Martok
Martok is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. He is a Klingon portrayed in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine by actor J. G. Hertzler.
Young Martok
Little is known of the early life of Martok, save for a brief history sketched by himself in the Deep Space Nine episode Once More Unto the Breach. It is known that he was born into a Klingon house (The House of Martok) that was not part of the aristocracy. His family had been reputable soldiers, although not officers. Young Martok aspired to officer status and applied to become one. Unfortunatly, his application was denied because of the elitist views of the famous Kor about the "great houses". With a rejection on his record from such a legendary officer, Martok could no longer even serve as a common soldier. He opted to still serve, and spent five years as a civilian laborer on General ShiVang's ship. When, during a battle, Romulans boarded the vessel, Martok fought valiantly alongside the crew. His performance and bravery in battle caught the eye of General ShiVang, who granted him a battlefield commission as an officer.
We can infer that since that battlefield commission he has been a capable officer and leader, at Martok's introduction to the series he has attained the rank of General.
General Martok
Around 2371, Martok was abducted by agents of the Dominion and replaced with a shapeshifter. The exact date of this is unclear. The shapeshifter inadvertently revealed himself to Odo (who had been misled into believing that Chancellor Gowron was the shapeshifter) at a Klingon award ceremony, and was quickly killed by the Klingons attending the ceremony.
Martok would spend the next two years in a Dominion internment camp, forced to fight Jem'Hadar soldiers in hand-to-hand combat for training purposes. At some point, he lost his left eye fighting Ikat'Ika, the Jem'Hadar First.
In By Inferno's Light, Martok escaped and returned to the Alpha Quadrant with Garak, Worf, and Julian Bashir, and was made commander of the Klingon forces on Deep Space Nine (some of the Klingons under Martok's command took to calling him the "one-eyed giant", although never to his face for obvious reasons). Weeks after his assignment, Martok took command of a Klingon bird-of-prey, the Rotarran, and made it his personal flagship. Initially, the Rotarran's crew were beaten and fatalistic, a fact that was made worse by Martok's apparent reluctance to engage Jem'Hadar forces on their first mission. Eventually, a confrontation between Martok and Worf helped rally both the crew's warrior spirit as well as Martok's. The mission would conclude with the Rotarran engaging and destroying a Jem'Hadar vessel and rescuing thirty-five crewmen from a disabled Klingon ship. A grateful Martok would later invite Worf (who had earlier been stripped of his family name by Gowron) to join Martok's house.
Martok is an excellent judge of character, caring deeply about those under his command. These traits, along with his courage and leadership would serve him well in the Dominion War, during which he fought in several battles, including the battle to retake Deep Space Nine, and the First and Second Battle of Chin'toka. Despite his humble background, Martok would become extremely popular among other warriors and the civilian population, though Martok had repeatedly stated he had no interest in politics. Eventually he was made Supreme Commander of the Ninth Fleet, a position he initially resented because of the amount of paperwork involved.
Shortly before the end of war (When It Rains...), Gowron came to Deep Space Nine to honor Martok by inducting him into the Order of Kahless, and then announced that he would be taking control of the Klingon forces from Martok because it was time for him to "take a more active role in the war." However, it became clear that Gowron was simply worried about Martok getting too powerful politically, and intended to lower Martok's standing by sending him into battles that he could not win. Worf tried to convince Martok to challenge Gowron but he refused, so Worf killed Gowron himself and, rather than accept the title of Chancellor, gave it to Martok. (Tacking Into the Wind)
Chancellor Martok
The Dominion forces suddenly withdrew into Cardassian territory. The Allies realized that the Dominion was withdrawing in order to gain time in order to lick their wounds, so that they could come back stronger a few years later. Martok said that the Empire voted to attack right away, and convinced the Federation and Romulans to attack as well.
Martok, leading the Klingon fleet; Admiral Ross & Captain Sisko, leading the Federation fleet; and the Romulans attacked and defeated the Dominion.
Despite the refusal of Admiral Ross and Captain Sisko to drink bloodwine with Martok in the halls of Cardassian Central Command, the Federation and Klingons remained allies. Martok was happy to receive Lt. Commander Worf as the Federation Ambassador to Qo'noS. He commented that he had an Ambassador that he could go targ hunting with. Shortly after the end of the war, Martok and Worf would leave DS9 for Qo'nos. (What You Leave Behind).
J.G. Hertzler — who played Martok — wrote two books on the future of Martok. While these books are not canon, they do paint an interesting picture of Martok's future after he became Chancellor.
Personal Life
Martok was married to Lady Sirella, a noble woman, and they had at least one son, named Drex. (You Are Cordially Invited..., The Way of the Warrior) Martok viewed marriage as another form of combat, albeit one disguised and more subtle than most. The Changing Face of Evil
When he was young, Martok had a pet targ; "a filthy, mangy beast" as he once said. As Martok was moving into Sirella's house following their marriage, Sirella "accidentally" left the door open and the targ escaped, and Martok never saw him again. (Strange Bedfellows)
After Worf joined Martok's house, his son Alexander would be inducted into the house as well months later, as would Jadzia Dax, when she married Worf (the latter was initially opposed by Sirella). After Jadzia's death, Martok would come to regard Dax's new host Ezri as a worthy successor to Jadzia and would consider her part of his house as well.
Martok preferred to keep his injured eye as-is. Doctor Julian Bashir once suggested an ocular implant to Martok; he was adamant that he did "not want an artificial eye". (Soldiers of the Empire)
Trivia
When Hertzler auditioned for the role of Martok, he threw a chair at a wall to demonstrate anger. He lost a thumbnail in the melee, but won the role.
| Preceded by: Gowron |
Chancellors of the Klingon Empire | Followed by: Incumbent |
Appearances
Martok appears in the following Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes:
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Season 4 Season 5
Season 6
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Season 7
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