Gul Dukat is Badass

"I'm not just any Cardassian. I'm Gul Dukat!"
I love how Kira's crushing on him at the end and he's like "That's right. I'm a bamf."

[@CharlesUrban]

Sisko wanted to talk to them. Dukat wanted to kill them. The two met halfway, and Dukat talked to them about killing them. Compromise is a beautiful thing.

[@jaythomas3224]

"Meeting halfway" I remember a time when Congress did that

[@justplainducky]

You just won the statement of the week lol

[@garysandiego]

Charles Urban LOL. Well said.

[@thefacelessmen2101]

Especially when it's done at the point of a gun.

[@truethat15]

it's been 2 years bro and you still win the internet for this.

[@jackal59]

One of the writers or producers of DS9 said that, as far as Marc Alaimo was concerned, Dukat was the hero of the show, so he played him that way.

[@striker8961]

Tbh that is exactly the mindset Dukat has about himself so whether he actually believed that or not that’s the way he should’ve been played

[@myrixica4222]

@@striker8961 It's the only way a character of that really works. It really reminds me of Raul Julia's performance as M. Bison in the OG street fighter movie.

[@Mnlight81]

@@striker8961 No lie there, he Dukat thinks he is doing the right thing and acts like what he is doing is justified

[@captainnoob4]

​@myrixica4222 Ra's Al Ghul in almost any version. But I really like Batman the animated series version.

[@charlesw5919]

​@@captainnoob4Agreed. Really liked Liam Neeson' portrayal too. He spoke and acted with absolute conviction. He "KNEW" he was in the right.

[@TheRealmDrifter]

I guess that's what a natural 20 on an Intimidation check looks like.

[@badjokemaker3051]

+TheRealmDrifter He did it like someone who doesn't want to look like a fool. Hours later at home in front of his whife.

[@xxlCortez]

Gul Dukat always has a +19 of his intimidation checks.

[@ephemispriest8069]

Huge circumstance bonus because you know he'd do it. Which is why you pop a bridge or two when they fuck with you.

[@johnbelt5204]

LMFAO! Only a geek would even know what this conversation is about. Long Live Geekdom!

[@Snipergod1024]

Only +19? I get that on some level 4 characters! +30, then we'll talk.

[@andiholman2543]

A masterclass in the difference between respect and fear. When diplomacy failed, Sisko made no attempt to stop Dukat.

[@jakobxr]

Classic good cop, bad cop

[@BijouBakson]

you got that right!

[@aethertech]

"I'm Gul Dukat, commander of You Do Whatever I Tell You To Do."

[@SG14ever]

+aethertech The hell I usually see you in Maximusblack's comments so I got confused...

[@aethertech]

SG14ever Sorry. I'll warn you in advance then. I'm also on AvE, Notser, Might Jingles, Xfactor, Vanoss, Nanners, HISHE, LockLab, Flamu, Diresta, Forgotten Weapons, Brave Wilderness, Clickspring, Wildcat, Chef Steps, Screen Junkies, CinimaSins, atsf, Business6, DIY Perks, ERB, Gordon Ramsey, How it's Made, Sark, Richard Blaine, Hiroukji, Gough Custom, ExESGO, Frankie1080p, Carbot, and a few others. So don't get surprised when you seem e around.

[@SG14ever]

+aethertech Thank you, now my body is ready.

[@MontagZoso]

Yes!!! 😂

[@fubaralakbar6800]

"You have 15 seconds to lower your shields or we'll destroy you." One second later: "10 seconds." Cardassian math. Very simple, very effective : )

[@kristiankepley5944]

2+2=5

[@Ruzaraneh]

@@kristiankepley5944 quik maff...

[@mikehimes7944]

It's an interrogation technique. He says 15, you think you have time to lie or talk your way out of it. He cuts the time to 10 (he always meant 3.) This is a problem because you were crafting a 12 second lie. It will take more than the 2 seconds you really have. You panic and the lie goes out the window. You submit. Counting to 3 seems unreasonable and is too much of an ultimatum, people will just refuse out of defiance. You want them to put down their 'rifle' (defiance) and pick up a 'shovel' (delay) thinking they can gaffe you off and rhetorically entrench themselves. Now they have a shovel, as you attack with a rifle. Shovels get dropped in the face of rifles.

[@irishdc9523]

Excuses do tend to make time fly faster

[@BagBoBonz912]

He knows what works. 😂😂😂

[@davidhenderson3400]

Gul Dukat was pissed off about being lied to. I like the way Sisko just sits there letting him rant and rave at the cargo ship's captain with the look of "you done messed up now" on his face

[@OliverJGibson]

Just you wait until your father, Dukat, gets home!

[@DelilaSloan]

​@OliverJGibson omg thats awesome!

[@nelsonchereta816]

That look from Kira. She hates his guts and he's a monster, but she knows he's damn effective.

[@KH4444444444N]

That was such an adroit observation, and damn accurate. I just now caught that look from Kira to Dukat, and I was like, no way..

[@tatianalyulkin410]

They always are. " Effective " is their middle name!

