Dukat (Star Trek)
Encyclopedia
Gul Dukat is the main antagonist
of the fictional television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
. He is a member of the fictional Cardassian
species, and leader in the Cardassian Union. At times he is an enemy, whilst at others an ally of the series' protagonist Benjamin Sisko
. He was played by actor Marc Alaimo
. Dukat appears throughout the series, being introduced in the pilot episode "Emissary", and also featuring in the series' finale "What You Leave Behind".
, "I don't think of him as being completely evil through and through ... He can be charming. He can be generous. He can do the right thing. All of that somehow makes his 'evil' actions all the more despicable, because we know that there was the potential in there for him to be a better person." Ultimately, despite the character's versatility, "Dukat is a bad guy. A very bad guy." Indeed, StarTrek.com describes him as "the most complex and fully developed villain in Star Trek history".
(then referred to by its Cardassian name Terok Nor). When Cardassians are forced to withdraw he is demoted to Gul. Due to this background Dukat's early appearances range from being anti-heroic to antagonistic. In his debut appearance in the pilot episode "Emissary", he takes a Cardassian warship to Deep Space Nine to demand from the new Starfleet
-appointed commander Benjamin Sisko
one of the recently discovered Orbs of the Bajoran Prophets
. In "Cardassians" Dukat is at the center of a conspiracy which his exiled Cardassian enemy Elim Garak
and Dr. Julian Bashir
are trying to unravel. In "Civil Defense" he tries to blackmail the crew of Deep Space Nine when they cannot disarm an accidentally-triggered Cardassian counter-insurgency program. He is allied with the main Starfleet characters against the Maquis
rebels in "The Maquis" and "Defiant" and against the Klingon
s when they invade Cardassia in "The Way of the Warrior".
In the season 4 episode "Indiscretion", Kira Nerys
accompanies Gul Dukat on a search for a lost Cardassian starship, where it is revealed he is trying to track down and kill his illegitimate half-Bajoran daughter Tora Ziyal. He ultimately resolves to take her home with him. The follow-up episode "Return to Grace" shows Dukat being disgraced with the Cardassian military as a result of this move, reduced to commanding a freighter with Ziyal and his deputy Damar. With Kira's help he commandeers a Klingon Bird Of Prey and sends his government their battle plans. When he hears that the Cardassian government still wants to negotiate with the Klingons he decides to use his new ship to launch a one-man war against the Klingon Empire, leaving Ziyal with Kira at Deep Space Nine. In this capacity he helps Sisko, Miles O'Brien
, Odo and Worf
infiltrate the Klingon Empire in the season five premiere "Apocalypse Rising
".
Dukat's character takes a more villain
ous role in season five's "By Inferno's Light", where he is revealed to have negotiated Cardassia's joining The Dominion
, becoming head of the Union's government in the process. He leads an invasion force which recaptures Deep Space Nine in the season finale "Call to Arms", effectively starting the Dominion War
and retaking his old command. He loses the station again in the sixth season episode "Sacrifice of Angels", where Ziyal is also killed by Damar in retaliation for her helping the Federation. Mentally broken, Dukat is easily captured by Starfleet. He escapes their custody when he and Sisko are marooned in "Waltz", during which he hallucinates appearances of Kira, Damar and Weyoun
, comes to accept his hatred for the Bajorans, and swears vengeance on all Bajor before escaping. Towards this end Dukat allies himself with—and is for a short time possessed by—the Pah-wraiths, the effective archenemies of the Bajoran Prophets, renders the latter's orbs useless and kills regular character Jadzia Dax
in "Tears of the Prophets".
Dukat returns in season seven at the head of the cult of the Pah-wraiths in "Covenant", but quickly is disgraced in front of his followers by Kira and goes into hiding again. In "Penumbra" he seeks Damar's help to find a surgeon to make him look like a Bajoran. In this guise he convinces Kai Winn to join him in his efforts to free the Pah-wraiths from their imprisonment in the Bajoran Fire Caves in "Strange Bedfellows", even when she discovers his true identity in "The Changing Face of Evil". Their plan is put into action in the series finale "What You Leave Behind", where the Pah-wraiths choose him as their emissary instead of Winn. Sisko, emissary of the Prophets, arrives to stop him and at Winn's advice shoves himself, the Pah-wraiths' holy book and Dukat into the burning fire caves, sealing Dukat in the Fire Caves with the Pah-wraiths forever.
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the fictional television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
. He is a member of the fictional Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
species, and leader in the Cardassian Union. At times he is an enemy, whilst at others an ally of the series' protagonist Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
. He was played by actor Marc Alaimo
Marc Alaimo
Michael Anthony "Marc" Alaimo is an American actor, known for his villainous roles. He is known to Star Trek fans for his role as recurring villain Gul Dukat in the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Career:...
. Dukat appears throughout the series, being introduced in the pilot episode "Emissary", and also featuring in the series' finale "What You Leave Behind".
Role
Dukat played a versatile role throughout the series and was often a nuanced character. In the words of Deep Space Nine co-executive producer Ronald D. MooreRonald D. Moore
Ronald Dowl Moore is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, for which he won a Peabody Award for creative excellence in 2005 and an Emmy Award in 2008.-Early life and...
