“Once More Unto the Breach” is episode seven of season seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
O’Brien and Julian are arguing over the Battle of the Alamo. Julian says that Davy Crockett would have surrendered but O’Brien thinks that Santa Anna would have executed him as a matter of pride. Worf says they are both wrong and it depends on whether or not you believe in the legend of Davy Crockett. If you do, he died a hero. If you don’t, he was just a man and it doesn’t matter how he died. That told them.
Worf, in his quarters, is visited by Kor, first seen in The Original Series (as the first named Klingon character) and in the DS9 episodes “Blood Oath” and “The Sword of Kahless”. Kor wants a favour from Worf. Kor’s services are not required in the present conflict. His actions have created more enemies than he perhaps should and he no longer has any influence in the Klingon Empire. Worf is the last person Kor can turn to. He wants Worf’s help to die in battle, ending his life as a warrior.
General Martok is dealing with paperwork – which he does not enjoy – when Worf comes to see him. Worf wanted Martok to give Kor a ship – but it looks like the general is one of Kor’s enemies, and will not grant Kor command of a ship. Martok gets more than a little upset over this request.
Martok is planning what Sisko calls a cavalry raid behind enemy lines, with just five Birds of Prey, to stir up trouble. On Martok’s ship, Worf approaches him again about Kor. Martok will not give Kor a ship, or anything else for that matter. Worf is confused, as there is no blood feud between the two houses and Martok and Kor have not even met. So Martok explains why. Martok’s father wanted him to become an officer – but Kor rejected his application, the only member of the council to do so. It took years for Martok to get past the stigma from this, due to a battlefield commission, but Martok’s father was already dead. Worf has already had Kor appointed an officer in the Ninth Fleet.
Kor is meeting his old friend Dax, in yet another new body, when Worf tells him that General Martok won’t give him a command. Kor does not even remember striking Martok off the officer list. Worf has got Kor a third officer’s position. The other crew members are rather more impressed by Kor’s presence than Martok. Kor seems to have problems that he is hiding from the rest – old age basically, which has caused mental problems. Problems which nearly cause disaster when Kor loses his grip on the present.
It seems highly likely that Kor will somehow manage to redeem himself, and probably die gloriously in battle at the same time.