Garak this, Dukat that… Someone talk to me about Damar!
I am always happy to talk about Damar :)
Warning, some spoilers ahead for those who haven’t watched all of DS9….
One of the things I have thought about is that we often think of Damar as being on DS9/Terok Nor during the Bajoran Occupation, but there is no evidence of that in the show, as far as I’m aware.
Personally, I think it makes for more interesting story if he never was Dukat’s second hand man on Terok Nor. It wouldn’t mean he wasn’t part of the atrocities Cardassia committed (he was still in Cardassian military). It would mean that he didn’t have a relatively high position (which being Glinn of Terok Nor would have been) prior to Dukat being assigned to the freighter.
I think it is entertaining if you have this Cardassian who’s highest rank ever is being second in command of a dumpy freighter. And then the former Prefect of Terok Nor - the infamous Gul Dukat - gets put in command of said freighter, and suddenly two years later, this former second in command of a dumpy freighter is leader of all Cardassia.
It would explain part of why Damar can be somewhat unsure of himself sometimes. If he had been Glinn of Terok Nor - that would have been a relatively high position - he would have been expected to coordinate with other commands, with ships, with Central Command. But if he was only second in command of a freighter - basically he would have just been ordered around by superiors, never expected to really take command. It would also explain some of his hero worship of Dukat.
If Damar is second in command of a run down freighter and this famous commander suddenly gets put in charge of his ship, and then captures a Klingon Bird-of-Prey (albeit with help of Bajoran) and he gets to fight the Klingons and defeat several of their ships…this would probably lead to some hero worship, that would be less likely if Damar had known Dukat for a long time.
I find it also more likely story given Damar’s personality. He’s one of the most straight forward Cardassians we meet in both DS9 and TNG. Most Cardassians shown are able to easily twist and manipulate the truth of any situation into what they want it to be - and do so regularly.
Whereas when Damar does speak, he pretty much says exactly what he’s thinking, which is not a trait that would have enabled him to get very far ahead in Cardassian Union society (its worth noting he also talks less than pretty much any other Cardassian we meet). As part of that straight forwardness he also does not handle cognitive dissonance particularly well either. He can minimize or ignore things to a certain extent (which he does with Dukat and does regarding his own peoples actions for the first half of the time we see him), but he can’t tell himself a lie and believe it as well Dukat and other Cardassians can (instead he starts drinking). That would not have been a good trait to have in the midst of the Occupation - when Central Command was claiming that the Bajorans were better off under Cardassian rule, and they clearly weren’t.
Oooh, is this a good time for me to hop in and say that in my hc Damar is neurodivergent? Since most of the cardassians we meet are soldiers or, y'know, Garak, it’s hard to get a picture of “normal” cardassian behaviour. But I still think Damar’s behaviour differs enough from the others’ that it could indicate he’s neurodivergent. I hesitate to apply human terms like adhd or the like, because he isn’t human, but I think that’s the right ballpark. Like @nerdfishgirl pointed out, he’s straightforward to the point that it sets him apart from other cardassians- not only in the way he talks, but also in his body language. The others tend to be very deliberate in their movements and posture, using them to underline their words and tone, but also to hide their true feelings. Damar doesn’t move around and gesticulate as much, and he doesn’t modulate his tone according to who he’s speaking too, but his face is an open book. The only time we really see him lie is to Weyoun. Even compared with friends like Rusok, who seems to be more or less an equal in social terms, his speech patters and emotional displays are markedly different. I also think it’s very notable that he has a remarkable capacity to adapt to new situations in a very short timespan. We know cardassians like their routine. More or less from the moment he meets Dukat, Damar has to adapt to new responsibilities but also to new tech. I bet you Dukat wasn’t the one figuring out how to keep that Bird-Of-Prey spaceworthy. Not to mention the whole deal with the self-replicating mines. (I. Could go on and on and on about this)
I think you both raise some interesting points.
It’s not addressed in canon, but I don’t think there’s any way Damar could have been Dukat’s second in command on Terok Nor during the Occupation. Damar wouldn’t have been old enough - he may have been old enough to serve in the military during the last years of the Occupation, but he definitely wouldn’t have had the experience to achieve that kind of rank. It’s possible that he was on Terok Nor or Bajor towards that time, but I think it’s equally likely that he was stationed on a ship or another world somewhere. We talk about the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor a lot, but the Union was vast and had many worlds that faced various levels of occupation, not to mention conflicts with the Federation and others that would require military deployment.
I don’t have any definitive headcanons myself regarding his history of serving with Dukat. I think it probably began before the Grumal, but other than that I couldn’t say. I would hesitate to call his admiration for Dukat “hero worship,” though I do think he had a great, if misguided respect for the man - something I think he realized much too late.
You both mention how straight-forward Damar is, which, frankly, is something I love about him. And while it might be an uncommon trait among Obsidian Order agents and some military personnel, I’m not sure how uncommon it is among Cardassians in general. Many of the civilians we see are also fairly straight-forward as well.
It seems to me that Damar is the ideal “Son of Cardassia.” His physique exudes strength and rigidity, something which is echoed by his vocal inflections and strategic mind. He also purely serves Cardassia, unlike Dukat and to a lesser degree Garak. He believes in the greatness of the Union and his people, and he is determined to protect them. He is also far more intelligent than most fans give him credit for. After his first episode or two (where he’s not yet developed beyond a lackey for Dukat), you can already begin to see his discomfort with following orders that he knows are not in the best interest of the Cardassian people. He doesn’t want Cardassia to join with the Dominion; he knows it’s a mistake and he even that early in his arch, you can see him struggle to go along with what is happening around him.
And speaking of him being intelligent, for God’s sake, he’s the one who determines how to destroy the minefield. He’s the first one to notice Kira’s feelings for Odo - even her Starfleet friends hadn’t mentioned it. He’s the one who lowers himself to accepting help from a Bajoran terrorist in fighting the Dominion because as much as he loathes Bajorans, he understands that they are Cardassia’s best hope for learning to fight back. I could go on and on about how fucking smart Damar is.
As a side note about his speaking voice and the cadence and rhythm of his dialogue, I truly think that’s more to do with Damar just being extremely confident… And even when he is not feeling particularly confident about what he is saying, he understand the importance of maintaining a commanding presence.
