A Look at Dukat

A look at the shifting personality of what would prove to be a primary antagonist on DS9.
More videos at sfdebris.com

[@dparky1627]

Dukat wasn't evil for evil's sake. He was a well-thought out villain who was the perfect foil to Sisko.

[@GothAlice]

He is the hero of his own (ultimately tragic, in a somewhat _epic_ sense) story and had humanizing rationale and reasons for his actions. The best villain and foil.

[@danshaw1096]

Few people are evil for the hell of it. I think Dukat was utterly self-serving and evil at the core. He was just so charming that he was able to fool most people, himself included, into thinking he wasn't all that bad

[@dparky1627]

Dan Shaw, for all his myriad and sundry faults, Dukat was a patriot. He wanted to see Cardassia be strong, proud and free. Too bad when he signed the accord with the Dominion he gave up said freedom to the Dominion. He saw Cardassia beset on all sides by enemies that they couldn’t fight off alone. Who wouldn’t reach out to someone offering help? But did he actually give up Cardassia’s freedom? I think the writers never really explored the possibility that the alliance with the Dominion was just that, a military alliance. They could’ve kept full autonomy over their own affairs and political system. But instead we’re shown how the Dominion becomes more and more intertwined with Cardassian affairs. If they weren’t pushed into doing so, could it have remained a military alliance that saw Cardassia still independent but strong enough within their alliance to stand up against the Federation and Klingons?

[@GothAlice]

Daniel Parkison The Jem Hadar were engineered as a brute force solution to the problem of conquest; an effective one, given technological disparities. The Vorta were engineered as the subtle solution; the diplomatic one. If entering a new, established region of space with existing superpowers, you try less to pose as an existential threat to unify them, you work subtly to get them to destabilise themselves, then step in militarily with little resistance afterwords. Less effort, and needless waste of cloned soldiers; resources are resources.

[@danshaw1096]

@@dparky1627 I'm not arguing that he wasn't patriotic, or that the reasons for his actions didn't make sense. I just think those reasons were more justification than motivation for his actions. He wanted to be perceived as a good person, not to actually be a good person. I don't think he knew the difference.

[@braxxian]

All the Cardassians, Dukat, Garrak, Damar were amazingly well written and performed. DS9 had a depth no Trek series has reached before or since.

[@CedricBassman]

Garak was by far my favorite side Character on DS9

[@astrayadventurer4450]

This show took the Cardassians an Frenegi to a new level. They are two of my favorite races since this show.

[@anthonyjordanmoviesandmore2470]

Dukat one of the many reasons Deep Space Nine is the best Star Trek series

[@thunberbolttwo3953]

Agreed.

[@nikolaipelikan915]

Nonsense, thunderbolt two! Star Trek: DS9 is a Star Trek Series WITHOUT Lt. Cmdr. Data!!

[@astrayadventurer4450]

Many is the key word there this show was not lacking in great characters an episodes

[@migueljonz3901]

Best and most complete character development in all of Star Trek! DS9 BEE-OTCHES!

[@danshaw1096]

He certainly thought so

[@jondorsey2043]

I'd offer that Dukat isn't just one of the best Trek characters ever, but one of the very best SF villains in modern pop culture. Alaimo was just brilliant.

[@aethertech]

Major movie villians: I AM THE BEST VILLAIN!! Dukat: Hold my Kannar. *correctly Villains.*

[@billnotice9957]

Man I miss DS9. The bad guys won sometimes and good guys were not always good!!!

[@dm121984]

"I CAN live with it. I can live with it..."

[@Scoonertuna]

The good guys were good guys too, they just had to do bad things for the right reasons.

[@amead78]

The same with Babylon 5.

[@Mark-xh8md]

@@dm121984 - That was actually Sisko's redeeming moment

[@killwalker]

@@Scoonertuna the moment he poisoned a whole planet....was not Sisko's best moment. Considering after, Dax and him just casually joke about Not telling Starfleet about his plan to poison the planet. That never sat right with me.

[@gmajor1273]

Dukat is the greatest Star Trek villain of all times. Alamio was brilliant.

[@ConorMaguire-wl6vk]

I completely agree with you. What an actor, what a villain.

[@chonconnor6144]

Dukat was a well written, geniusly acted antagonist. Really wish the character had a better resolution to his arc than "changing species and maniacally worshipping space devils".

[@michaelmalfaro3746]

Being driven insane and mumbling to himself was the best ending they could have given him.