[@FeministCatwoman]

@@KH4444444444NHe must have let that one look get to his head cause from that day he never once stopped trying to harass her

[@theviking1359]

It also looked like if it wasn’t dukat she might’ve kinda fallen for him ( drunk 1 night stand fallen , not real falling )

[@gruphenio6787]

The facts are that Cardassians are ruthless, devious, xenophobic, and savage. That said, their matched ability, dexterity, intelligence, and confidence makes them able to solve situations where most others can’t. This scene alone perfectly demonstrates this - something I took away from it when I first saw it (30 yrs ago). I personally think that if it wasn’t for the Garak and DuKat characters, DS9 could have easily had flopped. That’s how influential those two were.

[@TheRealNewBlackMusic]

the actor who played dukat was one of the best actors on tv of that time. in fact most of the ds9 cast seemed very Shakespearean or classically trained especially sisko. and don't forget that quark was just as good as all of them. luv the show .

[@remanscimitar]

They all probably learned from the best, Picard (proven you can be a badass and still be Shakespearean)

[@temporaneo617]

many star trek actors used to be theatral actors

[@Foolishpleazure]

His name is Marc Alaimo,and he did one HELL of a job,as Gul Dukat,I agree :)

[@gammaechofoundationproductions]

Agreed! This is just proves that Dukat is THE best written Star Trek villain hands down! He even surpasses Khan, who was in my opinion, very one-dimensional, whereas, Dukat was a fully fleshed out baddie. You can tell that Marc Alaimo was having a ball! :)

[@PrayerDaily]

I feel so deprived too cause at the time this show was at it's pinnacle, I didn't watch it & have only started getting into it now, over 20 years later. Truly the talent these actors brought to their roles is EPIC!!

[@anon1257]

"Stop counting, stop counting!!". God that cracked me up

[@Ohne_Silikone]

anon my son screams the same most of the time... am I doing something wrong as a parent?

[@johnrust592]

The one that got me laughing was Dukat, "I think you can handle it from here."

[@MrSPARTANINVICTA]

@@Ohne_Silikone my daughter does the same

[@stephcrane]

@@Ohne_Silikone : It depends - are you spanking him at the time?

[@Alvan81]

@@Ohne_Silikone Not if you're a Cardassian Parent.😄

[@GameArchiver]

"I'm not just any Cardassian. I'm Gul Dukat, commander of the second order."

[@sarahberkner]

Holder of the Sacred Chalice of... wait that's someone else who strikes fear into the hearts of men.

[@momokochama1844]

@@sarahberkner except Odo, or, does he have a heart??

[@bobthedalek6692]

Gul dukat is one of the most extraordinary character in the Star trek universe, not simply another bad guy or supervillain, but a complex personality

[@MrDibara]

Indeed. He was definitelly a villain through and through, but his complescity almost made us forget that. It's like part of us wishes he could've turned into a good guy, because, DAMN! How awesome would it be to have _that badass_ on our side? Even though there were signs everywhere that that was never going to happen, but such was his character that we created such a hope.

[@igg3937]

Rival only to Q I would say.

[@StarWarsMoments]

A psychopath, stop worshiping lunatics.

[@napoleonsolo5929]

I believe the appropriate phrase is Anti-Villain.

[@FeministCatwoman]

@@napoleonsolo5929Nah Dukat is straight up villain villain.

[@merelycorrect9567]

To be fair, Dukat was counting 'seconds' awfully fast...

[@Kelorel]

+Merely Correct His seconds are the only ones that matter.

[@merelycorrect9567]

Kelorel Then, he is a TRUE Cardassian ... lol : )

[@Inthatgoodway]

cardassian seconds? lol

[@lazyperfectionist1]

+Merely Correct Dukat loves him some seconds.

[@skynetprime82]

he was cheating lol

[@spaxspore]

Back when Gul Dukat was a grey character. I hated the turn they took with him in season 7. I always liked him in shades of grey rather than solid black.

[@benjaminatkinson9845]

Agreed

[@jerryofox]

They had to set up the "turn" of Damar.

[@thcollegestudent]

I feel like the bumping of heads between clearly good people and grey characters was what made this series so compelling...up until they made some "interesting changes."

[@BenjaminWirtz]

Well Garak really become the morally ambiguous character.

[@AP-ok9rs]

Gerald Bauer i thought they did damar wrong in season 7 with the way he died...

[@theindooroutdoorsman]

Cardassians as a whole made DS9 amazing. Like the series was written specifically for them. I love it.

[@rowlandbuck2703]

The cardassians made it amazing. The Klingons, the ferengi. Wish the romulans would have gotten some more love.

[@Chevroletcelebrity]

​@@rowlandbuck2703yeah want to love on some romulans don't you 🤨

[@sithsmasher7685]

One of the best characters in DS9 imo. Shit always got hairy with Dukat around; never boring. His sarcasm was often spot on, like Garak's.

[@PetersaberHD]

+Sith Smasher true. It's such a shame what the writers did to him after his daughter's death. He went from awesome character to 2D evil laughing cliche

[@AlexQuill63]

I think my favourite Dukat appearance was in the episode where they accidentally trigger an emergency uprising subroutine and nearly destroy the station - they're under fire from phaser turrets in the replicators while the station reactor is going critical, Dukat shows up and is just standing in the doorway of the room throwing shade at everyone within earshot as though everything is normal.

