The Case For Gul Dukat

What is the recipe for a great villain? The ingredients are more simple than you think. Watch the video to see how Gul Dukat typifies great villainy [Massive DS9 Spoilers].
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Video
Ties Of Blood And Water, DS9, 1997
Batman, 1991
Skyfall, 2012
Liars, Guns and Money (Part 3); Plan B, Farscape, 2000
The Mummy Returns, 2001
Die Hard, 1988
Batman & Robin, 1997
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, 1991
Silence Of The Lambs, 1991
Mission: Impossible II, 2000
Last Action Hero, 1993
No Country For Old Men, 2007
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, 2010
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, 2002
Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004
Tom Hiddleston Interview - Is Loki Really Evil? - Thor The Dark World Premiere, Red Carpet News TV KZbin Channel, 2013: bit.ly/1KPFhE2
Thor, 2011
Footage of Birmingham, Alabama, taken by video author, 2015
Race For A Life, 1913
Gangs Of New York, 2002
Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge Of The Sith, 2005
The Maquis, Part II, DS9, 1994
The Changing Face Of Evil, DS9, 1999
Tears Of The Prophets, DS9, 1998
Sacrifice Of Angels, DS9, 1997
Indiscretion, DS9, 1995
Waltz, DS9, 1998
Return To Grace, DS9, 1996
Defiant, DS9, 1994
Shadows And Symbols, DS9, 1998
Image In The Sand, DS9, 1998
What You Leave Behind, DS9, 1999
Emissary, DS9, 1993
Rapture, DS9, 1996
Necessary Evil, DS9, 1993
In The Hands Of The Prophets, DS9, 1993
The Maquis, Part I, DS9, 1994
In The Pale Moonlight, DS9, 1998
Things Past, DS9, 1996
By Inferno’s Light, DS9, 1997
Return To Grace, DS9, 1996
Civil Defense, DS9, 1994
Covenant, DS9, 1998
Chain Of Command Part 2, TNG, 1992
Ensign Ro, TNG, 1991
What You Leave Behind, DS9, 1999
The Dogs Of War, DS9, 1999
Star Trek: Insurrection, 1998
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, 1982
Photo
Don Quixote, created by Gustave Doré, 1863, uploaded by Slomox, 2005
King Lear And The Fool In A Storm, by John Gilbert, 1901
Holmes Gives me A Sketch Of The Events, illustrated by Sidney Paget (?), 1892
The School Of Athens, painted by Raphael Sanzio, image taken & uploaded by Kic, 2005
Cappuccino Swirls At Mars’ South Pole, ESA/DLR/FU Berlin / Bill Dunford, 2015
Floor of Rabe Crater in the Martian Southern Highlands, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA, 2007
Aureum Chaos Region Of Mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA, 2008
Rudyard Kipling Portrait, taken by Elliott & Fry in the early 20th century, uploaded by DIREKTOR, 2015
Ares 3 Landing Site, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA, 2015
Music
Alright by Silent Partner, KZbin Audio Library
Jay Dee 32 by J Dilla, 2015
Jay Dee 26 by J Dilla, 2015
Smooth Sailing by Pete Rock, 2001
The Boss by Pete Rock, 2001
TheAnimalSoul!!!!! by 9th Wonder, 2012

[@Kleavers]

DS9 is such a good fucking show. Still holds up.

[@meris8486]

Agreed, I decided to get into it a couple weeks back and I'm hooked, already halfway through season 4. I think a big reason why it appeals more to me then shows like tng, Voyager or Enterprise is because of how willing it is to dabble in shades of grey and that only increases as the show goes on. Plus the characters are great more specifically they play off each other very well like Obrien and Bashir. Or Garak and well anyone really but Odo especially. Sisko and Dukat, the list goes on. I love it :)

[@TOKRocK84]

@headbite alien Odo and Quark! Dunno if its b4 season 5, but the episode where they both crashland somewhere is just so cute :) I love all these characters from ds9, it is such a good show

[@gwenc1371]

It's really quite excellent, and nailed a pseudo-serialized storytelling structure which was very much ahead of it's time and deserves to be mentioned more often when talking about serialized US television shows prior to Lost blowing the format up into mainstream non-HBO productions. The final half of season 7 especially seems prophetic in the way that it outright turned into a 9 or 10 episode serialized story. It doesn't hurt that it avoids a lot of the tropes that are rampant in TV today, and is a refreshing breather from the way that every show seems to have gotten it in their head that you need shock deaths of major cast members every 5 minutes to keep the story interesting or the drama ramping up. That's probably what I most appreciated about it, actually, because of how hamstrung shows like The Walking Dead have become due to no longer actually having a solid core cast.

[@jonathansoko1085]

All iterations hold up, even the later enterprise seasons, quite good actually even tho it gets alot of hate some justified, some emotional and not justified.. Tos, voyager alll of it holds up. Now, discovery and picard on the other hand, abominations.

[@deusexaethera]

I can relate to Gul Dukat's core motivation for seeking power: "If I am in charge, then at least I know things will get done _right."_

[@joemcascio]

That’s the definition of tyranny. Benevolent or malevolent, it is tyranny nonetheless.

[@DelDuio]

I think one aspect I like about Dukat is that half the time you almost root for him. What a well-made video, you have another sub!

[@BigBadassR]

I always rooted for Dukat.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Indeed, you do empathize with him, until, he always dicks out in the end. I'm sure that's what the writers had in mind. Even Major Kira spoke about it sometimes. She'd say something like "You almost had me fooled. I almost fell for your routine again." or whatever. I'm no script writer but you get the idea. They writers obviously wanted you to go back and forth with your empathy for the character.

[@OffroadTreks]

Indeed, you empathize and root, and then later your like, what happened, he went nuts. Dukat is perhaps Trek's best villain next to only Khan as being well thought out. And you spend so much time getting to know the character and his motivations. And none of those motivations are hallow, they're layered like an onion.

[@mnm8818]

Spanish Onion or Red Onion?

[@johnnyscifi]

Bold&Adventurous Beerded Spock is also pretty high on that list, and mirror universe Kira!!

[@simonfrederiksen104]

By the end of DS9 you know more about Dukat, than you do about SIsko. His path during DS9 is truly epic, add to that his backstory and past motivations

[@emmess7780]

It's too bad Trek fans don't appreciate DS9 as they should. It is a fantastic series with great villains like Dukat and the Dominion.