[@bradwolf07]

Gul Dukat was a fascinating character. Capable of greatness and great evil. His view of things were warped, but you could still see where he was coming from. A truly worthy antagonist for the annuls of Trek Lore.

[@sfdebris]

As before, the audio is mostly from the original, sorry about the low quality.

[@Infernal460]

So what would you do if you were named prefect of Bajor by the central command. How would you balance a humane approach with the expectations of the Cardassian high command ?

[@batlin]

One of my favourite characters from any Trek series. Alaimo did a wonderful job, and it would be hard to imagine the character without that convincing swagger and smooth voice.

[@chonconnor6144]

"Benjamin"...you can feel the voice and he projects it in an almost lizard like smoothness.

[@myriadmediamusings]

Ah here we go. This should be safe. And I'll repeat and elaborate on what I said previously. Forget Khan, forget any of the Klingons, forget any of the Romulans, forget the likes of the Borg Queen and Nero that Watchmojo put on their list of best Trek villains for God knows what reason, Gul Dukat has them all beat. At the very least WM recognized Dukat as well and put him on that list.

[@gallendugall8913]

T'Pring. She beat Kirk, Spock, and the whole Vulcan culture. She won.

[@vguyver2]

Well there's your problem, you're watching watchmojo, which is absolute garbage churned out by non-fans for money.

[@wdcain1]

Nero is great in the _Countdown_ comic where it gives him such great nuance but none of that was shown in the movie, which is baffling since both had the same writer.

[@gallendugall8913]

Not so baffling when you consider the director thinks "characterization" and "story" are filler.

[@yusefendure]

Dukat was great but not as nefarious as The Founders or The Vorta or even Section 31 i.e. Agent Sloan who one could argue was just as villainous and sneakier than all of the above. Gul Dukat, of course, never saw himself as evil, and Marc Alaimo never portrayed him that way either.

[@krishenjalali3266]

Dukat -- one of the best things about DS9 (and Trek in general) and one of the most frustrating. There's no question that he was vain, self-centered, and overly ambitious. "Dukat did nothing wrong" is a fun joke, but no honest person can say that he did not commit incredible acts of evil, and his efforts to rationalize them only made them worse. And yet, there was so much to like about him -- intelligent, charming, passionate, and in certain moments you could see the seeds of a better man, an honorable man. I wanted so badly for him to redeem himself, and his turning into a cartoonish villain after "Waltz" was possibly the biggest mistake made on the show. If you've ever read or heard interviews with Marc Alaimo, he knew it was a mistake, and he felt that Dukat could have ended his run on a far more meaningful note. The writers and Alaimo made an antagonist who was too compelling, too complex to hate without reservations, and the writers felt they had no choice but to push him past the point of no return, subtlety be damned. And that is a shame. The sole consolation is that Damar was given the opportunity to grow as a character in Dukat's absence and be a hero at the end, perhaps a nod to what fans hoped Dukat would ultimately become.

[@rayvenkman2087]

The introduction of the Pa Wraths with Dukat being their evil version of Sisko really brought the series downhill in season 7 and less said the half of What You Leave Behind, the better. Waltz should have been his last appearance as his insanity consumes him entirely and leaving him a mad rambler in a mental asylum with his cell being heavily guarded. I pretend the Dukat that appears after that episode is actually possessed by the Pa Wraths and all of his free will taken from him, making him their puppet.

[@FearAnUlaidh]

I say that the guy who appears after Waltz is actually Dukats brother, 'Ducat'

[@DraculaCronqvist]

I weep for Dukat and how they ruined him come Waltz. They had the chance to turn him into a hero, someone who could atone for all his awful deeds, a broken man who got a change of heart. But they wasted it by making him a cartoonish villain.

[@aethertech]

I think we could have had a good redemption arc for Dukat, if only his daughter hadn't died. But, at least we got Garak, and kinda-of-a-redemption arc for Damar (who was the reason for the lack of Dukat's redemption arc.)

[@DraculaCronqvist]

@@aethertech I think it's more a case of them giving Damar a redemption arc because of their unwillingness to give Dukat one.

[@fryfry377]

"He'll look back with hatred.... And that's sad." -"Defiant", season 3. I tend to agree with Chuck's interpretation that Dukat was only afraid that blind hatred is just that, a blindspot, and that subscription to that attitude would make his son a weaker person. Especially when I think of Marc Alaimo's delivery of that line... it seems to fit more with a dad concerned for his son's worth as a person, than with any concern for whom his son might be hating.

