"Star Trek fans familiar with the franchise's 1990s output know that the Cardassians fought Starfleet for at least a decade and a half before the start of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. This infamous alien species remains iconic and relevant, and deeply rooted in the TNG/DS9 era's deft handling of allegorical stories that reflected real-life geopolitics. But do you know when and how the Cardassians were first introduced?"
""The Wounded" aired on January 28, 1991, right after the fan-favorite "Data's Day" managed to convince viewers that Keiko ( Rosalind Chao) had been a long-standing civilian member of the crew, even though she was only introduced the moment she and Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) were married. In an era before serialized sci-fi became the norm, TNG had perfected the trick of casually introducing a new character, then immediately capitalizing on our newfound closeness to them."
Season 4 of The Next Generation introduced the Cardassians in the episode "The Wounded," presenting them as an already-established adversary and subtly redefining Starfleet's status quo. The episode aired January 28, 1991, immediately following "Data's Day," which introduced Keiko O'Brien. Script editor Michael Piller guided TNG toward character-centered episodes starting in Season 3. "The Wounded" focuses on Chief Miles O'Brien and his conflicted loyalties to renegade Captain Benjamin Maxwell, turning an ostensibly small character story into a broader geopolitical and ethical confrontation. The episode uses casual character introductions to build quick emotional investment.
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