The Cardassian Military hostile spawns across 21 systems in and around Cardassian space in STFC, from Bajor at levels 19 to 23 (warp 25) through Cardassia, Chin’Toka and Kabrel in the late 20s, out to Rudellia at levels 49 to 51 (warp 170). It is a Neutral hostile that only appears as an Interceptor, so bring an Explorer. It drops Dilithium at levels 19 to 39 and 4★ Broken Interceptor Parts at levels 40 to 51.
Cardassian systems and levels
This table lists every system where the Cardassian Military spawns, the system’s own level and the hostile levels you find there, from the lowest to the deepest. Most systems host a spread of six or seven levels, so a single system can keep you busy for several levels of play.
| System | System level | Cardassian Military levels |
|---|---|---|
| Bajor | 20 | 19–23 |
| Myyric | 27 | 26–30 |
| Chin’Toka | 28 | 26–31 |
| Kabrel | 29 | 26–32 |
| Cardassia | 30 | 27–33 |
| Celtris | 33 | 30–36 |
| Draygo IV | 33 | 30–36 |
| McAllister C-5 | 33 | 30–36 |
| Valo | – | 30–36 |
| Andrita | 36 | 33–39 |
| Kora | 36 | 33–39 |
| Unefra | 36 | 33–39 |
| Borias Cluster | 39 | 36–42 |
| Manora | 39 | 36–42 |
| Trelka V | 39 | 36–42 |
| Lazon | 42 | 39–45 |
| Mora | 42 | 39–45 |
| Vetar | 42 | 39–45 |
| Arawath | – | 42–46 |
| Vanden | 45 | 42–46 |
| Rudellia | 50 | 49–51 |
Two gaps are worth knowing: no Cardassian Military spawns at levels 24 to 25, or at 47 to 48. After Arawath and Vanden, the next stop is Rudellia, and it needs warp 170 against warp 100 for the level 46 spawns.
How to beat the Cardassian Military
The Cardassian Military only ever appears as an Interceptor, so you never have to guess which class to bring. Explorers beat Interceptors, so an Explorer is your ship for every level of this hostile, and there is nothing to swap between levels. An Explorer’s edge against Interceptors also shortens each fight, which keeps repair costs down as the stats climb. It has no ship ability, so there is nothing else to plan around.
For crew, put a captain that boosts weapon damage against hostiles in the chair, then fill the other seats with officers that add damage or mitigation. At the low end, the cadet crew works fine while you are around level 19 to 25: Cadet Kirk as captain with Cadet Spock and Cadet Uhura. As you climb, better options open up, so check the Officer Tier List for current picks. Crews shift with the meta, so treat any named crew as a starting point.
Where to find the Cardassian Military by level
If you are farming a specific level, use this table instead. Warp stays at 25 to 29 up to level 39, then climbs to 40, 65, 100 and finally 170 for the level 49 to 51 spawns at Rudellia.
| Level | Warp | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 19–23 | 25 | Bajor |
| 26 | 25 | Chin’Toka, Kabrel, Myyric |
| 27–29 | 25 | Cardassia, Chin’Toka, Kabrel, Myyric |
| 30 | 25 | Cardassia, Celtris, Chin’Toka, Draygo IV, Kabrel, McAllister C-5, Myyric, Valo |
| 31 | 25 | Cardassia, Celtris, Chin’Toka, Draygo IV, Kabrel, McAllister C-5, Valo |
| 32 | 25 | Cardassia, Celtris, Draygo IV, Kabrel, McAllister C-5, Valo |
| 33 | 25 | Andrita, Cardassia, Celtris, Draygo IV, Kora, McAllister C-5, Unefra, Valo |
| 34–35 | 26 | Andrita, Celtris, Draygo IV, Kora, McAllister C-5, Unefra, Valo |
| 36 | 26 | Andrita, Borias Cluster (warp 40), Celtris, Draygo IV, Kora, Manora (warp 40), McAllister C-5, Trelka V (warp 40), Unefra, Valo |
| 37–38 | 29 | Andrita, Borias Cluster (warp 40), Kora, Manora (warp 40), Trelka V (warp 40), Unefra |
| 39 | 29 | Andrita, Borias Cluster (warp 40), Kora, Lazon (warp 65), Manora (warp 40), Mora (warp 65), Trelka V (warp 40), Unefra, Vetar (warp 65) |
| 40–41 | 40 | Borias Cluster, Lazon (warp 65), Manora, Mora (warp 65), Trelka V, Vetar (warp 65) |
| 42 | 40 | Arawath (warp 100), Borias Cluster, Lazon (warp 65), Manora, Mora (warp 65), Trelka V, Vanden (warp 100), Vetar (warp 65) |
| 43–45 | 65 | Arawath (warp 100), Lazon, Mora, Vanden (warp 100), Vetar |
| 46 | 100 | Arawath, Vanden |
| 49–51 | 170 | Rudellia |
Rewards and what it drops
What the Cardassian Military hands you depends on the level you kill. From level 19 to 39 it drops Dilithium, 36 to 312 per kill. From level 40 to 51 it switches to 4★ Broken Interceptor Parts, 108 to 1,418 per kill. Ship XP climbs with level, from 282 at level 19 to 2,800 at level 51.
| Drop | Levels | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Dilithium | 19–39 | The scarcest of the three core resources, spent on research and upgrades. |
| 4★ Broken Interceptor Parts | 40–51 | Salvage used to tier up 4★ Interceptor-class ships. |
Cardassian Military stats
Stats climb steeply with level, so the gap between the low and high spawns is large. These rows show the low, mid and high ends.
| Level | Total strength | Hull HP | Shield HP | Attack | Defense | Ship XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 16,487 | 2,750 | 2,750 | 7,207 | 6,530 | 282 |
| 35 | 538,186 | 72,000 | 72,000 | 241,186 | 225,000 | 707 |
| 51 | 16,956,795 | 8,460,931 | 8,460,931 | 6,016,414 | 2,479,450 | 2,800 |
Cardassian Military firing pattern
It fires one Energy weapon every round and two Kinetic weapons every other round, and each Kinetic shot hits more than twice as hard as the Energy shot. Time repairs and mitigation around the Kinetic rounds. These figures are from the level 19 record and climb with level.
| Weapon type | Count | Damage per shot | Fires | Crit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1 | 1,058–1,293 | Every round | 10% (1.5x) |
| Kinetic | 2 | 2,539–3,103 | Every other round | 10% (1.5x) |
The Cardassians in Star Trek
The Cardassians are a militaristic people from Cardassia Prime, ruled for much of their history by the Central Command and watched over by the Obsidian Order, their secret police. They occupied Bajor for decades before withdrawing, leaving the station later known as Deep Space Nine behind. Deep Space Nine made them central players: the Cardassian Union fought the Federation and the Klingons, then joined the Dominion in the Dominion War, and was left devastated when that alliance turned on it. Chin’Toka, one of this hostile’s systems, was the site of a major Dominion War battle. For more on the faction in the game, see the Cardassian faction.
Is the Cardassian Military worth grinding?
Yes, from the early game into the mid-40s. The level 19 to 39 spawns are a reliable Dilithium source, and from level 40 they switch to 4★ Broken Interceptor Parts. Because it only comes as an Interceptor, one Explorer handles every kill. Pick a system from the tables that matches your level, set your warp, and farm there until you outlevel it. The Cardassian Militia, a Battleship at levels 29 to 33, is the other Cardassian target in this range.
