Cardassian society dictates a very specific, rigid standard for a successful life: absolute devotion to the state, an appreciation for orderly art/literature, and above all, an unyielding loyalty to the family unit. A Cardassian's worth is judged entirely by what they leave behind for the next generation.But if you actually look at the text of Deep Space Nine, the three most prominent leaders of the modern Cardassian Union were complete failures by the standards of their own culture.>Gul DukatTextbook narcissist. Claimed everything he did was for Cardassia and his children, yet the moment his daughter Ziyal refused to validate his delusions of grandeur, he wanted to execute her. He abandoned his family, abandoned his state, and spent his final days as a literal insane cultist begging non-corporeal entities for a crumb of relevance.>Legate DamarStarted as the ideal Cardassian soldier. Orderly, loyal, and functional. But, under the fascist regime he helped build, he became a broken, functional alcoholic who stood by while his people were turned into second-class citizens by the Dominion. He only found true Cardassian honor when he completely rejected the authoritarian state, embraced a decentralized insurgency, and died a rebel fighting for a free Cardassia rather than a dominant one.>Enabran TainMastermind of the Obsidian Order. Supposedly the ultimate protector of the state. Instead, he lived in perpetual, paranoid isolation, completely violated the family covenant by refusing to acknowledge his own son (Garak), and ultimately destroyed Cardassia’s entire strategic intelligence apparatus by sailing his finest fleet straight into a glaringly obvious Dominion trap.Change my mind. Who is the most overrated "based" Cardassian leader in the lore, and why did they fail so spectacularly?
>>220625661The writers made Cardassians a strawman faction to be used as a yiddish punching bag, so in that respect they succeeded.
>>220625661>yet the moment his daughter Ziyal refused to validate his delusions of grandeur, he wanted to execute her.that is not what happened. ChatGPT clearly didn't watch DS9
>>220625761nah, that was my bad. he tried to kill her for existing at all, then tried to force her to love him.her existance was enough for him to lose his family and inheritance.>>220625756Cardassians themselves are pretty based, it's just the leadership that's rotten to the core and doesn't live up to the standards set by their society. nothing specifically yid about politicians being that way.
>>220625915>then tried to force her to love him.that's also not what happened.
>>220625931correct me then? I just watched the episode where he tells damar to convince her to even talk to him yesterday. he desperately wants her approval and love but can't even show the single act of compassion she asks of him.
>>220625963he had a gun pointed at her and she said>Oh yeah they told me you'd do this. I get it. Just blow me away I'd rather be dead than not be with you.And in that moment he realized he hit the narcissistic supply goldmine. it was worth giving up everything else in his life for someone who would always love him unconditionally and glaze him no matter what he does. and then you always see it in subsequent episodes with Ziyal. how she adores him for no fucking reason and always makes excuses for him and tries to hook Kira up with him. she became one of his flying monkeys. he is not "desperate" for anything from her because she gives it willingly all the time.
>>220625761If the offensive to retake DS9 had been pushed back a couple months do you think that would have been enough time for dukat to get into Kira’s pants? He was slowly getting there with the dresses and through ziyal, I think
>>220626071Kira wouldn't even forgive her own mother for being a comfort woman so there was no chance she would ever fuck Dukat willingly
>>220626065fair, thanks. now I can adjust my bad take. that does mostly save her from judgement tho, he still doesn't live up to the cardassian societal values.cardassia fell due to poor leadership.
bump of terrorism
>>220625661Why do they have a vagina on their flag?
>>220626103Tbf her mom dated Dukat for 7 years afterwards >>220625756Their characterization is all over the place. They’re Romulans on screen and Klingons off screen
>>220626071Nah because that retarded suicidal Vedek fucked things up for her. If it got pushed back a couple months she’d probably be executed for sabotage along with the other remnants after falling back into her terrorist ways for no reason at all
>>220627654They are neither as paranoid as romulans nor as agressive as klingons? Cardassians are highly evolved, artistic people with strong family bonds that place loyalty above all else. Loyalty we know both the romulans and klingons break on the regular.
bump of disgrace
>>220625661>liberal power fantasy writers can't write anything but liberal power fantasy
>>220628258loyalty without morality is garbage
>>220629569morals are specific to culture. andorian blood feuds are not moral by human standards, betazoid legal proceedings aren't either, but they make sense in the context of their respective species' context.cardassian society as a whole doesn't strike me as foundationally amoral, they became monsters under corrupt and self-serving leadership.
final bump of punishment
