Cardassians (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode)

Last updated
"Cardassians"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 5
Directed by Cliff Bole
Story by
Teleplay by James Crocker
Featured music Jay Chattaway
Production code425
Original air dateOctober 25, 1993 (1993-10-25)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Invasive Procedures"		Next →
"Melora"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2
List of episodes

"Cardassians" is the 25th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It is the fifth episode of the second season.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located near the planet Bajor, as the Bajorans recover from a brutal, decades-long occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. In this episode, Cardassian ex-spy Garak and Dr. Julian Bashir investigate the identity of a Cardassian boy raised by Bajoran parents.

Plot

When Garak sees a Cardassian boy on Deep Space Nine, he decides to introduce himself, but the boy, Rugal, bites him on the hand. The boy has been raised by Bajoran parents and taught to hate and fear Cardassians. His adoptive parents claim that they do not consider him a Cardassian any more, but allegations of abuse lead to an investigation into the family. Gul Dukat, the Cardassian officer who was the prefect of Bajor during the occupation, tells DS9's commander Benjamin Sisko that he is trying to bring orphaned Cardassians back from Bajor and that the discovery of Rugal will strengthen his case. Miles and Keiko O'Brien agree to care for Rugal during the investigation, and Rugal helps Miles overcome his prejudice against Cardassians.

Garak, suspecting (or perhaps knowing) that there is more to this series of events than meets the eye, persuades Bashir to request permission from Sisko to allow them to travel to Bajor and investigate. Sisko grants the request after Dukat informs him that Rugal is the son of a prominent Cardassian civilian politician, Kotan Pa'Dar. Garak and Bashir investigate records at an orphanage that took in Cardassian orphans when the occupation ended. Garak suggests that the situation is tied to a conflict between military and civilian interests on Cardassia: Pa'Dar is a political rival of Dukat, having cost Dukat his position as prefect by ordering the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor.

Back on the station, Pa'Dar arrives to greet Rugal, but the boy does not remember him and calls Pa'Dar a "Cardassian butcher." Regardless of this, Pa'Dar wants his son back, but Rugal's adoptive father refuses to relinquish him.

A formal tribunal is established, headed by Sisko, who is seen to be a neutral arbiter. Dukat attends the ensuing hearing. Meanwhile, on Bajor, Garak and Bashir track down the woman who took Rugal in at the orphanage, who remembers that a Cardassian woman attached to Terok Nor (the Cardassian name for DS9) brought Rugal to her.

Bashir interrupts the hearing, alleging that Rugal's discovery was part of a conspiracy planned by Dukat all along: that Dukat ordered one of his subordinates to leave Rugal behind knowing that the boy would one day be found and that as a result Pa'Dar would be humiliated. The plot having been exposed, Dukat storms out of the room; Sisko awards custody of the boy to Pa'Dar, who reassures Sisko that Dukat will never reveal what happened now that he too has been humiliated. Later, Bashir and Garak sit down for lunch, and Bashir asks Garak for the truth about his history with Dukat. Garak smiles and tells him to notice the details, which he compares to crumbs scattered across the table.

Releases

"Cardassians" and "Melora" were released together on one VHS tape, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Vol. 13 – Cardassians/Melora. [1]

It was released on LaserDisc in Japan on June 6, 1997 as part of the half season collection 2nd Season Vol. 1, which had 7 doubled sided 12" discs. [2] The discs had English and Japanese audio tracks. [2]

On April 1, 2003 Season 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was released on DVD video discs, with 26 episodes on seven discs. [3]

This episode was released in 2017 on DVD with the complete series box set, which had 176 episodes on 48 discs. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kira Nerys</span> Fictional humanoid in the TV Series Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Kira Nerys is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has recently emerged from a brutal foreign occupation. She was a member of the resistance, and the decades-long conflict has left her tough and uncompromising, but she is sustained by her strong faith in traditional Bajoran religion. She has been assigned to Deep Space Nine, a space station jointly operated by the United Federation of Planets and the new provisional Bajoran government, where she serves as second in command as well as the ranking representative of her people.

"Emissary" is the series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It was aired as a single two-hour episode on its initial broadcast, but was divided into two one-hour episodes when it aired in reruns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elim Garak</span> Fictional character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson.

"Melora" is the 26th episode of the American syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sixth episode of the second season.

"The Maquis" is a two-part episode from the second season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Second Skin (<i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i>) 5th episode of the 3rd season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"Second Skin" is the 51st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth episode of the third season.

"The Homecoming" is the 21st episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the first of the franchise-first three-part episode story arc, and the first episode of the second season.

"The Siege" is the 23rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the third in a three-part story arc, and the third episode of the second season.

"Necessary Evil" is the 28th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the eighth episode of the second season.

"Civil Defense" is the 53rd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the seventh episode of the third season. The episode originally aired on television in syndication on November 7, 1994.

"Call to Arms" is the 26th and final episode of the fifth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 124th episode overall. This episode marks the start of the show's celebrated Dominion war story arc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What You Leave Behind</span> 25th and 26th episodes of the 7th season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"What You Leave Behind" is the series finale of the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 175th and 176th episodes, the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. The episode was written by showrunner Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler and directed by Allan Kroeker. It originally aired the week of May 31, 1999.

"When it Rains..." is the 171st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth of the final nine-episode arc of the series. This episode was directed by Michael Dorn and written by Rene Echevarria. It was first aired in broadcast syndication on May 3, 1999.

"Things Past" is the 106th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the eighth episode of the fifth season.

"Explorers" is the 68th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 22nd episode of the third season. It premiered May 8, 1995.

"In Purgatory's Shadow" is the 112th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 14th episode of the fifth season. The episode premiered on February 10, 1997 to a Nielsen rating of 6.7 points. It is the first half of a two-part episode, with the second half, "By Inferno's Light", first airing a week later.

"By Inferno's Light" is the 113th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 15th episode of the fifth season.

"A Time to Stand" is the first episode of the sixth season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the 125th episode overall. This episode was broadcast on television starting on September 29, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Space Nine (fictional space station)</span> Fictional space station in Star Trek

Deep Space Nine is a fictional space station, the eponymous primary setting of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine which aired from 1993 to 1999. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens. It is run by a joint crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers and it is the home port of a number of Starfleet runabouts, as well as the starship USS Defiant.

References

  1. ↑ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Vol. 13 – Cardassians/Melora". www.videocollector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  2. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Deep Space 9: 2nd Season vol.1 [PILF-2323]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  3. ↑ Holly E. Ordway (April 20, 2003). "Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Season 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  4. ↑ Staff, TrekNews net (2017-02-10). "[REVIEW] Deep Space Nine Complete Series DVD Box Set". TREKNEWS.NET. Retrieved 2021-02-19.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.