[@taliawtf6944]

To Dukat and from his perspective he was the hero of the story which is absolutely needed for any good foil or complex villain.

[@ren17x50]

Really great analysis. He was my favorite villain. Alaimo acted the mess out that role

[@TheWyldehart]

The best antagonists are charming, interesting, multi-faceted and have their own motives. Not all antagonists are villains but all antagonists exert change on the protagonists in their story. The best antagonists are capable of gaining the audience's affection. And Skrain Dukat played with such witty panache by the amazing Marc Alaimo is that kind of antagonist. The Cardassians are what make DS9 so amazing and they're my favorite aliens in the franchise due to their multiple layers and their complexity.

[@All2Meme]

Dukat is one of the best antagonists, if not the best, comparable with Khan in the Original Series and for the same reasons. Both had charismatic, were multi-faceted, were narcissistic, and were the heroes in their own narrative.

[@MechaShadowV2]

I do feel he was a different person, to a degree, mostly that he slowly went insane after his daughter died, all till his death

[@PyroMancer2k]

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the Villain." As you went over in the video Dukat often sees himself in the right and gets frustrated that others don't appreciate his accomplishments and compassionate gestures. However after all his loses he finally snaps as he feels everyone has rejected him yet he still wants acceptance which is why he tries to get Sisko to understand his point of view while in the cave. After his final attempt at understanding and mutual respect fails he abandons any pretense of right and wrong to wholly embrace the might makes right in his attempt for power. Though ironicly for the same reasons that have always driven him, he wants people to acknowledge him and what better way than through unchallenged power. Just like during the occupation he'd effectively have people beaten for their own good and expect praise in return at how soft the beating was, and when he didn't get it he'd beat them more. After he snaps though he is no longer concerned with staying his hand to appear benevolent.

[@the1tigglet]

The federation often forgives but they never forget!

[@HoustonSoto]

I’m currently going through the entire series of Deep Space 9, and I was surprised to learn there are so many fans of the series that believed Dukat had his character assassinated, creatively so to speak, after his ultra “heel turn” when he joined the Dominion. For me, this seemed completely in line with the character that Pillar, Behr, Wolf, and Marc Alaimo had crafted. Complex, yes. Charming, absolutely. But smart. Always cunning. Forever planning. He was always going to make the smart move, as Michael Corleone would say. Great character played by a brilliant actor.

[@Bludvarg]

The best Trek villains were Gul Dukat and Kai Winn, but for very different reasons. Granted, it could be argued that the greatest Trek villain is the position of Admiral, since it seems anybody elevated to that rank that isn't a main character turns evil.

[@tarvoc746]

Evil or stupid, yeah. Then again, Janeway being promoted to Admiral after her return and Picard and Sisko never even getting an offer makes me wonder if it isn't so much that being promoted to Admiral makes you evil and more that the selection process for the position is biased in favor of candidates who are already evil...

[@marna_li]

DS9 had a such complex and multi-facetted story that you don't see in shows today. It portrayed ideas and characters as complex and thus they seemed more realistic.

[@jba2048]

The best villain in all of Star Trek!

[@astrayadventurer4450]

No one's ever really gone.

[@Disthron]

I feel like the writers of ST: Descovery have picked up Dukat's warped perception of the Federation.

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

I think gul dukat was much more than a villain .he is that not so clear line between good and evil. He had a moral code but it's as anything it benefits himself and his people. The disturbing thing about dukat is he really not any different than Sisko both loyal to their people. Both would do whatever it took to defend them. Both leaders and both of them are men off war.

[@vguyver2]

Dukat is what most antagonists in Star Trek should have been, but the problem with them was that they were all villains of the week. Dukat had the benefit of several episode across many seasons. Thus you have various writers giving him various angles of his personality. That's a human thing, no human is one dimensional, and sadly most Trek characters are. This is why I had hoped more characters from the past would come back to grow and become legitimate individuals and not just threats.

[@lexington476]

Love it, One with the Galaxy. Keep up these great videos!

[@animuauntie]

He had this narcissistic need to be loved and respected. Always looking to Kira and eventually Sisko for validation and respect. Most writers would probably expect that to weaken a villain, but it makes him more slimy. The way he expected Bajorans to be grateful for his "kindness" is so telling. To me, that's why the suicide cult episode kind of works for me. The rest of season 7 does kind of hurt to watch though.

