I was just playing around with what one might see at a Cardassian zoo, and thought you guys might get some enjoyment out of it. Some of these animals are mentioned in canon, but I mostly came up with the descriptions. I also came up with a term for an animal that is somewhere between mammal and reptile - tUrn’hU (warm scale), inspired by @feltelures and @tinsnip Kardasi, thought the concept itself is mine.
Vole
(tUrn’hU) – small, six-legged creature with a scattering of
hair and sharp teeth, poor eyesight, minor “spoon” on the head, spends most
time underground or in other dark places, often considered a “pest,” common
across most of Prime·
Regnar
(reptile) – small reptile, usually found in the desert and
surrounding areas, blind, capable of blending into the environment, very fast,
population unknown due to speed and “cloaking” ability·
Zabu
(mammal) – large domesticated mammal, similar to a cow, used
in agriculture for both its meat and its milk, which is especially prized for
the thick, sweet cream that can be made from it, large hump around shoulders
which stores reserves during times of draught and food scarcity, very sturdy
animal, able to survive in most environments, variations found across Prime·
Măgath
(reptile) – snakes, ranges in size, coloration, temperament,
can be either venomous or non-venomous, various subspecies found in all regions
of Prime.
Common
Garden Kut Măgath – medium sized black snake often found
in gardens, eats small rodents, lizards, and insects, non-venomous, fairly
non-aggressive unless directly threatened.
Roklan
–
the largest species of snake native to Cardassia Prime, found only in the
jungles of the Southern continent, non-venomous, but extremely rare due to
habitat loss.
Cova
- medium to large snake found in the lower
mountainous regions and rocky outcroppings, coloration ranges from sandy to red
to brown, often has bands or speckles to help it camouflage, very thick body,
highly venomous, venom causes seizures and distress on the pulmonary system, a
single bite can kill an adult Cardassian, the venom has been known to have been
harvested by the Obsidian Order for use in toxic agents, vulnerable (pronounced sho-vah)·
Taspar
(bird) – small avian species found in less arid regions of
Prime, colorful, known for its beautiful song, most common along the coastal
regions, but has been known to colonize cities where water is plentiful·
Regova
(bird) – avian species found primarily in the desert and
surrounding areas, four legs and two large wings, powerful jaws and talons for
attacking prey and defending their nests, females are particularly aggressive,
especially when nesting or guarding recently hatched young, feathers are
generally rust colored with a shiny black beak and large black eyes, vulnerable
due to eggs being harvested for food·
Riding
Hound (mammal) – canine like animal, approximately the
size of a horse with a long snout and a tufted tail, large, tufted paws good
for moving on desert sands and rocky areas, colors range from light gray to
black, mostly domesticated, though can be willful, originally used for
transportation, but now mostly kept for sport and enjoyment, common·
Dwarf
Riding Hound (mammal) – a miniature version of a Riding
Hound, approximately the size of a goat, domesticated and very docile,
originally breed to pull carts and plows, now used for children’s riding and
enjoyment, greater range of color and coat patterns than full size Riding
Hounds, common·
Kovabug
(insect) – a small, hard-shelled insect known for its
beautiful coloration, the outer shell is a deep blue with hints of green in the
sunlight, the shell splits to deploy the wings underneath, which make a
pleasant humming sound as the insect flies, highly prized by Cardassian
children, who often collect the colorful discarded shells when the insect
molts, common in most regions with decent vegetation·
Urall
(mammal) – a largish herbivore, prized for its hide, which is
used to make high-end leather, extinct in the wild, but kept by a small handful
of artisans who produce the leather for the Cardassian elite ·
Flayers
(tUrn’hU) – extremely dangerous predatory animal, found in
the desert, sand colored fur and scales with deep gray forehead “spoon,” large,
piercing fangs, excellent eyesight and hearing, armored back and ridges along
spine and around eyes, six legs, prey on everything from gettle to zabu, have
been known to even attack and kill adult Cardassians, hunt in small packs of
5-10 members, but can be cannibalistic, vulnerable·
Gettle
(mammal) – smaller pack animal, grazers that live off of the
sturdy grasses that grow on the outskirts of Prime’s many deserts, reddish-brown
colored fur with a white underbelly, all have spiraling black horns, though the
males are larger than the females, have become extremely rare due to poaching·
Onyx
Beetles (insect) – named for their color, commonly found
in gardens, will often burrow underground and eat the roots of plants, common·
Sleg
Corgan (reptile) – large reptile native to the lower
regions of the Northern continent, carnivorous, but has also been known to
scavenge on deceased prey, incredibly well adapted to food scarcity, it eats
only twice a year, known for slow movement, except when hunting, and spends
most of its time completely motionless, rare·
Utoxa
(bird) – water fowl, found primarily along the coast near