, "I don't think of him as being completely evil through and through ... He can be charming. He can be generous. He can do the right thing. All of that somehow makes his 'evil' actions all the more despicable, because we know that there was the potential in there for him to be a better person." Ultimately, despite the character's versatility, "Dukat is a bad guy. A very bad guy." Indeed, StarTrek.com describes him as "the most complex and fully developed villain in Star Trek history".
Appearances
Prior to the start of the series, Dukat held the military title of Legate and was the head of the Cardassian occupation government of the planet Bajor as well as commander of the station Deep Space NineDeep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
(then referred to by its Cardassian name Terok Nor). When Cardassians are forced to withdraw he is demoted to Gul. Due to this background Dukat's early appearances range from being anti-heroic to antagonistic. In his debut appearance in the pilot episode "Emissary", he takes a Cardassian warship to Deep Space Nine to demand from the new Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
-appointed commander Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
one of the recently discovered Orbs of the Bajoran Prophets
Prophet (Star Trek)
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Prophets, also known as Wormhole Aliens, are non-corporeal beings who inhabit the artificially constructed Bajoran wormhole which connects a distant point in the Gamma Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant, near the planet of Bajor and the space station Deep Space...
. In "Cardassians" Dukat is at the center of a conspiracy which his exiled Cardassian enemy Elim Garak
Elim Garak
Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson. In the series, Garak is an exiled spy from the Cardassian empire and a former member of a prestigious Cardassian intelligence group called the Obsidian Order...
and Dr. Julian Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
are trying to unravel. In "Civil Defense" he tries to blackmail the crew of Deep Space Nine when they cannot disarm an accidentally-triggered Cardassian counter-insurgency program. He is allied with the main Starfleet characters against the Maquis
Maquis (Star Trek)
In the American Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th Century paramilitary organization or terrorist group first introduced in the 1994 episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who subsequently also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and...
rebels in "The Maquis" and "Defiant" and against the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s when they invade Cardassia in "The Way of the Warrior".
In the season 4 episode "Indiscretion", Kira Nerys
Kira Nerys
Kira Nerys , played by Nana Visitor, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Backstory:Per Bajoran custom, her family name, Kira, precedes her given name, Nerys. She has two brothers , and her parents' names are Kira Taban and Kira Meru...
accompanies Gul Dukat on a search for a lost Cardassian starship, where it is revealed he is trying to track down and kill his illegitimate half-Bajoran daughter Tora Ziyal. He ultimately resolves to take her home with him. The follow-up episode "Return to Grace" shows Dukat being disgraced with the Cardassian military as a result of this move, reduced to commanding a freighter with Ziyal and his deputy Damar. With Kira's help he commandeers a Klingon Bird Of Prey and sends his government their battle plans. When he hears that the Cardassian government still wants to negotiate with the Klingons he decides to use his new ship to launch a one-man war against the Klingon Empire, leaving Ziyal with Kira at Deep Space Nine. In this capacity he helps Sisko, Miles O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, Odo and Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
infiltrate the Klingon Empire in the season five premiere "Apocalypse Rising
Apocalypse Rising
"Apocalypse Rising" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the first episode of the fifth season. It has an average fan rating of 4.1/5 on the official Star Trek website.-Plot:...
".
Dukat's character takes a more villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ous role in season five's "By Inferno's Light", where he is revealed to have negotiated Cardassia's joining The Dominion
Dominion (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is a ruthless and militaristic Gamma Quadrant state consisting of many different races. The Dominion wages war on the United Federation of Planets and its allies in the late 24th century, acting as an antagonist in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space...
, becoming head of the Union's government in the process. He leads an invasion force which recaptures Deep Space Nine in the season finale "Call to Arms", effectively starting the Dominion War
Dominion War
The Dominion War is an extended plot concept developed in a number of story arcs of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, an American science-fiction television series produced by Paramount Pictures...
and retaking his old command. He loses the station again in the sixth season episode "Sacrifice of Angels", where Ziyal is also killed by Damar in retaliation for her helping the Federation. Mentally broken, Dukat is easily captured by Starfleet. He escapes their custody when he and Sisko are marooned in "Waltz", during which he hallucinates appearances of Kira, Damar and Weyoun
Weyoun
Weyoun is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Jeffrey Combs. In the series, Weyoun is a diplomat and advisor of the Vorta species who is a member of the ruthless and militaristic Gamma quadrant state the Dominion.Combs, who also...
, comes to accept his hatred for the Bajorans, and swears vengeance on all Bajor before escaping. Towards this end Dukat allies himself with—and is for a short time possessed by—the Pah-wraiths, the effective archenemies of the Bajoran Prophets, renders the latter's orbs useless and kills regular character Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
in "Tears of the Prophets".
Dukat returns in season seven at the head of the cult of the Pah-wraiths in "Covenant", but quickly is disgraced in front of his followers by Kira and goes into hiding again. In "Penumbra" he seeks Damar's help to find a surgeon to make him look like a Bajoran. In this guise he convinces Kai Winn to join him in his efforts to free the Pah-wraiths from their imprisonment in the Bajoran Fire Caves in "Strange Bedfellows", even when she discovers his true identity in "The Changing Face of Evil". Their plan is put into action in the series finale "What You Leave Behind", where the Pah-wraiths choose him as their emissary instead of Winn. Sisko, emissary of the Prophets, arrives to stop him and at Winn's advice shoves himself, the Pah-wraiths' holy book and Dukat into the burning fire caves, sealing Dukat in the Fire Caves with the Pah-wraiths forever.
External links
- Dukat at Memory Beta