"The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
At least some people here recognize the glory of Gul Dukat. A man put in a position where he couldn't win no matter what. He wanted to be softer on the Bajorans, but central command wouldn't have it. He went as soft as he could, reducing the number of work camp deaths, making it so children didn't have to work.
And what did he receive? Assassination attempts. Hardly the way of the bajoran people to congratulate what was probably their savior of such dark times.
Dukat is one of my absolute favorite characters. He's a great villain. He was a charismatic, manipulative, narcissistic pervert who wraps himself in patriotism and family values as a mask for an ego the mass of a black hole. And as Prefect of Bajor he was directly responsible for forced prostitution, genocide, and slave labor on a planetary scale (he was based on Terok Nor, which was built by slave labor to utilize slave labor refining mineral resources mined from their conquest, and surely you don't think he had nothing to do with Gallitep).
But you can still like watching him because he's charming and funny and he doesn't cackle and rant and rave like a comic book supervillain, or eat puppies just to prove he's a bad guy, so as a viewer you often want to try to excuse his very real crimes. Until "Waltz", when the facade finally cracks and he reveals once and for all the kind of man he really is.
He's an excellent and IMHO very relevant exploration of how horrible people can get into positions of authority.
Millions died due to Dukat, while Dukat can seem reasonable on the surface, underneath he was a monster fed by his own ego and ambitions. I suggest you rewatch the DS9 episode Waltz and then come back.
Dukat was working the Cardassian government and so shares their guilt over Bajor.
Dukat was fair
for one Cardassian officer killed one bajoran was killed
People speak of his ego.....but it was HE who was willing to face the Klingons alone , he was willing to sacrifice his position for his daughter
Yes, one Bajoran killed at random for one Cardassian targeted for being a member of an occupying army. Totally fair. /sarcasm
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Until "Waltz", when the facade finally cracks and he reveals once and for all the kind of man he really is.
Now, this is one that racks my head everytime I watch that episode.
There was nothing realistically stopping Dukat prosecuting a genocide on the Bajorans. So why didn't he, as he put it, "kill all of them"?
It's worth remembering that Dukat was insane by that point, driven mad by losing Ziyal, Terok Nor, and his position in one day. Sisko was deliberately trying to provoke Dukat's feelings of resentment towards the Bajorans. From his perspective, he'd helped them massively, by loosening the iron fist of previous prefects. In his mind, he was the good guy (which is disturbing in and of itself). He thought the Bajorans ungrateful - maybe even more trouble than they were worth. But he continued to be 'generous'. With his insanity (and Sisko's stoking), it's not surprising his more ruthless side came out. Dukat hated everyone by this point.
Thing is, I don't belief Dukat's narcissism was a mask. I think he really did see himself as a hero. That's what makes him such a great villain. As Quark tells Jake in one episode, "no-one ever thinks of themself as nefarious". Dukat saw nothing wrong with the majority of his actions, and those actions he did think of as wrong he 'regretted' (how sincerely is open for debate).
I don't think Dukat was 'truly evil'. At least not until Operation Return. That operation stripped away everything he had left: his daughter, his station, and his position. Insanity is a pretty good motivator towards evil acts. He stopped caring about anyone other than himself, pursuing personal power over anything else. But before Operation Return, he had self control, and at least some semblance of a moral compass (a Cardassian one). That moral compass emphasised loyalty to Cardassia above all else (including conventional morality), but it also included some measure of compassion. Evil men don't have compassion. You didn't see Stalin only starve the adult Ukrainians - he starved them all.
That's a rather cartoonish style of black/white concept of evil.
There are styles of black/white evil? If we're calling something 'truly evil', I define that as pitch black, no greys. Dukat is grey evil (I.e. Definitely not good, but not irredeemably evil either.). If Dukat were a member of the Eeeeevil Society, they'd demand his twirly moustache back.
Comments
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
And what did he receive? Assassination attempts. Hardly the way of the bajoran people to congratulate what was probably their savior of such dark times.
Have to agree with this. Dukat's life is a life of failures.
But you can still like watching him because he's charming and funny and he doesn't cackle and rant and rave like a comic book supervillain, or eat puppies just to prove he's a bad guy, so as a viewer you often want to try to excuse his very real crimes. Until "Waltz", when the facade finally cracks and he reveals once and for all the kind of man he really is.
He's an excellent and IMHO very relevant exploration of how horrible people can get into positions of authority.
Yes, one Bajoran killed at random for one Cardassian targeted for being a member of an occupying army. Totally fair. /sarcasm
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
My character Tsin'xing
Now, this is one that racks my head everytime I watch that episode.
There was nothing realistically stopping Dukat prosecuting a genocide on the Bajorans. So why didn't he, as he put it, "kill all of them"?
It's worth remembering that Dukat was insane by that point, driven mad by losing Ziyal, Terok Nor, and his position in one day. Sisko was deliberately trying to provoke Dukat's feelings of resentment towards the Bajorans. From his perspective, he'd helped them massively, by loosening the iron fist of previous prefects. In his mind, he was the good guy (which is disturbing in and of itself). He thought the Bajorans ungrateful - maybe even more trouble than they were worth. But he continued to be 'generous'. With his insanity (and Sisko's stoking), it's not surprising his more ruthless side came out. Dukat hated everyone by this point.
Thing is, I don't belief Dukat's narcissism was a mask. I think he really did see himself as a hero. That's what makes him such a great villain. As Quark tells Jake in one episode, "no-one ever thinks of themself as nefarious". Dukat saw nothing wrong with the majority of his actions, and those actions he did think of as wrong he 'regretted' (how sincerely is open for debate).
I don't think Dukat was 'truly evil'. At least not until Operation Return. That operation stripped away everything he had left: his daughter, his station, and his position. Insanity is a pretty good motivator towards evil acts. He stopped caring about anyone other than himself, pursuing personal power over anything else. But before Operation Return, he had self control, and at least some semblance of a moral compass (a Cardassian one). That moral compass emphasised loyalty to Cardassia above all else (including conventional morality), but it also included some measure of compassion. Evil men don't have compassion. You didn't see Stalin only starve the adult Ukrainians - he starved them all.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
My character Tsin'xing
There are styles of black/white evil? If we're calling something 'truly evil', I define that as pitch black, no greys. Dukat is grey evil (I.e. Definitely not good, but not irredeemably evil either.). If Dukat were a member of the Eeeeevil Society, they'd demand his twirly moustache back.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood