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"I don't need to be reminded who my enemies are."
– Rusot, 2375 ("When It Rains...")

Gul Rusot was a Cardassian military officer and an old friend of Legate Damar.

Biography[]

Rusot, like many Cardassians, had initially reacted favorably to news of the Cardassian Union joining the Dominion in 2373, believing Cardassians would rule the Alpha Quadrant. Rusot soon grew disillusioned of the alliance with the Dominion, however, coming to see it as an entirely one-sided affair.

Rusot served on Terok Nor when it was under Cardassian-Dominion control. Frustrated with the Dominion's occupation of Cardassia Prime, he joined Damar in late 2375 in planning the Cardassian Rebellion's initial attack on Rondac III, the Dominion's primary cloning facility. He expressed discomfort at the idea of operating in secret, comparing it to the acts of Romulans, though Damar reminded him they were an occupied people and that caution was necessary. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil")

As the rebellion gathered strength, Rusot served as Damar's second-in-command, although he greatly detested the need to accept assistance from Starfleet, and the presence of the Bajoran Kira Nerys as an adviser. He challenged Kira's recommendations at every turn, especially when Kira recommended that the resistance start attacking Cardassian-operated installations that had not joined the rebellion. (DS9: "When It Rains...") Further, Rusot made the mistake of trying to attack Kira which she swiftly handled and warned him never to touch her again and that when the war was over that he knew where to find her and they could settle the grievances between them. Garak, for his part, said Kira would need kill him sooner then later.

After obtaining a Cardassian shuttle, Rusot was part of a small team, led by Damar, that launched a daring raid on the Kelvas facility, with the goal of hijacking a Jem'Hadar attack ship equipped with a Breen energy-dampening weapon. When the plan started to fall apart, Rusot pulled a weapon on Kira and threatened to kill her, proposing that he and Damar take the weapon for themselves and use it to restore the old Cardassian Empire. Instead, Damar shot and killed Rusot, regretfully observing, "He was my friend. But his Cardassia is dead, and it won't be coming back." (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind")

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

Gul Rusot was portrayed by John Vickery.

The character of Rusot was created to give the Final Chapter a traditional Cardassian "bad guy", as Damar and Dukat had become multidimensional characters. Ira Steven Behr commented, "He turned out great... We needed someone who was just bad. And for this particular arc, we needed someone who would highlight Damar's strength by putting Damar in a position where he'd have to hold this tiger by the tail and keep him in line." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 697))

In the first draft of the script for "The Changing Face of Evil", Rusot was described as "a competent officer accustomed to following orders." In the final draft of that script, he was instead described as "a competent officer possessing a healthy amount of gruff Cardassian arrogance." [1]

The character was given the first name of "Sigol" in the 2008 DS9 novel Fearful Symmetry.

External link[]

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