting a lot of time to talk with the prisoner, she gains a small capacity for compassion and begins to see him as a victim himself. "Duet" shows that when evil is committed, it not only hurts the victim, but the perpetrators as well.

NEXT: The 10 Best Klingon Episodes Of Star Trek

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Chain of Command, Part II

• Episode aired Dec 19, 1992

While the humorless Captain Jellico leads the effort to prevent a Cardassian invasion, Picard is captured and tortured by a ruthless interrogator in an attempt to break him. While the humorless Captain Jellico leads the effort to prevent a Cardassian invasion, Picard is captured and tortured by a ruthless interrogator in an attempt to break him. While the humorless Captain Jellico leads the effort to prevent a Cardassian invasion, Picard is captured and tortured by a ruthless interrogator in an attempt to break him.

• Gene Roddenberry
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• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

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• Capt. Edward Jellico

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• Trivia Actor David Warner took over the role of Gul Madred on three days' notice. He could not learn his lines in that short time, so he had to use cue cards. He said, "Every line I said, I actually was reading over Patrick Stewart 's shoulder or they put it down there for me to do it. After I finished it, I thought it worked, which obviously it did.".
• Goofs When Madred tells Picard "the Enterprise is burning in space", he probably uses a figure of speech rather than the literal meaning of "burning".

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [shouting defiantly] There... are... *four*... lights!

• Connections Featured in Star Trek: Generations Review (2008)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

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• Aug 6, 2013
• December 19, 1992 (United States)
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• Runtime 45 minutes
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Tanora Zuval , a Cardassian female

Cardassians are the dominant species of the Cardassian Union . Their home world is Cardassia in the Alpha Quadrant . After the Dominion War the Cardassians have struggled to reform their society.

• 1 Physical appearance
• 5.2 Duty officers
• 6 External links

Physical appearance [ | ]

Cardassians are gray skinned humanoids. They are easily identified by their unusually wide necks and a spoon-shaped bone on their foreheads. Cardassians favor heat and aridity, conditions also found on Cardassia.

History [ | ]

In ancient history, the First Hebitian civilization on Cardassia was renowned for its art and beauty. It collapsed due to a lack of resources, leading the surviving Cardassians to turn to the military and imperialistic expansion. Their occupation of Bajor saw Bajorans used as a slave caste as their world was stripped of resources to feed Cardassia.

Following the fall of the Obsidian Order (one half of the Cardassian government) in the 2370s, Cardassians established their first civilian government in centuries with the Detapa Council . However, the Klingon Empire believed this government was infiltrated by Changelings and began an invasion of Cardassia.

Losing a war to the Klingons, the military re-took control and Cardassia joined the Dominion ; who helped Cardassia rid itself of both the Klingons and the Maquis. However as the war turned for the worse, the Cardassians bore the brunt of the Dominion's war and eventually the two sides turned on one another. In the final days of the war, much of the Cardassian population was murdered.

The survivors chose to rebuild as a de-militarized, democratic power, supported by the Federation.

Culture [ | ]

Cardassian society is extremely hierarchical and values family and loyalty to the government. Their culture and literature, which was once held in the highest esteem, reflected this with novels such as The Great Sacrifice , detailing a generational history of service to the state. For much of its life, the state represented a union of the military and secret service; these two ran a kafkaesque government where sentences are determined in advance of trials, with proceedings merely there to show the viewing Cardassians that justice is carried out. How Cardassian society has shifted in response to its trauma and post-war democratisation is as yet unclear.

Traits [ | ]

• +2 Accuracy Rating per stack (5 stacks max)
• +2 Defense Rating per stack (5 stacks max)
• +2% Weapon Damage per stack (5 stacks max)
• excluding Stubborn and Sure Footed

People [ | ]

Duty officers [ | ], external links [ | ].

• Cardassian at Memory Alpha , the Star Trek Wiki.
• 2 Playable starship
• 3 Infinity Prize Pack - T6 Ship

Chris Pine Reveals the Story Behind His Unrecognizable Style Evolution

Chris pine stepped out onto the red carpet of his directorial debut poolman in a look that, at the very least, turned heads. let him explain..

Wonder no more: Chris Pine is shedding light on his fashion evolution.

Indeed, when the 43-year-old stepped onto the carpet April 24 for his new movie  Poolman , it was in homage to his character Darren Barrenman that he arrived.

Gone were the lusciously groomed and highlighted locks of the  Don't Worry Darling  press circuit , and in were even longer and more robustly highlighted tresses. To go along with his hair, Chris donned an "I Heart LA" shirt, tan blazer complete with pink flower boutonniere and noticeably short shorts —all the better to show off his tube socks and hiking boots. He topped off his look—literally—with orange-mirrored sunglasses. 

"I think there comes a certain wonderful point in your life," Chris told E! News '  Will Maruggi  of his outfit, "where you don't give as much of a FU anymore, and I think I probably hit that point. This whole film, what I love about what we did is it's the joy of everything, of design, of clothes, of cinema, of film, of shooting on film, of characters and weird characters."

He added, "So, I tried to throw all the joy I could into it." (For more with Chris, tune into  E! News  tonight, April 25 at 11 p.m.)

And though Chris chose to channel the eclectic and often eccentric lead character of his movie—which is also his directorial debut—for the  Poolman  premiere, the  Princess Diaries  alum said his usual style preferences are much more refined. 

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"For many years it was Lapo Elkann ," Chris said of his style icon, adding of the Italian businessman, "who's just got insane style. I'm now into early ‘80s Harrison Ford . So I really like a penny loafer with like a Levi jean and a blazer, I think that's pretty fly. And Tom Selleck . So I'm in an ‘80s thing."

An '80s vibe that, in addition to his character, partly inspired his premiere look. 

"The short shorts were definitely inspired by Tom Selleck," the Wonder Woman 1984   star joked. "There's no lie about that."

Poolman  hits theaters May 10, but until then don't miss more from the premiere on  E! News  tonight, April 25 at 11:30 p.m. and keep reading to see more of Chris' best red carpet looks. 

Pine looked dashing in a textbook tuxedo at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards.

Hello Sunshine

The Star Trek star rocked a yellow suit while visiting Paris in 2019.

Staying in Character

The actor dons shorts and hiking boots at the premiere of his directorial debut, Poolman .

White jeans, graphic button-down shirt and Chelsea boots—the LA native takes inspiration from a few different places to create a standout look on the red carpet.

Bow Tie Bonus

The Don't Worry Darling star wore a brown Ralph Lauren tuxedo to the film's Venice Film Festival premiere.

Coffee Break

The actor threw on an all-black look for a quick coffee run in 2022.

Serving unbuttoned shirt at the Chanel and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner in 2020.

Who else could pull off this Bode shirt and striped trouser combo with Gucci loafers?

Cream of the Crop

Standing out from crowd at the 2019 SAG Awards.

Country Club Chic

Another winning look at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.

Summer Style

Pine arrived in a sharp look at the Zegna fashion show during Milan Fashion Week in 2023.

Flip-flops aside, this comfortable and cool look is airport style goals.

Overall Effect

Between the pinstripe overalls, straw hat and bright red Vans, it's hard to miss this airport outfit.

The style star even looks good when he's just hanging out with the bros.

The Wonder Woman actor is suited for success in this tan look.

The actor incorporates three hues of maroon hues into one ensemble, going from light to dark.

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American Horror Story's Dominic Burgess responds to major Kim Kardashian scene

"I need to do a death reel, like a Sean Bean death reel..."

Next up, we're speaking to American Horror Story star Dominic Burgess.