[@IloveOtherPplsMsry]

Dukat was never a good man by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn't evil either. (Up until Waltz)

[@astrayadventurer4450]

A good act does not wash out the bad, nor the bad the good. Both should have their own rewards. - Morn

[@wangbot47]

Your channel is under-appreciated

[@KelABN]

Good video, but minor quibble: Dukat’s acceptance of Ziyal’s death was not so much about Cardassian respect for elders or her betrayal of him, rather, Cardassian absolute loyalty to the State. This is why he blames Sisko, and not Damar.

[@jimalop8757]

Dukat was the man. He makes me smile.

[@eugenioconti4688]

Dukat was handled greatly in the show until the episode in which, turned crazy due to his daughter´s death, Sisko calls him the evil incarnate. Poor choice that made him uni-dimensional.

[@NWCountryGirl17]

Cardassians: F--- Kira Nerys Dukat: Believe me I've tried Kira: for years on end

[@Sidragrosm]

He started off as a "common bad guy" and from there, grew more and more complicated, as befits a Proper Adversary. (do note the caps!) His inevitable turn to being "Avatar of the Bajoran Devil(s)" was hardly a surprise. (At that point..? he had nothing, absolutely NOTHING left, but his "Beloved Enemy" The Bajorans, and Their ~Champion~, Captain Sisko.) What the Pah-Wraiths offered at that point, when he was at his lowest, could only be seen by him as providence. Ultimately..? Gul Dukat was very much a dark reflection of both Col. Kira and Capt. Sisko, as a Proper Adversary SHOULD be. (They just handled it piss poorly at the end...)

[@amead78]

The best villain believes that they are the hero.

[@othelo989]

Your still grinding great to see

[@TheMicro4]

3:05 Literally Amen Meritza from Duet. A man who was left filing reports as the executive staff came back covered in blood talking about the horrific things they had just committed, meanwhile he stands by with sheer terror in his eyes and heart because he would be next if he said anything. A man so deeply troubled by what he saw attempted to force Cardassia to admit wrong doing for the Interment camp. Seriously, watch that episode!

[@Lawful_Rebel]

Oh, Dukat.. I hated that bastard 😒 haha. DS9 was a fantastic series..

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

Best Antagonist just 2nd to the AMAZING Kahn Noonien Singh!! And btw, the Federation STEPPED in to prevent more cruelties by the klingons, it was just so late

[@LordBloodraven]

Ah, Gul "Duck-Duck" Dukat. You were a villain I enjoyed to hate, hated to enjoy and I was grateful when you finally went over the damned deep end. The greatest tragedy was that his daughter had him as a father and he overstayed his welcome.

[@trustin.p9504]

Very well done.👍

[@ArcturusMinsk]

Yeah after that trial episode his character went downhill fast. Calling up Kira at 3 am bragging about banging her mom, starting a cult suicide cult and of course the worst on screen romance ever filmed with Kai Winn. Damar on the other hand had a great arc towards the end.

[@rayvenkman2087]

Kira has both the best episode Duet and the worst, either the one with the time travel orb or one where her former comrades are being killed off one by one.

[@rayvenkman2087]

I really pretend the Dukat that appears after Waltz is not really him but simply a physical puppet to carry out the will of the Pa Wraths.

[@Worldtimes1]

@@rayvenkman2087 i think dukat went insane after waltz. He experienced a major psychological episode

[@BradleyJCude]

@@rayvenkman2087 I actually skipped that episode. It could very well be that he became the Pah Wraiths' Emissary at that point. He certainly could have started down that road, at the very least. He didn't need much of a push.

[@rayvenkman2087]

@@BradleyJCude Eh. His broken mind made him an easy host to take over and control.

[@BaconMinion]

Waltz was pure, unadulterated assassination of an amazingly complex and great character.

[@ItsaLaz]

Whoo hoo, glad this was reposted!

[@tomgriffiths2622]

Another great video

[@chilled99]

Hes not just any Cardassian...

[@LukeSchoen]

What ana analysis, BRAVO!

[@captianmorgan7627]

Great stuff.

[@gouki1517]

I have been waiting for this one yes nerd commentary love it.

[@leejohnstone2387]

What makes Dukat such a great villain? He's the mirror opposite to Sisko and sometimes you can't separate the two of them. Sisko ordered biological weapons to be fired into a planet's astomphere possibly killing thousands of members of the Marquis. He's also accessory to 2 murders, 3 if you count the fact he talked Worf into killing Gowron. And even said to Dax it's good being the villain. So who is the villain of DS9? Sisko or Dukat!

