Editing Cardassian (section)

{{short description|Fictional extraterrestrial species from Star Trek}}
{{redirect|Cardassians|the ''Star Trek'' episode|Cardassians (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode){{!}}Cardassians (''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode)}}
{{distinguish|Kardashian}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox fictional race
| name               = Cardassian
| image              = Guldukat.jpg
| caption            = [[Gul Dukat]] (portrayed by [[Marc Alaimo]]), a prominent Cardassian character in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''
| series             = [[Star Trek]]
| creator            = [[Jeri Taylor]]
| home_world         = Cardassia Prime
| quadrant           = Alpha
}}

The '''Cardassians''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɑːr|ˈ|d|æ|s|i|ə|n|z}}) are a fictional [[Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|extraterrestrial species]] in the American [[science fiction]] franchise ''[[Star Trek]]''. They were devised in 1991 for the series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' before being used in the subsequent series ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''.

The writers of ''The Next Generation'' introduced the Cardassians for the fourth season episode "[[The Wounded (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Wounded]]" as new antagonists for the crew of the [[USS Enterprise-D|USS ''Enterprise''-D]] to interact with on a personal level, as the [[Borg (Star Trek)|Borg]] lacked personality or individuality, hindering interpersonal drama.

In the series, set in the 24th century, the Cardassians are presented as living under a military government controlling the Cardassian Union, an interstellar empire occupying other planets, most notably [[Bajor]]. When ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' was launched in 1993, its writers set its events in the vicinity of Bajor in the aftermath of the Cardassian occupation.

The Cardassians grew into major antagonists throughout the series, with several [[recurring character]]s developed, including [[Elim Garak]] ([[Andrew Robinson (actor)|Andrew Robinson]]) and [[Dukat (Star Trek)|Gul Dukat]] ([[Marc Alaimo]]).