[@kevinmcguire5001]

+Emm Ess I don't know. Dukat certainly was a good villain (I think he might be getting a little bit TOO much praise here, particularly in the comment section, but he certainly was a good villain.), but the Dominion always seemed kind of clumsy and clunky to me. Their motivations: simplistic, their abilities: whatever this week's episode requires, their behavior: wildly inconsistent, except for being as close to objectively immoral as possible. The Dominion was nothing more than a plot device, even in name. They were the Nazis of space, an excuse to put Federation ships in firefights, and the anticlimactic end of the Dominion War nothing more than a ham-fisted attempt to reconcile the series with the historically pacifistic nature of the Federation. As for appreciating DS9, I think it might have been better appreciated as an independent sci-fi series. It was an OK show on it's own, but it's place in the Star Trek universe always felt rather forced.

[@emmess7780]

I thought the Dominion was cunning, like the time they tried to lure all the fleets to the Bajoran system and were going to cause the Sun to go nova so they could wipe them all out without firing a single shot.

[@kevinmcguire5001]

Sure. But a character may be cunning and still be a poor fit in a story.

[@emmess7780]

I personally like them, but I respect your right to not to. :)

[@edpistemic]

+Emm Ess I agree totally. I enjoyed it a great deal. It's very interesting that +Kevin McGuire suggests it would have been better as a non-Trek show. I'd always thought that more Trek should be like DS9! :)

[@KyleAButler]

My favorite Gul Dukat moment is where the hidden computer virus has taken over the space station and the replicators are shooting phasers out of them. Gul Dukat beams in, calmly walks over to the replicator, orders a cup of tea momentarily stopping the barrage, then calmly walks away as the phaser fire resumes.

[@TranyaAddict]

+Kyle Butler add to that he ends up getting de-pantsed by his superior toward the end of that show. Perfect!

[@DelDuio]

I think it's in the same episode but when he then tries to beam off the station to leave Sisko & etc behind to die but he gets blocked... The look on his face is comedy gold. All "Whoops! Hey guys, I know I just tried to leave you all here to die but I WAS ONLY KIDDING!!!" hahaha..

[@JeanLucCaptain]

ya, i remember that, that was BADASS. & that bit w/ the Cardassian version of rats, what were the called, voles?

[@DelDuio]

Voles, yes. They had them in a couple early episodes I think, running around DS9's version of the Jeffries tubes.

[@JeanLucCaptain]

you get the station you get the voles ohhh by the way there breeding cycle begins in several weeks. lol. Mr Bashir set phasers to kill, no more mister nice guy!

[@rikosaikawa9024]

Louise Fletcher is a great actress. Really makes you hate Kai Winn

[@Samester48]

Also made me hate nurse Ratched

[@Morgue12free]

She was well cast for the role

[@shaun_rambaran]

Yes! She was brilliant! With just the slightest word you could feel so much condescension emanating from Winn. Fantastic actress!

[@tednugent1100]

My child

[@37thraven]

@@shaun_rambaran I've been thinking about telling Handmaid's Tale fans who love Aunt Lydia for her self-righteousness and well-acted, well-intentioned villainy, to go watch DS9 and give Kai Winn a try. They're like sisters from another solar system

[@kensmith2285]

Gul Dukat is a perfect example of a great villain that is underrated

[@KingOfMadCows]

While I didn't mind Dukat aligning himself with the Pah Wraith, I really hated how he said he was going to destroy the galaxy at the end. That part just came out of nowhere. The Pah Wraiths have never been shown to want anything other than revenge against the Prophets. The Prophets/Pah Wraiths have never even been shown to have that kind of power. They can be killed by science beams, how could they possibly destroy the galaxy? I think it would have made more sense if Dukat was planning to use the Pah Wraith's time altering powers to change his own past so that he does become the hero. That makes more sense for the character and is more in line with what the wormhole aliens can do.

[@vguyver2]

+KingOfMadCows nice way of viewing it. he said it himself, this famous proverb. "The Victor's write history" more or less.

[@frankg2790]

+KingOfMadCows Dukat was mad with power.

[@drksideofthewal]

+KingOfMadCows The Prophets made an entire feel disappear, something the Borg wouldn't even be able to do. The Borg are certainly a Galactic threat, and if the Prophets/Pah Wraiths are above them, they certainly would be too.

[@faithkerns1626]

I think it was a figure of speech by Dukat.

[@drksideofthewal]

Faith Kerns Like I said, Borg=Galactic threat. Pah Wraith> Borg. Why would he be a hyperbolic statement?

[@NastyaStarbuck]

I loved the fact that when I was first watching DS9, for a long time I couldn't tell wheather Dukat will end up a complete villain, or will he find a way to truly redeem himself. There was this interesting dynamic with him and Garak, with moments in their stories where it seamed that both of them could go either way. At the end, Garak (mostly) earned his redemption, but Dukat slipped spectacularly to the dark side.

[@swiety765]

That cave episode was crucial. Sisko pushed Dukat then into evil madness, instead of at least try to make him understand his mistakes. Nevertheles it was accurate for the character and the story itself... I guess. #whatwouldpicarddo

[@Kesyabasturd]

When his daughter was murdered, who represented his conscience, that's when the good man died.

[@sikyon2]

His daughter was also murdered by Damar, who turned out to be a true hero of Cardassia. Oh the twists and turns!

[@ImperativeGames]

We could talk about great philosophies and political views a lot, but most of real hate are born after lossess, friends and loved ones dying. That's when you really want to hurt Universe in response, get your revenge... Everyone become enemy to Dukat... Just be nice with people, guys.

[@dkupke]

I remember being totally floored when I saw the episode where Cardassia joins the Dominion when it originally aired. Dukat had been drifting into good guy territory for so long that for him to make such a sudden 180 and become a straight up bad guy was a brilliant plot twist.

[@crylittlesister6377]

I think Dukats biggest weakness was his need for validation by others. He always wanted to be recognized, whether by his people, the Bajorans or even Sisko. When he realized that he was never gonna get any of that, he had nothing left to lose and then he snapped. Dukats last acts were derived by a need to hurt everyone he felt hurt him. I agree though that his vanity was a byproduct of Cardassian culture.

[@fadingjedi]

Gul dukat absolutely thinks he's the hero. And he truly believes that he better than everyone.