Is there a big-name franchise that Dominic Burgess hasn't starred in? From his early start in Doctor Who and a credited (but ultimately cut) part in Batman Begins , the English actor has been in everything from Star Trek and The Flash to The Magicians and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (not to mention The Good Place , Supernatural and countless more shows).

What connects most of these projects is the fact Burgess doesn't often survive them. Dominic's characters usually wind up dead, and the same is true for his latest part in American Horror Story , a show which Burgess has appeared in not once, but twice (First as a one-off guest role in Apocalypse and then as a recurring character in the latest season, titled Delicate ).

Digital Spy caught up with Dominic Burgess to relive his most recent death as Hamish Moss — and at the hands of none other than Kim Kardashian herself. Along the way, we also discussed cruising for Ricky Martin in Palm Royale and navigating camp characterisation in a predominantly heterosexual space.

Your career started with a brief role in a 2005 episode of Doctor Who . What's it like to look back at that time now?

I was always very proactive. I wrote to Andy Pryor, the casting director and I sent him a letter, just to be like, "Hello, I love Doctor Who !"

...That was a pretty fun first TV job to have. It was a lovely experience.

In classic Doctor Who style, let's jump forward in time to Palm Royale , your new Apple TV+ series where you play Grayman, a gay fashion designer working in the late '60s. There's a scene in episode six where he tries to pick up Ricky Martin's character in a bookshop. Who wouldn't, honestly? Talk us through that.

They let us improvise and play around, so I had no idea how this scene was going to end up. We did a version where Ricky walked away and then I followed him. Then we did a version with the construction worker guy.

Sometimes, when you jump onto a show, you have to feel out the set and figure out, "Okay, is this the kind of show where you can approach people? Is this the kind of show where you can bring your own ideas?" This was so wholesome and fun. Ideas could come from anywhere. They let you play and explore.

.css-2fi1zk:before{background-color:#000000;color:#fff;width:3rem;height:0.25rem;content:'';display:inline-block;position:relative;-webkit-transition:width .2s ease-in-out,background .2s ease-in-out;transition:width .2s ease-in-out,background .2s ease-in-out;} .css-1u4m1hv{font-family:Montserrat,Montserrat-weight900-roboto,Montserrat-weight900-local,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-weight:900;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;}@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-1u4m1hv{font-size:1.75rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-1u4m1hv{font-size:2.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1u4m1hv{font-size:2.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}.css-1u4m1hv b,.css-1u4m1hv strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-1u4m1hv em,.css-1u4m1hv i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} "When Grayman is working, he doesn't have to hide anything. He can be flamboyant and loud."

You could just turn around and be like, "Hey, can I try something? What if I emerge from the bookstore like this or just creep around the corner?"

I think that comes from the top, from the showrunner to the number one on the call sheet, from Kristen [Wiig], and Ricky and Allison [Janney]. That kindness and enthusiasm for the material trickles down into every department and just makes it a whole pleasant experience.

Queer history is often overlooked or erased entirely, so it's interesting to see specifically queer moments in a historical setting, like Ricky's character finding those gay contacts written down secretly in the bookshop.

For Grayman, there was never any conversation with the creatives asking is he or isn't he gay? The assumption is he just is. Grayman is this gay flirty guy. The whole theme of the show is fitting in and finding where you belong. Kristen's character is trying to fit into this society, in this world, and I think Grayman is too.

He's found his place in this society of women who accept him. They say he's a gossip of the worst kind, but he's found his people. They accept him for who he is. When Grayman is in the store and he's working, he doesn't have to hide anything. He can be flamboyant. He can be loud.

To parallel that, I played Victor Buono on Feud . That was also a similar time period. They showed a very different side to homosexuality at that time where Victor was found in an underground theatre that was raided by the police. Bette [Davis] had to come and help him out of jail. It's interesting playing those two characters from that time, but having a very different viewpoint on how sexuality was viewed.

Grayman is camp and flamboyant, which is obviously a very valid queer experience, but there was a time when gay men were caricatured in this fashion. How do you approach queer characters like this without inadvertently playing into tropes or stereotypes?

I enjoy getting into this because I don't know if there's a right or wrong answer to it.

I played a character in Rebel Moon part one. I'm in prosthetics and I have a sleazy encounter with another male actor in a bar. I try to pick them up and there was some backlash to that on the Twittersphere. People were saying that it was a dangerous trope, that it was a stereotype. That gay characters shouldn't be portrayed this way as predators. But as a gay actor, I read that material and brought that to life. So it becomes this quagmire.

I find that there's more liberty and play to explore when there are creators in the LGBTQ+ community, whether that be a showrunner, a director, the writers. When a member of the community is involved in the production, I feel there's liberty to explore with that...

With Palm Royale , they investigate these themes with Ricky's character more as the show goes on. If Grayman was the only gay character on the show, the only angle of representation, then I think it does become more problematic because then it's like, "Look, it's a gay guy!"

When you're not exploring all the facets of that world, then it can become more problematic. If there's more than one queer character, you have more chances to tell different stories and different angles, what it is like to remain closeted and what it is like to try and find love when you're gay in 1969 and you have to remain hidden.

Your other big show at the moment is American Horror Story: Delicate . But this isn't your first time in the AHS universe. How does your recurring role in the new season compare to your one episode stint as Phil back when you were in Apocalypse ?

Apocalypse came around so fast. I had already worked on Feud at that point and then I jumped on to Ryan Murphy's director mentorship programme. I was shadowing Brad Falchuk on 9-1-1 for a couple of weeks, and when I finished, someone dropped out of AHS last minute, or it was a new role that was added. So it was pretty much a day before that I had a call from casting. It was just one day filming down at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

I love diving in without having to overthink things sometimes. That's one of the wonderful things about acting, that sometimes I might get a call tomorrow to do something on Friday and I just I don't know, but I'll do it.

Within the world of Ryan Murphy TV. I'm very grateful for Feud and for 9-1-1 and for Dahmer and now Delicate . It's very nice to have a production company or creatives that will keep you in mind for things and not stereotype you or put you in one box. All the characters that I play within the world of Ryan Murphy TV are very different. Some of them are even straight [ Laughs ].

Speaking of that, what's it been like filming intimate scenes with Kim Kardashian and working with her on set? Kim is such a cultural touchstone, so we imagine it might have been quite surreal?

Kim was so nice. She was professional, she was present, she took direction. She wanted to learn. You work on some sets where they call cut and the actor disappears for two hours in their trailer so you're sort of just waiting. She was there and present. Really nice.

If there's more than one queer character, you have more chances to tell different stories."

I don't follow Keeping Up With The Kardashians or reality TV really. If I do, it's Project Runway and Survivor . So yes, I was aware that she's known in the stratosphere, part of this Kardashian empire, but that wasn't how she presented herself on set.

Things don't end too well between your character and hers though. Talk us through filming that death scene on the rooftop and getting killed by Kim.

Originally, there wasn't a death scene. We were filming right up until the strike deadline. So half of the season was shot pre-strike. I was going back and forth to New York and I had my episode wrap when you finish your work.

Everything started back up again October, November time, and then I had a call saying, "They need you for your death." So I was flying back to New York to be dead in the aftermath of the confrontation with Kim on the rooftop.

I need to do a death reel, like a Sean Bean death reel, because I'm cranking them up [ Laughs ]. What we're dealing with right now is long by industry standards.

Anytime I get to do prosthetics and have cuts and bruises and intestines hanging out, that's always fun. It was late at night and then you're sort of dead on the New York sidewalk. There's still people coming by with camera phones who are like, "Oh man, what happened? Is it real?"

