TREKCORE > DEEP SPACE NINE > CAST > Gul Dukat

PLAYED BY: Marc Alaimo
FULL NAME: unrevealed
SPECIES: Cardassian
POSITION/OCCUPATION: Former prefect of Bajor; rose to head of Cardassian state, but lost that status when he suffered a mental breakdown
RANK/TITLE: Gul (was Legate in "Indiscretion", but was demoted back to Gul soon afterwards; kept that rank as head of Cardassia)
BIRTHPLACE: Cardassia (presumably)
PARENTS: none mentioned (a deleted line from "The Die is Cast" mentions his father, Justice Procal)
SPOUSE: unnamed wife who left him after "Indiscretion"
CHILDREN: 7 by his wife, including a son named Mikor (born 2360); sired at least two half-Bajoran offspring, of which his daughter Tora Ziyal was one; the other was an infant of unrevealed sex, born in "Covenant"
LOVE INTEREST(S): Had several Bajoran mistresses during the Occupation, including Kira Meru and Tora Naprem; also had an affair with his follower Mika ("Covenant"). In his guise as Anjohl, he became Kai Winn's lover briefly ("'Til Death Do Us Part").

Dukat was the son of a Cardassian officer who apparently at one time became overly ambitious, was betrayed and tortured by Garak, and eventually underwent trial and execution. (Dukat hated Garak for this, while Garak returned the grudge due to a matter involving some arms merchants.) As a glinn, Dukat served on a ship called the Kornaire.

When Dukat became prefect (in or before 2346, according to "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night"; or in 2360, according to "The Maquis, Part I" -- take your pick), one of his first acts was to reform the labor camps, to which the Bajoran rebels responded by blowing up a drydock, killing 200 Cardassians; Dukat was "forced" to execute 200 Bajorans at random, as retaliation.

After the end of the Occupation, Dukat went on patrol on a warship, and for a time was the most frequent spokesperson of the Cardassian government when dealing with the Federation and Bajor. He was even of assistance to them at times: for example, he brought the growing problem of the Maquis to Sisko's attention, and accompanied him on a mission to prevent a Maquis attack after being rescued from the terrorists by Sisko and his officers ("The Maquis, Parts I and II"). Dukat also cooperated with Sisko when the Defiant was hijacked by Tom Riker ("Defiant"). When the military government on Cardassia was overthrown, Dukat managed to win a position as military advisor to the civilian government, was promoted to legate, and was instrumental in helping save the Detapa Council during the Klingon invasion of Cardassia ("The Way of the Warrior").

Not long afterwards, in "Indiscretion", Dukat went on a joint mission with Major Kira Nerys to discover what had happened to the Ravinok, a Cardassian prison ship that had been lost during the Occupation. He eventually revealed to Kira that his Bajoran mistress Tora Naprem had been on the ship, with their daughter Ziyal. Dukat intended to kill Ziyal, in order to prevent his political enemies from using her against him; but when he finally saw her, he changed his mind, and took her home to Cardassia. It was a risk that resulted in a major setback for Dukat: his mother disowned him, his wife left him along with their children, and he was demoted, reduced to commanding the freighter Groumall. However, with Kira's aid, he captured a Klingon cruiser, and set out as a renegade, sending Ziyal to DS9 under Kira's protection ("Return to Grace").

About a year later, Dukat's fortunes took another dramatic turn, when Cardassia became an ally of the Dominion, and Dukat was placed by them at the head of his world's government ("In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light"). What was to him the culmination of his triumph came when Starfleet eventually retreated from DS9, and he was able to once again take control of the station, which he insisted on renaming Terok Nor ("Call to Arms"). Dukat ruled jointly with Weyoun, confident that eventually he could conquer the Alpha Quadrant with the Dominion's aid and then toss them aside, until Starfleet's forces returned to retake the station ("Favor the Bold"/"Sacrifice of Angels"). Distracted by a rift with Ziyal, he gradually saw his dreams of victory vanish. When Ziyal was murdered by Damar during the evacuation, Dukat suffered a mental breakdown, and was captured by Starfleet.

