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- Who was General Martok?
- Martok as a Prisoner of War in DS9
- What Happened to Martok After DS9?
Commander Worf, who has appeared in numerous Star Trek projects, is undoubtedly the most popular Klingon in the franchise. However, if there were to be one in a close second, that honor would go to General Martok (J.G. Hertzler) from Deep Space Nine. He briefly appeared in two episodes of the series, only to return as a recurring character and a significant part of the ongoing story. Without Martok, Chancellor Gowron would still be leading the Klingon Empire, and Worf wouldn’t be a part of the House of Martok.
Most fans know Klingons as boorish, arrogant, offensive, and overbearing characters, but Hertzler took his portrayal of Martok in a different direction that proved to work well. Martok is more intellectual than other Klingons, though he still displays those overbearing and arrogant qualities. However, his more cerebral nature made him stand apart from others and climb through the ranks of the Klingon Defense Force.
Who was General Martok?
Before General Martok became a well-decorated officer in the Klingon Defense Force, he came from a common family in the lowlands. His entire family served as warriors for the Empire. However, Dahar Master Kor rejected Martok from becoming an officer, believing that those with common blood shouldn’t be Klingon officers. This put a black mark on the young Martok’s record that prohibited him from even enlisting as a common soldier. This forced him to become a civilian laborer.
For five years, Martok served on General Shivang’s flagship until a Romulan fleet attacked. Witnessing Martok’s skill as a warrior, Shivang gave the commoner a battlefield commission. From then on, those within the Empire respected Martok, while those outside feared him. His experience as a laborer who proved himself to join the Klingon Defense Force and then worked his way up the ranks turned Martok into the honorable man many knew him as. It also gave him a unique perspective.
While he had two other children, Martok treated Commander Worf of Starfleet as his own, eventually inducting him into the House of Martok. Martok saw a great deal of combat, but he encountered the most during the Dominion War, where Dominion operatives captured and imprisoned him in an internment camp.
Martok as a Prisoner of War in DS9
The first time audiences met General Martok, he wasn’t himself. In the episodes “Way of the Warrior” and “Apocalypse Rising,” Benjamin Sisko, O’Brien, and Worf infiltrated a Klingon ritual because they believed one of the higher-ranking Klingon officers was a Changeling spy. Of course, they believed the Changeling disguised itself as Chancellor Gowron, leader of the Klingon Empire, making their mission all that more difficult. However, when they confronted the Chancellor, they learned that the spy had taken on the shape of General Martok instead.
In season five’s 14th episode, “In Purgatory’s Shadow,” Jem’Hadar soldiers captured Worf and Garak. This was the first time that the audience met the real Martok. The Dominion captured General Martok without notice while he was hunting saber bears, and brought him to Internment Camp 371 in the Gamma Quadrant. It was there that Martok lost one of his eyes. The Jem’Hadar forced all Klingon prisoners into one-on-one duels as a means for the Dominion soldiers to sharpen their hand-to-hand skills.
Martok had grown slower in his old age, proving he was no match for the younger, genetically enhanced Jem’Hadar. However, Martok managed to lead the Federation and Klingons to victory during the Dominion War at the helm of a Bird of Prey, repaying the Jem’Hadar for his imprisonment.
What Happened to Martok After DS9?
Martok was one of the best warriors in the entire Klingon Empire. After Worf and Garak freed him from Dominion imprisonment, he returned to active duty without hesitation. However, he didn’t have the same edge he had before, and others saw that. Once Worf knocked some sense into the General, Martok became the same warrior the entire Empire told tales about.
That wasn’t the only time Worf had to knock some sense into his mentor. Everybody saw the weakness in Gowron’s leadership, but nobody was brave enough to say or do anything about it. When the Chancellor sent General Martok on one too many suicide missions for Worf’s liking, he decided to put a stop to it.
Worf called out Gowron’s ineptitude and lack of battle experience in the middle of a meeting with high-ranking officials. That kind of talk doesn’t sit well with any Klingon warrior, least of all the Chancellor. It was an official challenge to Gowron’s claim to leadership of the Empire. The Chancellor gladly accepted it, thinking his skill as a warrior surpassed that of Commander Worf. Spoiler alert: It didn’t. Worf defeated Gowron in combat, maing him the new Chancellor. Worf promptly resigned as Chancellor to pass the title on to his mentor, General Martok. When Martok tried to decline, Worf quoted Khaless:
Great men do not seek power, they have power thrust upon them.
Martok reluctantly accepted the position. Unlike Chancellor Gowron, Martok didn’t sit on a throne while his soldiers put their lives on the line. Martok sat at the helm of his Bird of Prey on the front lines, and fought in the Dominion War until the Federation and their allies were victorious.
During an episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks that takes place six years after DS9’s conclusion, the USS Cerritos crew plays a tabletop role-playing game, which Martok hosts in a digital capacity. However, the game is a Ferengi creation, and Martok remains the leader of the Klingon Empire. He wasn’t dishonored and related to virtual dungeon mastering.
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