Dukat’s Cult

Story: Covenant
Written By: René Echevarria
Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Year: 1998

A Vedek from a camp Kira was once in as a child comes to the station and gives her a gift: a Dominion transporter. She is transported to Empok Nor, where the Cult of the Pah-Wraiths has set up a community, she is then introduced to their leader: Dukat.
It is another in the long line of stories in which Dukat seems hellbent on getting the love and adoration of others, especially Bajorans, and his need for the approval and adoration of Kira. He is a madman. He is the leader of a cult, and has to hand out permission for people to even have babies. He has allowed one pregnancy so far, but when she gives birth and the baby is half-Cardassian…it strikes doubt on the part of her husband and fear in her own heart. Dukat tells the crowd it is a miracle, symbolic of the covenant they have all formed, but Kira is certainly not convinced. Dukat even tries to kill the mother in an airlock just to keep her from telling the truth, and when that doesn’t work, he tries to the whole cult with suicide pills.

Luckily, Kira is able to knock Dukat out and his own pill, which was fake. He can’t find his decoy pill, and is decidedly shaky when it comes to taking a real one from a tray. The cult realize their mistake and shun Dukat, who escapes via transport.

It is a solid episode, you gotta enjoy Alaimo, he is a great villain. This isn’t the best Dukat story, but it is solid, and it makes him even scarier…now that he seemingly has real faith in something.

NEXT TIME: Mental Wounds