Dukat was treated by Starfleet counselors, and in "Waltz", when they had deemed him stable enough to stand arraignment, he was sent to a starbase along with Sisko (who was to testify). The ship was destroyed, and Dukat and Sisko wound up stranded together on a planet. Dukat's mental state deteriorated until finally he escaped in a shuttle, vowing to kill all Bajorans.

He disappeared for several months (once contacting Kira to regale her with the information that her mother had been his mistress, in "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night"), and spent time studying ancient Bajoran texts, then returned to Cardassia, claiming to have the key to victory over Sisko and the Alpha Quadrant. Breaking a Bajoran statue, he became possessed by the pah-wraith inside, and went to DS9, where the wraith destroyed the Orb of Contemplation, also killing Jadzia Dax in the process ("Tears of the Prophets").

Dukat vanished again for a time, and set himself up on Empok Nor as "Master" of a community of pah-wraith worshippers, believing himself to be Emissary to the pah-wraiths. However, when a half-Cardassian child was born, Dukat tried to kill the mother rather than let the truth be known; and when that failed, he convinced his followers to take poison (to shed their corporeal existence and become one with the pah-wraiths). Naturally, his own pill was a fake. Having been exposed by Kira, Dukat beamed away to an unknown location ("Covenant").

Months later, in "Penumbra", Dukat returned to Cardassia, and secretly obtained Damar's help in finding a surgeon to alter his features so that he would appear Bajoran. He went to DS9, posing as Anjohl, a Bajoran farmer, and insinuated his way into Kai Winn's confidence, as well as a sexual relationship ("'Til Death Do Us Part"). When he revealed his true purpose (but not his identity) to Winn, she eventually joined him on the path of the pah-wraiths ("Strange Bedfellows"). Under Dukat's guidance, Winn researched the Text of the Kosst Amojan to learn how to free the pah-wraiths from the Fire Caves. He was unmasked to her by Solbor, but although she was horrified at first, she continued to work with him ("The Changing Face of Evil"). Dukat was blinded by the pah-wraiths when he tried to read the text for himself; Winn had him put out to beg on the streets ("When It Rains...").

In "What You Leave Behind", with his eyesight restored, Dukat returned to Winn, and accompanied her into the Fire Caves. During the ritual to free the pah-wraiths, she poisoned him as a sacrifice; but the wraiths possessed Dukat's body instead, returning him to his Cardassian appearance. When Sisko arrived, Dukat taunted him, and in the ensuing struggle was pushed by Sisko over a cliff into the fires, taking the Text of the Kosst Amojan with him.

Other facts:
His security ID (in "The Maquis, Part I") was ADL-4-0.

Mark Alaimo

The 6-foot tall, blue-eyed actor was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as Mike Alaimo and became hooked on acting in high school, where he also served as senior class president.

After gaining experience with the Marquette University Players and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater Company, Alaimo was ready for the New York stage. In 1973 Alaimo landed the recurring role of Virgil Paris in the soap opera, Somerset, marking the beginning of his television career. For the next 15 years Alaimo appeared in virtually every episodic police and action show, usually as a heavy who is taken down before the final act. Alaimo also appeared in a few movies, notably as Captain Everett in "Total Recall."

Alaimo's Star Trek association began in 1987 as a contentious and furry Antican in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Lonely Among Us." Since then he also played Romulan Commander Tebok, "The Neutral Zone," gambler Frederick La Rouque, "Time's Arrow," and Gul Macet, "The Wounded." In addition to his pivotal role as Gul Dukat on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Alaimo could count Anjohl Tennan and Ryan, "Far Beyond the Stars," to bring the total number of Star Trek characters on his resume to seven.

Marc Alaimo has been married and divorced twice. His two children were both born on May 5, which is also Alaimo's birthday.