I enjoyed that. Anytime you get to be on location is a treat as opposed to green screens and stuff that isn't tangible

We saw an online fan theory suggesting that your two American Horror Story characters could be connected somehow. What do you think of that?

I don't think so. The thing is, there's so much secrecy involved in so many productions.

In Palm Royale , I would get the scripts, but sometimes for American Horror Story , you only get the scene that you're involved in. I never got the script for Rebel Moon . You just get the scenes that you're involved in, so then you don't have a larger framework of context for it. I wish productions would give you more information to play with, to tangibly exist in that world.

You've starred in so many incredible projects and big-name franchises over the years. Looking back, what are you most proud of?

Star Trek for me was my big one because I used to race home from from high school and watch The Next Generation . Just to exist in that world, to have a scene with Patrick Stewart and to be directed by Jonathan Frakes was my, "Oh, I've done it."

Star Trek was one of those shows, like X-Files and Twin Peaks and 24, that was one of the driving forces for me to want to come and work in America. So that, for me, has a very special place in my heart.

"I need to do a death reel, like a Sean Bean death reel, because I'm cranking them up."

I try and take great things away from any production, whether it's a relationship that you can develop with another cast member or someone on the crew. Nine times out of ten, there's something great that you can take out of any experience.

Looking back again, is there a particular moment of queer representation onscreen that really resonated with you early on as a gay man?

Casualty was one of those shows that I watched from a young age. One of the first gay characters that I was ever introduced to in a regular capacity was Sam [Colloby] on Casualty . He ended up getting pushed over a balcony.

I know it sounds trite, but Casualty has always been very good at telling progressive stories. That would have been one of the first examples of watching something regularly on a Saturday night that I could identify with.

And then, of course, a lot of British gay society tuned in after hours, lights down, a finger on the remote control, when Queer As Folk came on. Then "Oh, no, someone's coming up the stairs!" So very clandestine and hidden.

And then, I don't think it was until I got to America... There was a show called Looking and there was a character Daniel Franzese played, a bigger guy who was comfortable in his sexuality and his own skin. I was like, "Oh, look. There's this bigger bear kind of character who's dating this other guy."

It's such a great example because it's still so rare to see queer representation on screen that doesn't revolve around these chiseled, muscular and idealised — yet mostly unattainable — body types.

It's still hard to find. Going back to earlier, when it comes to straight creatives and their idea of what a gay person is, a lot of the time it's chiselled jaw, designer stubble, high fashion. There's a whole spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community who have different bodies, shapes, sizes, and I would just love to see more.

American Horror Story: Delicate streams on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US.

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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival. 

In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy , where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.

David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.

Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends. 

As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times , INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek , The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound . 

.css-15yqwdi:before{top:0;width:100%;height:0.25rem;content:'';position:absolute;background-image:linear-gradient(to right,#51B3E0,#51B3E0 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 5rem,#E5E54F 5rem,#E5E54F 7.5rem,black 7.5rem,black);} Rainbow Crew

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Michael Weatherly Had NCIS Fans Suggest Titles For Tony And Ziva Spinoff, And One Of The Picks He Responded To Seems Like A Perfect Choice

It's a no-brainer, but will they actually use it?

While franchise fans are still reeling from NCIS: Hawai’i getting canceled by CBS ahead of its Season 3 finale, two new spinoffs are still on the way to help soothe the woes. For my (streaming) money, the more exciting of the pair is Tony DiNozzo and ZIva Davd’s new drama that’ll reunite former co-stars Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo . Paramount+ still hasn’t unveiled a title for the follow-up project, so Weatherly took to social media to try and crowd-source that particular duty, and with solid results.

NCIS fans shared quite a few suggestions for what the long-running crime drama’s latest continuation spinoff should be called, and we’ll get to several of those lower down. But before peeping out the rest of the ideas, let’s first put a big spotlight on the best of them, as shared on X:

Hmmmm April 28, 2024

Now, I know it’s fairly unheard of for a TV spinoff’s title to specifically tie into fan-shipped monikers, especially now that we’re well past shipping’s pop culture heyday. But let’s put some respect on Tiva’s name, since viewers first mashed the two characters’ names together when they were both series regulars on the crime drama, which stopped being a that after De Pablo’s final episode aired on October 1, 2013. So Tiva has been in existence for long enough that it can serve as a series title without sounding corny or pandering.

And while Michael Weatherly’s other responses weren’t exactly essay-length, he did offer condensed opinions for several other suggestions that were actual thoughts. Here, however, he went with a simple “Hmmm,” which might mean nothing, or it might have been the actor’s way of textually holding a finger up to his nose to indicate that the suggestion was right on the money.

When a spinoff is called something like Origins or Hawai’i , audiences are given a rather limited window through which to glean what each show is about, with “the past” and “the island state” being the biggest inferences to make. But a title like NCIS: Tiva ? Not a single viewer would be confused about what characters they could expect to see. Especially after de Pablo’s return in Season 16’s finale set up her recurring arc the next year, sparking a new wave of interest in Tiva as an on-screen couple. (Interest that doubled down once Weatherly vacated CBS’ Bull .)

Or course, given the way this franchise names things, we’re almost definitely in store for something akin to NCIS: Europe , but I’d even go for some of these other wonderfully hokey ideas that fans shared.

• @RStudard : NCIS: WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR 8 YEARS!
• Michael Weatherly: Too long

A commenter beneath this offered up the truncated revision of just NCIS: Finally , which has a weird ring to it, even if it doesn't quite mean anything. Same for the idea below:

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• @mrbojanglez70 : NCIS Beyond
• Michael Weatherly: That might be my daughters fave

Would there be some confusion for anyone with Paramount+ subscriptions between NCIS: Beyond and the sci-fi sequel Star Trek: Beyond ? I mean, one can hope we're all smarter than that. The same way I'd hope that no one mixed the below suggestion up with the 1987 film of a similar name.

• @PaolaCalcaterra : NCIS: No Way Out
• Michael Weatherly: Kevin Costner references do not get old in my house.

Considering Kevin Costner 's Yellowstone had its run on CBS during the 2023 strikes, wouldn't it be wild if the actor's next big connection with Paramount would be a starring role in Tony and Ziva's new show? After his upcoming feature Horizon: An American Saga , of course.

If Tiva is too indirect as a title, this one could fix that issue quite easily, even if it may not necessarily imply the most serious tone.

• @shayeraholz : NCIS: THE DINOZZOS
• Michael Weatherly: That's the sitcom title

And though Michael Weatherly didn't share any responses to the idea below, it fits in nicely with the TGIF vibe of the above suggestion.

• @LollieEEliza : NCIS: Family Matters

Get this: Tony and Ziva adopt a new kid who just happens to be the long-lost child of Steve Urkel, and....no wait, this is a terrible idea.

Hopefully Weatherly's post is a sign that fans can expect the new series to unveil its official title in the near future, so that we can see whose picks were closest. I'm throwing my hat in the ring now for NCIS: NCIS Spinoff .

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.

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Kim Kardashian Posts Photo with Karlie Kloss amid Taylor Swift Album Release

The SKIMS founder shared a group selfie alongside Kloss to her Instagram Stories on April 22

Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Kim Kardashian shared a selfie alongside Karlie Kloss amid the release of Taylor Swift ’s The Tortured Poets Department album.

On Monday, April 22, the reality star, 43, shared a series of Instagram Stories to commemorate her friend Derek Blasberg’s birthday. In one of the posts, Kardashian shared a group selfie with Blasberg, her sister Khloé Kardashian , W Magazine editor-in-chief Sara Moonves and Kloss, 31.

