Star Trek is filled with some of the most classic villains throughout the world of science fiction and these are my three favorites from Deep Space 9
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 was not a show that I particularly cared about as a kid. My Star Trek fandom was limited to the movies and Star Trek: Voyager. I grew up a Star Wars kid, and because of how syndication worked with Star Trek: Next Generation and DS9, it wasn’t always easy to find out when they were on considering they would air at different times depending on which city you were in.
Voyager, however, was on UPN. It was easy to find because the network aired it as a network exclusive. This followed a time when HBO only had limited original programming and instead would air older movies on repeat to fill the time. In fact, there was a time when you knew what movie was on just by knowing the day and time. For example, on Tuesday’s at 3:30 for the month of June, Jaws would always be on. Then in July, they’d have a new lineup featuring Space Balls or something. This meant that new movies, which if I remember correctly were on Saturday, at 8 P.M. (or 9 PM?) would air on HBO.
That was the first time I ever saw Star Trek: First Contact was when it premiered on HBO. Since they were marketing First Contact so hard, they would air the older movies, like Star Trek: Generations, Wrath of Khan, Voyage Home, etc. That was my first taste of Star Trek. I didn’t watch Next Generation or Deep Space 9 until the advent of streaming.
I think that’s why I have such a respect for the villain work on DS9. There is no child-like wonder or rose-colored glasses distorting my views on the characters or series. My feelings for these characters only came about less than a decade ago. So when I list off my favorite villains, you can feel assured that I’m not coming from a fanboy, kid at heart, perspective. I truly understood and resonated with these villains for one reason or another.
Why did I just go through all that? To really explain my first pick.
Kai Winn Adami
The Bajoran religious leader really made a play for power early in the series. She would try to provoke Commander Sisko into debates and manipulate Kira Nerys for her own gain. Yet, despite being a villain for the entirety of her time on the series, she was oftentimes very soothing with her tone. Had I watched her during Deep Space 9’s original run, I would’ve been about seven or eight. I would have had no idea that she was a villain, but I would probably still have hated her anyway.
Yet, what’s to hate about the kai? Well, some would say it was because she was a religious zealot, more worried about her relationship with beings she believed to be gods (the wormhole aliens) but that’s not it. Some would say it’s because she betrayed those same aliens, but that was because Gul Dukat manipulated her. No, as a kid I wouldn’t really understand why I hated her so much but as an adult I do.
She’s a manipulator who gaslights people into reacting exactly as she wants them to.
As an adult, I’ve dealt with women who’ve done that, and understand the misery that comes with sharing time and space with a person who does that. As a kid, I wouldn’t grasp the nuances of Winn’s cruelty. Yet, as an adult, I now have personal experiences to draw upon. That feeling you get when you know someone is more interested in themselves than the whole of something is devastating. When seen in media done so well, it brings you back to those moments. It allows you to attach more effectively to the main heroes, as so many of us (man and woman alike) have dealt with manipulative people.
She was also always convinced she was right, which lead to the most condescending, yet sweet-sounding interactions with Commander Sisko throughout the first few seasons of the show. While she would be part of the show throughout most of its entirety, she took a bit of a back seat for most of the Dominion War, allowing another great villain (but one who just missed the list) Weyoun to step up and be more involved with the central story.
Winn’s arch on the series is one that most fans can truly feel, as it’s so very authentic. It’s something everyone has gone through, regardless if you’re living in the middle-of-nowhere USA or on a space station orbiting Bajour.
That’s the effectiveness of a great villain.
Michael Eddington
(*No photo of Michael Eddington or his actor Kenneth Marshall is in Getty, so enjoy Chase Masterson, who played Leeta on DS9*)
Michael Eddington only had a brief run on the show and was played marvelously by Kenneth Marshall. Eddington was a Starfleet officer who broke ranks and betrayed Starfleet by taking up with the Maquis. While Eddington wasn’t the only one within Starfleet who was associated with the terrorist cell, he was arguably the most impactful.
Unlike Ro Laren and Calvin Hudson, both officers who turned and joined the Maquis, Eddington felt more like a betrayal. Edding was portrayed as someone who was loyal and honest, despite even sabotaging his own ship on orders from a superior officer.
The big crescendo for Eddington would come near the end of season four. After largely being a C-character in the background for six episodes prior, Eddington would reveal his insidious betrayal to Benjamin Sisko in the 21st episode of season four entitled, “The Cause”. He would betray all that he should for, and side with the Maquis. Because of his closeness with the crew and serving under Sisko for nearly two entire seasons, he became Sisko’s number one enemy for a short time as Sisko’s other nemesis was going through his own arc.
Eddington would taunt Sisko by calling him Javert, a reference to Les Miserables, who in the play was a man who followed the letter of the law to it’s fullest extent. Something Sisko had lived up to until this point. Ironically, it would be Eddington who began pushing Sisko past his established line of morality, causing the Starfleet captain to use biological weapons to flush out the Maquis.
His eventual turn to the darker arts came in In the Pale Moonlight, in season six. Sisko betrayed all he was by enlisting Garak to help bring the Romulans into the Dominion War. He even did so knowing, subconsciously, that Garak would go to any means to accomplish this mission. Something Eddington became the catalyst of. Without Eddington, Sisko may not go full dark side in order to win the war.
A great villain changes you forever, even if you “win”.
Gul Dukat
He’s essentially a space-Nazi.
The ultimate in Star Trek villainy, Gul Dukat lead the Cardassian forces on Deep Space 9 before the occupation of Bajor ended. Like all good villains, Dukat always claimed they were there to save the Bajoran people, and that had they accepted the help of the Cardassian’s that Bajor would’ve prospered like never before.
All lies, obviously, as the Cardassians constantly tortured, brutalized, maimed, and did worse to the people of Bajor.
When Benjamin Sisko came in as Dukat’s foil, the two men bounced off one another like a superball in a tiny room. Their leadership styles showed so much similarity but were so different. Dukat spoke to many people as a friend, until he was displeased by something, then the monster would come out. The inverse was true for Sisko, who often took a stern and gruff exterior to show his authority but was quick to remind someone of his own humanity when the need arose.
The parallel between Dukat and Sisko really amplified the sinister nature of Dukat, allowing the audiences to grasp and understand the depth and vile nature of that man by holding up a mirror to a more contemporary personality in Sisko, who while never perfect, always did what he thought was right. The inverse for Dukat was true, as he always tried to do what would be the most beneficial thing for him.
This coupling was necessary for the show to stand out on its own and away from the other shows. It made the series a hit, even 25 years later. Dukat’s brilliance as a villain can only be truly enjoyed from start to finish. So fire up those DS9 DVD’s or streams and get to watching.