By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Part of what makes Star Trek so rewarding to watch is that it is full of tropes, including episodes where Picard acts like a lawyer or episodes where the Holodeck tries to kill everyone. However, one of the best tropes of the franchise is the one that most fans have never noticed. This trope is the Cardassian monologue, and it all started with the excellent New deep space “Duet” episode.
The Cardassian monologue
“Duet” is the episode where Major Kira must investigate a potential criminal of the Cardassian war to discover that he is an innocent man hoping to be tried and executed so that the citizens of Bajor can have the closure. It is an incredible episode of season 1 because it highlights the serious actors of Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin, which Cardassian finally gives a moving speech on the horrors of which he had witnessed and the need for Cardassia to do Faced with justice. And according to New deep space Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, it was the first example of the “Long Cardassian franchise monologue.
If you are a Star Trek Fan asking what the Cardassian monologue trope is, so it’s official: you have to look more New deep space. As Behr explains usefully, “the Cardassians love to speak”.
He followed this by giving a long list of Cardassians on DS9 who simply like the sound of their own voice: “Garak likes to speak. Enabran Tain likes to speak. Dukat likes to speak – very slowly – and certainly Marritza likes to speak. “”
During New deep spaceWriters have looked at the idea that the Cardassian monologue was simply part of the culture of these extraterrestrials. Even the characters of the show comment on this subject, like when Gul Dukat Opine in Weyoun that “War is such a thirsty work … do you not agree?” It prompted its ally Dominion to answer: “Maybe if you don’t talk so much, your throat would not become so dry.”
What is interesting in the list of Cardassians Behr who like to give long monologues, most were very crucial for the long -standing arc of the program. Dukat, for example, is the de facto big villain of the series, and Garak is the shaded ally of Sisko and the crew which effectively embodies the moral darkness of the whole series. Tain, meanwhile, appeared in certain memorable episodes in two parts and was later revealed to be Garak’s father, illustrating the complex relationship that these two men share.
In comparison, the character of Marritza of “Duo” is relatively minor, but he left a major impact on the show. DS9 had a difficult 1 season, but this episode proved how great the series could be when it was pulling all the cylinders, and the performance of Harris Yulin provided an emotional anchor that gave this story the weight and the gravity it deserved. In addition, Yulin launched the Cardassian monologue, which has become a major trope that would affect the rest of the series for a better part of the decade.
As an annoyance fans of New deep spaceIt is legitimately impossible to imagine the Cardassians without their monologues. In addition to presenting the talents of the actors of these extraterrestrials, these crunchy pieces of dialogue help us to find out more about the real motivations of our characters. It is honestly one of the best tropes of the best Star Trek show never done. And that would not be at all part of the history of the franchise without a single episode which undoubtedly defined DS9 for a whole generation of fans.
