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In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine television series, Skrain Dukat is a Cardassian leader and a recurring antagonist of Benjamin Sisko. He is played by Marc Alaimo.
Dukat has the military rank of Gul, and is therefore often referred to as "Gul Dukat". Tall, charismatic, and strong-willed, he continually seeks approval from his adversaries for his belief that he is a gentle and fair leader. Each time he fails to get this approval, he reacts violently, accusing the people who don't appreciate him of forcing him into hostile action.
He believes that he has earned the friendship of Sisko and Major Kira Nerys. They dislike and distrust him intensely; Kira rebuffs his constant attempts to woo her and gain her approval, and Sisko describes him as "pure evil."
In the years before the United Federation of Planets works with Bajor towards helping it become a member, the Bajorans are suffering through the Bajoran Occupation. The planet is controlled by the Cardassian military, its people are enslaved, and many die in forced labor camps.
Dukat becomes the head of the Cardassian ore processing facility Terok Nor and the last prefect of occupied Bajor. Dukat believes himself to be a kind and benevolent overseer who cares deeply for the people he enslaves; he maintains that he tries to rule Bajor with a "softer" and "gentler" hand than the Central Command asks him to, such as by abolishing child labor and by improving conditions in the labor camps. But he blames the frequent terrorist acts against the Cardassians for forcing him to take harsh retributions, and he comes to hate the Bajoran people for refusing to appreciate him or to let their technically and culturally superior masters guide them into a better future.
When the Cardassians finally leave Bajor, the Federation moves into Terok Nor, renames it Deep Space Nine, and discovers the Bajoran wormhole. Dukat's failure to recapture the station after this important discovery makes him very unpopular with the Cardassian government. Dukat vows someday to retake the station from Sisko and Starfleet.
Dukat has a daughter, Tora Ziyal, born from an illicit relationship with a Bajoran slave woman during the occupation. He sends her away as a baby without acknowledging his fatherhood because he fears that public knowledge of the relationship could hurt his political standing. Many years later Ziyal is found again, and Dukat is prepared to kill her to keep the secret of his indiscretion, but Kira convinces him to take her back to Deep Space Nine instead. Father and daughter become very close, and Ziyal is one of the few people who gives Dukat the admiration he craves.
Dukat becomes Legate (leader) of the Cardassian Union when it allies with the Dominion. The Dominion-Cardassian alliance succeeds in reclaiming Deep Space Nine but is forced to give it up after a decisive battle. When Damar kills Ziyal for having secretly aided the resistance, Dukat loses his grip on sanity. He is captured by Starfleet, but later escapes.
Dukat then becomes the emissary of the Pah Wraiths. In the series finale, Sisko and Dukat fight each other hand-to-hand, and Dukat becomes imprisoned with the Pah Wraiths.
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