StarDestroyer.Net BBS

It is 2375, and the Dominion war is over. The Founders and the rest of the Dominion are leaving for the Gamma Quadrant, never to return. Cardassia is a smoking ruin, with at least 800 million dead.

On the Federation's behalf, rebuild Cardassia so that they can feed, clothe, and shelter their people, as well as deal with all the destruction from the Dominion bombardment of their planet.

With the assets of the Federation, and whatever is left of the Cardassian government, what do you do?

Industrial replicators to build modular housing and buildings that meet Cardassian standards. No point rebuilding Cardassia to look like Earth.

Also, farming technology and whatever keeps people's bellies full on Earth. Happy, well fed people are probably less likely to turn authoritarian and start resource wars.

Consultants to ensure that Cardassian societal institutions are rebuilt sustainably and rationally, and also to protect new institutions from exploitation by bad actors.

The one thing I'm rather worried about is all the dust that would be kicked up from all the debris from the Dominion's blasting of Cardassia block by block. Wouldn't that cause dust storms that would make the Dust Bowl look puny in comparison?

Presumably just dematerialise it?

Dismantle defense structures on ground and orbit while establishing Federation orbitals capable of being used as both a supply transfer station and housing for Federation occupational forces with a focus on orbit to ground attack. This is the stick. The carrot, industrial replicators cranking out new living spaces in designated areas. If it comes to it, new cities. Agreed on the 'do it in the Cardassian design way' to meet both their standards and their cultural needs. Reorganize a government from the ground up, starting in new habitable areas in local government and expand to a larger global scale once repopulated zones are managed. Look into Cardassian history for a stable form of what ever version of democracy or at the very least, non authoritarian peaceful templet of government they've had and try to emulate it with what ever tweaks are needed.

Focus on agriculture to feed the populace, though supplement with replicators so people don't starve. Then work on basic industry they'll need. Material resources, manufacturing, what ever they hell you need in Star Trek universe to be a basic Warp civilization. But still without letting them develop a military.

This will be the hard part because the Federation will have to devote resources enough to defend Cardassia as well as enough to deter a revolt on Cardassia. Will probably have to be there a generation as well, if not more. They will also have to do a Nuremberg type inquiry, have teams of people hunt down Cardassian commanders who participated in horrible acts and put them on trial. Track down radical leaders who will try to seize power, that sort of thing. Hunt down leaders and elements of the Obsidian order.

Only then, years after, when things have settled and the Cardassian people are clothed, fed, housed, and have jobs; would you start to transition them to a self defense force and scale back Fed presence. You'd have to make a call at the time as for if it's a good time to pitch membership.

This would have to be done not only on Cardassia Prime but all major population centers in Cardassia space. Not an easy task.

As a note, it sounds long, hard, at times brutal, and would frame the Feds as tyrants. Though, I do think it would be totally unrealistic to pitch Fed membership at the beginning to bypass that look. Even if the Cardassians agreed as a whole, you'd have so many rogue groups running around, pirates, and rebels, and such.