Kim Kardashian/ Instagram

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Kardashian’s post follows the April 19 release of Swift’s eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which prompted listeners to revisit interest in the feud between the Grammy winner and SKIMS founder .

The 34-year-old singer released a double album within two hours after the initial album dropped. The double album includes the track “thanK you aIMee," which grabbed the attention of fans, who began to speculate that it could be referring to Kardashian .

The song’s capitalization of the three letters in the title (KIM), as well as Swift’s lyrics about bullying, led fans to think that it is directed at The Kardashians star.

Victor Boyko/Getty Images

On Tuesday, April 23, a source told PEOPLE , “[Kim’s] over it and thinks Taylor should move on,” adding Kardashian “doesn’t get why [Swift] keeps harping on it.” The source continued: “It’s been literally years.”

The model and singer’s feud began in 2016 when Kardashian’s ex-husband Kanye West sang about Swift in his song, “Famous,” rapping: "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that bitch famous.” He later claimed that the Speak Now singer had approved of the song, which she later denied .

The mom of four then released edited footage of the phone call between the two singers to prove her side of the story, but West noticeably did not mention the lyric during the call. The call was later leaked in full.

Three years after the call, Kardashian said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live that they’d “all moved on” from the feud . However, in a rare interview, Swift denied that claim.

Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum’s post with Kloss also follows speculation about an alleged rift between Swift and Kloss.

The rumors began in 2017 after the singer did not include Kloss’ name in her “Junior Jewels” T-shirt that was worn in one of the scenes of her “ Look What You Made Me Do ” music video.

Taylor Hill/WireImage

The next year, the model denied any falling out to The New York Times . She said that she and the Red singer spoke frequently. “Don’t believe everything you read,” said Kloss. That same year, she posted a photo with Swift during her Reputation tour backstage.

Kloss then attended Swift’s following concert tour in 2023 and was spotted at the final Eras Tour Los Angeles show on Aug. 9.

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Daniel Ek’s Next Act: Full-Body Scans for the People

The Spotify chief has co-founded a new start-up, Neko Health, that aims to make head-to-toe health scans part of the annual health checkup routine.

Bernhard Warner undergoes a “Tissue Scan,” a procedure designed to assess microcirculation, or the blood flow in the arteries of his right forearm. Credit... Photographs and Video by David B. Torch

Supported by

By Bernhard Warner

Bernhard Warner traveled to Stockholm to interview the Neko Health co-founders, and underwent a full-body scan.

• April 27, 2024

In conversations with colleagues, fellow entrepreneurs and even musicians over the past decade, Daniel Ek would often abruptly shift the subject to something that really bugged him: health care. “I was like adamant to fix it,” Mr. Ek, the Spotify chief, told DealBook. He saw the industry as a bloated and inefficient colossus in need of disrupting.

The problem: Mr. Ek had neither a plan, nor the time or money to do much about it. He was busy taking on Apple, YouTube and Amazon Music in the streaming wars. In his spare time, Mr. Ek pored over medical journals. And he routinely measured his vital statistics with a Fitbit, an Apple Watch or Wii Fit tracker — the more data, the better to see how his body held up against the rigors of running a business. He thought that such tracking might hold some clue to living longer and healthier. “I was just toying around with ideas in health care,” he added.

That all changed in 2018. Spotify went public, making Mr. Ek a billionaire. It was time to turn his side focus into his next venture, he decided. He knew whom to contact: Hjalmar Nilsonne, a Swedish tech entrepreneur who Mr. Ek had met the year prior at the Brilliant Minds event, an annual gathering Mr. Ek started. Mr. Nilsonne was passionate about upending the status quo, too. At the time, he was focused on climate change and his start-up, Watty, which aimed to strip waste out of the energy grid.

At first, Mr. Nilsonne rebuffed Mr. Ek’s proposition. But Mr. Ek eventually won him over. (It helped that Watty was running out of money, and it was eventually sold to a German company.) Mr. Ek, a former computer coder, and Mr. Nilsonne, an engineer, zeroed in on building a better diagnostic tool. Their aim: disease prevention, and prolonging life. The company they founded, Neko Health, opened its doors in Stockholm last year, and it is set to open in London, its second market, this summer.

Longevity has become a kind of obsession with tech moguls. Sam Altman , Peter Thiel and Mr. Ek are among those who believe bright ideas, the right tech and bundles of capital can help humans live longer. Mr. Ek, 41, has invested millions personally and through his investment firm, Prima Materia, in such start-ups around Europe. Neko Health is the only one for which he’s taken the title of founder.

The company says its full-body scans can detect the onset of a host of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as skin conditions. It calls its scans, which cost about $230, or 2,500 Swedish krona, “a health check for your future self.”

Whole-body scans have been around for a while. But they have taken off in recent years thanks to artificial intelligence and social media. Kim Kardashian helped put one buzzy rival, Prenuvo, on the map last summer when she referred to its M.R.I. scanner as a “life saving machine” in an Instagram post . Another, the New York-based Ezra, announced in February that it had raised $21 million to help it expand to 20 North American cities by year-end.

Despite the boom in interest, medical professionals say proactive screening technologies have yet to prove that they can achieve better outcomes for patient health or longevity. And the verdict is still out on the business model.

“I would be super happy if this turned out to make me no money, but we actually solved real issues in the world for real people,” Mr. Ek told DealBook in his first English-language interview about Neko Health.

He compared the challenge to the streaming wars. When Spotify debuted in 2008, the music industry was being ravaged by piracy and plummeting revenues. “Everyone told me, this is a horrible business. Please don’t do that,” he recalled.

Mr. Ek acknowledged that taking on health care may be even tougher. Like Spotify, Neko Health has big growth ambitions, but it faces a long slog in getting the green light to enter new markets. And in some ways, the Neko founders’ vision is more ambitious than their competitors. Their goal is to make early diagnosis of diseases affordable, so that full-body scans become as routine as an annual checkup. That could help reverse a depressing pattern where gains in life expectancy have slowed in many wealthy countries over the past decade, despite ballooning health care spending. “Almost every trend is going in the wrong direction,” said Mr. Nilsonne, 37, who is also Neko Health’s chief executive.

Inside a Neko Health Scanner

There are about as many approaches to body health scans as there are companies offering them. Most involve repackaging some pre-existing medical technology and adding proprietary software. Prenuvo, the startup that Ms. Kardashian promoted on Instagram, was founded by the entrepreneur Andrew Lacy, and its backers include Eric Schmidt, the former Google chief executive, and the supermodel Cindy Crawford. It sells hourlong magnetic resonance imaging sessions for $2,499 , and then uses an A.I.-powered software to examine the scanned images for warning signs of cancer, aneurysms and liver diseases. Ezra hopes to squish the full-body scan down to 15 minutes, and charge $500.

Neko Health, with its smaller price tag, doesn’t perform M.R.I.s or X-rays. Instead, it uses about 70 different sensors and a mix of proprietary and off-the-shelf technologies to non-invasively measure heart function and circulation, and to photograph every inch of a patient’s body.

“The visual metaphor early on was around the airport scanner,” said Mr. Ek.

At a Neko Health clinic in Stockholm where I recently paid for a scan, I understood the comparison. After being handed slippers and a thin cloth robe, I entered a room with a floor-to-ceiling scan chamber that looked straight out of “Star Trek.” Soothing instrumental music added to a spalike setting.

