Lutan was the ruler of Ligon II until 2364. He negotiated the supply of a rare vaccine to the Federation. 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")