The Cardassian social order is a rigid one, in which every citizen has a rank and a place and above all, duty to Cardassia. The state itself is governed by a tripartite government which had existed for the past five centuries. the ruling body if the tripartite is the Detapa council, a body if civilian politicians. Under their jurisdiction are the other two mutually exclusive bodies; the Central Command and the Obsidian Order.
The Central Command is the military arm of the government and is essentially responsible for the security of the state. All military-related personnel, equipment and activities are directly under their authority. Majority of the population, both male and female, are likely to have undergone some form of military training. The Central Command has eight military orders (so far noted), given the assignations First Order to Eighth Order, the elite being the First Order. One of the most fearsome commands is the Third Battalion, First Order, whose motto is "Death to All". There appears to be three main ranks in the military aside from the regular troops; Legate - most senior, usually a member of the Central Command itself; gul - senior command rank, usually commanding a ship and possibly an entire order; Glinn - adjutant to the Guls, possibly holding senior posts aboard a ship. The Central Command also have under their charge various civilian ministries, including the Ministry of Science.
The Obsidian Order is the intelligence agency of Cardassia. Their ruthlessness and frightening efficiency has earned them a fearsome reputation. They maintain an elaborate network that kept virtually all citizens under surveillance, and their ability to gather information and carry out covert operations was apparently even beyond the Romulan Tal'Shiar's capability. It is said that a citizen cannot sit down to a meal without each dish being recorded and approved by the Order. However the Obsidian Order is confined to non-military operations and is not allowed to own military equipment, which is the sole province of the Central Command. Almost nothing is known about their structural organization save that there is a single head of the Order. Many Central Command operations are monitored by an Obsidian Order agent.
Though the Central Command and the Obsidian Order are technically under the political authority of the Detapa Council, both bodies are run autonomously.
In the current political situation, there is an underground movement of dissidents who are against the aggressive and militaristic rule of the Central Command and aim to bring the Cardassian people back to peace and their own culture. This dissident movement has gained in popularity and counts among its members, prominent people in society, including members of the Central Command itself. There are also other underground organizations on Cardassia, one of the more prominent ones is the terrorist group, The True Way. They oppose the peace treaty between Cardassia and Bajor, and also blame the Federation for the straits Cardassia is in. They have carried out several terrorist acts in support of their beliefs.
Cardassia has several vassals who aid them in various activities. their allies include the Lissepians, Xepolites and the Valerians. Some of these peoples engage in covert operations for the Cardassian government, eg. running arms to the DMZ.
Government Practices
All sensitive information communicated are encrypted, usually with a recursive encryption algorithim. Known encryptions are Elgol Red, Courier 59, Fifth Order Military Encryption. However among individuals, especially the Obsidian Order, personal encryption patterns are also utilized, some of which involve many identification codes.
Control of the populace, in particular subjugated peoples, involve standard strong arm tactics and esponiage. And in the case of ore-mining facility Terok Nor, a complex multi-level counter-insurgency program is installed, which if uninterrupted will lead to the re;ease of neurocine gas on the the population andinitiation of the self destruct program.
Counter-insugency program levels. (To be added).
The Obsidian Order utilize a number of practices in their role as Intelligence Agency. Some operatives are fitted with a cranial implant, which is firmly embedded in the post-central gyrus, with filaments attached to the nervous system. It's purpose is to prevent an agent carrying sensitive information from breaking under torture by stimulating massive release of endorphins to counteract any trauma. The Order has also developed [?], a suicide drug which kills painlessly and rapidly, and also disintegrates the body, preventing any identification. Torture is known to be used during interrogation, a practice also utilized by the Central Command. A prototype device was developed to combat the shapeshifting ability of the Founders, by emitting a quantum stasis field, preventing the alteration of biomolecular structure.
The Central Command has attempted to implement procedures to enhance troop performance. One of the known failures is the usage of psychotropic drugs to enable greater aggressiveness by enhancing a Cardassian's xenophobia and paranoia. Exposure to the drug, even externally, is identified by skin irritation around the neck and development of headaches. the subject also becomes irritable and aggressive. However, it appears that the practice was discontinued as the soldiers became uncontrollable and turned on other Cardassians.
Traditions and Culture
Cardassians are a traditional people. One of the central themes of Cardassian life is duty; duty to the state and to the family. They have a deeply ingrained loyalty to the state, though of course individual perceptions colour what entails as duty and loyalty. This is reflected in Cardassian literature, one of the most well known works is "The Neverending Sacrifice". A chronicle following seven generations of a typical Cardassian family whose lives revolve around duty to the state. Every Cardassian citizen has his or her place; rank and position is an important factor. They are very socially conscious. One should dine or essentially be seen only with others of equal or greater stature. Marriages are likely to be politically motivated.
This sense of loyalty is also very strong towards their families. To a Cardassian, the next important core part of their lives is their family. Elders are revered and respected. Advanced age is viewed as a sign of power and dignity. Children are valued and well looked after. Cardassian parents devote much time and resources to their children, It has been said that up to four generation of a family can live under one roof and eat at one table. However in contrast, they have a social bias against orphans, illegitimate children and half-Cardassians. In the eyes of society, these individuals have no status and are usually not acknowledged.