I stepped inside the contraption and was instructed to raise my arms out to my side. The circular door slid shut, and a voice recording — a female with a soft English accent — told me to shut my eyes, take a deep breath and prepare for a blast of bright light. A series of wall-mounted cameras flashed. The entire scan, which took over 2,000 high-resolution images of my body, mapping and indexing my every blemish, lasted about 20 seconds.

Outside of the chamber, the second part of the examination commenced. It involved a blood draw, as well as tests for grip-strength, eye-pressure, and blood pressure. At one point, a device spying out of a grate in the ceiling measured my heart rate using a laser sensor. When a green light honed in on my outstretched arm, a live magnified image of my forearm showing the blood pulsing through my arteries appeared on a monitor on a nearby wall. (The illuminated patch of skin was being measured for blood flow and arterial stiffness, an indicator for cardiovascular health).

Most Neko patients have passed the scan with a clean bill of health. But, in a recent sample of 2,707 patients, life-threatening issues were found in about 1 percent of the cases, according to the company. (About one-quarter of those were under age 50). And for 9 percent of that cohort, previously undiagnosed issues were found that were later determined to be ailments such as heart disease, skin cancer and diabetes.

Dr. Andreea Valdman, Neko Health’s lead general practitioner, walked me through my results at the end of my exam. All of the 400 suspicious looking blotches and moles on my body that had been mapped with the help of A.I. were benign, Neko’s dermatologists confirmed.

Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. And, my father had his first stroke at 54, so the anticipation around my blood-glucose reading — HbA1c — had me on edge. The verdict: no risk of diabetes or stroke.

It felt reassuring to know I was doing something right, and what I needed to work on.

The company said the waiting list in Sweden has swelled to 20,000.

‘Bend the cost curve’

In the United States, most major health insurers don’t typically cover such scans. And some in the medical field question their effectiveness. “To date, there is no documented evidence that total body screening is cost-efficient or effective in prolonging life,” the American College of Radiology said last year. One issue is false positives, Dr. Nils-Eric Sahlin, a professor of medical ethics at Lund University in Sweden, told DealBook. He said that could lead to a wave of healthy people seeking a second opinion, potentially overwhelming the most stressed parts of the health care system, and adding costs for potentially unnecessary follow-up treatment.

Mr. Nilsonne pushed back on these criticisms, calling the status-quo health care model in which a patient often receives treatment well after the disease has progressed bad public policy. Preventative health care, he said, should bring with it a new data stream: from healthy people. That will inform smarter policy, he argued.

“We need to bend the cost curve on health care,” Mr. Nilsonne said. “The cheapest dollar to spend on health is not when you’re super sick; it’s to help you not get sick in the first place.”

Investors see potential. Venture capitalists invested a record $4.7 billion in longevity start-ups in 2022, according to Pitchbook. But in the wake of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes’s failed blood-testing startup that promised to usher in “ a new era of preventative health ,” scrutiny is also sky high. “Blowouts” like Theranos, Mr. Ek said, risk undermining the public “trust in all of the subsequent companies that are coming.”

Last summer, thanks in part to Mr. Ek’s connections, Neko raised 60 million euros ($65 million) from investors that include Atomico, General Catalyst, and Lakestar. Mr. Ek has pitched in an additional €30 million. But the capital requirements for a brick-and-mortar expansion of health clinics are unlike the economics of unveiling an app like Spotify. The regulatory hurdles are arduous, too. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of documents need to be submitted,” Mr. Nilsonne noted.

The start-up says it will be on pace to deliver roughly 50,000 scans by the end of the year. When pressed, Mr. Ek didn’t want to talk five- or seven-year growth targets, or return on his investment. Instead, he focused on the technology. “You can actually save lives with this,” he said, adding, “and we have.”

Bernhard Warner is a senior editor for DealBook, a newsletter from The Times, covering business trends, the economy and the markets. More about Bernhard Warner

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Cardassians (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Cast and characters
• 3.2 Production
• 3.3 Reception
• 3.4 Apocrypha
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Remastered version
• 3.7 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest Stars
• 4.4 Co-Stars
• 4.5 Uncredited Co-Stars
• 4.6.1 Library computer references
• 4.7 External links

Summary [ ]

" Garak, the tailor, was attacked. "

Doctor Bashir sits down at his usual table at the Replimat with Garak , and once again tries to figure out if Garak is a spy on the station with some thinly-veiled language about his clientele. Garak laughs it off, as he always does. When a young Cardassian boy, wearing a Bajoran earring and escorted by a Bajoran man, sits down near them, Garak cannot resist commenting on it. He goes over to the man and says what a nice boy he has. The boy bites Garak's hand, and shies away.

Act One [ ]

After making sure Garak's hand is not severely damaged, the doctor reports to ops , and tells the senior staff about the incident. Odo leaves immediately to investigate. Everyone is baffled; then Gul Dukat calls on subspace to ask about the issue. When Commander Benjamin Sisko skeptically asks Dukat how the news reached him so quickly, Dukat quickly changes the subject. He says the boy is one of the many war orphans left behind when the Cardassians left Bajor at the end of the occupation . He asks Sisko to investigate this incident, since he is trying to get the orphans returned to Cardassia. Sisko agrees.

First, Sisko talks to the father, Proka Migdal . He is initially agitated, thinking that Garak filed a complaint and they want to arrest him. When Sisko explains they just want to talk, he relaxes slightly. He wishes that the Cardassians would have paid as much attention to his boy then as they want to now. He insists that he adopted Rugal so that Rugal wouldn't have to suffer for the mistakes of others, and that Garak should have minded his own business. The doctor points out that the boy was terrified of Garak, and that he was probably raised to hate Cardassians. The father agrees that Rugal hates Cardassians, because the facts alone would – and should – make him hate Cardassians. He loves his son, just as if he were his own flesh and blood, and considers him a Bajoran.

Continuing the investigation, Doctor Bashir goes to Quark's and talks to Zolan , a trader who knows the family well. He is evasive, but when the doctor presses him, he explains that he had visited the family a few times when the father was looking for a new job. He tells Bashir that Rugal is being raised in a terrible way – being told every day that he is horrible for being a Cardassian – and that the parents are taking out their revenge against all Cardassians on the boy. When Sisko and Bashir confront Proka, he is outraged, saying he has done nothing. Sisko accepts his word, but has Rugal stay with the station's school teacher Keiko O'Brien for the time being.

Rugal says he didn't do anything wrong when his father brings him out. He is nervous, but finally goes with Sisko and Bashir when the father says they won't hurt him, because they're Human , not Cardassian. Before leaving, Sisko offers Proka a slight nod of his head.

Act Two [ ]

Back in the infirmary , Doctor Bashir heals Garak's hand, and mentions Gul Dukat's attempt to resolve the war orphan predicament. Garak laughs and begins a line of questioning of his own. He plants in Bashir's mind that Dukat's story should not be believed: Dukat was in charge of the withdrawal from Bajor, therefore it is his fault that the children were left behind, so why is he trying to get them returned home?

Back in ops, Sisko is explaining to Dukat that it may not be very simple to send Rugal back to Cardassia. When the doctor arrives, Sisko asks Dukat to look up the boy's DNA to search for any surviving relatives, in case he does decide to send him home. Dukat agrees, then Doctor Bashir interrupts. He asks Dukat why he chose to leave the children behind. Dukat is not pleased, and explains that he was ordered to do it by the civilian leadership of Cardassia and had no choice. Bashir corrects him, and states that the civilian leaders do not have such detailed control of the military. When Dukat asks where he got this information, he admits it was from Garak. Dukat tells Bashir to tell Garak he had no choice, and cuts off the viewscreen.