[@BlazingOwnager]

While rare, Dukat vs Garak dialogue scenes were absolute peak DS9

[@owlsayssouth]

"For you, the day Gul Dukat came to your village, it was the most important day of your life. But to me, it was tuesday." - Gul Dukat probably

[@sumanadasawijayapala5372]

@@AlexQuill63 He casually orders tea from the replicator while it's shooting at everyone!🤣🤣🤣

[@btly-wing6531]

+20 Renegade Commander Shepard could take some cues from Dukat.

[@borgduck]

Sometimes being a mass murderer has its advantages.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

borgduck because they know you will hold true to your threats. That is why there are many situations where they doubt good people doing bad things.

[@jonothandoeser]

Breaking Bad

[@StarWarsMoments]

And people like you are why they keep getting away with it.

[@VertigoX26]

I like how Sisko was actually smiling as he turned back. "Sh*t, I wanted to do that!"

[@xanaminx]

I wish Dukat had been availble for more episodes. He's so awesome.

[@terrymasters1176]

I absolutely love Gul Dukat. He is the deepest and most interesting character in the entire Star Trek franchise.

[@kickass21ful]

And Sisko just smirks like, "Well, that was certainly effective..." as Dukat retakes his seat. xD

[@adrianthomas4163]

+Michael Haggerty The smirk of respect.

[@kickass21ful]

Not sure how much respect there was, considering who we're talking about, but...gotta give it to him, Dukat knew how to get shit done. Lol.

[@adrianthomas4163]

+Michael Haggerty just in that moment.

[@merelycorrect9567]

+Michael Haggerty Sisko doesn't really have a moral high ground to stand on, considering he later deliberately used bio-weapons to make planets uninhabitable for in excess of fifty years.

[@kickass21ful]

Eh, to be fair...he DID warn the Maquis that he was going to use them, whereas the Maquis weren't giving the Cardassians the same courtesy. Whether they chose to not believe him or not was their own fault. Still think he was more morally just than the Maquis OR Cardassians were in that respect.

[@CliventheTraveller]

Apparently ST's Second Order is more effective than SW's First Order. By an Order of magnitude, and of attitude.

[@DraculaCronqvist]

+CliventheTraveller Stark Trek is a visionary show depicting characters in a realistic light, questioning the nature of morals and philosophy. Star Wars is a space opera of action and violence. While certainly fun and blood-pumping, Star Wars is nowhere near Star Trek's philosophical approach - unless you count the, now non-canon, game of Knights of the Old Republic 2, which was on-par with Star Trek's best.

[@EinsiJo]

+DraculaCronqvist You mean "Star Trek WAS" *Sighs. Shakes fist at Roberto Orci*

[@HamanKarn567]

+CliventheTraveller As much as I like Star Wars I think Gul Dukat would wipe out the first order of Star Wars.

[@DraculaCronqvist]

+EinsiJo Well yes, now that both Trek and Wars are dead, this all becomes a much more bitter pill to swallow.

[@PrayerDaily]

yes, he certainly would!

[@phuturephunk]

Mark Alaimo played this character so well. He was perfect for it.

[@CrossoverFan4life]

Dukat is the best Star Trek Villain and like Garak he is an awesome character for this show Cardassians for the win

[@austinboylan5476]

CrossoverFan4life Plus Damar. Triple whammy.

[@meris8486]

All of the named Cardassians are amazing

[@Meton2526]

I wish they had their own spinoff series. They could call it "Star Trek: Keeping up with the Cardassians."

[@ephemispriest8069]

Plus Zee... Zie... however you spell her name. Dukats daughter.

[@barahng]

CrossoverFan4life Dukat's actor appears in an episode of TNG, if I recall.

[@ssn708]

"Yes, we experimented with reality TV as a form of torture. Of course, we spelled 'Cardassian' a little differently back then."

[@All2Meme]

ssn708 You just made my day... XD

[@Sirithil]

To be fair, Keeping Up with the Cardassians is a show I'd totally watch.

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

@@Sirithil I think they have parody t-shirts about that.

[@MrDibara]

@@trygveplaustrum4634 I don't doubt it. 😆

[@chrisinstasis7986]

This joke is five years and I've seen it for the first time seconds ago. BOOM! still good.

[@philiphunn194]

Gul Dukat is the best Trek villain ever, without a doubt. So many layers of evil, all wrapped up in his belief that he was the best thing to ever happen to Cardassia.

[@brianjones8899]

My child, he was only the 2nd best. Kai Winn was the greatest in all of television. But seriously, he was the best. He made us like him even though we knew he was the bad guy.

[@lyinarbaeldeth2456]

His belief that he was the best thing to happen to Cardassia *and* Bajor

[@warrenpeas]

well is Q a villian?

