TREKCORE > DEEP SPACE NINE > CAST > Weyoun

PLAYED BY: Jeffrey Combs
SPECIES: Vorta
POSITION: Jem'Hadar field supervisor (4th); became advisor to Cardassia's leaders under the Dominion (5th through 8th)

A Vorta, who became the Dominion's chief representative in the Alpha Quadrant, as well as heading up the war effort against the Federation and its allies, and acting as liaison to the Female Changeling. (Five out of eight cloned incarnations of Weyoun were seen; for convenience, they are all included in this entry.)

Weyoun was first seen as his fourth clone, in "To the Death", when he was field supervisor of the group of Jem'Hadar led by Omet'iklan, who allied with the Defiant crew to destroy an Iconian gateway on Vandros IV. This Weyoun was killed after the raid, by Omet'iklan, for having questioned his loyalty to the Dominion.

The fifth Weyoun came to DS9 as Dukat's Dominion advisor in "Ties of Blood and Water". He returned to meet with Kai Winn regarding a non-aggression pact between Bajor and the Dominion in "In the Cards"; while there, Weyoun became suspicious of the activities of Jake and Nog, and detained them for a while until convinced they were innocent of plotting against the Dominion. Weyoun even showed some interest in Dr. Giger's cellular entertainment chamber.

Weyoun led the takeover of DS9, together with Dukat, in "Call to Arms", and stayed there until "Favor the Bold"/"Sacrifice of Angels", when, with Dukat, he supervised the Dominion/Cardassian forces during the battle with Starfleet. When the Dominion reinforcements failed to arrive through the wormhole, Weyoun evacuated to Cardassia along with the Female Changeling and the rest of their troops. After that, he was mainly concerned with directing the war effort from Cardassia, and keeping Damar in line.

Early in 2375, Weyoun 5 was killed in a suspicious transporter accident (probably arranged by Damar). Weyoun 6 replaced him, but was later deemed "defective" due to his unusual pacifist tendencies, and Weyoun 7 was then activated. However, Weyoun 6 refused to terminate himself as ordered, and in "Treachery, Faith and the Great River", he met with Odo, offering to give Dominion secrets to the Federation. On the way back to DS9, the two were pursued by Jem'Hadar, sent by Damar and Weyoun 7. When escape proved impossible, Weyoun 6 signaled his successor and finally triggered his termination implant. He died in Odo's arms, asking for and receiving his "god"'s blessing.

Weyoun 7 continued his predecessors' work, overseeing the effort to cure the Founders' disease ("Penumbra") and going with the Female Changeling and Damar to a rendezvous with the Dominion's new allies, the Breen ("'Til Death Do Us Part"). Then he was killed by Worf, who broke his neck when Weyoun incautiously taunted Ezri in their cell, in "Strange Bedfellows"; he was quickly replaced by Weyoun 8.

Weyoun 8 also served the Dominion, in the face of Damar's rebellion, until finally, in "What You Leave Behind", he was shot and killed by Garak when the Cardassian resistance captured Dominion headquarters. Since the Dominion Vorta cloning facility had been destroyed, he was the last of the Weyouns.

Jeffrey Combs

Born in Oxnard, CA, in 1954, Combs was raised in nearby Lompoc. After graduating from high school in 1972, he entered the world of acting by attending numerous theatrical schools and performing in repertory theater. Frequently appearing in such venues as the Mark Taper Forum and South Coast Repertory, Combs made his film debut in Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), which was followed by supporting roles in Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Frightmare (1983), and The Man With Two Brains (1983). Still performing frequently on-stage during this period, Combs was approached by a young director named Stuart Gordon and asked if he would be interested in appearing in an adaptation of a Lovecraft story. Attracted by the strong script, the actor agreed. Released in 1985, Re-Animator shocked and nauseated audiences into uncontrolled laughter with its outrageous violence and imaginative set pieces. Combs' manic portrayal of a mad doctor who claims to have discovered the key to immortality immediately earned him a place in the lexicon of horror history as one of the great screen psychos.

Subsequently re-teaming with Gordon for yet another Lovecraft adaptation, From Beyond (1986) proved to be a disappointment when it was released in a truncated form. Knowing that the excess of Re-Animator would be difficult, if not impossible, to top, Combs and Gordon remained undaunted, collaborating on such efforts as Robot Jox and The Pit and the Pendulum (both 1990). Released that same year and directed by Gordon-cohort Brian Yuzna, Bride of Re-Animator didn't quite live up to fan expectations, although ultimately proved to be an entertaining sequel by remaining loyal to the tone and content to its predecessor. Subsequently working with such horror stylists as Fred Olen Ray (The Phantom Empire [1986] and Cyclone [1987]) and Full Moon's Charles Band (Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth [1991] and the Dr. Strange-influenced Doctor Mordrid [1992]), Combs continued to build a dedicated cult following who remained eager to see what the quirky actor would attempt next. Continuing to appear in Lovecraft-based films, he also branched out with a role as a hitman in Love and a .45 (1994) and as actor Montgomery Clift in the made-for-TV Norma Jean and Marilyn (1996). A seemingly natural teaming with New Zealand splatter-king Peter Jackson also resulted in a hilarious turn as an unstable FBI agent in The Frighteners (1996). Combs' career took an unexpected turn later that year. Having previously lost the role of Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation to Jonathan Frakes, he returned to the Star Trek fold when Frakes (as director) cast him as Weyoun in an episode of Deep Space Nine. Returning in various capacities later, Combs would become the first actor to play three different characters in a single season of any Star Trek series. His popularity in the franchise growing, he was later cast in a recurring role in the subsequent Enterprise series. Simultaneously continuing to appear in such features as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), House on Haunted Hill (1999), and Yuzna's long awaited Faust: Love of the Damned (2001, channeling Bruce Campbell), Combs fans were thrilled to hear that he would be returning to the role of Herbert West in Beyond Re-Animator (again helmed by Yuzna) in late 2003.