Editing Martok (section)

===General Martok===
Around 2371, Martok was abducted by agents of the [[Dominion (Star Trek)|Dominion]] and replaced with a [[Changeling (Star Trek)|shapeshifter]]. The exact date of this is unclear. The changeling was successful at beginning the war with the Cardassians (S4,E1) but inadvertently revealed himself to [[Odo (Star Trek)|Odo]] (who had been misled into believing that Chancellor [[Gowron]] was the changeling) at a Klingon award ceremony, and was quickly killed by the Klingons attending the ceremony (S5,E1).

The real Martok spent two years in a Dominion internment camp, forced to fight [[Jem'Hadar]] soldiers daily in hand-to-hand combat for training purposes. Presumably it was during one of these fights that his left eye was gouged out. During his confinement, Martok came to respect the indomitable character and fighting qualities of Worf. In the episode "[[By Inferno's Light]]", Martok escapes and returns to the [[Alpha Quadrant]] with [[Elim Garak]], [[Worf]] and [[Julian Bashir]], and is made commander of the Klingon forces on ''Deep Space Nine''.

Weeks after this new 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 portrayed as an excellent judge of character, caring deeply about those under his command. This, in turn, earned him great respect among fellow Klingons, since while they have a love for battle and conquest, they also have a very low opinion of those who wantonly throw soldiers into battle with little regard for their safety or well-being. These traits, along with his courage and leadership skills, 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, or perhaps because of it, Martok would become extremely popular among other Klingon warriors and the civilian population, because he climbed his way up the ranks honorably, though Martok himself 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. Like most Klingons, Martok had a disdain for [[Ferengi]], which manifested itself in several refusals to even acknowledge [[Nog (Star Trek)|Nog]], who at the time was a Starfleet Cadet. It isn't until Nog stands up to Martok and directly challenges him that Martok begins to display a grudging respect for the young Ferengi (episodes "[[Soldiers of the Empire]]", "[[Blaze of Glory (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Blaze of Glory]]").

Shortly before the end of the war ("[[When It Rains…]]"), [[Gowron]] comes to Deep Space Nine to honor Martok by inducting him into the Order of Kahless, and then announces 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 becomes clear that Gowron is simply worried about Martok getting too powerful politically, and intends to usurp Martok's standing by sending him into battles that he cannot win. Worf tries to convince Martok to challenge Gowron, but he refuses, saying he is a loyal soldier of the Empire and has no desire whatsoever to enter politics, let alone become Chancellor. Worf then kills Gowron himself, and rather than accept the title of Chancellor, gives it to Martok ("[[Tacking into the Wind]]").