[@momokochama1844]

@@warrenpeas difficult. in the first few appearances maybe, but later he was more a antagonist/nuisance. not to forget, a hard teacher - despite the loss of life, the wakeup call meeting the borg was necessary. "You just don't get it, do you, Jean-Luc? The trial never ends. We wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did." ""If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid." and lets not forget the times when he had the hots for "aunt cathy" 😆🖖

[@warrenpeas]

@@momokochama1844 definitely a villain to me. If guinan stabs you in the hand with a fork you are a villain 😂

[@Calinks]

Dukat is my favorite Trek villain!

[@songokulul]

the best

[@Arnoudbr]

My favorite Character!

[@SpydeyDan]

Shame about season 7.

[@teenspirit1]

He's a villain?

[@Arnoudbr]

Good stories need good vilains ...

[@adriand817]

Sisko was still maturing in his new command position at the time. Also he spent several years away from being on a starship. I believe he also learned from this episode from Dukat and Cal Hudson, it made him colder and tougher which helped him in his future interactions with the Dominion, Klingons & Dukat later on. On an acting point, later on after this he brought some of that Hawk character into his Sisko character as well, which was needed too.

[@Warmaker01]

The best part of this scene was Dukat's smugness at the end.

[@TerraSapien]

but it coulda been played really ham-fisted. Instead, Alaimo plays Dukat as respecting Sisko but KNOWING he knows the right way to handle this and has an advantage being a Cardassian of his rank. And at the end, I honestly don’t really see smugness. I see someone with the exact right skillset for the situation being shut out of a leadership role, and feeling validated to be able to prove his worth. He was proud of himself, but I always saw him more nuanced than just smug. He played at zero modesty about his skills, but he enjoyed being among other top tier people as well. I think Dukat was collaborative, he just was mystified when people would not give him his due, or judged him “unfairly.” This scene is brilliant bc he defers to Sisko, in a way, by modifying his idea. But as an equal, he steps in and solves the problem that Sisko is kinda getting nowhere with. And at the end, he and Sisko genuinely smile at each other, Sisko’s not even mad, he’s like “nice job!” That’s why I wish they would have kept him more of a nuanced villain. He and Sisko had a GREAT dynamic.

[@ajalbetjr]

Wowwww dayummmm!! Gotta give Gul his props, he owned EVERYBODY in this scene, Sisko included!!

[@pottaishi8679]

Alright so I know it's been 3 years, but in that time you have realised that Gul is a rank and not a name, right?

[@SkawarsXE]

@@pottaishi8679 I know it's been two years but just have to say this made me laugh

[@krisaaron5771]

@@pottaishi8679 Did we ever learn what his personal name is?

[@Tigerman1138]

I doubt any wouldn't understand if you watched it 9 times. This scene is SO AWESOME! I love Dukat's complete confidence...nothing is going to stop him. The scene at 2:46 seems to have Sisko thinking, "Boy! I'm glad you're on our side." Then as the moment ends at 2:54 he's thinking, "Boy am I *glad* you're on our side."

[@no1reallycaresabout2]

1:01 - "I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko of the United Federation of Planets"....I always love how Avery Brooks read off that line with so much eminence

[@austinboylan5476]

no1reallycaresabout2 I don't really think he said with anymore gravitas or confidence than Shatner, Stewart or Mulgrew.

[@brendansmith5529]

Austin Boylan nah but it just sounds smooth as fuck

[@meris8486]

Emissarys tend to have allot of eminence :)

[@BenjiQ575]

Can't speak to Shatner, but Picard > Sisko > Janeway

[@nagihangot6133]

Yeah...........

[@tystratton-quirk9859]

I don't think I've ever seen anything as terrifying as a Cardassian smiling...

[@PurpleHelmetAvenger]

images.sodahead.com/polls/003829747/2044462768_p180bhl1851hle184grsed83j86_answer_3_xlarge.jpeg

[@tystratton-quirk9859]

Okay, a smiling Kardashian definitely qualifies. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight...

[@lesastefan9663]

There's nothing as menacing as a Cardassian smile, and Gul Dukat uses it to flex the power his position wields.

[@TerraSapien]

I would say his sexiness is terrifying. Like literally terrifying to Kira as the show progresses, he charms her so hard that she constantly has to overcompensate!

[@Panthro-lo2lh]

If only he had a mic to drop

[@teenspirit1]

Or a life to thug

[@MontagZoso]

I know, right? 😂

[@Torthrodhel]

Computer, drop mic.

[@horrorfan117]

This is Star Trek. Their equivalent is saying “End Transmission”.

[@WilHiteWarrior]

I always loved it when Dukat helped them

[@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg]

Dukat is easily one of the top five characters in Trek history, and by far the best villain ever.

[@TerraSapien]

easily agree

[@KnobKraft]

He was a hero. And the bajorans never erected a single statue in his honor.

[@theylivewesleep.5139]

Yeah. It’s a shame that they dragged him through the mud in the final season.

[@jamainegardner4193]

​@@theylivewesleep.5139 Today i learned becoming more powerful than a Q is "getting dragged through the mud".

[@theylivewesleep.5139]

@@jamainegardner4193 turning a good character into a cheap dragon ball z villain is indeed dragging him through the mud. One might even describe it as character assassination.

