cemetrygatess:

Something I’ve seen expressed on here is “why are people so into Cardassia? Why do y'all write so much about the fascist lizards and not about Bajor?”

I think there’s 2 main reasons for this for me personally, and I’d like to talk about it.

1. And this is the silly and obvious reason: we like Garak and Garak is Cardassian. Any exploration of his character is going to require an exploration of Cardassia/Cardassians at least a little

2. As an American person, I feel my own country is more like Cardassia than Bajor or the Federation. The idea of an empire being laid low and having to rebuild and figure out what was good and what must be changed is compelling. I live in an Empire. I am not meaningfully able to change its course. If the empire prioritizes things over its citizens (and it does), we will be the ones who suffer. If it occupies somewhere, and hurts those people, I can protest or not participate, but I can’t stop it. My position as an average American is like that an average Cardassian in many ways. The idea that a place like Cardassia can be broadly and dramatically transformed is a fantasy, and as an American it is an appealing one.