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

3 murders your forgetting the forger tolar

[@ReaverLordTonus]

If Dukat had died at the end of Waltz, the remaining seasons would have been vastly different. Terry Farrel was going to leave so her version of Dax would have to be killed off by someone, you couldn't just be another "death by exploding console" moment, not for a character that's been there from the beginning. So if not Dukat to do the deed who, the only remaining villain the audience hated more than him was Kai Winn, and while I have no doubt Louise Fletcher would have been up to the challenge of making Winn as despised as Dukat, it would have to be one hell of a transformation to see her commit cold blooded murder of a main character. Now one way the remaining season(s) story ark could have gone could be Winn suffering a fall from grace after she maybe takes it one step too far in her scheme of the month, perhaps with Dax being the one to discover her plans and Winn crossing the line and killing her. Only when Ezri returns and eventually the memories realign that she figures out it was Winn, Kira naturally would be first to go after her for this latest in a long line of travesties but Winn would escape. In her absence, fueled by rage the Pa Wraths would seek her out and offer her the means for redemption. Her pursuit to release them and crush those refusing to grant her power in favor of those who would could have her assume Dukat's role in some of the episodes he appeared in including her becoming the leader of a cult and her attempt to break down Kira. Now if you want to keep Mark Alamo around, he could always appear as one of the Pa Wraths to Winn, showing that transition of her more willing to embrace something she would have otherwise spent a lifetime hating. I'm curios to see how others would have handled the rest of the series had they killed Dukat off at the end of Waltz.

[@InfernosReaper]

If they wanted to keep Dukat and go the Pa Wraith route, it would have made more sense for them to save Dukat and offer him a chance at revenge in exchange for helping with their plans. They'd been watching him all along and he seemed like the perfect choice to pit against The Sisko. Instead, he just kinda founded a cult for *some* reason that was never really explained or explored adequately and it fell apart over the course 1 episode. Seduced Winn, got blinded, got unblinded, and did this weird betrayal back & forth with Dukat that made no sense. It's like the writers for that plot line didn't have any clue what the hell they were dong

[@arklestudios]

You should write that out and post it on AO3. I'm serious. If my silly little Seven of Sam/Samantha Wildman fluffy romance story can get praise along of the lines "you should've written for the show" something like this could be one of those fics that goes memetic, in a good way.

[@rayvenkman2087]

Had that happened, he would have retained what made him great pre-Waltz and Jadzia's death would have had some meaning other than shock value. Frankly season 7 is so lackluster much like the last few episodes of season 6 in due part to Dukat's depiction and the Pa Wraths themselves.

[@ReaverLordTonus]

Brian Webber AO3?

[@arklestudios]

Archive Of Our Own. It's a fan fiction site (mainly; some art goes up there too, but the vast majority of fan works are fics).

[@CRocketSlim]

Dukat was a terrible person, and notoriously self centered and vain... but at the same time, I have the feeling that if he had any understanding he was such a terrible person, he would have liked to have been a better person, and would have preferred to have operated in a better universe. He didn't set out to be a monster, he just didn't know better.

[@dolomaticus1180]

I would have to say he knew how bad he was, but he felt that the Cardassians would embrace him as a hero. Also remember a better Universe for him was Cardassia ruling over all, forever.

[@mfundonkosi6927]

Simply the best Star Trek villain of all time!

[@wdcain1]

Didn't the DS9 writers originally want Kira and Dukat to become lovers? I've heard of this but both actors vehemently disagreed with it and so they had Dukat become the Anti-Christ in season 7.

[@Misadventures_85]

Yeah, although I don't remember which specific writers were interested in the idea. Of the cast: Nana Visitor was against it. Marc Alaimo was okay with it (it's briefly mentioned in the documentary What We Left Behind)

[@rayvenkman2087]

The Dukat that appears after Waltz is the not the Dukat we see before that episode, he died in spirit thanks to his breakdown and all that's left is a physical husk for the Pa Wraths to use. Using his form as a puppet to carry out their will, making him a slave to their machinations with no way to break free of their control over him as his mind is too fragmented to resist them. I really wish the writers hadn't done what they did with the character in season 7. Would rather they had gone with what Marc wanted for the character instead of the Pa Wraths bollocks we got in the end. What You Leave Behind really starts to suck after the Dominion surrenders and it's largely to do with the Prophets Vs Pa Wraths confrontation. It would have been nice if he had a moment where a mirror is held to his face and he sees the face of a man who had many people killed, a face that he refused to look at until now. I'm not asking for Dukat to repent his crimes and become a goody good but at least have him acknowledged the truth of his acts and admitting Kira was right after all.