[@davidlindsay131]

I'M not just ANY Cardassian, I'm Gul DUKAT!

[@tarrker]

This is why I loved this show. It portrayed morality in shades of gray rather than the black and white we're used to seeing. Say what you will about brutal authoritarianism but, you have to agree, it can get swift results.

[@saquist]

you people and your "shades of grey" such false compelling drama.

[@PetersaberHD]

saquist It's real. Gul Dukat from episodes before his daughter's death was one of the best TV villains I've seen thus far. He successfully avoids almost all cliches and tropes. Too bad he goes way downhill once he commits to the Wraiths

[@saquist]

PetersaberHD He's listed under Affably Evil, with most Cardassians.

[@PetersaberHD]

saquist please tell me you didn't go to TV Tropes :P they make shit up for everything ever

[@saquist]

It is what it is.

[@kevinjasper6620]

Love the smirk from Dukat !

[@yusefendure]

Power, command and authority. Marc Alaimo just gave an acting clinic for all to see!

[@StarWarsMoments]

Acting like a psychopath and getting internet dweebs to follow, 101.

[@777Temida]

I love Alaimo voice, when Dukat says that will destroy the Xepolite freighter and when counting, it sent chills down my spine! and now try to imagine that in many countries it's dubbed!!! thankfully in my country we hve lector so I can hear his wonderful voice in the background :*

[@juliusdaviesd]

Gul Dukat, was one of the best cast characters in all of star trek, possibly all of television. You can never tell where the person ends and the character begins, seamless! He even makes Garak look pedestrian, and Garak was a brilliant revelation in his own right!

[@FekLeyrTarg]

I wonder if Dukat would win a duel with the giant hogweed. ;-) (I also love listening to Progrock-Era Genesis)

[@BlazingOwnager]

Because in the end Garak was sincere and would have, gladly, gotten himself killed to save Cardassia.

[@Jetman86]

No one is better then garak sorry

[@ramibaghdadi1255]

Dukat the villain, Garak the anti-hero made for a great series. Garak was a true Cardassian patriot who cared about his people who understood right away how terrible it would be for them to be living under the thumb of the Dominion. It took Damar quite a long time to realize this (and millions of dead Cardassians in the war), but eventually he did. Garak was brave and would do whatever it took to defeat the Dominion, that including murdering Vreenak. Dukat on the other hand was selfish, a complete coward, a collaborator who sold out his people for power among many other things that made him completely irredeemable from the start. Yes he was intelligent, charming and a great speaker and actor but when you dig deep and see him for who he really is, it's just complete, true evil.

[@ramibaghdadi1255]

@@BlazingOwnager yes as would Damar, which of course that did happen. He might have been a lackey but unlike Dukat he truly did care about his people which is the reason he was redeemable and changed his bigoted/racist views towards Bajorans.

[@joemasters2270]

Keeping Up w/ the Cardassians

[@Enkarashaddam]

its like keeping up with the kardashians... but with more ass

[@lorzon]

Grief is powerful. For someone who loved his daughter as much as Dukat did, becoming a "whacked out madman" is a real possibility. People have gone from "normal" to "whacked out madman" for less plausible reasons in real life.

[@JohanBrodd]

Gul Dukat is definitely my favorite character from DS9.

[@Gmon750]

The actor playing Dukat also played the first Romulan Captain when the Romulans first came back on TNG. "We are back". He is an incredible actor and his characters are both intimidating and in-control. Amazing acting.

[@loisjeanwilliams]

The only time I felt like crying for Gul Dukat was when he was his murdered daughter Ziyal in his arms. Man that scene was heartbreaking! And you can see how Dude just broke to pieces from the inside.

[@SidNightWalker]

One of my favorite villains ever. To both love and hate.

[@pjposullivan]

2:59 The smile knowing that you did a good job, and that your time was well spent.

[@SRT480]

Great character. Sometimes when you need results it take a person who is unyielding.

[@LordTalax]

Yep instead of the wishy-washy federation peaceniks.

[@SRT480]

Sir just calm down and hug a tree. :)

[@GooglyEyedJoe]

That's how you get things done!

[@rade-blunner7824]

01:18 - Dukat getting impatient in the background, lol

[@Kehvan]

Well, that's why the Cardassians got all the cards.

[@VVeremoose]

+kehvan you win, sir.

[@Haukipesukone]

Hehe heh hehe

[@Blundabus1337]

2:43 I love how Gul Dukat visually asserts his dominance over Sisko. That smug smile while he looks up to him. People always say how badass sisko is, but he will never be on Dukat's level.

[@sdegroot1]

Did you see how Kira turned away abruptly at the end. You know she was getting turned on and didn't want El Duko to notice. lol

[@DouglasZwick]

He caught her mirin

[@skynetprime82]

ikr lol

[@sdegroot1]

It would have been hilarious if Dukat winked at Kira before she turned away. lol

[@skynetprime82]

that would've been epic :)

[@HeaanLasai]

May have been out of cultural respect. Cardassians have an extremely hierarchic culture, and mindset. A non-Cardassian holding eye contact with a high ranking Cardassian might have sent him into a rage fit. It may also have been mistrust. Gul has often made apparently compassionate or helpful things only to later reveal them to have been part of an overly complicated manipulation scheme.

