Worf realizes Martok is paralyzed by fear. Reluctantly, he decides to challenge Martok for control of the ship. A knife fight ensues, during which Worf sees that Martok's fear is gone and allows him to win the fight. Worf sustains a nasty wound yet survives, putting Martok into a battle frenzy just as a Jem'Hadar ship approaches. The revitalized crew defeats the enemy, rescues the B'Moth, and returns to Deep Space Nine as victors for the first time. Martok is forever grateful to Worf for reminding him of his duty as a Klingon warrior, and offers him a place in the House of Martok. Reception Zach Handlen of The A.V. Club called the episode "an exciting, well-paced underdog saga". In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "Soldiers of the Empire" the 44th best television episode of all Star Trek franchise television prior to Star Trek: Discovery. Within the series they ranked "Soldiers of the Empire" as the tenth best episode of this show. In 2018, Nerdist ranked this episode the 8th most essential episode of the series. References External links Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 5) episodes 1997 American television episodes Television episodes written by Ronald D. Moore Television episodes directed by LeVar Burton