Martok

==Career==
===Klingon Civil War===
Martok worked his way up the ranks, eventually attaining the position of general. During the [[Klingon Civil War]] of [[2368]], he played an important role in commanding the forces loyal to [[Gowron]] at the [[Battle of Mempa]], and began a steady rise to hero status in the Empire. ({{DS9|Once More Unto the Breach|Apocalypse Rising}})

===Imprisonment===
[[File:Martok fights Jem'Hadar soldier.jpg|thumb|Martok fights a Jem'Hadar soldier]]
At some point during [[2371]], Martok was secretly abducted by [[Dominion]] forces while hunting [[saber bear]] on [[Kang's Summit]]. From there, he was transported to the [[Gamma Quadrant]] and imprisoned in [[Internment Camp 371]] while a [[Changeling]] {{dis|Martok|Changeling|impersonated him}} in an attempt to ignite war between the major powers of the [[Alpha Quadrant]] as a precursor to Dominion invasion.

While imprisoned, Martok was forced to fight his [[Jem'Hadar]] captors in hand-to-hand combat so they could familiarize themselves with Klingon fighting techniques. During one such fight, {{dis|First|rank}} [[Ikat'ika]] maimed Martok by destroying his left [[eye]], resulting in partial [[blindness]].

{{bginfo|The script for "In Purgatory's Shadow" describes the scene in which Martok is revealed to be alive; "''GENERAL MARTOK is missing one eye and looks much the worse for wear. He barely manages to touch a post to stay in the fight when his Jem'Hadar opponent launches into him, hitting him with a vicious punch/kick combination. Martok is laid out and no matter how hard he tries, he can't get back to his feet. The Jem'Hadar starts to go for Martok, but Ikat'ika holds up a hand.''" ''{{st-minutiae|resources/scripts/512.txt}}''}}

Though Martok's shape-shifting copy was discovered in early-[[2373]], his real self remained isolated in the Dominion prison facility until later that year when he was joined by [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Worf]] and [[Elim Garak]]. As a Klingon, Worf was also made to fight his Jem'Hadar guards. Fortunately for them, this caused a sufficient enough distraction that Garak was able to work on a transceiver device that commanded a nearby [[runabout]], allowing them to successfully [[transporter|beam out]] of the facility. ({{DS9|Apocalypse Rising|In Purgatory's Shadow|By Inferno's Light}})

===The Dominion War===
[[File:Sisko and Martok on Deep Space 9, 2373.jpg|thumb|Sisko requests Martok's permanent presence on the station]]
Upon returning to the Alpha Quadrant, and with Chancellor Gowron's approval, Martok was assigned to command the Klingon detachment on the [[space station]] [[Deep Space 9]]. He was also offered the opportunity to regain the sight in his left eye with a prosthetic, though Martok rejected this outright. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light|Soldiers of the Empire}})

{{bginfo|The idea not to give Martok his sight back came from actor J.G. Hertzler during a conversation with Ira Steven Behr; "''He told me backstage, 'We're going to bring you back, and you can get your eye back, of course.' And I said, 'Well, you know I have a feeling that Martok may want to maintain it as a badge of honor. It's an ever-present, constant reminder to him of how much he hates the Jem'Hadar for what they did to him and what they stand for.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p.428; ''[[Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts]]'', p.128)}}

Later that year, Martok was given command of the [[Bird-of-Prey]] {{IKS|Rotarran}} with orders to locate the missing cruiser {{IKS|B'Moth}}, however, having been confined for over a year, he was hesitant about his command ability. With the ''Rotarran''{{'}}s crew already low on morale due to a string of defeats against the Dominion, Martok requested Worf join him as his [[first officer]].

During the mission, Martok was extremely cautious in his command of the ship, deliberately avoiding opportunities to engage the Jem'Hadar in battle. The situation came to a head when the crew of the ''Rotarran'' nearly [[mutiny|mutinied]], but due to Worf's challenge of Martok's leadership, this was averted.
[[File:Martok and Worf fight on the Rotarran.jpg|thumb|Worf challenges Martok's authority on the ''Rotarran'']]
The ensuing fight was very much one-sided in Worf's favor; at one point, the bridge crew began chanting Worf's name, expecting him to be victorious. Worf pinned Martok against a console and pointed his ''[[d'k tahg]]'' centimeters from Martok's chest. At that moment, the two men exchanged glances, and Worf sensed that the warrior spirit within his commanding officer was returning. Seeing this, Worf subtly let his guard down, allowing Martok to defeat his first officer with a stab to the abdomen. The general immediately gained the crew's loyalty, and he remembered his duty as a soldier of the Empire. ({{DS9|Soldiers of the Empire}})

