Rugal Pa'Dar was a male Cardassian who lived in the 24th century. He was the son of Kotan Pa'Dar and Arys Pa'Dar. He was born in 2358, at the Tozhat settlement on Bajor, where he lived with his parents for the first several years of his life. (DS9 novel: The Never-Ending Sacrifice)

In 2362, the Bajoran Resistance bombed Tozhat, killing Rugal's mother. Rugal was believed killed, although Skrain Dukat had actually had a female officer remove Rugal prior to the attack and place him in a Bajoran orphanage. Dukat planned to later reveal that Rugal was alive, and discredit Pa'Dar for "abandoning" Rugal and "allowing" him to be raised by Bajorans. With family being one of the most important aspects of Cardassian society, the revelations would have destroyed Pa'Dar's career. (DS9 episode: "Cardassians")

Tora Ziyal would learn of her father's order to take Rugal from his father and place him in the orphange years later. (DS9 short story: "Three Sides to Every Story")

Rugal was adopted by Proka Migdal and Proka Etra. In 2370, Rugal and Proka came to Deep Space 9, where Rugal attacked Elim Garak. This would set off an investigation and an intervention by Benjamin Sisko and an investigation into Rugal's disappearance by Garak and Julian Bashir, which revealed Dukat's involvement in Rugal's disappearance. After long and difficult deliberations, Sisko ruled that Rugal should be released to the custody of his father. (DS9 episode: "Cardassians")

In 2373, Rugal was coerced into military service by Skrain Dukat, then leader of Cardassia, and subsequently spent most of the war as a glinn on Ogyas III. For his service on Ogyas, Rugal was awarded a medal. When the war ended he deserted rather than being captured by the Romulans and fled to Ithic, where his girlfriend Penelya Khevet lived before the war.

In 2378 Rugal applied to become a Federation citizen. The official charged with ruling on Rugal's application decided that Captain Sisko's earlier decision to return Rugal to his father was not in keeping with Bajoran law, and overturned Sisko's decision—Rugal was once again the adopted son of Proka Migdal and Etra, and as Bajor was a Federation member world, he was a Federation citizen by extension. Rugal was the first Cardassian to become a Federation citizen.

Also in 2378, Rugal formally adopted a human girl named Hulya Kiliç. (DS9 novel: The Never-Ending Sacrifice)

ConnectionsEdit

Template:Ogyas III personnel

External linkEdit

• Rugal article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.