Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
thinking thoughts about cardassians again… on biology and gender and clothing and related topics… here are some interpretations/hcs that absolutely no one asked for
so im pretty sure that the only cardassian whose chula we actually see (that teardrop shape on the chest) is natima lang, because she wears clothes that are cut low enough to show her chest
at first i took it to be a general cardassian anatomy thing, like they all have chulas, but then i noticed that rekelen (natima’s student)… does not have one? and ziyal does not have one either (this could be just a result of her being half bajoran, but she still has a visible chufa despite this, while her chest is completely smooth. it stands to reason that she would have a similar faded teardrop shape on her chest)
so it got me thinking, as i am prone to do when it comes to this show, what determines whether or not a cardassian has a chula or not? also, are there any cardassian men who are ever shown wearing clothing that’s cut low enough to definitively tell if they have or do not have a chula?
it seems almost universal that cardassian men wear relatively conservative clothing. men’s necklines are almost always cut higher than the line of scales that surrounds the chula like we see on natima lang. also, cardassian military uniforms have enough chest coverage to completely conceal the chula or lack thereof. this makes it impossible to tell if people like dukat or damar, who are always seen in military attire, have such a feature
it’s also worth noting that women’s attire in professional settings varies, with some (like rejal and belor) wearing higher necklines while others (like kejal) wear lower cut tops, not dissimilar to men’s casual clothing. in kejal’s case, though, enough unscaled skin is showing to make the assumption that she does not have a chula.
something else to note is that garak has some more… risqué fashion choices from time to time, showing off just a little more neck and chest. and judging by the placement of natima’s chula and surrounding scales, relative to where garak’s neckline is, it seems like garak does not have one either.
cardassian men’s necklines are pretty universally similar in that they cover most, if not all, of the chest, and almost all of the designs (with a few exceptions in garak’s case) seem to align with the scale pattern of the chula, perfectly concealing it. it seems like the vast majority of cardassian men deliberately wear clothing that conceals their chula or chest.
i take this to indicate that cardassians assigned male at birth are born with chulas, and the chula is associated with masculinity (perhaps a secondary sex characteristic?) as a result, therefore the vast majority of cardassian men have them.
cardassian gendered fashion is mostly cisnormative, and is subverted by people like natima lang (who has a chula). she has no feminization surgery to make her chest smooth but still wears traditionally feminine clothing (low necklines). garak not having a chula is an indication of his own transness as well, and his wearing of some lower necklines exposing his smooth chest (and not to mention the traditionally feminine makeup that he sometimes wears) are also subversions of these norms.
I think there is a very strong case for amab Cardassians having chulas, and that ‘s this:
[image description: publicity photo of Damar, with a red arrow pointing to the diamond-shape on the front of his uniform.]
That diamond-shape would be basically where the chula would be. It’s not too uncommon that uniforms are simply updated versions of earlier uniforms/warfare-ware (man what a word) - for instance, the golden braid generals wear goes back to armour. With that in mind, it doesn’t seem unlikely that Cardassian uniforms are a highly stylised version of a Cardassian version of this:
[image description: a Greek bronze cuirass fashioned to look like a naked chest and stomach.]
My personal headcanon is that all Cardassians have chulas (with the exception of Cardassian-Bajorans, which might mean that Rekelen is part-Bajoran), but I will die on the hill that, if anyone has chulas, it’s AMABs, so I love this analysis.
I gotta say I am entertained when Damar has a whole *moment* upon being informed that Garak is Tain’s son and everyone else is like, “Yeah that was two seasons ago. Catch up.” He stands there and just stares at Garak while the rest of them have moved on.
I want the story on Mavek, the Cardassian who handed Kira her raktajino every morning during the Dominion occupation of Deep Space Nine.
hi yes everyone i would just like to direct your attention to garak’s pant leg and shoes and the fashion crime that is happening there
yes, i see it, you see it, we cannot remain silent any longer
this just in: stirrup (barely) visible in this outfit too
just in case there was any further doubt
clearly visible on the lefthand trousers, somewhat visible on the righthand as well
My thoughts on this, both in-universe and from a costume design perspective:
Costume design - both Cardassian military and civilian costumes have stirrup pants. It makes utilitarian sense for the former, because similar to their original purpose for horse-riding, they keep the pants tucked into the heavy military boots. But for civilians, and from the perspective for Cardassian clothing overall, this tracks for the design intent of wanting Cardassians to appear controlled, disciplined, and composed. Their clothes are made of heavy high-quality fabrics laminated onto neoprene to prevent wrinkling, for this explicit purpose. It makes Cardassians appear rigid, imposing in their aloofness and perfection, and the stirrups allow the pant legs to remain uncreased and prevent them from riding up. Additionally, this could help for actors who wear extensive skin paint/makeup where a visible ankle could ruin a whole shot. DS9 was always strapped for time and budget, and having to reshoot a scene because of a costume mishap would be valid reason to build something like this into the clothes.
In-universe, honestly this tracks with Garak’s whole MO. His desire and drive for perfection in what he does, and how he strives to wear himself proudly despite being in exile, in disgrace, circumstances he’s ashamed of (yet also feels wronged by). Andy himself calls Garak incredibly vain, never letting a single stitch be out of place. Garak does not allow creases or wrinkles, he smooths his tunic when it crumples and sits prim and proper and only presents his best. As above, part of that is the Cardassian way, but much of it is Garak as well. He doesn’t just want his clothes to look pristine to look fashionable, but because they’re his own work. They’re one of the few things he has to be proud of in his exile, and he will wear them impeccably. He gives his enemies no fuel to belittle him, and in another sense also wants to appear professional, trustworthy, an upstanding citizen, for his own purposes (just as, on the flip side, the Central Command wants its soldiers to appear intimidating through their clothes and stature). This is a lot to infer from one little clothing alteration, but it’s part of the whole package. Garak, and all Cardassians, are extremely guarded, and are expert at donning a well-crafted veneer. Every stitch is accounted for, and if little god damned stirrups make his pant legs stiff and uncreased and make them stay in place to avoid showing unnecessary (read: unaccounted for) skin then it’s worth it. Elim Garak will not allow glimpses of his naked ankle in front of Bajorans. Only Julian.
A Concept: Cardassians, but they have feathers. Only their faces (and maybe hands) are bare, like vultures. They would be beautiful.
Not sure if they would bother with clothes. Maybe very minimal?
Cardassian hybrids would have feathers in place of hair. Ziyal with a cascade of head feathers. Eyebrows made of tiny feathers.
They have neck feathers that fluff up when they’re angry or afraid. And their body feathers puff up in the cold so much that Garak is in perma-fluffball mode.
Probably their feathers are very soft and highly sought after and Quark is nearly always scheming to get some off of Garak.
I don’t think they would have wings, but their hands might be somewhat more claw-like, long rough fingers with very sharp nails. And they would still have the ridges just hidden under feathers. Their faces would look the same.
Just big humanoid feathered dinosaurs
Some of them might have feathers on their heads like Bearded Vultures:
And some might be bald more like Black Vultures:
Their skin could come in fun colors too!
Like turkey vultures or wild turkeys or cassowaries! Maybe some of them even have bony crests!
I mean. Kira introduced Ghemor to Kirayoshi and Ghemor said that he was the closest thing he had to a grandson so like,,,, just imagine if he had met Ziyal too Blease i just want to see these three being a cute little unconventional family
And as a bonus it would piss off Dukat so much lmfao