[@AeneasGemini]

You know what, so does half the Federation, including Benjamin 'Space Jesus' Cisko. Cisko rationalises murdering allies and also has an inflated sense of his own self-righteousness. Something which was doubtless inflated by the literally religious level of worship provided by the Bajoran people. Pretty sure any person would become a raging egomaniac after that. Also Dukat could've been the hero, if he hadn't had the misfortune of being born into the Space Nazi culture of Cardassia, he genuinely tries at times to be be decent

[@xXtheStrayXx]

I like that Gul Dukat did what he thought was necessary whether that meant bending or outright breaking the rules and dealing witht he Consequences later, aside from his twisted ideology and even narrow mindedness he often did come off better to me than Cisko. Starfleet Captains always have that puffed up righteous demeanor, Even Picard had his hypocritical moments but Cisko was leagues worse especially in the way he talked to his subordinates and treated others as if they took things to personal or were selfish all while he did things his way, had grudges, and walked around High and mighty without taking full responsibility for things. Gul Dukat was cocky, and even arrogant but he was often down to earth, relatable, and personable.

[@TheSportCompact]

+AeneasGemini I agree with so much of what you are saying but have to disagree on Cardassia being the fascist culture. If you look at the Federation, it is the fascist culture of the future. I think this video explains this really well. /watch?v=P4KBPaS-1PU

[@KuraIthys]

Ugh. no. that video is a contrived, poorly researched mess grasping for straws in tiny details, while ignoring equally significant details that flat-out contradict the point being made. By far one of MatPat's worst concieved ideas ever. One look at how the cardassians operate compared to the federation should make it blatantly obvious, though the dominion is THE fascist example taken to the extreme. Though it is worth remembering that the dominion is in itself the 'evil' foil to the federation. Similar in many ways, but twisted which creates a different outcome. As far as I can determine, -Klingons are a feudalist society. (unsurprising as the soundbyte version of their character description is 'samurai biker') -Romulans... - Well, it's in the name. The are heavily inspired by the roman empire. This makes them a democracy in the oldest sense. (everyone gets an equal say, but only if you are a citizen). -Cardassia is near enough to a fascist dictatorship and police state. -The dominion is fascism taken to the extreme of a religious cult surrounding an 'Übermensch' type of species (in their own opinion) declaring themselves ruler and, frequently 'gods' over 'lesser' species in an alliance held together by fear and intimidation. - Ferengi are capitalists to the point of parody. Their religion is about money and profit. Military positions are attained by buying them. The government positions also basically go to the highest bidder. This of course means that politically, ferengi society is a Plutocracy. (ruled by the wealthy). - The federation, perhaps ironically, is one of the hardest to categorise. To begin with, we mostly see starfleet which is a paramilitary force (if you believe what starfleet says about itself), but beyond that it gets very messy. It would seem to be a heavily socialist society, but there is evidence of ownership of private property, and independent business operations, and continued existence of corporate entities. (how that works without money is a mystery). There is also evidence to suggest the federation is less a unified society, and more a very strong alliance. And, in fact, that individual member planets maintain their own form of goverment, social structure, laws, economy and even their own military forces to some extent. While there ARE unified federation-wide laws, the senate (each planet sends some representatives -again it would seem how a planet chooses it's representatives is it's own business), and a prexident who is elected (process unknown) with a 5 year term, and of course, starfleet. In short, the representation of the federation is rather schizophrenic, and can be interpreted a number of different ways. Anything from being an alliance of independent planets with their own laws, politics, etc, but some shared rules. (closest realworld analogy the European Union), to a more unified collection of planets with more obviously cohesive rules, culture and government institutions. (any of a number of countries such as the USA, Australia, Germany, etc.) What is the federation? perhaps, ironically, the group we have the least clear-cut picture for in star trek. We rarely see it outside the context of starfleet, and when we do, the information we get out of it can be rather self-contradictory, and hard to draw conclusions from.

[@Grizabeebles]

The Federation is a Fiscal-military state like the British East India Company. Starfleet is a voluntary paramilitary organization that provides common defense, protects all interstellar trade as well as provide planetary-scale emergency services for member worlds. The Federation exists for the sake of funding, administrating, and monitoring Starfleet.

[@g.b.1224]

Dukat was so amazing in that underrated gem called deep space 9....

[@SidNightWalker]

Everything you want in a villain, Gul Dukat is basically the whole package. You love him for his faults, hate him for his faults. He tried to be a good man in the Cardassian viewpoint of being one till the day he went nuts.

[@ClergetMusic]

He went nuts when Damar killed his daughter. You really can’t blame him for that.

[@Transfixed]

100% agreed, Dukat was such a complex and interesting character, and so well acted by Marc Alaimo. Still love DS9.

[@tomgriffiths2622]

Transfixed AMEN

[@Pathfinfer11]

Can you do a video analysing Elim garak ? He is such a complicated character. I would like to know the role he plays in the DS9 story and if he is a character aligned with good , evil or amoral principles.

[@EmperorSteele]

Complicated? He is but a simple tailor! ...who's connected to the Cardassian government and knows how to interrogate people and and water Romula plants and manipulate starship weapon systems and can fight toe-to-toe with Klingons and uhm okay I think I see your point.

[@wrybreadspread]

excellent citation; Garak represents what Dukat might've been

[@FarmyJoe76]

Garack was more of an anti-hero than a villain. But by far the most interesting character on the series.

[@plastikk12]

Garak always stole the scene. He was arguably one of my favorites.

[@aleatoriac7356]

I loved Garak. I think he's probably one of my favorite Trek characters. One of my favorite scenes in... anything, really, is Garak interpreting the story of the boy who cried wolf: (From episode "Improbable Cause") Bashir: It's a children's story, about a young shepherd boy who gets lonely while tending his flock. So he cries out to the villagers that a wolf is attacking the sheep. The people come running, but of course there's no wolf. He claims that it's run away and the villagers praise him for his vigilance. Garak: Clever lad. Charming story. Bashir: I'm not finished. The next day, the boy does it again, and the next too. And on the fourth day a wolf really comes. The boy cries out at the top of his lungs, but the villagers ignore him, and the boy, and his flock, are gobbled up. Garak: Well, that's a little graphic for children, wouldn't you say? Bashir: But the point is, if you lie all the time, nobody's going to believe you, even when you're telling the truth. Garak: Are you sure that's the point, Doctor? Bashir: Of course. What else could it be? Garak: That you should never tell the same lie twice. What a delicious character.

[@runevi]

When you have 7 seasons to develop a villain he's just going to be deeper and more interesting than the flavor of the week baddie you throw together. I think the overarching plot made DS9 the superior trek show.

