Dukat (Star Trek)
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In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine television series, Skrain Dukat is a Cardassian leader and a recurring antagonist of Benjamin Sisko. He is played by Marc Alaimo.
Dukat has the military rank of Gul, and is therefore often referred to as "Gul Dukat". Tall, charismatic, and strong-willed, he continually seeks approval from his adversaries for his belief that he is a gentle and fair leader. Each time he fails to get this approval, he reacts violently, accusing the people who don't appreciate him of forcing him into hostile action.
He believes that he has earned the friendship of Sisko and Major Kira Nerys. They dislike and distrust him intensely; Kira rebuffs his constant attempts to woo her and gain her approval, and Sisko describes him as "pure evil."
During the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, Dukat served as Prefect and commanded Terok Nor, an orbital space station that contained ore processing facilities maintained by Bajoran slave labor. Dukat believed himself to be a kind and benevolent overseer who cared deeply for the Bajoran people; he maintained that he tried to rule Bajor with a "softer" and "gentler" hand than the Central Command required him to, such as by abolishing child labor and by improving conditions in the labor camps. But he blamed the frequent terrorist acts against the Cardassians for forcing him to take harsh retributions, and he came to hate the Bajoran people for refusing to appreciate him or to let their technically and culturally superior masters guide them into a better future.
When the Cardassians finally left Bajor, the Bajorans requested Federation assistance. Starfleet dispatched a crew led by Commander Sisko to take control of Terok Nor, which was renamed Deep Space Nine. Shortly thereafter, they discovered the first known stable wormhole in the quadrant and moved the station nearer to stake the Bajorans' claim to it. Dukat's failure to recapture the station after this important discovery made him very unpopular with the Cardassian government. Dukat vowed someday to retake the station from Sisko and Starfleet.
Dukat had a daughter, Tora Ziyal, born from an illicit relationship with a Bajoran slave woman during the occupation. He sent her away as a baby without acknowledging his fatherhood because he feared that public knowledge of the relationship would hurt his political standing. Thought to be lost with the crew and passengers of the missing transport Ravinok, Ziyal was found alive. Dukat was prepared to kill her to keep his indiscretion secret, but Kira convinced him to take her back to Deep Space Nine instead. Father and daughter soon became very close. In fact, Ziyal was one of the few people who gave Dukat the admiration he craved.
As a result of this act of kindness, Dukat became a pariah; he was demoted to command of the freighter Groumall and assigned routine duties transporting supplies. During this time, the Federation and the Klingon Empire had become bitter enemies. In response to Klingon incursions into Cardassian space, Dukat commandeered a K'Vort class starship with the assistance of Major Kira Nerys and began an independent campaign to repel the Klingons. As his successes grew, Dukat managed to restore some of his prestige with the Cardassian leadership, and made himself a hero in the eyes of his daughter.
Dukat became leader of the Cardassian Union when it formally allied with the Dominion. The Dominion-Cardassian alliance succeeded in reclaiming Deep Space Nine but was forced to give it up after a decisive battle. When Damar killed Ziyal for having secretly aided the resistance, Dukat lost his grip on sanity. He was captured by Starfleet, but later escaped.
Dukat then became the emissary of the Pah Wraiths. In the series finale, Sisko and Dukat fought each other hand-to-hand, and Dukat was imprisoned with the Pah Wraiths.