[@stoneddom]

Lord Tywin vs Gul Dukat? I dunno.. someone is getting bent over.

[@MegaPurplekat]

Brilliant! I would pay good money to see Tywin and Dukat go at it as opposing commanders. I'd watch the shit out of multiple seasons of that smooth voiced intellectual tactical scheming.

[@jaqenhghar2970]

strange how both characters are dead.

[@MrDibara]

One thing is certain, both would at least respect each other's capabilities. *At least.* But, knowing both characters, expect a lot of plotting behind the backs and passive-agressiveness between the both. _(hmmm... tasty)_

[@Reingur]

...I am not just any Cardassian - I am Gul Dukat....

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Keeping up with the Cardassians.

[@gruphenio6787]

Yeah - this scene is vintage Dukat in action (I’m glad that others recognise it enough to post it)! 👍🏼⭐️ I like the way Kira gives him a look of instant respect after his speech! 😆

[@DTSephiroth]

Vote Gul Dukat for President in 2016. He'll get shit done!

[@bdougwrx]

Missionary of the Adepta Sororitas Print up a shirt and I'd buy it!!!!

[@DTSephiroth]

bdougwrx I totally should.

[@AntimatterSemen]

Missionary of the Adepta Sororitas Yes! I would love to see a president with the balls to say that to America's enemies.

[@thelongroad9750]

+Missionary of the Adepta Sororitas I dont think he was talking about all Americans as I agree with the both of you.

[@sjoerd5629]

+Missionary of the Adepta Sororitas Not a good idea; he'll turn you over to the Dominion. He did it to his own people, he'll do it to you too.

[@GeneralLotz]

I wonder......could Sisko have become so badass because he learned from Dukat?

[@bobojo37]

I always got that impression, but I watched DS9 piecemeal.

[@NorthForkFisherman]

GeneralLotz He had to get to his version of "Riker's Beard" - "The Shaved Head of Awesome"

[@FreedomZealot]

NorthForkFisherman He got in touch with his inner Hawk.

[@NorthForkFisherman]

FreedomZealot Damn, if he would've rocked the shades and that leather trenchcoat during DS9 the spoonheads would've folded up in a New York minute.

[@InfernosReaper]

Nah, the badassery of The Sisko predates meeting Dukat. This man lost his wife and immediately started designing a ship in his head specifically to kill the Borg.

[@3adgamd3r]

Dukat rolled a nat 20 on intimidation right there lmao

[@Arnoudbr]

"I am Gul Dukat commander of Second Order"

[@TheRealVolk]

A great example of the tactic of Good Cop Bad Cop.

[@mikeh7917]

I'm not just any Cardassian.

[@ramibaghdadi1255]

That shows his belief in his own superiority and arrogance and would hate that someone viewed him as an equal to others.

[@daverage4729]

Love that little smirk Dukat gives Sisko at 2.49. :)

[@CaravanseraiSouthValley]

This HAD to be a key moment for Sisko. The first of many realizations that the UFP’s moral high ground alone wasn’t enough to get the job done. That moralism failed him and his crew at Worf-359 and he wasn’t about to jump in ‘willy-nilly’ with the tough guy behavior. Dukat had his part in teaching Sisko to Sisko. I gotta rewatch this series.

[@misterRDF]

Loved that I could still recognize Michael Bell's voice when this came out - one of the voices of my childhood. :)

[@calvingmail]

Initially Dukat was an anti hero and later they made him completely full villain

[@digital_gravity]

Dukat was never an anti-hero. He was a horrible slave driver who worked many Bajorans to their death.

[@ramibaghdadi1255]

He was never an anti-hero, probably just after he became prefect he despised the Bajorans and wishes he killed them all. The thing is he was a complete coward on the inside who tried to bury this secret in his mind for years until he finally admitted it to himself. Yes on the surface he was intelligent, charming, a great speaker and actor who had the ability to hoodwink people into thinking he really cared about them when obviously he didn't. He despised Bajorans precisely because they didn't love him, didn't worship him as their messiah the way the did Sisko. Due to his selfish arrogance and belief in his own superiority he needs his subjects to love him. Every moment he lived in absolute fear of Bajorans and anyone else he saw as a threat to his power (that includes Garak). He feared them because no matter how many people he killed he was always paranoid looking for the one person, one day who could kill him. There were numerous assassination attempts against him. Because of his fear that lead to anger, hatred, bigotry/racism, killing and genocide. Same thing applies to the Female Changeling, it started with deep fear of Damar's Cardassian uprising because she correctly surmised it would cause the Dominion to lose the war; she didn't fear Gowron's Klingon attacks.

[@RicardoSantos-oz3uj]

Villian or hero depends on the side. The hero of one side is more often than not the villian for the other side.

[@Tremmer1980]

Outstanding! Even the major was impressed

[@saintofselhurst]

"I'm not just any Cardassian." Fuck. Me. Running. That gave me chills

[@nameless-user]

That's... one hell of a bargaining chip.

