Cardassian Headgear [TNG]

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-02-22 07:03pm

Just caught most of the episode where Captain Maxwell and the Phoenix are attacking Cardassian ships. When Gul Macet and the Cardie observers come aoard the enterprise they are wearing some crazy looking headgear. Does anyone know any purpose or background to them?

Grandtheftcow · Post by **Grandtheftcow** » 2007-02-22 11:40pm

I figured it was just something in a similar vein to the Ferengi and the whips they had in their debut episode. It was just something that was dropped as the species found it's identity in the series.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-02-23 02:37am

The Cardassians in that ep were just a species-of-the-week. You'll note they also had cheaper-looking uniforms. When they became recurring, their look was modified.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2007-02-23 02:37am

It would help to post a picture.

Couldn't find any on google images or memory alpha though.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-02-23 03:12am

Darth Servo wrote:It would help to post a picture. Couldn't find any on google images or memory alpha though.

Early Cardie
Series Cardie

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2007-02-23 03:55am

Ah, so they're football players.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-02-23 04:11am

Grandtheftcow wrote:I figured it was just something in a similar vein to the Ferengi and the whips they had in their debut episode. It was just something that was dropped as the species found it's identity in the series.

What surprised me the most was that they discarded the headgear early in the episode even before the Cardies started getting more popular.

Singular Intellect · Post by **Singular Intellect** » 2007-02-23 11:23am

Darth Fanboy wrote:
Grandtheftcow wrote:I figured it was just something in a similar vein to the Ferengi and the whips they had in their debut episode. It was just something that was dropped as the species found it's identity in the series.
What surprised me the most was that they discarded the headgear early in the episode even before the Cardies started getting more popular.

Perhaps the Cardassians finally noticed the pointing and snickering from other races, and in embarassment lost the head gear.

Grandtheftcow · Post by **Grandtheftcow** » 2007-02-23 01:12pm

Darth Fanboy wrote:What surprised me the most was that they discarded the headgear early in the episode even before the Cardies started getting more popular.

Would that be a director or producer decision?

I never really noticed they lost the headgear that quickly.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-02-23 03:43pm

Grandtheftcow wrote:
Darth Fanboy wrote:What surprised me the most was that they discarded the headgear early in the episode even before the Cardies started getting more popular.
Would that be a director or producer decision?

I never really noticed they lost the headgear that quickly.

The only scene with it is in the transporter room when they are first beamed aboard the E-D.

And unrelated. Is it bad for TNG fans that their signature ship has the same abbreviation for Erectile Dysfunction?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-02-23 04:01pm

I just can't get over how awful those look, let alone that at least one senior on the production staff actually approved them. Ugh.

Nevermind that their uniforms look like Kryten's hand-me-downs...

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2007-02-23 10:58pm

Gul Macet's appearance aboard the Enterprise preceded the purge on Cardassia Prime when the Obsidian Order had all the uniform designers shot.

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2007-02-23 11:23pm

I just had a crazy image of Cardasia prime, with all thsoe massive TV screens everywhere and the Obsidian order announcing the destruction of the counter revolutionary hat plotters, to the cheers of the throng as the few people who DIDN'T get the memo in time are dragged off in the background...

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-02-24 02:15pm

As silly as those Cardassians are in those American Football helmets, at least you see a military service having head gear of some sort - for some reason officer caps and infantry helmets seem to be almost totally absent from the setting of Star Trek (it would be cool to see Starfleet ensigns wearing garrison caps, black barrettes or billed Marine Corps. style caps).

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-02-24 02:36pm

Big Orange wrote:As silly as those Cardassians are in those American Football helmets, at least you see a military service having head gear of some sort - for some reason officer caps and infantry helmets seem to be almost totally absent from the setting of Star Trek (it would be cool to see Starfleet ensigns wearing garrison caps, black barrettes or billed Marine Corps. style caps).

It would certainly make more sense, but you'd definitely have to redesign the Starfleet uniforms, because as they are, they totally don't support a hat very well.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-02-24 02:59pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote: It would certainly make more sense, but you'd definitely have to redesign the Starfleet uniforms, because as they are, they totally don't support a hat very well.

It would work if you had enlisted Starfleet wearing Enterprise style jumpsuited uniforms and the officers wearing The Wrath of Khan era tunics and riding briches.

Anguirus · Post by **Anguirus** » 2007-02-24 04:13pm

For a species-of-the-week, they certainly did have cool makeup and ships. I'd be very interested in the creative process that went into producing The Wounded...despite the clunky costumes, they put a whole lot of background and production work into the Cardassians. I suspect that they were always meant to be recurring, though the Bajoran thing didn't come up till they introduced Ensign Ro.

phred · Post by **phred** » 2007-02-24 04:35pm

A possible in-universe explanation could be air purification. They were worried about airborne viruses or something

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2007-02-24 04:42pm

phred wrote:A possible in-universe explanation could be air purification. They were worried about airborne viruses or something

Except the helmets don't cover their nostrils or their mouths.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2007-02-24 05:12pm

Those "helmets" are really little more than half-skullcaps with rollbars over the front, which still leave the forehead, eyes, and jaw vulnerable.

With those and the Edsel-style uniforms, no wonder the Obsidian Order had the designers shot.

Skylon · Post by **Skylon** » 2007-02-25 12:42am

Darth Fanboy wrote:
The only scene with it is in the transporter room when they are first beamed aboard the E-D.

They also can be seen wearing them on the bridge of their ship when they initially communicate with Picard and company.

Just noting this in light of the "air purification" thing mentioned.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-02-25 12:59am

Skylon wrote:
Darth Fanboy wrote:
The only scene with it is in the transporter room when they are first beamed aboard the E-D.

They also can be seen wearing them on the bridge of their ship when they initially communicate with Picard and company.

Just noting this in light of the "air purification" thing mentioned.

Oh I missed that part, good call.

Zor · Post by **Zor** » 2007-02-25 03:44am

At least there headgear is not as stupid looking as a certain voyager race which stole there name from a group of SWverse monks

And who the hell was in charge of the costume department during the filming of TNG?

Zor

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-02-25 04:40am

And who the hell was in charge of the costume department during the filming of TNG?

Accountants. You'd be surprised how much various Trek uniforms have been recycled and modified over the years. IIRC some of the DS9 Klingon outfits dated back to the seventies...

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-03-05 06:13pm

Those big breastplates look like a more serious propostion in the armour department, mind.