Cardassians (DS9 episode)

"Cardassians" is a second-season episode of '. It first aired on October 24, 1993.

Episode summary

When Garak sees a Cardassian boy on board Deep Space Nine, he decides to introduce himself, but the boy, Rugal, bites him. The boy has been raised by Bajoran parents and taught to hate Cardassians. His adoptive parents claim that they do not consider him a Cardassian any more, but allegations of abuse lead to an investigation. Gul Dukat tells Sisko that he is trying to bring orphaned Cardassians back from Bajor and that the discovery of Rugal will strengthen his case. Miles and Keiko O'Brien agree to care for Rugal during the investigation, and Rugal helps Miles overcome his prejudice against Cardassians.

Related Topics:
Garak - Cardassia - Deep Space Nine - Bajor - Adoptive - Abuse - Investigation - Gul Dukat - Sisko - Orphan - Miles - Keiko - Prejudice

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Meanwhile, Garak suggests to Bashir that more is happening than meets the eye. Bashir requests a runabout so the two can travel to Bajor, although he is unsure of what Garak wants to do. Sisko refuses until Dukat contacts him again to inform him that genetic tests have revealed that Rugal is the son of a prominent Cardassian politician named Kotan Pudar. Sisko allows Bashir and Garak to travel to Bajor and Garak takes them to an orphanage that took in many Cardassian orphans when the occupation of Bajor ended. They retrieve several databases worth of information, but during the trip back to DS9 Bashir grows impatient and demands to know what is happening. The ever-mysterious Garak hints that the situation has to do with the conflict between military and civilian interests on Cardassia.

Related Topics:
Bashir - Genetic - Politician - Orphanage - Occupation - Database - Military - Civilian

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Garak tells Bashir that Pudar is a political rival of Dukat and Bashir begins to understand but it still confused. Back on the station, Pudar arrives to greet Rugal, but O'Brien warns him about Rugal's feelings. Pudar explains that on Cardassia family is everything, and he blames himself for letting Rugal be left behind on Bajor. When he meets Rugal, he tries to tell the boy that he had no choice and did not know Rugal was on Bajor. However, the boy does not remember him and calls Pudar a Cardassian "butcher." Pudar is deeply wounded by Rugal's bitterness toward him.

Related Topics:
Feelings - Remember - Butcher

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Regardless of what has happened, Pudar wants his son back, but Rugal's adoptive father refuses to give Rugal to him. The two of them approach Sisko to be a neutral arbitor and he accepts. Shortly thereafter Gul Dukat arrives on the station, claiming that he is there was a part of his quest to return the Cardassian orphans. During the hearing, Garak and Bashir's search for information on Rugal comes up empty, but they find the woman who took Rugal in at the orphanage, who remembers that a Cardassian woman attached to Terok Nor (the Cardassian name for DS9) brought him to her.

Related Topics:
Father - Arbitor - Information

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Bashir interrupts the hearing, where he reveals that Rugal's discovery was an attempt by Dukat to humiliate Pudar. Dukat storms out and Sisko awards custody of the boy to Pudar, who reassures Sisko that Dukat will never reveal what happened now that he too has been humiliated. Bashir and Garak sit down for another one of their lunches, where Bashir asks Garak for the truth about his history with Dukat. Garak smiles and tells him to notice the details, which he compares to crumbs scattered across the table.

Related Topics:
Custody - Lunch - History - Crumb

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