[@CareerKnight]

The problem with Dukat in season 7 was ultimately season 7's main problem, that the Pa Wraths sucked. If they had been creative and interesting villains then Dukat's stuff in season 7 would have worked so much better but instead what we got was unimaginative evil for the sake of evil demon stand ins.

[@rayvenkman2087]

@@CareerKnight It's like they caught wind of the existence of the Sith in Star Wars: Episode 1 TPM and decides to have the Pa Wraths be the dark side counterpart to the Prophets' light side. Except the Sith are interesting as a cause because of how they view the world. Kai Winn could have taken Dukat's place as a cult leader and have her be involved in the dark magic of Bajor that's forbidden. She was already becoming a heretic and her fascination with the Pa Wraths would make sense given how she feels about the Prophets at that point. Season 7 had other problems just like TNG's seventh season and the Pa Wraths is just one of them.

[@CareerKnight]

Its more a problem with the direction they decided to take the Prophets in as a whole when they wanted to expand upon them, namely grafting on elements from real world religions to them whether it made sense or not.

[@Vesnicie]

Wow, very insightful review of an unusually complex character. The hippie Federation is great. Maybe that should become their official mouthpiece.

[@markschmitz5038]

Cardassians are the most interesting characters!!

[@steve1978ger]

Awesome job of taking on Dukat's view and denouncing the Federation. I was that close to stand up and declaim "long live Cardassia".

[@kradeiz]

It says something about Dukat that with his daughter dying in his arms, having been gunned down by his subordinate, his final words to her are “I forgive you.”

[@KittSpiken]

Top tier retrospective.

[@cyberninjazero5659]

14:55 You take that back Dark Reign was great

[@arklestudios]

I run into people in Star Trek Online with usernames or ship names alomng the lines of "U.S.S. Dukat Did Nothing Wrong," or "Capt. Dukatdidnothingwrong." I steer clear of those people.

[@nataliedenton1299]

Lmao classic

[@aethertech]

U.S.S. Garak_Never_lies

[@CybershamanX]

Seems like the audio was better in the "bad" upload. :/ Oh, well. Still love me some Chuck insights regardless of the quality! :)

[@Gyrannon]

Tbf, most villains don't see themselves as evil, cause then they have to admit to themselves that they are doing something wrong, unjustified, whereas the rare ones really don't give a crap if they are good or evil, to those types, the ends are always justified by any means they deem necessary. Dukat was the villain who truly believed he was the good guy, and in truth, most people no matter how wrong they are do see themselves as good, even in moments where they think themselves bad in some ways, in most ways they see themselves as good. And if you see yourself as the good guy and someone is actively trying to tear down your views of what is just and what isn't, then your mind, they must be evil. Dukat wasnt the rare kind of villain, he is the kind that saw himself as good & it was his duty to bring Sisko to what he believed was the light. But his biggest downfall is that while he does sometimes admit he was wrong, he never truly believed it. And in truth, many Heroes also do the same thing.

[@Vandalia1998]

Gul Dukut speech about joining the Dominon is something I still remember

[@LordNifty]

14:55 - Uh, yeah, it would be bad if they brought back Norman Osborn after he supposedly died, and included him in way too many stories that not only were bad, but had retcon after retcon that seemed to only have the purpose of ruining previous storylines and characters for the sake of what was now the villain version of a Gary Stu. That would have REALLY sucked; good thing Marvel didn't do that!

[@scratchdog2216]

Change a few names, places, and dates, and it's America's story.

[@erictaylor5462]

11:00 Well, considering that the Capital World of the Federation had a world killing probe show up looking for extinct whales is it any wonder the Federation might want to save the whales, even if they have to go back in time in a stolen space ship to do it?

[@samrizzardi2213]

He had such a strange way of enunciating his speech. After watching the whole series, my students started noticing that I had begun talking like him.

[@thanotosomega]

I like these character pieces, i think it's the same thing that Linkara has, enough intelligence and charisma to sit their and basically give a well thought out opinion with no need for jokes and it's still engaging and entertaining,

[@Azerth]

hmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[@TheGahta]

Dukat and the Cardassians are one of the more wonderful facets of Star trek a hypothetical that lingers far longer then its on screen because it is such a scenario with no real easy "right" answers Sure in the details there is unnecessary cruelty and behaviour running counter to stated intentions but the broad question of "a fox catches a hare, can you really be justified intervening on either side? For both its about survival, destiny placed both where they are, does the grass cry out too when being nibbled?" Star trek has always been about pondering hypotheticals dressed up in outstanding engaging TV for me because it shows that life is a spectrum of gray at its core and good/evil is nothing absolute

[@killwalker]

"Hemmed and Hawed"? Always heard "Hummed and Hawed" around here. Interesting.

