Kudak'Etan was a Jem'Hadar soldier bred for combat during the Dominion War.
History[]
In 2374, Kudak'Etan served as First under the Vorta supervisor Gelnon.
One of the first Jem'Hadar to be bred in the Alpha Quadrant, Kudak'Etan felt his "Alpha" genetic profile was superior to that of the "Gammas". It was this superiority that lead to him replacing former First Ixtana'Rax as the leader of his unit.
Kudak'Etan's first mission as First was to assault the USS Defiant which was surveying a recently discovered subspace compression anomaly. He led a detachment of Jem'Hadar troops and was successful in capturing the Federation starship and piloting it back to Dominion territory.
Against Ixtana'Rax's advice, Kudak'Etan allowed Captain Benjamin Sisko and a few of his officers access to the ship systems to repair the warp drive which had been damaged in the attack. They were able to delay the repairs long enough to regain system control, with some help from the runabout USS Rubicon (which had been miniaturized by the anomaly). Kudak'Etan was later killed by Lieutenant Commander Worf when they retook engineering. (DS9: "One Little Ship")
Memorable quotes[]
"It must be gratifying for an Elder to end his career with a victory. I feel privileged to be here with you at such a moment."
"There is still much to do before we declare victory. Until we leave Federation space, we are vulnerable."
"I am First. And I have declared victory."
- - Kudak'Etan and Ixtana'Rax
"Are you about to question my order, Second?"
"No. Obedience brings Victory."
"And Victory is Life."
- - Kudak'Etan and Ixtana'Rax
"You are the Second. I am the First. Do not presume to tell me what to do."
- - Kudak'Etan, to Ixtana'Rax
"We pledge our loyalties to the Founders from this-"
"Pah. We're all Alphas here. Our loyalty is demonstrated by our actions, not our words."
- - Lamat'ukan and Kudak'Etan, during the white ceremony
"He should've listened to you and killed me when he had the chance."
"He was a First. They don't need to listen. Obedience brings Victory and Victory is…"
- Benjamin Sisko and Ixtana'Rax, his final words before his death
Appendices[]
Background information[]
Kudak'Etan was played by actor Scott Thompson Baker.
The costume worn by Baker as Kudak'Etan was later sold off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction for US$731.97, complete with various rubber accoutrements and a prop Kar'takin weapon. [1](X)
The script for "One Little Ship" describes the pronunciation of the character's name as "koo-DAHK-eh-tahn". Additionally, it describes the Jem'Hadar as, "an imposing figure, with vigor to his stride and an utter certainty that every step he takes is the right one. At his appearance Ixtana'Rax and the others snap to attention." [2]
There were plans to further develop the animosity between Alpha and Gamma Jem'Hadar in later episodes of Deep Space Nine but the plotline was abandoned after "One Little Ship". No other mention of the two breeds is made. Ronald D. Moore regretted the decision, recalling, "We dropped the ball on that one. It sounded like a cool idea at the time and we kept telling each other that we'd follow it up eventually, but it just kinda got away from us". ("More from Moore", Star Trek Monthly issue 54; (AOL chat, 1999))
In his review of "One Little Ship", Star Trek author Keith R.A. DeCandido was critical of Kudak'Etan's character, writing, "Kudak'etan does things, not because it's smart, but because he's enjoying snarking off Ixtana'rax – exactly the kind of petty stupidity that the Jem'Hadar have been mostly free of." [3]
Apocrypha[]
Kudak'Etan is featured in the Star Trek Customizable Card Game, which describes him as an "Arrogant First".
External links[]
- Kudak'Etan at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works