Weyouns, Ranked

Jeffrey Combs is a Star Trek staple, having managed to appear across Voyager, Enterprise, Lower Decks, and, of course, Deep Space Nine. Across dozens upon dozens of appearances in the franchise, Combs is one of the most beloved and prolific guest stars in Trek history. But even among his characters, one stands out. Well, multiple of one.

Weyoun—the cloned Vorta lackey that became the administrative face of the Dominion as it waged war across the Alpha Quadrant in DS9‘s back half—was made specifically for Combs, and it was a role he played so perfectly his initial performance led to the canonization that Vorta were a regularly cloned population, just so we could get more takes on Comb’s overconfident, yet simpering, and deliciously manipulative lickspittle across another four extra appearances. But the five Weyouns we saw on TV weren’t the only ones we’d get, with a few more of the cloned Combses making their way into Star Trek apocrypha. To celebrate Combs’ most iconic Trek role, let’s take a look back through Vorta history to see which Weyouns were worst (in ways both complimentary and derogatory).

8) Weyoun 2

Little is known about Weyoun 2 (was Weyoun Prime Weyoun 1? Was he Weyoun 0? Who can say), outside of a passing mention in the 2000 novel Inferno, which posits that he was involved romantically with the clone of another female Vorta, Kilana (who would go on to appear in the DS9 episode “The Ship”). This raises fascinating questions about Vorta relationships and sexual appetites as a cloned race, but little else.

7) Weyoun 10

Somehow, Weyoun returned! The 10th of a line that ostensibly should’ve ended after eight, Weyoun 10 appears most prominently in Star Trek Online‘s special DS9-themed expansion, Victory Is Life, released in 2018. It was nice to have Combs back in action, but Weyoun 10 doesn’t really stand out that much compared to his predecessors. He’s initially introduced as Odo’s adjutant before almost immediately reverting to type as the lackey of the Female Changeling after betraying Odo to free her from captivity. As with all good villainous Weyouns, however, he eventually gets what’s coming to him.

6) Weyoun 4

He might be Weyoun 4, but he’s Weyoun 1 in terms of being the first appearance of the character—the definitive article, if you will! Weyoun is not immediately introduced as antagonistic—or rather, that he’s pragmatic, working with Captain Sisko to try and quell a brewing rebellion among the Jem’Hadar. It’s a great turn from Combs, and although he dies at the episode’s climax, you can see why DS9‘s writers enjoyed the Vorta so much they wanted to introduce the cloning concept just to have him back.

5) Weyoun 7

If Weyoun 2 raises interesting questions about the Vorta and their attitudes to sexual attraction in a good way, Weyoun 7 raises them by being a real goddamn creep. The direct replacement of a turncoat Weyoun (more on him later), Weyoun 7 is best known for trying to pair a captured Worf and Ezri Dax together, in the hopes of getting to see the two romantically comfort each other. Gross! Thankfully, this particularly grim Weyoun pushes Worf too far during an interrogation and promptly gets his neck snapped.

So why rank him above Weyoun 2? Mostly because his death is extremely satisfying, not just to the audience, but to Damar, who hates Weyoun to pieces at this point in the Dominion-Cardassian alliance—and who takes the opportunity to not only laugh about Weyoun 7 getting offed, but laugh long enough to keep it going when he meets successor. That’s a professional hater, right there.

4) Weyoun 8

Speaking of that successor! The final Weyoun we meet in DS9, Weyoun 8 initially comes into the picture in an interesting circumstance: what does a long-cloned being do to reckon with being the last of his kind? The victim of Damar’s betrayal of the Dominion in the later stages of the war, the Cardassian rebellion is announced by an attack on the cloning facilities that housed Weyoun’s genetic material, leaving him unable to be reborn.

Unfortunately for him, his response to this existential crisis is to just be an absolute bastard of a Weyoun, even more than usual: Weyoun 8 is the one who diligently responds to Damar’s pettiness by having his wife and children executed, and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of Cardassians in the final days of the Dominion War as he attempts to crush any potential resistance. Damar never gets to see Weyoun 8’s final fate, but at least it’s Garak who shoots him dead for him.

3) Weyoun 5

The most prominent of the Weyouns, Weyoun 5 is the version of the character who guides us through the early moments of the Dominion War—including being the Weyoun who oversees the occupation of Deep Space Nine itself when Gul Dukat and the Dominion manage to successfully force Starfleet from pulling back from the station.

Weyoun 5 is arguably Weyoun at his most conniving, relishing the politicking and administrative bureaucracy he gets to wield during DS9’s occupation, while also trying to still be kind of diplomatic about his insidiousness. All that changes post-liberation of the station though, when Weyoun 5 manages to be the eventual architect of his own downfall by appointing Damar as Dukat’s replacement to lead Cardassia during its alliance with the Dominion.

2) Weyoun 9

A high placement for a Weyoun we never get to actually see—and one that shouldn’t even exist. Created for the Star Trek novel range, and first appearing in the Mission Gamma series in 2002, Weyoun 9 is cloned out of a genetic template recovered in the Gamma Quadrant, eventually becoming a close confidant of Odo, having been activated so he would have a familiar face to deal with in interacting with the wider Dominion. Seeking to change Weyoun for the better in this post-Dominion War era, Odo helps Weyoun 9 embrace his individuality rather than exist solely in subservience to the Founders.

After the Great Link dissolves, Weyoun 9 helps Odo run the Dominion at large, and through his own individuality and growth as a person, begins to help change wider Vorta society. Eventually, Weyoun 9 even relocates with other Dominion refugees to the Alpha Quadrant, seeking political asylum in Federation space. It serves as a nice coda to Odo’s own relationship with another Weyoun in particular–the best of them all, even…

1) Weyoun 6

Yes, Weyoun is relished and admired for being an annoying, calculating baddie, but Combs’ finest hour with the character comes from the one time he plays Weyoun good in the iconic season seven episode “Treachery, Faith, and the Great River”. Deciding to defect from the Dominion out of a believe that the war against the Federation was unjust, Combs plays Weyoun 6 with a wonderful innocence, as he tries to balance his “defective” belief that the Founders had made a horrifying decision with his broader loyalty to them through his growing relationship with Odo.

Alas, it’s that loyalty that brings heartbreak, when Weyoun 6 kills himself, activating a termination implant to stop the Dominion and his successor Weyoun 7 from firing on Odo’s runabout while trying to escape to Federation sanctuary. It’s a truly great scene between Combs and René Auberjonois, and speaks to Combs’ range with the archetype of Weyoun that he can play him in a moment of emotional sympathy just as brilliantly as he can in his most dastardly.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.