Star Trek. Producer Ira Steven Behr's impression from "The Way of the Warrior" was "Gee, this guy Martok is great", and he decided to make him a recurring character. He described Martok as "a great Klingon. Very charismatic and fun." Uwe Meyer characterizes Martok as an upright person of integrity, who in this regard stands in direct contrast and conflict to his predecessor, the erratic and self-serving Gowron. Martok is committed to family loyalty and follows a code of honour that is especially visible in times of war. Douglas Mann calls it "the Homeric code of the Klingon warrior" and compares it to that of ancient Sparta and the warriors of Mycenean culture as depicted in the Illiad. Meyer sees elements of the Cold War reflected in the Star Trek franchise, with the Federation representing the West and the Klingon Empire the USSR and Russia. In this context, Martok represents a Klingon character who is not explicitly Westernized like Worf, but still pays hommage to the liberal values of the West to a significant degree. This characterization - bar the political connotations - is supported by a discussion documented by Karl Spracklen: Martok has been exposed to human culture enough to laugh off the refusal of his Federation allies to celebrate a victory the Klingon way with him, where another Klingon might have been offended. Martok's chancellorship is compared by Meyer to the position of Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR, as a representative of the ruling elite who recognizes the shortcomings and divisions of his society and strives for reform. In this role Martok is also similar to the character of Azetbur from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. She was denied significant success as a lone reformer. Whether Martok can fulfill the hopes invested in him is an open question at the end of his arc. Uwe Meyer also states that Martok conforms to the stereotype of the simple, honest soldier, who is not well-versed in the intrigues associated with a negatively connoted political class, and is more like a politician should be because of it. That he was often victorious in battle is presented as adding to his aptitude, comparable to a number of former military officers who have achieved the U.S. presidency. References External links Martok at StarTrek.com Television characters introduced in 1995 Fictional chancellors Fictional characters missing an eye Fictional generals Fictional military strategists Klingons Star