[@teufeldritch]

Kira looks so good with that style of haircut. Mmmm mmmm mmmm!!

[@issaccody1161]

Can't get characters like Dukat in Discovery or Picard, what a masterpiece DS9 was and is

[@sarahberkner]

People seem to like Captain Shaw on Picard, personally I think he's too snarky. I didn't watch the show just clips but the consensus was Picard season 3 was way better than 1 or 2.

[@Chevalier_knight]

Picard season 3 felt like old star trek because there was a mystery to be solved you could tell they got some real writer's onboard

[@DelilaSloan]

I love how sisko doenst take his eyes off of the screen the whole time dukat is giving orders and counting....the bored look on siskos face is perfect.

[@fryfry377]

1:22 I love how Dukat is visibly impatient back their while Sisko is asking "please, pwetty pwease let us come on board your ship." XD Not saying Sisko is weak; it's just that that is how it must have seemed to Dukat.

[@TerraSapien]

lol yeah, I never noticed before, you can hear him think “This is getting us NOWHERE!”

[@LordTalax]

Starfleet is rather soft.

[@DblOSmith]

I've seen this clip 1000 times, and I just noticed it this time too. Awesome.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Sisko is just a mouthpiece of the Federation, and with that bringing its weakness in a critical moment where it would harm their interests big time. Dukat, meanwhile, does whatever is necessary to accomplish the job so he can go home knowing he succeeded. Sisko's viewpoint did change during the Dominion war though, we saw him doing things that he would never think of doing in this episode.

[@slashandbones13]

to go up against the sisko and gul dukat would be suicidial

[@redpillfreedom6692]

Sisko and Dukat playing Good Cop/Bad Cop

[@rogerwilco2]

The three main Cardassians on this show are all badass.

[@lordlossize]

"out of my way, let a real leader handle this!"

[@matthewvalenti1348]

A real leader who was a mass murderer and a psycho.

[@lordlossize]

Matthew Valenti but could still maintain a high level of pragmatism and badassery

[@matthewvalenti1348]

If you want pragmatism you want to see Garak. Like he said, "I always hope for the best; personal experience, however, has taught me to expect the worst."

[@lordlossize]

Matthew Valenti of course. its my favorite line, and a motto that i live by. but while garak is good in the sense that he is pragmatic, a little eccentric and articulate, dukat is pragmatic, tactical, cunning, sneaky, and at least he doesnt cheat, unlike some other captains in the federation, particularly ones with names beginning with S

[@matthewvalenti1348]

How did Sisko "cheat?" Are you referring to "In The Pale Moonlight?" Because while the ship wasn't supposed to be blown up, it's completely true that one senator, a conscience and such is worth sacrificing for the entire quadrant. Besides, "cheating" as you so put it is a common war tactic.

[@shaundis2117]

thats Micheal Bell , anyone who watched transformers or gi-joe in the 80`s should know that voice , or gropelor zorn for that matter

[@Wolfman71691]

He was also Drew Pickles in Rugrats and Quakerjack in Darkwing duck

[@krisztianrozman7597]

Wolfman71691 and Raziel

[@ramcsingh]

Gul Dukat was portrayed by Marc Alaimo, not Michael Bell.

[@krisztianrozman7597]

Ram Singh I know but Mchael Bell is Raziel :P

[@delavalmilker]

Every once in awhile DS9 toned-down the technobabble and "let's all be friends" talk and gave the actors and viewers kick-ass scenes like this one.

[@70pigman]

You know Gul Dukat just loves the fact that he can do that.

[@ronyncato7206]

Those com systems have really good cinematography and tracking... :P

[@power2084]

Exactly what I thought !

[@kdrapertrucker]

Yeah, not a lense flare to be seen. Nice to see star trek with professional cinematography. J.J. Abrams could learn a lot about making productions from this.

[@TheDemoTube]

Wow, they have a director handling the cameras on cargo ships? Nice camera path/zooming going on there. ;)

[@marks47]

TheDemoTube Not sure if you've noticed, yet, but cameras in our phones (and others) have been able to track faces for a while now... DS9 is 2370-something, so I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and not call it a blooper or oversight that their view-screen camera might be set to "intelligently" track the alien captain. :)

[@OuroborosChoked]

Yeah, and Michael Eddington had a holographic communicator - something that was cutting-edge technology in DS9 - in his Maquis cave dwelling...

[@tofu6465]

Yeah but in a society where all that tech can be printed with a blueprint. Its not that hard to beleive.

[@RoryMag]

If the camera is equipped with face tracking technology or something similar then what are the criteria for the tracking. Its not keeping his face centered nor at a constant distance, it varies constantly, so unless their face tracking software has a "cinematic" mode, this dude has a director and cameraman on his cargo ship.

[@Anchyml]

Maybe it has a sort of "negotiations" mode where it allows him to move around and stuff or maybe he pre-programmed his camera with this movement so he can impress people in video trasmissions, but no one notices...

[@FreedomCompatriots]

The alien captain is none other than Michael Bell who voiced 'Duke' from the 1980s G.I.Joe series!

[@tatianalyulkin410]

Evil is nothing if not effective.