Sisko asks why the doctor presumptuously interrupted his conversation with Dukat. Bashir explains that Garak thinks Dukat is lying – which he had to deduce, since Garak doesn't actually tell him anything. Sisko is not pleased, but lets him off with a rebuke.

Meanwhile, in the O'Briens' quarters , Chief O'Brien is initially uneasy around Rugal given his own previous experiences with Cardassians, and is aghast to learn that Keiko allowed Molly to play with him. Keiko warns him that she doesn't appreciate his prejudiced attitude. Later that night, Rugal is unable to sleep and O'Brien takes the chance to talk to the boy (who denies being abused) about his situation. O'Brien asks if it's hard on him being Cardassian. Rugal becomes defensive, saying he was born that way and it isn't his fault. The chief rephrases his question: " Isn't it hard to live with people who hate you? " Rugal answers that his parents hate other Cardassians, not him, and they have done nothing wrong to him. When he asks what Miles thinks of Cardassians, the chief explains that he can't generalize an opinion about an entire race – he has met Cardassians he didn't like, and Cardassians he did like. Rugal doesn't understand how the chief could feel that way, since the Cardassians killed ten million Bajorans, and wishes he were Bajoran.

Act Three [ ]

In the middle of the night, Garak sneaks into Bashir's quarters and says that they need to go to Bajor now. The doctor wakes Sisko up and tries to explain, not very coherently, that he and Garak need a runabout right away to go to Bajor for something important, which Garak won't tell him. At the same time, Ops informs Sisko through the com that there is a communication for him from Gul Dukat. He informs Sisko that the boy's DNA has identified him as the son of a prominent politician, Kotan Pa'Dar , who is still alive – so the boy is actually not an orphan. Pa'Dar is heading to the station to reclaim him. Sisko repeats that it's not that simple; the boy wants to go back to Bajor, and he won't send him to Cardassia against his will. Pa'Dar will have to wait for the investigation to finish. Bashir points out that Garak's urgency, the trader who made the accusation of abuse vanishing, and the news about Pa'Dar can't be a coincidence, and Garak must know something. This convinces Sisko to give them the runabout.

Garak and Bashir search for clues at Rugal's orphange

Garak and Bashir head down to the Tozhat Resettlement Center , an orphanage for Cardassian children and ask about Rugal. Deela , the person in charge, says that since Rugal's adoption occurred eight years ago, when the Cardassians were still in charge, she probably doesn't have the information. Garak responds with a correction that Cardassians always keep meticulous records, and if they would let him use their computer, he might be able to find the file. When she says that the government hasn't had the resources yet to repair her computer system, he offers to fix it himself.

After repairing the computer, Garak downloads all the provincial records into a data clip. This again makes Bashir skeptical that Garak isn't a spy. The wind is taken out of Garak's sails, however, when he spots a couple of Cardassians watching him, with a young girl asking if he's there to take them back to Cardassia. Garak has to regretfully inform them that, no, he has not come to take them home. Garak informs Deela that the computer system is now fully functional before leaving.

Act Four [ ]

When they are in orbit, Dr. Bashir gets tired of being strung along. He has the computer shut down the runabout's engines and demands that Garak give him some information or they will sit in space until they rot, he says. Garak explains that Dukat had to leave behind the children, as orphans have no status in Cardassian society. This isn't enough for Bashir, who demands some answers or they will sit there until they rot. With that ultimatum, Garak plays another round of twenty questions. He helps Bashir put it all together: Pa'Dar was one of the most notable civilian leaders at the time, and was involved in the decision to end the occupation and evacuate Bajor; Gul Dukat lost his job as prefect when that happened, so he hates Pa'Dar; and now, mysteriously, this boy turns up, and Dukat coincidentally finds out it is Pa'Dar's long lost son.

Pa'Dar shows up on the station, and Chief O'Brien talks to him before he sees Rugal. He explains that the boy hates everything he is, and probably won't react well to see him. Pa'Dar insists that he is the boy's father, so all of that will change. He explains that on his son's fourth birthday, a bomb blew up their house, and the father was convinced he was dead. Family is very important to Cardassians, he says, and he has come here despite the disgrace it will bring him (because there is no excuse for "losing" a member of his family) for that reason. When Rugal walks in, he is scared and stunned. He doesn't remember his father's face, and wants nothing to do with him, despite his father's pain and explanation of what happened. He says his father deserved his pain, and that his son is dead; he will never go back to Cardassia.

The next fight is between Pa'Dar and Proka. Pa'Dar demands that no Bajoran court rule on the custody hearing. After some loud words, Sisko suggests an arbitrator , and both suggest him. Pa'Dar accepts, and then Odo informs him that Gul Dukat has just arrived on the station.

Act Five [ ]

Dukat explains he has come to observe the hearing, because there is great interest in the case at high levels of the Cardassian government. He wants to see Rugal reunited with his father. He says the disagreements between him and Pa'Dar are not relevant; it is the children who are important. Since Sisko is trying to stall for time to give Bashir and Garak more time to search the files, he asks Pa'Dar to again revisit the events from eight years ago.

The doctor and Garak, however, aren't having any luck. Garak soon realizes it is because Dukat probably purged the file on Rugal, since there was something in it he didn't want anyone to see. So, he looks for – and finds within seconds – the person who created the file, Jomat Luson .

While Sisko asks Rugal what he remembers about his adoption and gets nothing, the doctor and Garak talk to Jomat. She remembers Rugal well, because his case was very unusual. Bajorans usually brought in the Cardassian children from the streets, but Rugal was turned in by a female Cardassian military officer who was attached to Terok Nor and, also unusually, knew his name. Garak helps the doctor put together the last pieces, and they go to the hearing.

With Sisko's permission, Bashir asks several questions. He gets O'Brien to reiterate the humiliation Pa'Dar is feeling, and when asked, Pa'Dar says it will be the end of his career when it is revealed to the people. Not only that, but the timing is very bad, considering there is an inquiry about to begin concerning the Cardassians' involvement in the recent attempted military coup on Bajor. It just so happens that Dukat is one of the key witnesses in that inquiry.

Dukat objects, and says it is irrelevant. Bashir quickly changes his line of questioning, and asks Dukat if he has ever been to the orphanage center where Rugal was adopted. He says no. That center, he explains, is located where Pa'Dar was living eight years ago. Rugal was brought in by a female Cardassian military officer, who seemed to know the child... perhaps she also knew that he wasn't an orphan. When Dukat says he knows nothing about that, Bashir points out that the officer was attached to Terok Nor, which was Deep Space 9 's original designation under the Cardassians. The question for Dukat was: who was the commanding officer of Terok Nor eight years ago? Dukat walks out; he was that commanding officer.

Pa'Dar thanks Sisko for salvaging his political career; Dukat will not make these events public, so this is a stalemate instead of a great loss. With a few words of encouragement from Miles O'Brien, Rugal goes with his father, hesitant, but willing. When the doctor asks Garak why he helped to defeat Dukat, he is evasive, as usual. If you can find all the details, he says, you can put it together yourself.

