Medallions and Hat Boxes
Medallions and Hat Boxes
These hat box aliens are distracting me from the garak/bashir interaction.
started thinking about the evolution of cardassian armor and how scale-based armor makes a lot of sense for a reptilian species. obviously inspired by Thierry Mugler’s Chimera dress.
Sisko came to a scowling contest armed only with an icy gaze.
I know it’s been touched upon before that Dukat is “the ideal Cardassian” in regards to appearance since the species design was originally conceived with Mark Alaimo in mind. I mean…

That’s a lot of neck.
But it’s interesting to note that Dukat is the farthest thing from the ideal Cardassian in most other respects.
Cardassians are known for their family values. “Nothing is more important than family.”
With that in mind, you’d think

he’d be better about using

a goddamn condom!
More important however is that Cardassians are supposed to put the State first. But Dukat has proven he places his own ego over what’s best for Cardassia.
Dukat wanted power and made a deal with the devil to do it.

No no no… the OTHER deal with the devil!

THERE she is!
It should be noted that Dukat made the alliance with the Dominion secretly. The Cardassian Union is hardly known for its democratic values. But this occurred between 2372 and 2373 when Cardassia was actually being ruled by the Detapa Counsel. Dukat made an alliance with the founders with the condition that he would be promoted from military adviser to the ruler of Cardassia.
Now this line of thought brings me to my favorite asshole.

Strange as it may be, I’d argue that Garak is an extremely moral character when measured by Cardassian standards.
Garak makes his choices in context of only two factors: survival and Cardassia.
Garak aided the escape of Natima Lang and Tekeny Ghemor. In “Profit and Loss” Garak sites his love of Cardassia as his motivation and further eludes to the idea that “treason, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.” Garak has gone against the wishes of Cardassia’s governing body in order to do right by the Cardassian people.
We almost never see Garak experience crushing guilt. He is extremely comfortable with murder.
Sometimes he even seems to… rather enjoy it.


So what weighs heavy on the heart of a ruthless assasin?
Betraying Cardassia puts such a tole on Garak’s conscience that he suffers a psychological breakdown.
Garak and Dukat serve as foils and highlight the difference between the appearance of what a Cardassian is and what Cardassian core ideals really are.
Season 4 - Episode 12 “The Wounded”
Don’t hurt each other now
"Kira Nerys has certain skills she's willing to teach us.
Skills we need if we're going to defeat the Dominion."
Cardassian culinary philosophy - if it ain’t got Yamok sauce on it, it ain’t food.
From Cardassians, one of my favorite little Garak and Bashir moments. Bashir is questioning a woman at the facility from which the young Cardassian on the station was adopted. The woman mentions that she was told the Cardassian’s name. Garak clearly wants to interrupt and ask who told her, but Bashir picks up on it too. When Bashir asks the question himself, Garak just smiles.