[@vguyver2]

+Marshall Arts I agree, but keep in mind that there have been 5 different series, and out of all those. So out of 5 series, only one managed to build an antagonist of this caliber. While in the movies, they had much less to work with. Kahn who only had one episode in TOS but was truly energetic and devious, Chang who was clearly deadly and confident. There are other like Kruge , but never as devoloped nor as memorable.

[@Hudson316]

+V Guyver out of five series, only one was serialised. All the others were purely episodic (except for I guess that one 9/11 allegory arc in Enterprise)

[@Rc3651]

Does Voyager not count? It had an overarching story as well, though they had a lot more room to play with it than DS9.

[@OpenMawProductions]

It really didn't have an overarching story at all. It had a premise. "Try to get home." That's not a story arc. That's just a setup to do things. Story arcs with that would have been things like - dwindling resources, conflict between the Maquis and SF officers, damage to the ship, Janeway's descent into madness...etc.

[@swishfish8858]

Rc3651 Voyager had no overarching villains. None. It barely had recurring villains. The most prominent Voyager villain is probably the Borg Queen, and she doesn't show up until halfway through the series and only pops in like 4 or 5 times. No, Voyager was very much a monster-of-the-week-style show.

[@ChristianAkacro]

Gul Dukat is one of the deepest villains ever, not just in the Trekverse.

[@kevinasay4321]

I have always thought that, glad to find others do as well.

[@ryanfounds4952]

When i finished TNG and started DS9. (very late trekie here, like within the past 2 years) I was blown away by Gul Dukat and Garak. They are the epitome of how to write a Villian and an Anti-hero. And the fact that these two characters can trade those roles so easily, its the ultimate "shades of grey" character writing.

[@1953beetle]

@@ryanfounds4952 Prefered Garak (and his hidden agenda,what ever it was).

[@zariqueen]

DS9 was, to me, the absolute BEST production of the Star Trek universe, and Dukat the best villain of it. Oh, and I stand by my absolute glee and enjoyment of the Garak character!

[@JohnBainbridge0]

Dukat is certainly a good foil for Sisko - at least he was made so for DS9 - but he started as a foil for Picard in TNG. He also foiled Kira, Odo, and Garak often. I think one of his strengths as a villain is that he's nobody's nemesis. People get in his way, but he has no particular vendetta against any of our heroes. His motives are entirely personal and political. This makes him unpredictable. He could be your best friend one minute, then your assassin the next, as the tides of war shift. Whatever suits his needs in the moment.

[@doug6394]

i think Dukats strength lies in that he was so transparent and coupled with Cardassian politics you always sympathized with him.

[@Keihryon]

I thought the character Marc Alaimo played in TNG was a different character. he played Gul Musset(sp) in the episode The Wounded. Did he reappear in a different TNG episode as Dukat?

[@JohnBainbridge0]

Keihryon You know... I think you're right about that. Memory is a strange thing.

[@Keihryon]

John Bainbridge yeah the only reason I even remember it is because I just watched another clip titled Picard's best speeches the other day, that has Alaimo in the thumbnail.

[@vincentadultman8527]

+Keihryon Gul Macet, just fyi

[@BeyondLucidDreaming]

DS9 was the best Star Trek series in my opinion, well done!

[@heikovanderlaar3780]

I disagree. Starge SG1 was the best Star Trek series.

[@andrewdevine3920]

It was the best, it's a fact, not an opinion. And now it has the proud distinction of not being slimed by JJ Abrams and Alex Kurtzman's insidious repurposing.

[@whatelseison8970]

@@andrewdevine3920 "It was the best, it's a fact, not an opinion." True, that.

[@kuribo1]

DS9 is an absolute amazing trek series, very well done. Still TNG is king, without the amazing stories and the teeth cutting of TNG, DS9 would not be as good as it is.

[@zacharystefano8490]

I loooved Gul Dukat, his whole character was so well fleshed out throughout the Star Trek DS9 episodes. And eventually, you love to hate him :) Such a great actor though, couldn't have been done without him

[@blackmondayy1]

+Zachary Stefano Like moust of DS9 characters Dukat was awesome...to bad the directors decided to fuck up his character towards the ending of DS9

[@Trekspertise]

+Doar Eu Was it so bad? I thought it was natural for him to gravitate towards the Pah-Wraiths.

[@kronos6948]

+Trekspertise I kind of agree with Doar Eu. While I don't think they fucked up his character, I think that after the death of Ziyal, he should've been redeemed. He came so close so many times to really redeeming himself, he should have been the one to become like Damar, and sacrifice himself for the Rebellion.

[@mikestone6078]

I'm with Doar Eu, but mostly because I found the religious undertones a bit too heavy for my liking in the late seasons of DS9. It didn't feel quite like they had planned it out that way from the beginning and I may be tired of hero's who suddenly discover that they aren't only destined, but actually born to be the messiah. Also, I just couldn't stand Cisco. One thing that made Dukat awesome was forgotten here, though. He was incredibly funny in a quite subtle way. He was incredibly well played and it was just so much fun to watch him do his thing. He probably had more iconic moments to remember than all other characters combined, although that may be unfair to some. Later, he lost most of that and I understand it, but still, it wasn't the same when he appeared on screen. Curiously, he teamed up with another quite remarkable villain from DS9 - Wynn - for less effect than I could have predicted. Wynn was so good as a villain that I always roleld my eyes upon seeing her, but she lost her bite later. In a way, Weyoun was a better late season villain than the whole Dukat-Wynn team combined. I'll never forget both of them, though. The whole cast of DS9 did a great job.

[@kronos6948]

Mike Stone Speaking of Kai Wynn, I actually felt bad for her once she realized what she had done. I hated her all through the "holier than thou" phase, but when she got hers from Dukat and realized just what she did, I pitied her.

[@SwiftOnSports]

As a diehard Trekkie who's always considered Dukat to be one of the most intriguing characters in all of Trek, thank you!

[@IsaiahINRI]

"The best villains aren't evil for the sake of being evil." *looks nervously over at Joker*

[@Trekspertise]

Especially Joker. He has his motivations.

[@Foremir1]

There is a reason why, after serious critical viewing of all series, DS9 leads the pack, in my humble opinion: characters. The writers took what they were given, a relatively stationary space soap opera and gave us the only consistently interesting thing: characters. I especially love the near treatise on the duality of relationships. Be it Kira and Jadzia, Jadzia and Worf, Jadzia and Quark, Quark and Odo, Odo and Garak, Garak and Bashir...I could go on, but the point is made. We can understand this structure of relationship, and the writers and superb actors portrayed it is interesting, nuanced and dynamic ways. Worf CHANGED as a character over the course of the series, as did Quark, Odo, Kira, Sisko and the others. Can that be said in a significant way for the other series, I think not, and that is why it has such staying power and relate-ability for me.

