Dukhat

For the character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, see Dukat.

Dukhat is a fictional character from the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by Reiner Schöne. His only appearances were in the movie In the Beginning and in the episode Atonement as flashbacks.

Character description

Dukhat was the leader of the Minbari Grey Council when he was first introduced in the film In the Beginning. The Minbari considered him one of their greatest leaders, second only to the legendary Valen. In The Beginning reveals Dukhat as Delenn's mentor, and her eventual sponsor into the Grey Council, even though Dukhat belonged to the Warrior Caste and Delenn to the Religious Caste.

Dukhat's administration of the Council was marked by growing fears of the reemergence of the ancient enemy of the Minbari, The Shadows. Many in the Gray Council refused to consider the possibility of the Shadows' return. In defiance, Dukhat ordered that the Council travel directly to the planet Z'ha'dum to investigate the rumors more closely. It was on this voyage that the Minbari first encountered the Humans.

This first contact ended disastrously for both sides. The Minbari Warrior Caste soldiers who crewed the Council's flagship approached the Earth fleet with open gunports, in a traditional designation of respect. Dukhat ordered the gunports closed, but he had learned too late. The Humans, with no such tradition (and a commander considered unstable by his crew), misinterpreted the gesture and fired on the Minbari. Dukhat was killed in the attack, his death witnessed only by a grieving Delenn. Delenn swore vengeance against the Humans who had killed her master, and cast the deciding Council vote that began the Earth-Minbari War.

Trivia

J. Michael Straczynski, Babylon 5's creator, chose to reveal very little about Dukhat. Thus, although the Minbari seem to revere Dukhat above all other religious or secular figures short of Valen, almost no evidence to support this attitude is provided. Indeed, Dukhat only has direct importance in two parts of the series: In The Beginning, which reveals most of what is known about him, and "Atonement", where his training of Delenn and certain details about his death are revealed. In The Beginning also revealed that Dukhat had Vorlon advisors; whether all Minbari leaders were similarly gifted is left unclear, although their presence with Valen at the end of the War Without End story arc suggests that they are a common fixture in the upper echelons of Minbari government.

His facial hair indicates he too is a child of Valen, for the gene for hair comes from Valen's DNA. Most Minbari do not have any hair.