[@jamescarter5042]

Every successful movie and TV drama has a great villain. Dukat was that villian,

[@Deailon]

I do not agree he should have died in Waltz or that his presence in further episodes was somehow forced. He was a foil for Sisko from the begining. He lost the war, as he was the adversary, but he decided to take to the another level. After Waltz he just become a foil not to Starfleet officer, but to the Emissary of the Prophets. He keeps his role in the narrative, but tries to become anti-Sisko first as a spiritual leader (he fails specularly) and then as a vessel of Wormhole Aliens (that he succeeds). Waltz is just the moment when he realises the role he wants to play.

[@reyonXIII]

If nothing else, it does highlight the tragedy of what was good about Dukat. That in the end, his completely warped perspective of the universe won out. And that's what makes him a villain. A villain is usually an antagonist, but they can easily switch to being a protagonist if it meets their goals. One of the easiest examples in pop culture: Vegeta until his sacrifice during the Buu Saga. At no point prior to that could he really be heroic, but he was a protagonist because he was working alongside the heroic protagonists. Similarly, I guess it's telling that a lot of people took the arc where we see Dukat's more positive, actually positive, traits working alongside the Sisko and co. as redemption, and we're kinda suckers for that, admittedly. But a villain can still have noble traits without ceasing to be a villain, because villainy is what they choose to do with ALL of their traits, as well as how they reflect on their past actions. And Dukat is clearly unrepentant, and is genuinely confused why people think he should be. Sisko's remark that Dukat is pure evil honestly isn't a disregard for the nuances of Dukat, but rather an observation of the new path Dukat had chosen when he couldn't handle anything outside his twisted view of reality. He's now robbed of his complexity, sure, but perhaps that's the tragedy. And for all intents and purposes, that zombie-ish analogy is apt. He's a zombie, a shell of his former self...because his obsession with victorious validation was stronger even than the man himself.

[@thENDweDIE]

There should be a part 2 about him killing a particular Trill...& when he was a Bajoran...and when he was with that horrible horrible woman!!! Plus other major cornerstones like starting a cult, unlocking god mode, & particularly when he was a blind vagabond on the streets of Bajor...just sayin... Great fucking content though....definitely subscribing... peace and long life brother!!!

[@theonlymatthew.l]

I think the reason Dukat had to live was simple. In the grander story arc you needed a physical person for Sisco to face at the very end. the way the characters were written the only other one that would have made sense would be Kai Winn. Making her the final obstacle that Sisco had to overcome is a bag of worms I doubt any network wants to delve into. While not optimal for Dukat's storyline, that was sacrificed to the greater good of the Series Overarching Storyline

[@Angryibanezguy]

Gul Dukat is NOT a villian, he is an anti-hero there is a huge difference between the two.

[@duderanch18237]

He was an anti hero until Waltz. After Waltz they ruined him and turned him into a villain.

[@Stardust_7273]

This reminds me of the "benevolent slave owner" trope in movies about the Civil War. People will say ridiculous things like "But at least he treated his slaves better than others"... it doesn't matter, he's still a fucking slave owner!

[@ue8472]

Also does anyone know what happened to Dukats first wife when he became ruler of Cardassia ...I think he killed them all..thats y when his daughter died he truly had no family left

[@TerryT420]

Bad guys that honestly believe that they are good guys make the best antagonists.

[@ADADEL1]

Was Dukat good? Not by a long shot. However, he was probably better than most (all?) the alternatives during the occupation. He may have gotten more traction with a "best of a bad deal" line than his normal "I'm a big damn hero" one. So congrats Dukat, you were only occasionally an asshole instead of always being one.

[@DigiRangerScott]

AM I THE PRIMARY ANTAGON?

[@lukeschoen3070]

Is there a double subscribe button ?

[@thENDweDIE]

I can not hear that name without picturing him... ...in a cave...bent over...attempting to mend himself...xD

[@nerminc.1713]

0:31 What cast change?

[@jaqenhghar2970]

Killing off Jadzia and replacing her with Ezri Dax.

[@davidrohde2636]

At the end of the dominion war arc??? The dominion war arc went to the end of the series. The Treaties were not signed until the last episode, 10 minutes before the end of the episode!