[@Trekspertise]

+James Thomas Exactly this.

[@jamesdavis1201]

WELL SAID!!!!

[@alienlife7754]

In all honesty Worf’s e olution started on TNG. At first he was just the “Klingon on the bridge” his character had no real backround. Then when Tasha Yar died he really began to evolve from a typical Klingon with bad manners and a shitty attitude into what we now know as Worf. DS9 merely allowed the evolution to continue.

[@wynfrithnichtwo8423]

NotJo yep! I was going to mention that fact. The B5 fictional universe bible was read and the show was then rejected by the network, which then lead to presto DS9.

[@michaeldougherty6036]

@NotJo You can take all the same ingredients and still make an entertainingly different meal. Just ask Taco Bell. Even if DS9 borrowed heavily from B5 in some of the beginning, extremely broad strokes, they have very little in common once things get going. And the accomplishments of either do not diminish those of the other.

[@TheAncardia]

If you can still find a copy of it, there was a great story bout Garak, called a Stitch in Time, in which he talks about his early life and as an agent of the obsidian order as well his exile to DS9.

[@Trekspertise]

Read it. Excellence.

[@672Grizzly]

That's a great Star Trek novel.

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

Noted, it is on my wishlist and I'll probably get it after the Prometheus trilogy.

[@WizardJim]

Saw this after bingeing DS9 on netflix, and I have to agree; Gul Dukat is Trek's best villain. Incredibly nuanced as a character, right up to the point of seeming to be not beyond redemption before the death of Ziyal, who I feel as a character was the physical representation of all that was good in Dukat. The fact that her death was also the catalyst for the redemption of her murderer, Damar, is doubly fascinating. I do think the ending and his death was a bit of a damp squib, but it was a fine ride to get there. DS9 as a whole kinda has some of the best characterisation in all of Trek IMO. The change of theme from "Exploration" to "Realpolitik" really makes it stand out from its brethren as a unique beast.

[@AugustAutumn]

To be perfectly honest, I wanted Dukat to end up a good guy.

[@andscifi]

That's what made him such a great villain. Every time he made a bad decision it was frustrating because you wanted him to learn. At the same time though they were able to show that while he was the old cardassia and unable to become better that his people could be come better which is the type of optimism that makes me want to watch Star Trek.

[@limonali]

I absolutely wanted him to redeem himself and end up a hero..

[@Thy_Boss]

+Augustus Autumn That was pretty much impossible. Garak was once a killer and professional torturer, but he had the humility to understand and accept when he'd been beaten and why he had to change. Dukat was shown over and over to be the definition of hubris, a man whose pride would, in the end, destroy him.

[@Thy_Boss]

+ajs1031 Many fans at the time read Dukat as selectively as you're doing here, but go back and watch those seasons again. He's shown as more pathetic than sympathetic, a preening snake entertaining delusions of virtue. He loved but didn't bother to understand his daughter; his patriotism was purely self-serving bravado. He was always doomed.

[@jpetras16]

He was the good guy.

[@CosmicDestiny]

"We can be against him and admire him all at the same time." - That pretty much sums about my thoughts.

[@Netherfly]

Marc Alaimo. Avery Brooks. Jeffery Combs. Well, ****. Seems one of the biggest ingredients is to have a bunch of the most talented actors out there in the same room.

[@scl9671]

dont forget Andrew robinsons character Garak! Garak was easily one of the greatest ST characters maybe even the best that being said all DS9 Characters were brilliant - DS9 is easily the best ST in my opinion.

+Scotty SCL Yes! Garak was a great character.

[@weyoun677]

No, I'm the best!

[@Nautilus1972]

Avery Brooks is a shit actor. He thinks he's an actor, but he's just mad.

[@awesome1990s]

Hmmm

[@AcesnEights698]

Every second Dukat is onscreen is pure gold.

[@REDDAWNproject]

I love the episode when Dukat just breaks, because its absolutely heartbreaking. this is a guy who you like, but also hate, and when he takes that final plunge to pure insanity and villainy is amazing.

[@scottnahler4027]

I would say I'm more partial to DS9 then TNG, this level of writing is why. Sure not every story was gold, but this type of adversarial relationship between Sisko and ducat was. Picard never had an enemy of this caliber. Ducat was a rare gem even up to his failed deal with the devil.

[@adamzullo3624]

Scott Nahler one of the best stories in any series for sure

[@Wuginess]

do not watch this video until you have seen every episode of deep space 9 !

[@Trekspertise]

+Wuginess This is important.

[@amberp8835]

I'm currently on season 3 on Netflix and started to watch and stopped myself until I finish. It's on my watch later list.

[@hebekiah3623]

Not nearly enough to spoil anything since it's quite a complex story. But I guess for most you are correct since nearly no one reads the Bible because they know how it turns out.

[@dragon-tamer7956]

Yes.

[@rangerhawk]

@@hebekiah3623 The only part it may really spoil is his ultimate fate.

[@Nemoticon]

I've gotta say, Gul Dukat is my favourite character in all of the Star Trek franchise. Gritty, complicated, flawed and highly mercurial, he's a villain who has the potential to be a saviour. Portrayed so well by Marc Alaimo and wielding an awesome script, he was always on point and a pleasure to watch... he validated much of DS9's success and entertainment.

[@emperorconstantine1.361]

The very first time I went to a Trek convention, in Las Vegas, I met his actor... He instantly became my favorite villain because his actor was such a charming man.

[@mojohns44]

The single reason Gul Dukat is the greatest Star Trek villain in my opinion is because he is deep. More than any other villain in the series, you learn more than just "his single issue" or "his sole dysfunction." We have seldom learned anything about a culture more than "they are different from the Federation because (x)." Basically, each episode is about Planet or Culture X. The Xians dress alike and think alike. Sometimes the Xian system is challenged internally by people who think "Y not X" and the Federation is forced to decide between the Xians and the Ynots. I was often left with a lot of questions about Planet X that were never revisited again. Gul Dukat gave me more of an insight into a completely alien mindset. You couldn't "fix" the Cardassians by giving them a cookie, neither could you change them by "showing the superiority of the Federation's pluralistic society". This, I believe is the great strength of the DS9 series over all of the others. They dwell in the friction between Bajor, Cardassia, and all of the many other cultures that briefly pass through the station. For seven years we could not warp out of the problems. We had to sit there and make decisions and live with the consequences.

