Dukat

Lore & Background

Prior to the start of the series, Dukat held the military title of Legate (Admiral) and was the head of the Cardassian occupation government of the planet Bajor as well as commander of the Cardassian-built station originally named Terok Nor. When the Cardassians are forced to withdraw, he is demoted to Gul (equivalent to Captain). 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 '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. In 'Return to Grace', Dukat is 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, Dukat 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'.

Reader's Guide

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. Moore: '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.' He is described in StarTrek.com as 'the most complex and fully developed villain in Star Trek history'.

Did You Know?

• Marc Alaimo previously played a Cardassian named Macet in the Next Generation episode 'The Wounded'; the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine relaunch novel Demons of Air and Darkness explains that Macet is Dukat's cousin.
• In the series finale 'What You Leave Behind', Dukat is sealed in the Fire Caves with the Pah-wraiths forever after Sisko shoves himself, the Pah-wraiths' holy book, and Dukat into the burning caves.