{{bginfo|The original premise of Martok's first mission since being rescued was much different than the finished episode. He and Worf were to take a Klingon Bird-of-Prey to an outpost that lost contact with the rest of the Empire. When they arrive, they find that all Klingons are missing. Near the outpost is a fog-enshrouded lake, upon which a boatman appears, whom Martok and Worf pay to cross the river. Writer Ronald D. Moore, who was responsible for the initial outline recalled, "''Basically, it was the River Styx. There was going to be a friend of Martok's on the other side that they wanted to bring back, and Worf's father was over there too.''" This initial story was deemed to be too much to do in just one episode. "''I was trying to show the inner life of the crew of a Bird-of-Prey ''and'' do this big, out there kind of piece.''" Moore admitted, "''And, as Ira ''[Steven Behr]'' said, it was the wrong point in the season to do a big meditation on the metaphysics of Hell and Life and Death.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p.448)}}

Near the onset of the [[Dominion War]], Martok patrolled the Cardassian border to watch for the Dominion invasion fleet. During the [[Second Battle of Deep Space 9|ensuing battle at Deep Space 9]], the ''Rotarran'' played a critical role in defending the {{USS|Defiant|2370}} long enough for a [[minefield]] of [[self-replicating mine]]s to be deployed. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}}) Months later, Martok was instrumental in convincing Gowron to lend support to [[Starfleet]]'s offensive to [[Operation Return|recapture Deep Space 9]] from the Dominion in [[2374]]. Although Klingon forces were late arriving at the battle, they played an important role in defeating the Dominion fleet in that engagement. ({{DS9|Favor the Bold|Sacrifice of Angels}})

{{bginfo|The script for "Favor the Bold" provides some background into Martok's decision to convince Gowron to support the Federation operation; "''The thought of being caught in a "political" situation between the Federation and the Klingon Empire does not appeal to Martok.''" ''{{st-minutiae|resources/scripts/529.txt}}''}}
[[File:Sisko and Martok on Deep Space 9, 2374.jpg|thumb|Captain Sisko congratulates Martok on his new position]]
As the war continued, Martok saw fit to remain with the ''Rotarran'', making it his [[flagship]]. In mid-2374, he was appointed [[Supreme Commander]] of a combined Starfleet and Klingon [[Ninth Fleet]], a position Martok resented due to the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy involved as well as his "elderly assistant", [[Darok]]. ({{DS9|You Are Cordially Invited}})  

A few days after Operation Return, Martok sent several [[scout ship]]s to the [[Federation-Cardassian border|Cardassian border]] to check for signs of Dominion activity. ({{DS9|Resurrection}})

Later that year, Martok dispatched three [[squadron]]s of [[Klingon attack cruiser]]s to bolster the [[Dorala system]]'s defense perimeter. [[Colonel]] [[Kira Nerys]] was confident that Martok would ensure the Klingons held the line until Starfleet reinforcements arrived. ({{DS9|The Reckoning}})

In [[2375]], Martok temporarily commanded the {{IKS|Ch'Tang}} during his [[raid on Trelka V]]. ({{DS9|Once More Unto the Breach}})

In mid-2375, a Changeling named [[Laas]] was discovered and brought aboard Deep Space 9. During his time on the station, Laas killed one of the [[Klingon 24th provoked officers 001|Klingon soldiers]], resulting in a furious reaction from Martok, who asked for him to be detained while a [[magistrate]] determined whose jurisdiction the situation fell under. ({{DS9|Chimera}})

===Klingon Chancellor===
[[File:Martok appointed chancellor.jpg|thumb|Worf appoints Martok the new chancellor]]
As one of the most prominent military leaders in the war, Martok gained immense popularity in the Empire for his near-heroic exploits against the Dominion. Gowron, ever the politician, feared Martok's popularity and devised a plan to discredit Martok and end any potential threat to his authority. 

In late 2375, Gowron inducted Martok into the [[Order of Kahless]], and immediately assumed personal command of Klingon forces on the front lines, relegating Martok to a secondary command role. ({{DS9|When It Rains...}}) 

Gowron then began ordering Martok on near-suicidal missions against Dominion forces, hoping that a string of defeats would weaken Martok's popularity and discredit him as a military leader, or that Martok would die in battle and thus cease to be a threat to Gowron's authority. 

However, Worf and Captain [[Benjamin Sisko]] recognized that Gowron was jeopardizing the entire war effort to satisfy his political ego. Worf tried to convince Martok to challenge Gowron for the leadership on the grounds of dishonorable conduct in orchestrating the discrediting of Martok. 

Martok refused to betray his loyalty to Gowron, despite the latter's treachery. Worf then challenged Gowron himself, accusing Gowron of being a coward for squandering the Empire's resources on a petty act of vengeance. 

Worf killed Gowron in the ensuing combat, becoming the new [[chancellor]]. However, he immediately resigned in favor of Martok. Martok tried to refuse, claiming he did not seek the leadership, but Worf responded by quoting [[Kahless]]: "Great men do not seek power, they have power thrust upon them." ({{DS9|Tacking Into the Wind}})

Following the successful conclusion of the war, Martok returned to Qo'noS to assume the role of leading the Empire and finally purging it of the corruption that had so weakened it in the past. ({{DS9|What You Leave Behind}})