[@aronfejes]

Yep, this exactly. A "stationary" plotline required commitment to consequences. Something we did not see in TOS, TNG or Voyager and haven't seen since.

[@jv-lk7bc]

"You couldn't "fix" the Cardassians by giving them a cookie" ... just as true of Klingons, Romulans, Tholians, First Federation, Q, Borg... so many ..

[@inquisition3173]

I am a passionate fan of Star Trek, and when Dukat begged kira for forgiveness (in his own cardassian way) and she rejected him. Idk, as a viewer it really hurt to see that. His descent into madness and him embracing being a tyrant kinda hurt. I feel like no matter how evil you are, if you throw yourself completely at someones mercy begging for forgiveness you should at least in some way be acceptable. It just seemed everytime he tried to be the hero, he failed, and him becoming a monster was an acceptable tragedy. Honestly Dukat is my fucking favorite over Khan, the klingons, the Borg Queen, Q, and the entire Dominion. I really want the Cardassians to get way more of a window in the future of star trek.

[@abigailsmith6977]

Ok but he didn’t offer any reparations for the damage done. An apology without action that actually tries to undo what you did is worthless, and Kira...a victim of a brutal genocidal occupation, keep in mind... knew that.

[@CeramicQuill]

He only wanted Kira's forgiveness, not the forgiveness of her people. This was because he wanted to get her to be interested in him, which to him is a form of domination over his opponent. Dukat is an intriguing character, but he had chances and choices to prove himself, and he hasn't elected to make a good choice without a blatant ulterior motive.

[@NerdilyDone]

I agree with you. Dukat was honestly pretty desperate for love an admiration. If anyone besides Ziyal had offered this to him, then her death would not have destroyed him so.

[@misterwile]

" I feel like no matter how evil you are, if you throw yourself completely at someones mercy begging for forgiveness you should at least in some way be acceptable" ...says "Inquisition"31.

[@inquisition3173]

@@misterwile oh Jesus Christ, not one of you again. My name is from Warhammer 40k. I enjoy the 40k inquisitors as a meme and had the name since I got into warhammer almost 20 years ago. Take your dumbass protestant propaganda anywhere else.

[@Audioholics]

Excellent video, please someone send this to Alex Kurtzman.

[@captainobvious9233]

Don't you ever say that name again.

[@Morgue12free]

@@captainobvious9233 Sacrilege!

[@Locutus]

@@captainobvious9233 Alex Kurtzman

[@Kevinjoseph12344]

Fuck Alex kurtzman and fuck star trek picard ruining star trek with crazy mentally ill leftist politics

[@Audioholics]

@@Kevinjoseph12344 agreed 100%

[@mrdankhimself]

Make Cardassia great again!

[@FarmyJoe76]

Build a giant space wall & make Bajor pay for it!

[@ninjavirus00]

GUL DUKAT 2016

[@ccswelding1599]

massacre millions of Bajorans??.."what difference does it make now?!?"

[@toddkes5890]

What you call massacre, I call a day's work.

[@ccswelding1599]

^^ direct killery quote there

[@CarlosEduardo-sm6cy]

I just have to say that "Waltz" it's one of my favorite episodes in the Star Trek series. It not just consolidated Gul Dukat as a villan but differentiated DS9 from the rest of the series, in which they never face a truly pure evil. A little quote from Sisko on this episode: "Sometimes life seems so complicated, nothing is truly good or truly evil. Everything seems to be a shade of grey. And then you spend some time with a man like Dukat, and you realize that there is such a thing as truly evil." And a good reference on Scorpius of FarScape there... another great villai. Keep up with the good work!

[@elemkay5104]

Except that Dukat was in the middle of a psychotic episode that Sisko only made worse. I don't think he saw the face of evil - but the face of madness brought on by a breakdown. And Sisko mistook this for evil because Dukat had done evil things in his life, and they were opponents, so he wanted to believe it himself.

[@KaiserFranzJosefI]

Maybe next you'll do Weyoun and the history of the Dominion.

[@kosh2501]

+Kaiser Franz Josef I Right.

[@ryanm7263]

+Kaiser Franz Josef I Weyoun was probably my favourite DS9 character.

[@terrypalmore7314]

+Ryan MacFarlane 2,5,7, or 15? LOL

[@ryanm7263]

terry palmore Probably Weyoun 6 :)

[@pforce9]

+Ryan MacFarlane Wayoun 6 was the one that tried to talk to warf and got his head twisted, if memory serves. I liked it when Gul Damar suggested to Wayoun 7 that he try talking to Warf again.

[@JerynToney]

"At true victory is to make your enemies see they were wrong to oppose you in the first place; to force them to acknowledged your greatness."

[@garyv2498]

Gul Dukat was well written, and is the best Trek villain because of screen time.

[@markmontagna7637]

I like TNG Q more but Dukat is definitely up there

[@abigfavor]

Dukat is the best sci-fi villain. Great clips chosen to go with explanations.

[@askabjjblackbelt]

this video is a hidden gem on youtube. love how well thought out your thesis is

[@nelsonchereta816]

He reminds me a lot of another patriot from another sci-fi series who made some terrible choices, Lando Mollari from Babylon-5. I really think that from the Cardassian point of view Gul Dukat was a heroic figure. He was personally brave, willing to take huge risks, and always wanted to make Cardassia great and powerful. No matter how the Federation or Bajorans might see him, in his own light and in the view of his people he was the hero.

[@KR4FTW3RK]

Londos arc was just one huge tragedy but to me he never really felt like a bad guy unlike Dukat... I mean sure he played a major role in the renewed downfall of the Narn but in the end he had quite a few good qualities, especially compassion towards the Narn and G'Kar in particular... He's probably my favourite character in B5

[@OpenMawProductions]

Londo was only ever doing bad things when those things were distanced. The moment it was in his face, he tried to do the damndest right thing he could.

[@NotContinuum]

The big difference between Londo and Dukat, and what makes one tragic and the other villainous, is how Londo actually feels shame for the things he's done that hurt others and realizes he's wrong. Dukat doesn't feel any shame and can't really admit he's wrong. And even if he does, like the video says, there's a caveat waiting in the wings to justify his actions.