Lakarian City and Culat during the warm winters in that area, will migrate to
the equatorial region during the cooler months, long turquoise feathers with
dark blue underbellies and webbed feet, fish eaters, vulnerable·
Scottril
(tUrn’hU) – related to the vole, six legs and a small forehead
“spoon,” lives primarily in city sewers and other dark, damp areas, colors
range from dark brown to black, limited eyesight, but extremely keen sense of
smell, common ·
Toj’Lath
(tUrn’hU) – ancientancestor of the modern Cardassian, about half the height of an
adult Cardassian, but very broad, similar ridge structure and coloration, though
it has more blue highlights and scaling, highly intelligent, has a series of
horns that start on the bridge of the nose, which increase in size as they run
up to the hairline, strong prehensile tail, unlike most tUrn’hU, the “egg horn”
never drops off, but stays in the place of the forehead “spoon,” revered by the
Hebitians and often depicted on ancient tombs and religious artifacts, rare·
Hekant
(mammal) – a small, herbivorous mammal with long ears, known
for its downy coat, mostly domesticated and used for meat and fur, though there
are still some wild varieties found in various regions of Prime, selectively
bred for a variety of colors and coat patterns, sometimes kept as pets, common ·
Rhirzum
(mammal) – a large feline with elongated fangs, also found only
in the jungles of the Southern continent, however, fossil evidence suggests
that this species used to be found across Prime, only known mammalian species
on Prime to have developed venom, which can be sprayed and is akin to acid, causing severe pain, scarring,
and blindness, it is believed that their venom was diluted with other compounds
by the Hebitian clergy and when ingested produced trance-like states, rare due
to habitat loss·
Thăv’os
(tUrn’hU) – a medium sized, horned animal with six legs and a very
faint forehead “spoon,” found in the upper regions of the mountains, remarkable
at climbing the steep cliffs, the bones of its legs were extremely thin, but
very solid and were often harvested to be used as writing implements, primarily
covered in light gray scales, but has a mane of white, feathery hair on its
head, chest, and shoulders, vulnerable ·
Vompăt
(mammal) – a small, domesticated animals with a long, furry body
and four short legs, extremely friendly and curious, make excellent pets,
common·
Zeryd
(bird) – a large avian animal, two pairs of small,
non-functional wings, but has two long, extremely powerful legs ending in two
clawed toes, a kick can disembowel most prey and they will eat almost anything,
including carrion, tearing off chunks of flesh with their razor sharp beaks, both
males and females are covered in shiny, black feathers, despite being found in
more arid regions of Prime, rare·
Arafta
(tUrn’hU) – a moderately sized animal found only on a small island off the Southern
continent peninsula, it is covered in beige armored scales, though it also has
a smattering of fur, it spends most of its life in the trees, where it uses its
claws to dig into the bark for insects, though it will also eat fruit, lives in
small family groups, intelligent and curious, but extremely rare due to
limited habitat
this is quite subtle in comparison to a lot of other character things, but while Julian obviously had a strong sense of morality from the start of the show, it was very shaped by Sisko’s morality
- in the episode “Battle Lines,” when Sisko says they’ll get the prisoners-who-can’t-die off the planet and Julian – no doubt full of Federation protocols and idealism – asks him if that wouldn’t count as a prison break/interference and Sisko shoots him down immediately, saying that he will make the case that this goes beyond the Prime Directive, that they don’t deserve to suffer
- in the episode “Progress” (quietly one of my favourite episodes of the series) when Kira decides to stay with this farmer who won’t be cleared off his land, at the cost of her career, Sisko tells Julian to make up a medical reason to sanction her being there, walking him through what to say
- I haven’t gotten to these episodes on my rewatch yet, but “Cardassians” and “Past Tense” immediately spring to mind as well
Sisko was a very unorthodox Commander from the start, with a lot more pragmatism, yes, but also a very strong inner set of morals that supersede Federation laws
You see how this affects early-days Kira in very obvious ways, allowing her the opportunity to slowly grow from her wartime/rebel trauma of “there’s us and the enemy and I cannot imagine a life that isn’t fought”
but I’ll keep on noting the ways he affects s1-3!Julian as well, helping him form very similar attitudes around “there’s the letter of the law, and there’s the Right Thing To Do”
AND ANOTHER THING about the wire is how the fandom often visualizes bashir’s neutralization of the implant as a literal removal of the device, when that isn’t actually how it happens. Garak makes a point of explaining that it is not something that can easily be removed, and he’s right. Bashir spends most of the episode trying to help garak through the withdrawal, and I don’t think he ever actually even considers removing it as a valid or practical option for very long. the actual shutdown of the implant takes about two seconds; garak tells him where the remote control is and bashir turns it off. The end.
