# Cardassian DMZ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908 "2004-01-11T02:31:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/1 "2004-01-11T02:31:27Z")
Now that the Dominion War is over, what is the status of the Demilitarized Zone and the estranged Federation Colonists there? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/2 "2004-01-11T03:15:37Z")
Well, barring another TV series or (possibly) a DS9 movie, there are no “canon” answers forthcoming. Further, I can’t offhand recall any episode that spelled out what was happening in these places _during_ the war. The Jem’Haddar wiped out the Maquis, but did they destroy/subvert all the former Federation colonies? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/3 "2004-01-11T03:46:49Z")
All we know about the colonists’ fate comes from that one episode of Voyager, where Torres learns that the Maquis have been crushed, and most of her friends are dead. Needless to say, this doesn’t bode well. I would assume that there were lots of people killed, and lots more fled back to Federation space. What colonies are left are probably mostly deserted. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tropical\_Warlord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Tropical\_Warlord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tropical_Warlord)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/4 "2004-01-11T03:59:49Z")
Picard: 1 Indians: 0 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/5 "2004-01-11T04:33:28Z")
Most likely, the planets that were there are nothing but charred wastelands. The Dominion and Cardassians were quite close to winning the war and would have if it hadn’t been for the intervention of the Prophets and the joining of the Romulan Empire on the part of the Alpha Quadrant powers. During those days, they probably did everything they could, much like the Third Reich did during the first few years of World War II ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/6 "2004-01-12T07:11:18Z")
Well, we know for certain that _one_ planet has been rendered uninhabitable…it was the one that Sisko dumped WMDs on, himself. And, even if the colonies have been reduced to barren wastelands, I’m sure that the Federation will find some way of diplomatically screwing things up, anyway. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/7 "2004-01-12T12:57:06Z")
Don’t you mean, “even if they _haven’t_ been reduced to barren wastelands”? In any event, it would seem as if the Federation couldn’t be bothered to do anything to help the colonists. You know, the DS9 series did a lot to dismantle the Federation-as-perfect-utopia image that we were force-fed in TNG. I actually kinda like that. But I’m still mad at Sisko for that chemical weapons attack. I guess Due Process rights don’t exist in the future. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/8 "2004-01-12T15:39:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > \*\*Don’t you mean, “even if they _haven’t_ been reduced to barren wastelands”? > > In any event, it would seem as if the Federation couldn’t be bothered to do anything to help the colonists. > > You know, the DS9 series did a lot to dismantle the Federation-as-perfect-utopia image that we were force-fed in TNG. I actually kinda like that. But I’m still mad at Sisko for that chemical weapons attack. I guess Due Process rights don’t exist in the future. \*\* Actually the series was pretty clear in the theme of good people having to do very bad things when faced with a war for survival. Remember what Sisco said at the end of the episode were he drew the Romulans into the War. He would do it again. Also, did the attack come before or after the Breen attack on earth? Actually, did they ever really resolve the Breen issue? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardassian-dmz/223908/9 "2004-01-14T06:30:30Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Don’t you mean, “even if they _haven’t_ been reduced to barren wastelands”? Nope. 😛 Personally, I think that the ol’ UFP could manage to create a complete diplomatic and strategic boondoggle, even if the only thing at stake was a handful of scortched, lifeless, rocks.