[@dkupke]

"I WANT US TO BE WHAT WE WERE!!!"-Land Mollari

[@zrushstores9632]

I agree, but the real question is “Is did Sisko and Dukat have a choice?

[@tombrickhouse-growthmatrix6201]

I just recently went through most of DS9 episodes that I missed the first time they were aired. I was a big fan of TOS and watched many TNG shows but never got into DS9 too much. I agree that Dukat was a great villain. The writing allowed Marc Alaimo get the most out of the character. He did an awesome job and that voice couldn't been better for the role.

[@everetth-top4760]

Yes! I've been waiting for a new episode form Trekspertise. As usual, thank you for doing this.

[@Trekspertise]

+Everett H-Top Of course =)

[@heathenalchemist8383]

DS9 produced my three favorite Trek characters: Sisko as favorite captain, Dukat as favorite villain, and plain simple Garak as favorite overall character. I really appreciate this video. It makes a great case for Dukat and is very well done. Nice work.

[@elizabethwilson5349]

Love this series. Brilliant stories, brilliant characters. The actors captured their characters to a standard that can only be described as superior. Every single one of them was spot on point and flawless. There was something for everyone with this show. I binge watch this all the time on Netflix and still cannot get enough of it.

[@statton35]

I love DS9, it’s the first time in my memory that you get to experience a war in Star Trek, not a battle, not a skirmish, a full blown war. And the highs and lows of dealing with that war. Nog losing his leg for example, Klingons and the Federation at each other’s throats but then emerging stronger than ever. I enjoy that kind of dynamic

[@EricRounds]

Well done! Its impressive how you broke this down and explained this character. It shows me how well written Star Trek is, to build characters consistently with matching phycological backgrounds.

[@beep5514]

How true! I just recently started to rewatch DS9 and realized that it is the only of the Trek series' that has a remaining villian over the course of the entire series. And the way he sometimes was portrayed to be relatable while in the next moment he seemed like the personification of evil was so much more interesting than a lot of other villians we get to see on TV these days. A great character and a great actor behind it! And, by the way, another great video. :D

[@Lodatzor]

But that's just it: Dukat wasn't a villain until the last season or two. Before that, he was usually just an antagonist, and often even an ally to the protagonists. The villains of DS9 are the Dominion, whereas Dukat is merely Sisko's nemesis, who descends into madness.

[@ParagonRex]

Marc Alamo mastered the role of Dukat, and I was always an extreme fan of him and never once believed that he was really a villain. More of a tragic hero for his people.

[@johngaltspeaking213]

Well played... one Man's villain, is another Man's hero. DS9 did a great job of fleshing out good and evil.

[@marileestetson737]

EXCELLENT video essay. Dukat was perhaps the best conceived, executed and 3 - dimensional villain of any storyline in television history.

[@fangorn23]

We're going to build a WALL around Cardassia, and make the Bajorans pay for it!

[@mattiace635]

#MakeCardassiaGreatAgain

[@other-terrestriallifeform1851]

Sorry to tell you this but,Dukat was the ultimate adversary,the anti-hero who rightfully was the prime character requiring a"Foil"and without him,no heroes were possible!I find a great villain always makes the story greater....LOVE YOUR WORK GUYS!YOU ROCK AS ALWAYS!

[@MLPDethDealr32]

i keep coming back to watch this Trek XD. Dukat really was a great villain for DS9.

[@RoleplayHeadquarters]

Fantastic video! As a huge Dukat fan, I was not disappointed. I almost want to watch DS9 all over again now lol

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

You remind me of why I liked ST DS9. It was the only ST series that consistently ran good episodes. ST Enterprise was good, until the last episode of the 1st season, but TNG makes me queezy, and Voyager was just plain stupid. TOS is an artifact from the 1960's, making it particularly surreal. DS9 was good, and Gull Dukat was part of what made it so rich. Gull Dukat was as rich a villain as has been created in all of human drama, and probably richer than any monster that ever walked the earth. You are absolutely right, Dukat was a true work of art.

[@nathanberry4339]

ds9 was brilliantly written and had some of the best actors

[@GAME4WAR]

The real question should be why the fuck didn't Marc Alaimo become a world famous actor after DS9? His acting was beyond superb imo

[@skippykaufman4436]

MMMmmm, the voice.

[@kkloikok]

I really grew to like Dukat. I was sad to see how his character ended.

[@evertonporter7887]

It could have ended with Kai Winn being possessed by the Pah Wraiith and Dukat sacrificing himself to save Sisko and the Alpha Quadrant.

[@eugeneflorence4355]

I would have liked to have seen Dukat survive to be a Trek villain in one of the movies. I thought he was the best character in the series.

[@Shadowkey392]

I’ve never regarded Dukat as a villain. An antagonist, sure, but not a villain. For the simple reason that he was not always villainous. Sometimes he was, sometimes he was not.

[@Argantonis]

He was the hero of his own story. Like every good antagonist is.

[@thetruerift]

I mean other than presiding over 20 years of the Bajoran occupation which was pretty clearly an alegory for the bloody holocaust.

[@KittSpiken]

He wasn't till the very end where they kinda did him dirty.

[@BoldJumping]

"not a villain" yeah ok homie he took bajoran mistresses while literally overseeing a death mine during the Bajoran Holocaust equivalent and is literally never has regrets besides not being able to convince the Bajorans that he was a "good guy."

[@nfinn42]

That opening scene. Who else here is a HUGE Jeffrey Combs fan? :D I'm torn between Shran and Weyoun as his greatest role.

[@PerpetualTiredness]

@6:10 Gul Dukat: A true victory is to make your enemy see they were wrong to oppose you in the first place. To force them to acknowledge your greatness. - My favourite Gul Dukat quote.

[@kevininsales]

Mine too.

[@EX58UD]

Somewhat unrelated but I always enjoyed Garak's character as well. "Plain, simple Garak, a tailor on the Promenade"

[@phillip_iv_planetking6354]

Gul Dukat is one of the best villains in television history.

[@CodySharpe]

Thank you for putting together such a thoughtful exploration of Gul Dukat, I learned quite a bit from your take on what makes for a compelling villain. DS9 was really blessed with a wealth of deep characters.

[@Trekspertise]

Thanks for checking it out :)

[@delfin7461]

Gul Dukat was one of my all time fave characters... amazing story arc

[@Genevieve1023]

Amazing video. I can't wait to see your analysis of Cardassia. I would also love to see a similar video to this about Kai Wynn.