Except NOT the end at all bc the genuine root of the problem was never the titular wire, but that garak was forced into a dependency upon it. this episode was never solely about a Drug MetaphorTM, it’s about garak, and specifically about asking the question of why exactly he (or anyone else for that matter) would end up in a situation where a coping mechanism transforms into an addiction to a punishment device. and it does such a great job of asking this question imho, and it’s why I think this episode has aged so excellently. I’m by no means an expert on drug addiction or harm reduction or anything of the sort, but I’ve lived at the heart of the opioid epidemic for some time now and I’ve spoken to people who work in harm reduction organizations, to people who have worked in abstinence-based treatment, to people who have lost loved ones to ODs, to people recovering from addiction themselves, and I gotta say!!! the way this episode describes drug use NOT as a the result of a character flaw, but as a means—and the only available means, really—of coping with an environment that is physically, socially, and politically hostile is alarmingly familiar and relevant.
and it’s bc of that factor that I can never bring myself to see this episode as outdated or antithetical to harm reduction ideologies, even though it kinda engages in that trope that’s so often used in the Drug Addiction Episode of tv shows (especially in the 90s when ds9 aired), where there’s a fictionalized version of a drug (or drug metaphor) that is so addictive and deadly that there is no POSSIBLE WAY for people to use it safely and still remain a Productive Member of Society—a trope often utilized as a means of shame-based, pro-abstinence (and only abstinence) propaganda. and the wire never does this. it never shames garak for his supposed misuse of the implant as a coping mechanism. it makes a point of showing that it is clearly unhealthy and that garak will have to find a new means of survival, but he comes to that conclusion on his own; he’s never forced or shamed into it by someone else. garak begins to heal on his own terms, with bashir there to support him, regardless of whether or not garak is a “good” person, of whether or not he “deserves” help.
that’s what sets the wire apart from the crowd. plenty of media trying to tackle addiction makes a point of depicting addicts as victims of a disease, as sympathetic, as mere humans who have made mistakes like anyone else, and that’s all well and good, but personally, I am always going to take issue with the way these media depict the pain of withdrawal as deserved and necessary suffering, as a fit punishment for the crime of using drugs. the wire shows garak riding out his withdrawal (and from what I’ve heard from those who know, it shows it very realistically), but it never says, “this is good. he needs this suffering. it will fix him.” because it DOESN’T fix him. suffering doesn’t fix anything; empathy, solidarity, and compassion does. and (unfortunately) that is a really radical thesis statement for an episode about drug addiction by today’s standards, much less the 90s
it’s gonna be a Long update to Interpersonal Studies on Friday as a celebration of the star trek convention i’m going to be going wild at all weekend and
lmfao
“Enjoin doesn’t have the connotations in English it
does in Kardasi, you know,” said Julian. “To enjoin on someone is to
tell them they have something they must do, a responsibility, but legally, an
enjoinment is a… it’s a ban, an injunction.”
“How are the connotations different?” asked Damar.
“I— Well,” said Julian. “Being legally bound to
someone through marriage or engagement is a commitment of the, the self. It’s
not signing up for a list of prescribed responsibilities.”
“I thought your people said vows?”
“Well, we do, of course. To love the other person, to
stand by them in sickness or in health, in wealth or poverty, in—”
“Isn’t all of that obvious?” interrupted
Damar, looking at Julian with something that resembled horror now. “What about
your duty to your children, to your respective families, your people, your
Federation?”
“What does that have to do with it? A marriage is two
people sharing their lives together, not a merging of government departments.”
“What’s the difference?” asked Varda. He didn’t ask
it as urgently as Damar did, but the question seemed just as genuine.
“I, well,” said Julian. “Love? And it’s personal,
they’re personal vows, they’re between two individuals. You’re not marrying
someone’s family or their job or where they were born, you’re
marrying them.”
“You cast these things off, then, upon marriage to
another?” asked Damar. “You’re no longer the product of your birthplace or your
family, you abandon your workplace and abdicate your responsibilities?”
“Well, no,” said Julian, aware that he was in
too deep here, and that trying to argue your way out of Cardassian bureaucracy
was a bit like trying to wrestle your way out of quicksand. All you could do
was give in and carefully extract yourself. “What about… children? Your
children, they’re not the product of your workplace, are they? Or your parents?”
“Of course they are,” replied Damar. “My children and
my wife live with my parents.”
“Right,” said Julian. “Well, I live across the
universe from my parents, so if I had children, they’d live with me.
They might see me as a doctor, might even visit my workplace, but they wouldn’t
be the product of my workplace. I suppose we almost think of a
relationship between two people in love, a marriage, as a child of its own. Its
own product, between just those two people.”
Damar narrowed his eyes, and took a sip of his kanar.
“That’s depraved,” he said.
Julian couldn’t help how he started laughing, Damar
said it so bluntly, and when Damar looked offended, he shook his head. “Sorry,
sorry, Damar, I just… I’m not laughing at you. Just at cultural differences.”
Cecil. She/her. During the day I sit in libraries staring at books. During the night I write queer fanfiction with a historical slant.
Some not-so-random facts: Gay space lizards are the best lizards. Star Trek is my life. I have too many DS9 ships. Classic Who and the Eighth Doctor Adventures make me grin stupidly. Kelas Parmak is the best. I will defend historically accurate portrayals of Alan Turing to the last drop of blood. Likes and asks end up in the name of @apolesens-otheraccount, because Tumblr doesn't have a way of changing which blog is your primary one. Nothing happens over there - this is the one to follow.