[@NetherlandsFirst]

Dukat was a good character. Such a shame the writers eventually killed him completely by making him contradict himself so often. In the end, he said he wanted to kill all Bajorans and that he should've done that long ago, which is idiotic. He had a Bajoran wife, and Kira's mother was his girlfriend for a while. He cried at his wife's tomb and Kira saw it. And one moment he leaves his daughter on DS9 to die, but in a later episode he suddenly loves her again and says he 'overreacted'. And just like that, Ziyal just accepts that explanation! Nonsense. There was also an episode in which he was acting insane to Kira (way before he literally went insane). Then the next episode he and Kira sit next to each other on a sofa looking at Ziyal's art and getting along fairly well. Later he's even being nice to Kira and acting like he doesn't know why she doesn't want to be around him. Yeah, that previous episode must not have happened... right. And then he sides with the Pah-wraiths, who apparently want to kill everybody on Bajor. So... Dukat suddenly condones genocide now. This weirdness from the first few seasons to the last just devalues his whole story. And then there's the fact that ST DS9 started basically calling the Prophets gods and agreeing to everything they say, believing they need to follow their path... dafuq. What happened to rationality?

[@tobiaswalker7562]

Not a bad bit of character dynamic on your part, indeed I can't disagree with it. I will say that much of Dukat's actions with the Pai Wraith did feel contrived and forced. He was much more interesting as an opposing commander than a personification of evil.

[@NetherlandsFirst]

Tobias Walker True! I certainly hoped for him to grow more into the role of antihero. From the start of the series, he actually showed himself to be a caring person, even if 'straight to the point'. His devolution into an evil character just made his acts in the beginning of the show lose value, IMO. Nice to hear somebody agrees.

[@stareyedwitch]

***** You're right about Dukat, his evolution made sense. He always was an egomaniac and an opportunist. That doesn't mean he didn't love Ziyal, or his Bajoran mistresses. At the end he went crazy because he'd lost everything, his family when he went on the run, Ziyal when she died and eventually his power and the respect of those around him. His power seeking remained part of his character, but he lost everything he cared about and thus his restrained. When you think about it, he's the most tragic character of all of them. What made DS9 so great was that though they while over the seasons, everyone remained true to the core of their character. No one made a complete personality change, which makes sense because life doesn't work that way. Even Damar, he was a patriot through and through, and so was Garak, they just showed it differently.

[@karamanid]

Well he went crazy after losing his daughter

[@phuturephunk]

He was a classic psychopath. Like classic. There was to be no redemption for him and he would lose everything in the process, which he did. Thing is, Mark Alaimo played him with such skill and charisma that you couldn't help but find him magnetic....which is exactly what you need when portraying a classic psychopath.

[@skynetprime82]

oh yeah, major kira got turned on lol

[@cougarhunter33]

sploosh

[@vicvector7878]

Yep,kiera had some serious internal conflict happening there xD

[@darksim1930]

She's much too busy trying to save Bajor to be impressed with his incessant posturing! And even if she weren't, she has much better taste than to be attracted to him! A married man!

[@gaelleb5099]

@@darksim1930 I just saw that episode haha such an amazing scene

[@antoniowakardo7280]

@@gaelleb5099 it's the only one that I thought it was out of character from Garak to say something like this, it almost sounded like Garak was jealous of him. It's so uncharacteristic of Garak to be jealous.

[@wrestlingconnoisseur]

O'Brien: They obviously value their privacy. Sisko: Chief, it's pronounced pry-vacy.

[@davecrupel2817]

Mr. Dukat? Remind me never to piss you off

[@marvinz.martian2267]

Sometimes a little fascism just gets the job done so much easier.

[@censorduck]

+marvin z. martian Fascism might be evil, but damn can it be sexy.

[@RandomGuy33369]

@@censorduck word

[@songokulul]

Based

[@EricTheActor805]

You clearly don't know what Fascism is

[@DarkPegasus87]

It's more about intellect than fascism. Cardassians pride themselves on their knowledge like Ferengi pride themselves on their ability to gain profit. Dukat gauged exactly who the man was and how to cow him. No force was actually needed. He just knew how to play his cards right.

[@rdormer]

I notice that Cardassian seconds are a lot shorter than human seconds...

[@LadyMinaMasters]

I watch this 8 times today.

[@Dawess1000]

This was such a great show!!

[@JenJarMeg]

That was awesome. Go DuKat!👍🏽

[@CrowdfundbuzzCom]

And that's how shit gets done!

[@noahpartic7586]

It takes a stick & a carrot to drive a mule. Dukat was The Stick, Sisko The Carrot.

[@Mike-jl2kp]

Gul Dukat should have been brought to all Negotiations

[@JohnNavarro271]

It was a real shame when they decided to change Dukat from being a charismatic and imposing villain, to being a washed up crazy guy. Dukat had more command presence than Sisko, Martok or anyone else on the show. After they turned him crazy, he seemed like he was just as confused about what he was doing there as Worf and Jake were.

[@ReZerO100]

ohhh but that mental breakdown Dukat had to get him to full on crazy was such an epic scene/episode. id say worth it.