Lutan was the ruler of Ligon II until 2364. He negotiated the supply of a rare vaccine to the Federation in that year. He became enamored with Lieutenant Natasha Yar, not only because of her beauty, but also her strength. He kidnapped her from the USS Enterprise-D, which was conducting the negotiations on behalf of the Federation during the talks. He announced at a banquet that he wanted Yar as his first wife, or "First One", and to save her honor, his first wife, Yareena, challenged Yar to a fight to the death. If Yar did not accept, Lutan stated he would not give the Enterprise the vaccine.
He planned to use Yar to kill his First One in a Ligonian ritual and gain all her wealth. His plan failed when Yareena was revived by Dr. Crusher after her death. As a result, he lost power and was forced to become Yareena's Second One, behind his former subordinate Hagon. (TNG: "Code of Honor")