Cardassia

For other uses, see Cardassia.

For the mirror universe counterpart, see Cardassia (mirror).

Cardassia Prime
Cardassia from orbit.
Classification:	class M planet
Affiliation:	Cardassian Union (capital)
Location:	Cardassia system, Cardassia sector, Alpha Quadrant
Moon(s):	Three; Letau, Blind Moon
Dominant species:	Cardassian
Warp capable:	1925
Population:	7.9 Billion (2370) After dominion war 7 billion
Capital:	Lakat

Cardassia, also known as Cardassia Prime, is the home planet of the Cardassian species and capital planet of the Cardassian Union. Cardassia is the sixth planet in the Cardassia System and has three moons, the inner-most of which is Letau, and one of which is known as the Blind Moon. Cardassia Prime is one of only three habitable planets in the Cardassian system.

The Star Trek Deep Space Nine Roleplaying Game Narrator's Toolkit states that Cardassia Prime is the third planet of the star system. The Star Trek Roleplaying Game Player's Guide states that Cardassia Prime is the third planet in an eight planet system.

History

See also Cardassian history.

The Hebitians

The Hebitians were the first civilization to rise on Cardassia. They were a sophisticated, sustainable, self-sufficient society and worshiped the deity Oralius. The Hebitian society eventually fell when Cardassia suffered catastrophic climate change, the rainforests and grasslands transformed into desert and scrubland with just one patch of the ancient rainforest surviving the climate change in the Ba'aten Peninsula. Disease killed millions and the people lost their faith becoming militaristic and expansionist - the Cardassians (DS9 novel: A Stitch in Time).

It was known that during the old times, portions of the Western Hemisphere was covered with lush green, thick forests with heavy rainfall covering the region. However, an atmospheric calamity of unknown origin befell the planet at the time, which led to centuries of drought. The remaining forests were cut down by shortsightedness with the once fertile soil had withdrawn to deep silty black top soil due to a single generation of overfarming. This led to the well known parched sands that surrounded the periphery of the cities bringing about a world full of deserts where there had once been rain forests. The once verdant forests were forgotten by latter generation Cardassians though members of the Oralian Way had records of it present within the Recitations that showed the paradise their home world once was. (DS9 - Terok Nor novel: Dawn of the Eagles)

Post-Dominion War recovery

At the end of the Dominion War in retaliation for the Cardassians betrayal, the Dominion decimated much of Cardassia resulting in millions of deaths and the destruction of much of the infrastructure. The clean up process took a great deal of time and there were still corpses on the streets for weeks after the Dominion withdrawal. A democratic government led by Alon Ghemor rose up in the aftermath. (DS9 episode: "What You Leave Behind", DS9 novel: A Stitch in Time)

In 2377 Gul Kentar amassed a large military force, and while the bulk of the Federation's fleet was in the Delta Quadrant conducting a counter attack in response to a recent Borg incursion, made a sneak attack on the Federation's reserve fleet in the Pearl Nebula. This provoked the Klingon Empire to launch a campaign against the Cardassian forces under Kentar. After a number of offensives the Klingons pushed Kentar's forces all the way back to the Cardassia system and took control of Cardassia Prime and the rest of the planets in the system. With Kentar's forces crushed the Cardassian leadership requested a truce, which was negotiated by Chancellor Martok himself, before the Klingon forces moved out of the system in pursuit of last remnants of Gul Kentar's rebellion in the Hubrik system. (TNG video game: Armada II)

Geography

• Mekar Wilderness
• Morfan Province

• Ba'aten Peninsula
• Morfan Sea

• Rogarin Province

Cities Settlements

• Cardassia City (Capital)
• Lakarian City
• Lakat
• Culat

Regions

• Imperial Plaza

Structural Landmarks

• Central University
• University of Culat

Natural History

Flora

• Edosian Orchid
• Indigo sunsearcher
• Mekarian sawtooth

Fauna

By the 2350s, there were very few remaining animals on Cardassia that were larger than the Cardassian humanoids themselves. As far as Iliana Ghemor knew, only the scant remaining species of deep-sea leviathans were larger than men. (DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry)

Other animals included:

• Bekirr
• Brangwa
• Desert Regnar
• Gettle
• Gutfish
• Hevrit
• Honge
• Plaktar
• Redrat
• Sleg Corgan
• Taspar
• Vole
• Wompat

Appendices

References

• ST video game: Starfleet Command III

External link

• Cardassia article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.