Abstract
The plotlines of many science fiction television programs and films establish the identities of the protagonists and antagonists at an early stage of the viewing experience . T hese boundaries serve to position the viewer on a particular side of the story, rendering it difficult to fully consider the Other’s actions and motivations . It is in this manner that media influences our perceptions of place and social dynamics through a formation of popular geopolitics . In this paper, I present the Cardassians, an extraterrestrial species in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as a case study in considering how a re-reading of the shows’ antagonists serves to contextualize the meanings behind being “bad .” I use the Cardassians to explore how a de-villainizing of a science f iction antagonist can lend insight into realworld reconciliation and understandings of those deemed to be the Other .
Recommended Citation
Gunderman, Hannah C.
(2017)
"Blurring the Protagonist/ Antagonist Binary through a Geopolitics of Peace: Star Trek’s Cardassians, Antagonists of the Alpha Quadrant,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 58:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol58/iss1/6