(Biographical profile current as of 2374.)

The former Cardassian prefect of Terok Nor (renamed Deep Space Nine by the Federation), Dukat has proven himself a survivor as well as an expert tactician at political intrigue and combat. He has ridden the roller coaster of change sweeping his people, recovering from the loss of Terok Nor to become military advisor after a shocking civilian coup in 2371. He then became a lone marauder against Klingon aggressors after losing his Legate rank over a mistress scandal, and finally the ruler of a puppet government in the Dominion on the verge of taking the Alpha Quadrant in 2373-74.

A wily egotist and more silver-tongued than most Cardassians, he was a part of the Bajoran occupation at least as far back as 2352 (when he fathered a daughter by a Bajoran mistress) and came to head Terok Nor about ten years before the overall withdrawal from Bajor, which he opposed. He had dealt with Quark throughout the Occupation, but first met both Kira and Odo in 2363 as a member of the Central Command — afterwards making Odo his station security chief, and later coming to have an ever-evolving crush on Kira. He had labeled Kira a "minor operative" who ran "errands" for the terrorist leaders.

After the withdrawal, he still kept meddling in station affairs as commander of the Second Order, but was not above cooperating when it suited him, as in hunting down the Maquis with Sisko who kidnapped him in 2370, or searching for his mistress and daughter among the Ravinok survivors with Kira in 2372. Dukat had just been promoted to Legate after helping save the civilian Deteppa Council from Klingon capture in early 2372 during their invasion, but he lost all standing and his wife and seven children, including an 11-year-old son Mikor, by admitting to his illegitimate daughter Tora Ziyal. Rather than keep his demotion to a freighter captain, he broke off to prey as a bandit on Klingon intruders, but eventually sold out his world to the Dominion to become its leader under the thumb of the Vorta Weyoun.

Although they fought together against the Klingon invaders, Dukat and Garak share a special hatred: the former Obsidian Order agent had Dukat's father on trial and executed, and Dukat has wanted to do the same to his rival, now in exile. His old Terok Nor clearance was the maximum, level 9 with access/authorization code "Dukat 5116-Green"; in the Second Order his security ID code was ADL-40. He likes red leaf tea, Bajoran Spring Wine, Didactic Theatre, and had survived five assassination attempts by 2367.