In addition to this sense of duty and loyalty, Cardassians are very protective of their own homeworld and people. Outsiders are strongly discouraged from interfering in internal affairs, whether political or otherwise.
However should anyone be found guilty of a crime in Cardassia or against Cardassia, will be brought to trial, whether Cardassian or no. And the Cardassian judicial system is extremely strict and rigid. The Articles of Jurisprudence ensures cultural norms to be maintained and as no individual is ever brought to trial unless already determined guilty, the verdict is invariably guilty and the sentence death., allowing the people to feel assured that evil is always punished. The defendant is not allowed to present evidence until the trial commences and is required to testify against himself. The system has a traditional structure, with an archon, conservator and nestor. the archon is the presiding officer of the court. The conservator is an officer of the court whose function is to help the defendant concede to the wisdom of the court and confess his crime. He also aids the defendant in accepting the inevitable execution. the nestor assists the defendant during court proceedings and is not allowed to address the court or any of its officers. As part of the citizen database kept by the government and also utilized by the judiciary system, molars are extracted from Cardassian children at age 10 for identification records by the Bureau of Identification. retinal scans and hair smaples are also taken.
Cardassia is also well known for its education system, proposed to be unparalleled in the Alpha Quadrant. Children are put through intensive mind training from age 4, and as adults have highly disciplined minds, including photographic memories. They have a saying, "Knowledge is Power and Joy is Vulnerability." This rigorous mind discipline appears to allow Cardassians to be resistant to the Vulcan mind-meld. Academic accomplishments are a source of pride and academia is a highly respected profession. Those who teach at the tertiary level are known as Inquisitors. However, in the field of science, only females succeed, as males tend to lack the perspective for this discipline. In business, though their acumen or lack of is not known, Cardassians alwyas honor their transactions and are prompt to pay their bills. the monetary unit used on Cardassia is the lek.
Customs
Though rather insular, several Cardassian traditions and customs are known. Funeral rites are sacred and it is an affront for non-Cardassians to view the remains. The body of the deceased is till held in respect. Prior to death, a Cardassian confides his innermost secrets to another, usually a close relative. In this way, the burdens of life are relieved and also precious information is passed on.
Another Cardassian custom is that the captain of a ship is to entertain his guests personally and also takes a share of his ship's cargo's worth, giving the captain a personal stake in his consignment.
Cardassian courtship rituals are not really known but overt irritability of a male towards the female is indicative of interest and a prelude to a more permanent situation. In addition, children are very much desired and fertility of both mates are looked for. A form of greeting between the sexes appear to involve touching of palms together.
Racial Traits
As a race, Cardassian bear many similarities to the other humanoid races of the Alpha Quadrant, but are yet unique as a race apart. They have many observable racial characteristics. The Cardassian physiology is adapted to a higher ambient temperature than several of the other humanoid species, eg. Humans and Bajorans, approximately 32C. They also have relatively high physical endurance and are capable of withstanding harsher conditions, though they do not appear to have the brute strength of a Klingon. They prefer environmental conditions that are warmer and darker than standard Federation settings. Moreover they exhibit a high metabolic endurance, capable of resisting high doses of drugs, in particular sedatives. One Cardassian specific nerve agaent is known; cobalt diselenide, an unstable compund which is deadly to Cardassians but harmless to most other humanoids.
Cardassians excel at conversation and enjoy talking, sometimes simply for the sake of it. They like things to be ordered and have a strong attention to detail. Their disciplined minds rarely miss much. And they are known for their meticulous record keeping. All official meetings and important information are inscribed onto single-write isolinear data rods. It appears all data accumalated is stored, both as information or as specimens. It is also said that Cardassians enjoy intrigue as much as conversation. A popular game among them is Coltram a strategy game which requires "bold strategy and decisive action". A favourite style of fiction is the Cardassian Enigma Tales, in which all the participants are usually guilty, the challenge being in determining who is guilty of what. Another of their favourite type of literature involves the repititive epic, the most popular being "The Neverending Sacrifice". Among the popular works is also a fictitious work of war, "The Crimson Shadow" by Preloc, in which the Klingon Empire is at war with the Cardassian Union, which ironically bears out to be true.
They have a preference for the number 3 and have many aspects of their society in sets of 3, including their architecture. Cardassians are considered master architects. their structures are one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring in the quadrant, both modern and ancient sites. They tend to prefer the open concept in their designs, such as visible supports rather than hidden, and integrated into the overall design.
Cuisine
Cardassian cuisine, thought enjoyed by most Cardassian people, fail to entice most other races in the Alpha Quadrant, who tend to find it unpalatable. Among the more well known foodstuff are; taspar egg, yamok sauce, Larish pie, regova egg, sem'hal stew, tojal in yamok sauce and the preferred beverage is kanar, though in the morning, the usual beverage is hot fish juice. Cardassians enjoy their food and dining is never rushed. they prefer to savour the food and also indulge in conversation. However the act of dining, especially in public, has social ramifications. Who one dines with is an extremely important factor.