Dukat
Cardassian leader and complex antagonist of Deep Space Nine.
Gul Dukat is a Cardassian character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, introduced as the former overseer of the station that becomes Deep Space Nine. He later becomes the leader of the Cardassian Union and appears in 35 episodes of the series. Portrayed by Marc Alaimo, Dukat is considered one of the most iconic villains in the Star Trek franchise.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Star Trek
- Portrayed by
- Marc Alaimo
- Species
- Cardassian
- First
- "Emissary" (1993)
- Last
- "What You Leave Behind" (1999)
- Affiliation
- The Pah Wraiths, formerly the Cardassian Union
Facts from the source article.
Creation and role
The Cardassians first appeared in the Star Trek universe in the Next Generation episode "The Wounded", where Marc Alaimo played a Cardassian named Macet. The similarities between Macet and Dukat were never explained on screen, though the Deep Space Nine relaunch novel Demons of Air and Darkness has Macet tell Kira Nerys that Dukat was his cousin. Dukat's role in the series was versatile and nuanced; co-executive producer Ronald D. Moore described him as not completely evil, capable of charm and generosity, which made his evil actions more despicable. Ultimately, Moore stated, "Dukat is a bad guy. A very bad guy." StarTrek.com calls him the most complex and fully developed villain in Star Trek history.
Appearances
Before the series begins, Dukat holds the military title of Legate and commands the Cardassian occupation government of Bajor from the station Terok Nor. After the Cardassian withdrawal, he is demoted to Gul. In the pilot episode "Emissary", he brings a warship to Deep Space Nine to demand one of the Orbs of the Bajoran Prophets from Commander Benjamin Sisko. In "Cardassians", he is central to a conspiracy investigated by Elim Garak and Dr. Julian Bashir. In "Civil Defense", he attempts to blackmail the station crew when a counter-insurgency program is accidentally triggered. He allies with Starfleet against the Maquis in "The Maquis" and "Defiant", and against the Klingons in "The Way of the Warrior". In "Indiscretion", Kira Nerys accompanies him to find a lost Cardassian ship, where he seeks to kill his illegitimate half-Bajoran daughter Tora Ziyal but instead takes her home. In "Return to Grace", disgraced and commanding a freighter with Ziyal and Damar, he commandeers a Klingon Bird of Prey and launches a one-man war against the Klingon Empire. He helps Sisko, O'Brien, Odo, and Worf infiltrate the Klingon Empire in "Apocalypse Rising". In season five's "By Inferno's Light", he negotiates Cardassia's joining the Dominion and becomes head of the Union's government. He leads an invasion recapturing Deep Space Nine in "Call to Arms", starting the Dominion War.
Reception
In 2009, IGN ranked Dukat as the 15th best Star Trek character, noting his complexity and morality in "Indiscretion" and his introduction in "Emissary". Screen Rant rated him the eighth best Star Trek character in 2016. Time ranked him the fourth best Star Trek villain in 2016. In 2018, CBR placed him third among Deep Space Nine characters in a list of the top 20 recurring Star Trek characters.
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