Legacy of Gul Dukat

[CDP]

Yup, Dukat definitely considered Sisko to be a friend. Sisko was kind of a prick about it and didn't return his friendship, though. You'll find out better when you get to the episode "Waltz" which is an amazing episode that explores the Dukat/Sisko relationship. However, Waltz had a different ending originally than the one they ended up putting in the episode. The ending they chose to go with was a really bad decision. Unfortunately it pretty much sabotages the integrity of the Dukat character, which is almost universally regarded as the biggest & most-hated fubar of the series. But you'll understand that better after you've seen the whole series.

What was the original ending?

thanks,

CDP

 

[Triskelion]

Sisko honored Dukat's family by reciting his entire lineage - no wait -
The sun came up and nearly fried them both until the NX01 beamed them - no wait -
Dukat ate the local plant and made him paranoid and he attacked Colonel O'Neil -Sorry-
Geordi directed the Romulan to rig his VISOR to detect Wesley's neutrino pulse -no-
Odo passed out but Quark made it to the mountaintop with the transceiver -darn-
Worf abandoned his mission to save Jadzia - not that one -
Tuvok meditated while Tom hunted spiders - yes? -
Sisko tore his shirt and made a cannon - that's it!

...I'm so confused.

 

[Navaros]

What was the original ending?

Here's what Jeffrey Combs had to say about it:

N: I have heard that Marc Alaimo always claimed that Dukat is a good guy deep in his heart. Is there anything like this that is true for Weyoun?
JC: That was an ongoing battle with Marc and Ira. Ira kept saying: C’mon! You’re kidding! I think really that any good actor who has a role whether a villainous role or not, will try to find anything to make the character more multidimensional and not just be one thing. So that’s what Marc was trying to do. What I was trying to do…it’s not so easy to just say he’s bad or he’s good and that’s all. You wanna play all the colors
N: And that’s why “Waltz” was done?
JC: That’s why “Waltz” was done,… right! And they changed the ending of “Waltz”!
N: Ah, how was that?
JC: I don’t recall! But there was an ending shot and then they changed it, to make him less sympathetic.

Source:
http://www.geocities.com/combsfan/nexusinterview.html

 

[Anthony Sabre]

I've never been happy with the way Dukat's character was handled. Seems like they couldn't decide who's arch enemy he was. Sisko, then Kira, then back to Sisko. But he was definitely a very complex villain.

 

[Katrine]

I've never been happy with the way Dukat's character was handled. Seems like they couldn't decide who's arch enemy he was. Sisko, then Kira, then back to Sisko. But he was definitely a very complex villain.

Why couldn't he have had more than one arch-enemy? There was certainly no love lost b/t Dukat & Garak, either.

 

[Sisko4Life]

I personally didn't like the way Dukat was handled in the last scene of "Waltz." He had been his usual Sisko admirer all episode and then just went ape on him. I mean it seems odd that he considers Sisko a friend and wants his respect, etc. for... 5 or so seasons and then suddenly beats the hell out of him and takes the shuttle and leaves Sisko to die on the planet. Then he tells the Defiant where Sisko is.... what the hell were the writers thinking?

 

[Bad Atom]

Dukat was a great villain all the way through "Waltz". Yeah, his development kind of slid downhill as the series came to a close, but Marc Alaimo was consistently entertaining to watch. He's the reason we're still discussing the character.

It's a shame that the series had to end as a clear-cut battle between "good Sisko" and "evil Dukat", since the writers had previously explored so many interesting shades of grey. But I suppose you can only push the Trek envelope so far - the same reason the "good guys" won the war.

 

[scorpius1701]

I've never been happy with the way Dukat's character was handled. Seems like they couldn't decide who's arch enemy he was. Sisko, then Kira, then back to Sisko. But he was definitely a very complex villain.

Why couldn't he have had more than one arch-enemy? There was certainly no love lost b/t Dukat & Garak, either.

It diluted him as a character when his scenes were split between the two. He was set up as somebody that could have been legitimately killed by Sisko for the commander vs commander thing, Ezri Dax because of Jadzia, Worf because of Jadzia, and Kira for obvious reasons. It was too much for any one character. They should have kept him as the guy who might help you or might stick a knife in your back depending on his mood at the time instead of blatantly evil like he got in the last two seasons. I think he should have been killed off way earlier or they should have ended the show two years sooner than they did to preserve the character. As written in the later seasons, he didnt have enough juice to keep him as the main villain which is why i think Weyoun and Damar got beefed up. On a show that is known primarily for its shades of grey, how on earth can you have a guy whos the epitome of all evil? Thematically it doesnt make any sense.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

While I do miss the subtlety Dukat had before he lost his mind...I have to admit, the crazy Dukat WAS well-acted and that's why in the end, I as a viewer found I could accept it. I found Marc Alaimo's acting in "Covenant" to be incredibly creepy, especially the bit where he was all by himself and actually started to pray to the Pah-wraiths. They say it's how you behave when nobody is watching you that really defines you--and to see that he really WAS that completely over the edge was chilling. Plus I also thought that episode made a really unnerving display of just what lengths cult-followers will go to. I mean, for a bunch of Bajorans to turn to the Cardassian who did them the worst harm during the Occupation, as an authority for THEIR religion...ewwwwwww, creepy! But the sad part is...if you look at stuff like the Heaven's Gate cult, the Branch Davidians, etc.--people really CAN be that gullible.