Originally Posted By: TK-069


He may have cared solely for Ziyal, but I think he was more concerned about her being a living testament of HIS achievements.

of course. I remember they said that he had a whole family on Cardasia. And when he first found Ziyal he planned to kill her to hide the shame of having a half-Bajoran offspring. But then he changed his mind and took the risk and was pretty much ruined for awhile.
I think Ziyal was the family he loved. He implied his marriage and children were based on societal needs. But with Ziyal, he had seduced her mother (a woman under his power) and she had a fighter's spirit that made him see her (as you said) as his legacy.

I wouldn't say he did it all for his ego though. I think it was more that he believed the universe should be one orderly way.
Remember with Cardassians (as they greatly examined via Garrak) they are drilled to be patriots. And I think Dukat may have been a good person, by Cardassian standards, and when he saw the chaos of the Occupation of Bajor he couldn't allow himself to see it as an evil act by his people. So he decided that the Bajorans were just people who needed order. And I think he really did believe that if he killed a million Bajorans, ran slave camps, and kept most of the planet starving, that it was worth it to maintain order.
I really think he was in some way selfless. He was giving the whole of himself to make the universe into the way he believed it should be.
At least that's my view based on his actions and some of his insane rants.

Bow ties are coool.