Log entries [ ]

• Station log, Deep Space 9, 2370

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Really, Doctor, must we always play this game? I am no more a spy than you are a... " " ...a doctor. "

" What exactly does [Garak] think is going on? " " I'm not sure. He doesn't actually tell me what he really thinks... I sort of have to deduce it. " " Ah, so you deduced that Garak thinks Dukat is lying about something you're not sure of. And you proceeded to interrupt my conversation to confront him about whatever that might be. " " I'm sorry, Commander. It just seemed an opportune– " " Don't apologize; it's been the high point of my day. Don't do it again. "

" I wish I wasn't Cardassian. "

" Come, Doctor. Get dressed. We need to be going. "

" I assume this couldn't wait until morning. " " No, sir. I need to use a runabout. " " ... I'm waiting. " " It's Garak, sir. He wants to go to Bajor. " " Bajor. For what? " " He wouldn't tell me. " " Well, by all means. Will one runabout be enough? "

" I was in the underground. " " Really! Perhaps we have met! "

" I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidences. "

" Truth is in the eye of the beholder, Doctor. I never tell the truth because I don't believe there is such a thing. That is why I prefer the simple straight line simplicity of cutting cloth. "

Background information [ ]

Cast and characters [ ].

• Marc Alaimo commented, " As an actor, when I got the script, I didn't realize Dukat was being set up to take the blame. But I played him as a man who was being set up. A man who was taking the dive because he had wanted to remove the children but his orders were to leave them. " ( The Deep Space Log Book: A First Season Companion , p. 64)
• Bashir actor Alexander Siddig pre-empted this episode by commenting, " The next time Bashir meets Garak, they'll get on better. He's not going to be so freaked out by the fact that he's a spy. He'll still be a little tentative about the fact he's a Cardassian however. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 24, No. 3/4, p. 91)
• On the episode, Andrew Robinson commented, " The best thing about that was the scene where [Garak] and Bashir go to Bajor and run into the orphans. We learned a little more about their culture, that children without parents have no status in Cardassian society, so they just abandoned them. The fact that Garak was faced with this, and realized that there is something very basically wrong about it, was great. " ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 9 )
• Cirroc Lofton ( Jake Sisko ) does not appear in this episode.

Production [ ]

• Director Cliff Bole defined this episode as being " about humanist values. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. ? ))
• A particular star chart, which had earlier been prominently shown in Remmick 's office in TNG : " Conspiracy ", is displayed in the background of the scene when Dukat, Sisko, and Pa'Dar are discussing the orphaned children.

Reception [ ]

• Ira Steven Behr commented, " I didn't have a lot of faith in this show at first. It was such an issue-oriented show that I thought it would oversimplify a complicated issue, but what got me into the show was when I realized this was not only a chance to bring back Garak but to do this whole weird little number with what is going on between him and Dukat. To me, that nailed the character and I knew after that happened we were going to see a lot of Andy Robinson, who's become quite popular on staff. " ( The Deep Space Log Book: A First Season Companion , p. 64)
• Mary Chieffo thought the episode interesting for depicting Rugal's plight. [1]

Apocrypha [ ]

• The novel The Never-Ending Sacrifice depicts Rugal's life after "Cardassians". It begins just after the episode ends and continues for eight years.

Continuity [ ]

• This is the first time since the pilot that Gul Dukat has visited Deep Space 9 . Dukat had appeared in " Duet " and " The Homecoming " in the interim.
• This episode marks Garak's second appearance. He first appeared in " Past Prologue ".
• This is the first reference to the Cardassian name of Deep Space 9, Terok Nor .
• This is also the first time hostility between Garak and Dukat is hinted at. The reason for this hostility was later explained to a certain degree in the third season episode " Civil Defense ", where it's revealed that Dukat's father knew Garak and that Dukat tried to have Garak executed. Their antipathy towards each other also plays a part in the fourth season premiere " The Way of the Warrior ". Of the intermittent use of the Dukat/Garak dichotomy, Ira Steven Behr stated, " It takes a while sometimes. You lay the pipe and then it'll take a year before you do another show where you can use it. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. ? ))
• This episode revisits O'Brien 's prejudice towards Cardassians, first seen in TNG : " The Wounded ".
• Garak's mechanical skills may be a hint to his past in the Obsidian Order , in a subtle nod to the John le Carré novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy .

Remastered version [ ]

• Remastered footage from the episode is featured in the documentary What We Left Behind .

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 13, 23 May 1994 .
• As part of the DS9 Season 2 DVD collection.

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Avery Brooks as Commander Sisko

Also starring [ ]

• Rene Auberjonois as Odo
• Siddig El Fadil as Doctor Bashir
• Terry Farrell as Lieutenant Dax
• Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko
• Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
• Armin Shimerman as Quark
• Nana Visitor as Major Kira

Guest Stars [ ]

• Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien
• Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak
• Robert Mandan as Kotan Pa'Dar
• Terrence Evans as Proka Migdal
• Vidal Peterson as Rugal
• Dion Anderson as Zolan
• Marc Alaimo as " Gul Dukat "

Co-Stars [ ]

• Sharon Conley as Jomat Luson
• Karen Hensel as Deela
• Jillian Ziesmer as Asha

Uncredited Co-Stars [ ]

• Sam Alejan as Starfleet sciences officer
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Kobheerian
• Brian Demonbreun as Starfleet sciences officer
• Kevin Grevioux as Starfleet security officer
• Charlie-Olisa Kaine as Kelly
• David B. Levinson as Broik
• Mary Mascari as Bajoran woman
• Robin Morselli as Bajoran officer
• Randy Pflug as Jones
• Tammy Rodriguez as yellow-skinned alien dabo girl
• Cardassian orphan boy
• Three Taal delegates

References [ ]

2358 ; 2362 ; 2368 ; ability ; accusation ; adopt ; adoptive parent ; adversary ; age group ; arbitrator ; arrest ; Bajor ; Bajoran ; Bajoran transport ; Bajoran underground ; Bonaventure ; businessman ; butcher ; button ; Cardassia ; Cardassians ; Cardassian law ; Cardassian military ; career ; children ; crime ; dabo ; Daedalus -class ; data bank ; Detapa Council ; district ; DNA ; dozen ; evidence ; exarch ; Federation ; foster parent ; Fredericks family ; generation ; heart ; isolinear data subprocessor ; Klingons ; leader ; let out ; leverage ; Luna ; medical report ; memory bank ; military officer ; name ; O'Brien, Michael ; O'Brien, Molly ; Occupation of Bajor ; politician ; political system ; prefect ; Proka's wife ; Promenade ; Prophets ; Quark's ; record keeper ; replicator ; Replimat ; Rokassa juice ; Rom ; Rugal's mother ; runabout ; scum ; sewing ; sex ; social volunteer ; spanking ; spy ; swimming ; Taal ; Tarkalean tea ; Terok Nor ; Terok Nor female officer ; Tozhat Province ; Tozhat Resettlement Center ; Zabu ; Zabu stew

Library computer references [ ]

