Keeping Up With The Cardassians – Part 8 – Gul Evek

Gul Evek

The first cross-over Cardassian to feature in the Keeping Up series is Gul Evek, he appeared in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. As he was featured in The Next Generation first, this will be the only post about Evek, remember, each Cardassian is being featured in the order they were seen, but it seems a bit silly to repost the same character as and when he is seen next.

Gul Evek was a commanding officer in the Cardassian Fourth Order, assigned as representative and overseer of Cardassian affairs in the Demilitarized Zone in 2370. He was also commander of the Vetar, a Galor-class warship.

One of Evek’s first missions as overseer in the Demilitarized Zone was to oversee the transfer of the former Federation colony on Dorvan V to Cardassian control. However, Evek arrived several weeks early while Starfleet was still in the process of evacuating the civilians on the planet. Evek’s troops’ presence was highly provocative, and precipitated a brief firefight with the Federation colonists. However, rather than ordering more troops to “pacify” the colony, Evek ordered a withdrawal in the interests of preserving the peace treaty with the Federation. Evek confided in Jean-Luc Picard that he had lost two of his three sons during the Cardassian wars. In order to avoid a renewed war, Evek agreed to the controversial settlement in which Federation colonists on Dorvan V and elsewhere would be permitted to retain their homes under Cardassian rule. (TNG: “Journey’s End”)

Evek was contacted by Miles O’Brien from Deep Space 9 concerning an infestation of Cardassian voles on the station. Evek offered little help, sardonically suggesting that a Federation withdrawal from Bajor would solve their vole problems. (DS9: “Playing God”)

At the start of the Maquis uprising against the Cardassian rule of the colonies in the Demilitarized Zone, Evek was responsible for capturing and interrogating William Samuels, a Maquis operative who was responsible for the destruction of the freighter Bok’Nor at Deep Space 9. Using the information acquired from Samuels, he confronted Federation colony leaders on Volan III and accused them of participating in an official Starfleet plot to secretly arm the colonists against the Cardassians – while at the same time the Central Command was arming its own citizens in turn. (DS9: “The Maquis, Part I”)

On stardate 47941.7, The USS Enterprise-D came to the rescue of Evek and his crew when his ship was attacked by several Maquis ships. Evek and Picard exchanged words, each accusing the other of not doing enough to suppress the skirmishes in the Demilitarized Zone. (TNG: “Preemptive Strike”) This is the final episode Evek appears on The Next Generation.

Not much later, Evek arrested Miles O’Brien on charges of sedition against the Cardassian Union by secretly transporting a cargo of photon torpedo warheads aboard his runabout. Evek testified at O’Brien’s trial that these warheads were destined for the Maquis, and were evidence of further Federation attempts to arm the rebel colonists against the Cardassians. In reality, the warheads had been planted by Evek’s men as part of a Cardassian plot to discredit the Federation’s policy in the Demilitarized Zone. (DS9: “Tribunal”)

In 2371, Evek, while in command of the Vetar, pursued a Maquis raider, the Val Jean, piloted by Chakotay into the Badlands. The Vetar was struck by a plasma storm inside the Badlands and was disabled. (VOY: “Caretaker”)

Background

Gul Evek was played by actor Richard Poe.

Along with Quark, Morn, and Q, Evek is one of only four characters to appear in all three Star Trek series based in the 24th century: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.

Evek, Julian Bashir, Quark, Morn, and Admiral Chekote are the only characters to appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine prior to appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

His mirror universe counterpart appears in the novel The Mirror-Scaled Serpent.