IKS Rotarran

Story: Soldiers of the Empire
Written By: Ronald D. Moore
Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Year: 1997

Worf and Dax join General Martok on a rescue mission on the Rotarran, a bird-of-prey with a crew who has had a bad record in battle. Martok himself hasn’t led a mission since his imprisonment by the Dominion.
The crew of the Rotarran see weakness in their leader…Martok is clearly still mentally wounded from his experience in the prison camp. When the ship they are meant to rescue seems to close to the Cardassian border…Martok decides to abort the mission. It is a sign of cowardice, and cowardice is not recommended for a Klingon leader. It is the first officer’s duty to kill a leader showing weakness in battle, but Worf has issues doing so. He shared a moment with Martok during imprisonment…Martok helped save Worf’s life while fighting Jem’Hadar, kept him mentally prepared and kept Worf from giving up and dying during the fight. Worf uses a similar moment to get Martok’s spirt back in the end.

This is an unusual episode in that it mostly takes place on the Rotarran, almost entirely with the Klingons. It is pretty good too, DS9 really made the Klingons cool again, when they had become a bit dull and tired in TNG…I never would have thought that new life would be breathed into them.

NEXT TIME: Yedrin Dax