• Federation star chart ("The Explored Galaxy") : Aldebaran ; Alfa 177 ; Alpha Carinae ; Alpha Centauri ; Alpha Majoris ; Altair VI ; Andor ; Ariannus ; Arret ; Babel ; Benecia ; Berengaria VII ; Beta Aurigae ; Beta Geminorum ; Beta Lyrae ; Beta Niobe ; Beta Portolan ; Camus II ; Canopus III ; Capella ; Daran V ; Delta Vega ; Deneb ; Eminiar ; Fabrina ; First Federation ; Gamma Canaris N ; Gamma Trianguli ; Holberg 917G ; Ingraham B ; Janus VI ; Kling ; Kzin ; Lactra VII ; Makus III ; Marcos XII ; Manark IV ; Memory Alpha ; Omega IV ; Omega Cygni ; Organia ; Orion ; Pallas 14 ; Phylos ; Pollux IV ; Psi 2000 ; Pyris VII ; Regulus ; Remus ; Rigel ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Romulus ; Sarpeid ; Sirius ; Talos ; Tau Ceti ; Theta III ; Tholian Assembly ; Vulcan
• Language chart: Bajoran language ; Cardassian language ; Cardassian Union ; English language ; Ferengi Alliance ; Ferengi language
• Evolution of Intelligent Life on Planet Denkir IV: Delphoidia ; Delphoidia cochrani ; Delphoidia cochrani obliquidens ; Delphoidia cochrani tempus ; Delphoidia moroboshi ; Delphoidia moroboshi lum ; Neopictis ; Neopictis gourami ; Neopictis spinotap ; Neopictis spinotap cochrani ; Oceosauroida ; Oceosauroida mendo ; Oceosauroida mendo shinobu ; Oceosauroida mendo shutaro ; Oniboshi lum ; Oniboshi lum ran ; Oniobshi benten ; Squaluformus ; Squaluformus vino ; Squaluformus vino shiro ; Vermacelli alfredo
• Table of Elements : accurentum ; averyonium ; babaloo ; beium ; bermanium ; brownfieldium ; bugsonian ; californium ; cavorite ; chanockian ; cheeseium ; chico ; chronister ; cosmoium ; craftium ; curly ; daffyduckium ; dentium ; dilithium ; disneyium ; drapanas ; duckdodgers ; estonianium ; exitstageleft ; fieldium ; franconium ; freedonia ; Gamma series ; groucho ; grouchoian ; harpo ; hawkeye ; hobbes ; hydrogen ; Hypersonic series ; jamesium ; johnsonium ; jonesium ; keiyurium ; kryptonite ; lithium ; magnumium PI ; mazdaium ; meeseian ; Mega series ; monty ; neskoromnium ; Omega series ; paramount ; pillerium ; poi ; potatoeium ; princessium ; purseronite ; quarkian ; redskinium ; rhubarbium ; smutkoian ; snarkium ; sodium ; stimsonium ; stoogeian ; stoogeium ; sufferin'sucat ; thomsonian ; tngonian ; Transonic series ; World series ; yacobian ; zeppo
• Promenade Directory : Amphitheatre ; Andorian Fast Food ; Bajoran Consulate ; Bajoran Customs Office ; Banzai Institute ; Berman's Dilithium Supply ; Bowling Alley ; Cargo Loading and Transfer ; Cavor's Gravity Devices ; Chief Engineer's Office ; Curry's Martial Arts Training ; Del Floria's Tailor Shop ; Diet Smith Corporation ; Diva Droid Corporation ; Dock Master's Office ; Federation Consulate ; Fredrickson's Squid Vendor ; Garak's Clothiers ; Geological Assay Office ; Gocke's House of Mirrors ; Klingon Consulate ; Import Protocol Office ; Infirmary ; Jacobson's Used Photons ; Jupiter Mining Corporation ; Lodging and Accommodation ; Milliways ; Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club ; Quark's Bar ; Replimat Cafe ; Richarz' Accessories ; Rush Dilithium Crystals ; Schoolroom - Mrs. Keiko O'Brien ; Sirius Cybernetics Corporation ; Spacecraft Resupply ; Spacely Sprockets ; Station Operations ; Subspace Communications ; Tom Servo's Used Robots ; Vince's Gym ; Vulcan Embassy ; Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems ; Chez Zimmerman

External links [ ]

• " Cardassians " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Cardassians " at Wikipedia
• "Cardassians" at StarTrek.com
• " "Cardassians" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Cardassians" twiztv.com at TwizTV.com
• "Cardassians" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Taylor Swift can say 'thanK you aIMee' to Kim Kardashian, but I'm not thanking my bullies

I once thought being bullied — as awful as it was — helped build my tenacity and thickened my skin. Because that's what I was taught to think.

I don't know aIMee, the awful hellcat in Taylor Swift's newly dropped song " thanK you aIMee. "

Word around the campfire is that the mean girl in the song is Kim Kardashian in disguise, which is likely true. T-Swift is a shady lady, as she has the right to be.

Still, I don't think about Kardashian when I listened to the lyrics of " thanK you aIMee " on Swift's new album, "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology."

I thought about kids like my friend's nearly teen son — a smart, talented and creative knucklehead who one day will make enough money to buy his mom and dad a fancy beach house. I plan to visit that beach house — a lot.

Unimaginative children and frightened adults

My friend's kid is among the two-in-10 U.S. middle and high school students a Pew Reseach Center poll says are bullied each year — many simply for being who they are and doing the things they enjoy.

He's a magical thinker who can carry a tune and loves theater.

That's made him the target of unimaginative children whose opinions of how boys and girls should and shouldn't act have been shaped by frightened adults clinging to a false reality. Far too many who rule the roost in the Ohio Statehouse fit that bill.

'Tortured Poets: Anthology': Taylor Swift adds 15 songs in surprise 2 a.m. announcement

I was a smart, talented and creative Cleveland Public Schools student, so I know from personal experience that bullying is nothing new.

I couldn't carry a tune, but I was and am a curious magical thinker in love with storytelling. I didn't wear cool clothes — could not afford them — and was more interested in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" than sneaking out of the house and kissing a boy.

This made me the target of unimaginative children whose opinions of how boys and girls should and shouldn't act was shaped by frightened adults clinging to a false reality.

Much like the hero in Swift's song, I like the idea of being successful partly to teach my aIMees a valuable lesson.

Do bullies like aIMee build character?

In this magical world built up by frightened adults, being harassed and threatened prepared me for a world that in many ways has been far crueler than the one that meant so much when I was a schoolgirl.

I don't believe that anymore. Bullies don't build a child's character. Love, not bullies, built mine.

Truth is that there's nothing good about bullying. We should stop dismissing its long-lasting effects. They are rarely as beautiful as we'd love to make them.

A 2018 study in the American Journal of Criminal Justice found that bullying can lead to antisocial behavior in adulthood.  Another study done in 2020 found that being bullied increased the likelihood a person would commit a crime.

Based on her statements, Swift believes has a bully in Kardashian, "a bronze spray-tanned statue” among other things in thanK you aIMee.

Swift's social media accounts were flooded by snake images in 2016, after Kardashian posted a snake emoji to defend her then-husband Kayne West after a dispute about lyrics in West's song "Famous."

Kardashian also gets shaded in Swift's new song "Cassandra," which has multiple snake references.

Revelations from Taylor Swift's Time interview, including Kim Kardashian, Ye feud

Swift doesn't mention Kardashian directly in thanK you aIMee, but the talent and smart Swift used capitalization creatively —"KIM."

“All that time you were throwin’ punches, I was buildin’ somethin’ / And I can’t forgive the way you made me feel / Screamed ‘F--- you, Aimee’ to the night sky, as the blood was gushin' / “But I can’t forget the way you made me heal."

Thanks for nothing, aIMee

Swift has the right to thank her aIMee, as she dries her tears with stacks and stacks of hundred-dollar bills.

We heal ourselves in a lot of ways. I am not sure money or success can. Trying to understand might.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dating. 6 cartoons show what our obsession says about us.

As the overused saying goes, hurt people hurt people. I can only imagine the pain the kids who bullied me back in school were in.

I forgave them a long time ago (some face to face) as I hope my friend's son will one day forgive those who tormented him for being so dang awesome.

$329 for a Starbucks x Stanley tumbler? Why it's not weird people are fighting over cups.

Forgiveness is one thing. Thanks is another.

I wish aIMee well, but I definitely do not thank him, them and her.

I don't have stacks and stacks of hundred-dollar bills to cry into. And aIMee wouldn't be the reason for them, if I did.

The aIMees of the world aren't owed anything.

Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch's opinion and community engagement editor.