Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Gul Dukat
1. He Was Too Popular
From a Bajoran point of view, describing Dukat as problematic would be somewhat of an understatement. However, as far as the writers were concerned, this happened to be the case more often than they would like.
Despite starting as a run of the mill villain, Marc Alaimo's portrayal of charm and pathos within his characterisation encouraged the team to be more nuanced with his arc, culminating in the fleeting anti-villain storyline during the Cardassian-Klingon war.
Dukat's redemption arc would soon be cut short, much to the chagrin of Alaimo, as he aligns with The Dominion in Season 5. This was partly due to writers fearing the character would become too peripheral or benign, but also as a direct response to his worrying popularity.
In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Executive Ira Stephen Behr expresses his irritation at some fans' willingness to whitewash Dukat's involvement in the occupation, referencing people saying 'only five million Bajorans were killed during the occupation - that's not a big deal'.
Having a villain you love to hate is one thing, after all, that's how we got Kai Winn, but when genocide's on the cards, maybe we shouldn't bust out the friendship bracelets just yet.