Lakat was a city on Cardassia Prime that was home to a number of famous Cardassians, including guls Madred and Tayben Berat. At least three generations of Berats have lived in Lakat, to include Varec Berat, who in one alternate timeline, became one of the city's Administrators. (TNG: "Chain of Command", Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--"A Stone's Throw Away," "Cardassian Sunrise")
Lakat was located in the northern regions of Prime on the continental region of Upper Rivçal, in an area known for cool temperatures by Cardassian standards. The city was bisected by the Great Iyven River. One known landmark is the Dra'amek Footbridge that crosses the Great Iyven, a stone bridge visited by then-Glinn Berat on a return visit to his home city in 2369. It is pre-Union in construction, indicating that the area has been settled in excess of 500 years. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--"A Stone's Throw Away")
At times in its history, Lakat has had a significant homeless population, which once included Madred. (TNG: "Chain of Command")
Other possible natives[]
There has been speculation that the following Cardassians are also from Lakat, though conflicting sources make it difficult to know for certain. Some sources state that Gul Skrain Dukat hails from Lakat. However, in an alternate universe, resistance fighter Skrain Dukat is known to be a native of Culat. Given the 500-year divergence between universes, it is quite possible that one of the two families relocated during that time and lives in a city other than its ancestral one. (Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius--"The Desolate Vigil", Pocket Books novels)
The alternate Dukat also speculates that based on his features, a mysterious stranger named Elim was a native of Lakat, though he never asks or receives an answer to this question. (Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius--"Those Who Live in the Shadow of the Night")
- In the novel Betrayal, by Lois Tilton, the character of Berat is confused by a number of people for Garak. Images of Berat point to a strong resemblance in fact--not simply the inability of DS9's residents and guests to distinguish Cardassian faces. Imagining Garak to be a native of the same city as Tayben Berat is therefore not that much of a stretch of the imagination.
Background information[]
In "A Stone's Throw Away," the imagery of Lakat is based somewhat on St. Petersburg in Russia. "Iyven" is in fact a near-reversal of the Russian river "Neva," in the genitive case.
External links[]
- Lakat article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Lakat article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.