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The Cardassian system, also known as the Cardassia system, was an inhabited planetary system in the Alpha Quadrant. This system was located inside Cardassian space.

Components

Stellar system

This was a single star system consisting of the K-type primary Cardassia.

Planetary system

In this system, there were at least five planets. Cardassia Prime (Cardassia II) was the inhabited Class M homeworld of the Cardassians, a warp-capable humanoid species. This planet was also the capital planet of the Cardassian Union. (DS9: "Explorers") The system also included Cardassia I, and the planets Cardassia III, Cardassia IV, and Cardassia V that were colonized by the Cardassians. (DS9: "The Homecoming", "Shadowplay", "Prophet Motive")

Stellar cartography

In 2375, the location of Cardassia was labeled on a tactical map that was displayed in the wardroom of Deep Space 9. Cardassia was located approximately five light years from the Bajoran system, thirty light years from Starbase 375, and fifty-five light years from Ferenginar. (DS9: "When It Rains...", okudagram)

Later that year, the Dominion began their withdrawal to Cardassia Prime during the waning days of the Dominion War. The Allied Forces planned a risky and costly military operation to end the war by penetrating the system and engaging the Dominion forces stationed in orbit over Cardassia Prime. (DS9: "The Dogs of War")

The system's location was labeled in a Federation star chart that was in Fleet Admiral Kirsten Clancy's office at Starfleet Headquarters in 2399 and on the bridge of the USS Titan-A in 2401. Cardassia was in or near to Cardassian space. (PIC: "Maps and Legends", "The Next Generation", "Disengage")

In 3196, during the Omega-47 crisis, the location of Cardassia was depicted on star charts and readouts used across several locations on the USS Athena to locate, monitor, and respond to the Omega-47 mines laid by the Venari Ral. This system was outside the affected region. (SA: "300th Night", "Rubincon")

Appendices

Background information

"Tactical Display 7624N" was reproduced in legible detail in Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 49).

The alternate name of this system came from the source material used, the Star Trek: Star Charts and Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library, to create the star chart seen in Star Trek: Picard. Information on the system's stellar system came from the Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 36, 42-43), Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("History of the United Federation of Planets"), and StarTrek.com [1](X). In Star Trek: Star Charts, it was stated that there were a total of eight planets in the system, four of which were inhabited, and two asteroid belts. Both source said the system was visited by a Bajoran solar-sail vessel in 1571.

A briefing on the construction of Terok Nor in Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 15, p. 30 noted that about a third of the framing in the station's central core was mined from asteroids in the Cardassian system.

Apocrypha

In the RPG book Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Narrator's Toolkit, the Cardassian sun was described as a bright red dwarf (M2 V type), the first two planets were class F, Cardassia Prime was the third planet in the system, Cardassia VI and VII were Class J gas giants and Cardassia VIII was class G.

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