Gul Dukat's Dulcet Tones

Fan tumblr for Marc Alaimo's brilliant portrayal of Gul Dukat! I'm planning to mainly post screenshots I take here as I watch the series again. If I'm feeling ambitious, I might post some of my art of him, too.

[guldukatsdulcettones]

Gul Dukat - S2x08 "Necessary Evil" (2) Face close-ups, neck ridges/scales, and several of Marc Alaimo's expressions :)

Rest of the batch of screenshots for this scene! Same scene as the previous post - Dukat calling Odo to the Chemist's Shop during the first flashback scene in S2x08, when Terok Nor is still under the Bajoran Occupation. (Next post will be a different scene.)

Another reason I love "Necessary Evil" is because Gul Dukat's neck ridges/scales have a variety of different appearances with each of his guest roles (this similarly occurs with Garak's scales).

This episode is my favorite make-up application for Gul Dukat's scales during the early seasons. I love this version's scale definition in the front of his neck, and the transition to a more faded, subtler suggestion along the back. Some episodes have the back scales very defined, and others even more subtle - this episode hits my favorite balance.

I read somewhere that the creators of the show decided the in-lore explanation for these differing appearances is because Cardassians periodically shed their scales, like real-world reptiles. It makes me wonder what their shed scales might look like! (If it's shown somewhere and I've forgotten/haven't seen it, feel free to let me know.)

An additional reason I love this scene is the moment depicted in screenshot 7. This is the only moment (in this scene) where, in the script, it describes Dukat "drops his mask," and he shows his true ferocity to Odo - beneath his usual veneer of charismatic, "overly-polite" charm.

I adore the way Alaimo portrays this moment - he perfectly captures this "mask drop" described in the script. He conveys an entirely different personality - you immediately feel the sharpness and bite in that single line ("Don't push me, Odo."). The way Alaimo stretches the pause - you can feel the tension - and then he seamlessly melts back into his charming, disarmingly-friendly mannerisms toward Odo once more. Knowing he has left Odo with little choice than to investigate the murder.

I could watch this man acting this character for hours - and thanks to DS9, I can and I am! :)

[guldukatsdulcettones]

Gul Dukat - S2x08 "Necessary Evil"

"Necessary Evil" is among my favorite episodes from the early DS9 seasons. Every actor is at their best, and Marc Alaimo's scenes, especially, stole the show for me. The cinematography/lighting, as well as the editing, are also superb - a visual delight for the eyes.

His voice tickles my ears in the best possible ASMR way, especially in this episode, where he speaks in a more low, almost growling end to his lines. A true aural treat!

These screens are from his first appearance during the episode, when he has called Odo to see him in the Chemist's Shop. Dukat sits on a chair behind a desk, his feet raised and resting on the desk's edge.

I've been skimming the scripts for some of these episodes during my watch this time, and interestingly, his pose was not described as such in the script. This was also confirmed when I listened to "The Delta Flyers" podcast for this episode, where they also noted as such.

I believe they also had the director for this episode (James L. Conway) as a guest for their podcast, and he couldn't recall whether it was him or Alaimo who thought up having Dukat positioned this way.

I sort of suspect it might have been Alaimo's idea, as he seems like a very physical actor to me - he seems to love incorporating objects in scenes in his performance (Sisko's baseball being the most immediate example), and he also tends to take up a lot of space with his actions and movements (probably owing to his lanky, broad-shouldered build, as well as his experience with theater acting).

The way he uncrosses his leg to stand felt very much like an "actor's decision" to me, if this makes sense - in my very uneducated opinion as a non-actor, of course.

Anyway, that is my ramble for this scene from this episode. :) One of my favorites, and I hope someone enjoys these screenshots of the character!