Of all the Star Trek franchises during its height, DS9 got to see the most of its major villains. Since they had more serialized stories, the main players kept coming back over and over and got to be more fleshed out enemies. Now, did that mean fans always liked them? Not really. But it did give bad guys more space to explore why they were bad and what really motivates them.
And boy, did that make some fans only hate some of them even more.
Granted, some of that hatred was in the best way possible, where fans reveled in cursing the villain. But others? Not so much.
Here are DS9's 5 Villains Fans Love To Hate (And 5 They Just Hate).
Pah-Wraith Dukat (Just Hate)
Gul Dukat was one of the best parts of DS9, a complicated villain with warped perceptions of the galaxy and ever-shifting motivations. But he was just so charismatic and his moments of goodness were just too good not to love.
So when season 7 turned him into this Pah-Wraith possessed religious man, it was more than just disappointing. Sure, that charisma was still there, but now it was veiled in this fanaticism for an enemy fans barely understood. Before, Dukat only fought for his own beliefs, not anyone else's.
Fans probably wish they could forget Pah-Wraith Dukat ever happened, but he did, and all they can do is hate him.
Mirror Kira (Love To Hate)
Sexy, self-serving, and evil? Yep, Mirror Kira had it all. She was ruthless but also could negotiate if it benefited her best interests. She was unafraid to use her sex appeal and power to manipulate others and get exactly what she wanted. Every time she ended up on the screen, she lit it up and entertained every DS9 fan. Honestly, there was a reason DS9 kept on getting involved in the Mirror universe. Mirror Kira was just too good.
While she never had one specific goal or vendetta, she always was up to cause trouble and get something out of anything. And, she entranced so many characters with her lips that she must've been one amazing kisser. How could the fans not love and hate her all at once?
Jem'Hadar (Just Hate)
Even though DS9 fans couldn't help but feel bad for the Jem'Hadar, slaves to The Dominion, they were a pretty hateable bad guy. Species-wide Ketracel-white addiction doesn't changer the fact they ended so many lives during The Dominion War.
There were shades of hope and goodness in the Jem'Hadar, but they were so few and far between that they just became this giant galactic boogeyman, destroying Starfleet ships on sight. They were just too good and finding and ending any enemy The Founders asked them to get rid of.
The Jem'Hadar deserved better and fans had to hate them for it. It's a complicated dynamic.
The Female Changeling (Just Hate)
There was absolutely nothing enjoyable about the Female Changeling. She didn't enjoy being evil, she was just a fierce pragmatic who manipulated people at will anytime she thought it was best for The Great Link. Her face always looked the same, calm and collected, even when she was hearing bad news or getting rejected by her prized lost changeling, Odo.
Ultimately, fans just ended up hating her. Every time she showed up, it meant she was around to tempt Odo or kill more Starfleet officers. The fact she refused to ever find out if, maybe, the Federation was an okay group of people really added fuel to the fire.
If there's one thing Trekkies don't like, it's dissing the Federation. Especially in such a non-dramatic, casual way.
Brunt (Love To Hate)
Ever had a character walk on screen and immediately feel visceral hatred for them?
Yeah, Brunt does that to a lot of people.
This self-serving Ferengi traditionalist showed up around every corner to ruin Grand Nagus Zek's rule or Quark's business ventures. He not only is a stickler for the rules (when it comes to other people), but he really hates Quark. And what do DS9 fans love? Quark.
Ferengi have their faults, but this guy was just downright unpleasant. Brunt was so easy to hate that every time anything went wrong for him, fans probably audibly cheered.
Kai Winn (Love To Hate)
If a non-Trekkie wanted to see pure, instantaneous rage on their Trekkie friend's face, all they have to do is mention Kai Winn. This perfectly awful villain was so complex and did a great job at thinking she was doing the right thing. That infuriating smile she always had on her face after she did something to mess with DS9 was enough to inspire viewers to toss bricks at the screen.
Even worse (or better), all that time of her losing out to "the Emissary" only hurt her relationship with her faith and the prophets. Because the good guys circumvented her antics, she lost her life.
Faithful, devious, tragic, and infuriating, Kai Winn was a perfect love-to-hate villain.
The Breen (Just Hate)
As The Dominion trekked into the Alpha Quadrant, the series slowly started mentioning The Breen as a species that joined up with them. They sounded more and more interesting and intimidating every time the Starfleet officers talked about them. Fans were enrapt.
That is until they met them.
They just ended up being stock bad-at-being-bad villains that the main characters easily beat up. While it was neat to bring in Alpha Quadrant species on The Dominion's side, this was a horrible way to do it. Fans hated these boring, bland enemies so much that fans don't even really mention them when The Dominion War comes up. Yeah, ouch.
Weyoun (Love To Hate)
THIS GUY.
There is something wonderfully satisfying in watching a bad guy's life end on-screen, especially when he's as cunning and full of himself as Weyoun. What's less neat is the fact there are tons of clones of him, so no matter how often he's destroyed, he keeps coming back.
Sure, that means more scenes of him getting crushed. But it's almost not worth it when the smug jerk won't stay gone. Kinda defeats any sense of accomplishment, right?
Jeffrey Combs plays a mean smirking bad guy, but boy did fans absolutely love hating him and wishing he'd off himself by the end of the series.
The Wadi (Just Hate)
Star Trek fans are pretty harsh on weird episodes, especially if they aren't weird in a good way. So it's no surprise that fans also really hate these cryptic jerks, The Wadi. While they didn't see themselves as villains in this episode, they kidnapped the commanding officers on DS9 and made them play in a possibly fatal game against their will.
Also, the phrase "Move Alone Home" is just super annoying now because of this episode.
This race and their episode were really grating and frustrating, so fans had every right to just hate them. They were pretty hateable. Also, mullets? Really?
Gul Dukat (Love to Hate)
Talk to any DS9 fan, and they will definitely cite Gul Dukat as one of the best parts of the series. His complicated relationship with the Bajorans and his homeworld made him a dynamic villain. While he always acted in his best interest, sometimes that interest shifted in fascinating ways. For example, his trying to put Ziyal over his patriotism was one of his greatest moments, where he was his most honest, sincere, and heartbroken.
Dukat went through many phases throughout the series, making different good and bad choices that helped and hurt the main characters.
He deserved so much better than the ending he got, but at least he was his most charismatic, awful, complicated self for most of DS9.