# Is Gul Dukat the most likable "bad guy" on a TV series? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 22, 2022, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235 "2022-04-22T09:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/21 "2022-04-22T14:10:59Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > From the same series, [ > Neil McDonough as Quarles](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568180/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t29) was pretty damned good in a far lesser role. Yes, he’s done a couple of turns as villains like this. On Legends of Tomorrow he plays Damien Darhk, an evil wizard who has tried to kill the heroes on many occasions, but who is also legitimately a loving father who sacrificed himself to save his daughter, even though he was planning multiple double crosses at the same time. But he’s also clearly just having fun being this evil, unpredictable villain. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/22 "2022-04-22T14:13:13Z")
Al Swearengen, no? Clearly (at least initially) cast as the villain, but some of the best parts of Deadwood show his humanity and working together with the “hero” to solve problems for his town. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/23 "2022-04-22T14:17:39Z")
[No, not even the most likeable bad guy in Star Trek.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(Star_Trek)) ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/24 "2022-04-22T14:25:18Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Al Swearengen, no? Definitely a good candidate. Will kill without hesitation if he feels it’s in his interests, but if it isn’t in his interests, he won’t. I like to compare his reaction to finding smallpox in the camp to that Bella Union Cocksucker. BUC tried to hide it for fear that it might cut into his profits, while Swiggen called a meeting of the town leaders to plan for quarantine procedures, and put up his own money as a reward for whoever could deliver vaccines to the camp first. Now that I’ve written that down, I see certain parallels to the last couple of years… ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/25 "2022-04-22T14:33:46Z")
Oh, yes. I think Swearengen’s just as good a candidate as Dukat. Maybe even better. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/26 "2022-04-22T14:36:05Z")
In what sense is Q a bad guy? Sure, he may be annoying, even dangerous at times, but it’s not as though he ever acts out of malice, and he almost always presses the cosmic reset button after everyone’s learned the lesson _du jour_. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/27 "2022-04-22T14:38:08Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > In what sense is Q a bad guy? In what sense is he “likable”? He always annoyed the shit out of me. ---
**Author:** ![PackerMan2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/packerman2/32/2894_2.png) [@PackerMan2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PackerMan2)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/28 "2022-04-22T14:43:27Z")
Omar Little is the correct answer. > **[Omar Little](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Little)** > > Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama series The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. He is a notorious Baltimore stick-up man, who frequently robs street-level drug dealers. He is legendary around Baltimore for his characteristic duster, under which he hides his shotgun, large caliber handgun, and bulletproof vest, as well as for his facial scar and his whistling of "The Farmer in the Dell" when stalking targets.\[a\] Omar's homosexual character is based on the heteros Wh... Boyd Crowder gets honorable mention. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/29 "2022-04-22T14:43:41Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > In what sense is Q a bad guy? Remember the episode where he loses his powers and shows up on the Enterprise because he knows half the galaxy will come looking for him? He was a pretty bad guy. > [@Horatius](#): > > In what sense is he “likable”? He always annoyed the shit out of me. Different strokes, I suppose. I’ve always loved his character. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/30 "2022-04-22T15:05:07Z")
Crowley. Crossroads demon. King of Hell. _Supernatural_. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/31 "2022-04-22T15:32:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Remember the episode where he loses his powers and shows up on the Enterprise because he knows half the galaxy will come looking for him? Still not an act of malice, but even so, one reckless action out of more than a dozen appearances hardly makes one a “bad guy”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/32 "2022-04-22T15:42:04Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > one reckless action The point of that episode is that he goes to Picard for protection. He’s pissed off **so many species** that he knows he’ll be hunted as soon as word of his depowering gets out. Hell, the whole reason he got the boot from the Continuum was because of his treatment of mortal races. “Bad guy” is subjective, I suppose, but this is your thread and I won’t hijack it further. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/33 "2022-04-22T15:44:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > He’s pissed off **so many species** that he knows he’ll be hunted as soon as word of his depowering gets out. Yeah, if the _Enterprise_ had somehow gotten free from the Calamarain, they were but the first of many species that would have been after him. “Fending off all the races that you’ve insulted would be a full-time mission. That’s not the one I signed up for.” --Commander Riker ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/34 "2022-04-22T15:45:05Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Still not an act of malice, but even so, one reckless action out of more than a dozen appearances hardly makes one a “bad guy”. But he was a bad guy to all those other species after him, was the point. Alien lives matter! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/35 "2022-04-22T15:50:05Z")
OK, I see your and @Johnny_Bravo’s point now. Still, having “insulted” people is pretty tame in comparison to rape, murder, genocide, enslavement, and many of the other things that have been mentioned in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/36 "2022-04-22T15:50:54Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It can make for a compelling character, onscreen or indeed in real life. > > Likeable? No. But definitely watchable. Agreed. Also helps illustrate that people can be monsters while still believing in their own righteousness. That’s way more realistic than a moustache-twirler. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/37 "2022-04-22T15:52:01Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > So yeah, he _did_ seem likeable in a lot of episodes, if only briefly. IMO, only if you were hopelessly naïve. Dukat’s inevitable heel turn was always so screamingly telegraphed to me. He had the smirk of the psychopath. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/38 "2022-04-22T16:12:45Z")
I’m with Boyd Crowder and Al Swearengen. Both of these characters are so, so terrible, and so, so likeable. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/39 "2022-04-22T16:37:11Z")
I was a Garak fan. I liked his character arc throughout the seasons. The Federation characters were a positive influence on him. I can’t remember. Did Garak survive the series? I know he helped in the climatic The Battle of **Cardassia**. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235/40 "2022-04-22T16:51:46Z")
[Londo Mollari](https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/Londo_Mollari) Also The Mayor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gul-dukat-the-most-likable-bad-guy-on-a-tv-series/963235.md?page=3)