Dak'Rah, son of Ra'Ul, later known simply as Rah, was a male Klingon who lived during the 23rd century. He was notable for his deeds as a general during the Federation-Klingon War, and his later defection to the Federation to become an ambassador.
Early life[]
According to Dak'Rah, his father taught him about war and bloodshed, while his mother taught him how to see and feel. As typical for a Klingon child, he was introduced to the strategy text mL'parmaq Qoj at the age of seven. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")
Military career[]
During the war with the Federation in 2256–57, Dak'Rah served as a general in the Klingon Imperial Fleet. He was responsible for a "slaughter" at Lembatta V and the siege of Starbase Zetta.
Dak'Rah's most notorious actions came when he was placed in command of Klingon forces on the heavily contested moon of J'Gal. He had three warlords subordinate to him: General Gra'val, Commander Kiff, and Captain Ruh'lis. Dak'Rah gave the order for his troops to kill on sight all those on J'Gal other than Klingon warriors, which resulted in the mass torture and murder of over a thousand civilians at the Athos colony. Starfleet special forces attempted to assassinate him, but the mission failed with heavy casualties.
As the Federation began evacuating from J'Gal, Doctor Joseph M'Benga decided to eliminate Dak'Rah himself to end the massacre. While he was dispatching Gra'val, Kiff, and Ruh'lis in hand-to-hand combat, Dak'Rah managed to flee. Dak'Rah subsequently defected to the Federation; he claimed that the atrocities committed on J'Gal had originated from his three senior officers, and that he had actually been the one to kill them in disgust. This earned him the sobriquet of "the Butcher of J'Gal" among other Klingons. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")
Diplomatic career[]
Professing to have realized the pointlessness of war, and a desire to make restitution for his past, Dak'Rah became a celebrated ambassador for the Federation. His accomplishments included the Summit of Scorpi X, the Klingon Free-Trade Agreement, and the Perez Accords. However, he faced lingering enmity from veterans of the Klingon War, which on one occasion caused a minor protest.
M'Benga and Dak'Rah grapple in sickbay, just before Dak'Rah's death
In 2259, Dak'Rah concluded difficult negotiations for an armistice between the three inhabited planets of the Prospero system. Afterwards, the USS Enterprise was tasked with transporting him to Starbase 12. Among the Enterprise crew was M'Benga, who still possessed the d'k tahg that he used to kill Dak'Rah's men. After several fraught interactions between the two, Dak'Rah pressed M'Benga in sickbay about what had truly happened on J'Gal, insisting that he was ashamed of his past cowardice and needed to help M'Benga heal. In the ensuing confrontation, M'Benga fatally stabbed Dak'Rah with the knife.
M'Benga and Nurse Christine Chapel, who had also been stationed on J'Gal and witnessed part of the altercation, reported that Dak'Rah had attacked M'Benga, who killed him in self-defense. Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh confirmed that their testimony was consistent with their logged movements, and the fingerprints and residual DNA on the d'k tahg. Despite his personal reservations, Captain Christopher Pike elected not to pursue the matter further officially. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")
Personal life[]
Dak'rah was a skilled practitioner of full-contact Mok'bara. After his defection, he rejected many aspects of Klingon culture, denouncing them as "a warmongering race limited by ideology." Nyota Uhura observed that his stated philosophy, of rejecting grudges and encouraging others to find their own ways to peace, was similar to Aenar existentialism. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")