[@abeschreier]

+Genevieve1023 I also think Cardassia is the most interesting of the non-Federation Star Trek powers.

[@KensGarage.]

Gul DuKat puts a smile on my face everytime I watch him.

[@johnmoldoch3127]

Gul Du Khat was their greatest foe, and alie at the same time. So many kudos to Mark Alamo, such a divursival actor. And yet so charming.

[@That80sGuy1972]

Dukat was a truly great villain. Through his character and how The Union reacted to him, it showed he was a true hero of a villain government. As someone who immerses myself into the stories I enjoy, I loved the fact that the hero of a villain culture died almost as much as I loved how much of a totally believable antagonist he was. The Cardassian Union was also a great depiction of how a culture can be if we let the military run it.

[@emp0rizzle]

They had a rich and ancient culture. Their literature ,music, art was SECOND TO NONE!

[@I86282]

Damn good video. Damn good villain. Deep Space 9 was so amazing.

[@joshuabonehill2239]

I always loved dukat! not just as a villain but as a character in general. everything about him is just lovable!

[@Grasser6]

Seasons 4-7 of DS9 were really good! I still rewatch them sometimes…

[@crazypants88]

Been watching Deep Space Nine for a while now. Dukat's easily my favorite character. Garak's the runner up. Can we just have a Cardassian Star Trek show? :P

[@orinokonx01]

This was good. I got a shiver down my spine and everything!

[@jonsnowight9510]

This video, like so much of your KZbin work, just never gets old. I would be embarrassed to count how many times I've watched this...lol

[@alishadlewis]

He's one of my favorite Star Trek characters.

[@QuantumRift]

Gul Dukat is absolutely one of my favorite Trek characters - both he and Garak (another favorite) brought a depth to DS9 that was just absent elsewhere...DS9 stands as one of the best written TV shows ever (Sci Fi or not)...it could work just as well had it been about the Middle Ages or the Scots (oh wait, it was). A story holds itself together based on the strengths of its characters and their interactions. I liked Sisko, but thought Avery, well, overacted a lot...though I could not think of another actor who could have carried it off as well. Thank you!

[@MrBenMcLean]

Dukat isn't simply a normal Cardassian. He's a moral relativist, and a fascist because he's a moral relativist. He's always telling Sisko that right and wrong depend on one's point of view and are not fixed. Sisko gives the best summary of what Dukat's character is all about, in all stages of the story, at the end of "Waltz" when he says that most of life isn't simply right or simply wrong, it's mostly shades of grey -- BUT NOT ALWAYS. Sometimes when you meet someone like Dukat, you are forced by experience to recognize that there is such a thing as an absolute evil.

[@Zishy]

dukat isnt absolute evil at all. circumstances for not just views in characters but also their actions. within this thin line a character can develop that has no other choice then to act in a certain fashion. calling something absolute evil is taking away the essence of a much more multidimensional being and reducing it to a singular thing. its dangerous to do so, which is also illustrated by real world events. if you dont understand that evil is done by ordinary people, you can easily be seduced by it.

[@MrBenMcLean]

He's not absolute evil at the beginning. He becomes absolute evil in the episode "Waltz" after which there's no turning back for him.

[@charissesavier9023]

A truly great villain is one who is layered in complexity. Every once in a while, they have to exhibit selflessness in some small way to keep them redeemable, even if it ultimately benefits them. I loved Dukat.

[@umbrellacorporationwuhanfa3731]

Gul Dukat, Quark and the Ferengi were the only reason why I watched the DS9 series a few times. The actor who played the role of Dukat was amazing.

[@JamStunna]

This was a really excellent video. I'd love to hear a discussion of the Dominion in this same vein, as a "villainous" entity that acts for completely understandable reasons. Keep up the great work!

[@Trekspertise]

Thank you. Another video dropping in the coming weeks =)

[@kylehazachode]

Excellent video. I think I mentioned it in a previous video, Gul Dukat is probably one of the greatest scifi antagonists.

[@dan7893]

Dukat is, what you can call, a charismatic psychopath

[@Brendissimo1]

Every time he says "I should have killed them all," I get the chills.

[@Trekspertise]

Every. Freaking. Time.

[@figgles]

Such a great video on one of ds9's best characters!

[@cybertek3188]

He deserves to be in at least the top five Star Trek villains.

[@Trekspertise]

Or the top!

[@Bow-to-the-absurd]

I doubt there are 5 genuinely good trek villains. Thats a problem of many of the films.

[@gandalfshakur8235]

I missed the rebirth of Trek all together (TNG-ENT, wasn't into all that back then), and out of all 4 I have appreciated DS9 and Dukat the most. What makes a truly great show stand out is its depth of characters and the depth per character.

[@AMaxMusic]

What a great serie it was...well written, deep characters, fantastic story arc.

[@dirtybasseater]

woah woah woah. Darth Vader is a great villain, in episodes 4, 5, and 6. His backstory in 1, 2, 3 has the potential but lets not kid ourselves.

[@-cosmicrogue-]

SWEET JEEEZUS HALLELUJAH! I've been waiting for this video. And you did not disappoint. :) I would love to see a more in depth analysis of the Cardassian State after this.( SO many parallels to European colonialism, Nazi Germany, British rule in India..) Great summary of Dukat's philosophy. I find that he not only compulsively needed to justify his actions to others, he also seemed to desire the praise and love of others. He wanted the admiration of the Bajorans; he wanted the admiration of Sisko. This may be a part of why he broke after Ziyals death, she was the only person we see truly offer him unconditional love.

[@PierzStyx]

Cardaassia is more correctly compared to Fascist Italy than Nazi Germany with Dukat being more like Mussolini than Hitler. Even the invasion of Bajor aligns more with Mussolini's invasion and subjugation of Ethiopia than Hitler and the Holocaust or the invasion of Poland. It is the Founders who are the Nazis. Where the Cardassians are Nationalists they aren't necessarily racist, or at least not anymore so than the Klingons, Romulans, or even Vulcans. The Founders, on the other hand, are racists, viewing all "solids" as inferior creatures who the Founders can manipulate and even exterminate as it suits their goals.

[@SimonFoston]

I would love to see more Cardassians in a film or TV series. I find them the most watchable and intriguing ST alien race by far.

[@Keleigh3000]

You know you're watching a great villain when in the midst of all the evil you find yourself thinking, "You know, he has a point."

[@Fatalroadie]

6:10 one of my FAVORITE quotes of Dukat