[@thegrimmling]

Attention Bajoran workers, your attention please. Your attempt to slander my good name is going to fail. You are valuable workers, and I wish you no harm. However, if you do not retract your untrue statements and return control of this communication channel to your Cardassian supervisors, we will be forced to take action. You have eight minutes to make your decision.

[@jaqenhghar2970]

was this inspired from the episode "Civil Defense"?

[@himynameisben95]

You're absolutely right that Dukat should have died in that episode, he was just sort of there towards the end and the god war thing was a bit unsatisfying. I was disappointed at how they made Dukat EVIL!!! in Waltz, until then I always felt he had genuine plausible deniability and could see things from his (warped) perspective. You saying at the end that Dukat is "one of the great villains of Star Trek" had me taken aback a little because, get this, I almost forgot for a hot minute that this was even Star Trek. I was so engaged and so engrossed in the character and so opinionated about what I thought of him that for a moment Gul Dukat was elevated above Star Trek, above being some TV show villain, and into being something much more. That is the mark of a great character, I think, that Dukat can make me feel so strongly about him, and that I can see him as more than just "The Borg" or "Khan". I can see him as a fully three-dimensional person.

[@himynameisben95]

Also I am LOVING all these comments from other people equally upset as I was that they turned Dukat into a pantomime villain following Waltz. You are my brethren

[@hammond1994]

The fact that Dukat did not die, and complete some fairy tale, literary story arc, is far more realistic. Such people are pathetic and chase after greatness as a dog chases cars, then their relevance wanes, all the while they scream "Look at me!", as their voice fades into obscurity. Remember how a certain Bill O'Rielly swore that he would not simply fade away? But, he did. Watch what happens after Jan 20, 2021. A certain mango tinted man-child will probably still be alive after achieving his greatest height and squandering it. His ego will demand that he try to stay relevant, but the people who cheered him on and whom he fleeced for cash are a fickle bunch and will chase after the next loud mouth with an axe to grind. Does anyone remember the Tea Party? Newt who?

[@christiannewaye7306]

Sfdebris is cardasian spy confirmed! Btw dukat is the best FOIL in all of storytelling

[@jdzencelowcz]

DUKI-WOOKUMS! ^_^ \m/

[@sideshowkazstuff3867]

I honestly like the fact he lived to become the strange and un Dukat like villain. He’s broken by that point and before he might have been capable of redemption now he’s so seriously not its not funny. He’s like the uncle you have that yells at kids on their lawn then gets a head injury and starts trying to shoot them. He became someone else someone not who he was and I think the writers were even going for that.

[@ue8472]

He is the definative megalomaniac...his "humanity" relationships duty and conscious can only accept a world in which he is on top and constantly praised...

[@wdcain1]

I never thought of killing off Dukat in _Waltz_ since that is him at his worse. I guess Adm. Ross would make a good host for the Par Wraiths since he's so desperate to win the war and was shown to be willing to work with Section 31. Maybe the Dominion finds out that Section 31 created the virus so in response they use bio-mutagenic weapons on numerous Federation worlds so in desperation Ross releases the Par Wraiths and Sisko has to not only stop his superior but win the war while bringing peace on Bajor.

[@thisithis]

sfdebris should do a hilarious look at Captain Marcus from Exosquad. Since sfdebris did the review of Exosquad season one and that Captain Marcus is pretty much dead in season two.

[@wakkywabbit5446]

When Dukat and Sisko went over that cliff, did Dukat actually die? It looked like he was turned into ash but the Pah Wraith are all about fire.

[@michaeljenner2325]

I think it was supposed to show that he went to Hell or something close to it. Remember when Sisko asked where Dukat was and the wormhole alien said that he was in his own place? That is taken from The Bible when it said that Judas went to his own place, meaning Hell.

[@dragonstormx]

Dukat had plenty of moments that showed us he was a bad guy from his early appearances. He was arrogant and ambitious. Yet we did see he wasn't interested in evil for its own sake, even if his conceit blinded him to how terrible his own actions were. And even then he had some moments where we could sympathize with him when we got to see his humane side. Watching the show I had started to felt like Sacrifice of Angels should have been his end when I got to it, then I got to Waltz. Comparing him to another popular villain, Walter White, Sacrifice of Angels felt like Dukat's Ozymandias. The moment where his arrogance cost him everything. That seemed to be the point where the arc for his character reached its logical conclusion. After that it feels like there is nothing left that you could do with them that couldn't be done with other villains.