Once More Unto the Breach ( episode ) With the Dominion War raging , the old Klingon warrior Kor feels left out of the action , and looks for some way to get his share of the honor of battle . However , his efforts to play a part are stymied by Martok , who holds a grudge against Kor . Summary . Teaser . Having just relived the Battle of the Alamo in a holosuite at Quark ' s , Dr . Bashir and Chief O ' Brien heatedly discuss the fate of Davy Crockett , a legendary hero who died in the battle . O ' Brien expresses his opinion that Crockett was executed by General Santa Anna as a point of pride , while Bashir believes Crockett was tired of living on his reputation and ultimately surrendered . Worf joins them and comments that if you believe in the myth of Davy Crockett , then there should be no doubt that he died a hero , but if instead you believe that Davy Crockett was just a man , it does not matter " how he died " . Worf returns to his quarters and is soon visited by Kor . The venerable Dahar master congratulates Worf on his distinguished service in the war , and commiserates on the death of Worf ' s wife , then admits he is there to beg a favor : Kor has lost whatever influence he once had , so the Klingon Empire has decided that there is no place for him in the war . He pleads Worf to intercede for him so that he may " end my life as I have lived it – as a warrior . " Worf approaches General Martok with Kor ' s request , and is stunned when Martok refuses , violently , warning Worf to cease pursuing this , " " or I will forget that we are brothers " ! " Act One . Martok unveils his new battleplan to Sisko : using only a squadron Birds - of - Prey , he will hit Dominion facilities and create chaos behind their lines , starting with an audacious raid on the heavily - fortified Dominion outpost on Trelka V . Sisko likens it to an ancient Earth tactic known as a " cavalry raid " and offers to join him with the . Martok politely declines , saying that the " Defiant " will be more useful in deterring Jem ' Hadar ships that may be following once the Klingons head back to Federation - held territory . Aboard Martok ' s ship , Worf tries to speak to him again about Kor . Martok explains his hatred of Kor : Martok ' s family came from the Ketha lowlands and had little but had served the Empire for generations as soldiers . However Martok ' s father had hopes his son would be an officer in the Klingon Defense Force and eventually found someone to sponsor his application . After passing the exam on the first try , Martok ' s application rested on the oversight council which should have been nothing more than a formality . Kor , a member of the council , turned him down for no reason other than Martok ' s common background , much to the shame and embarrassment of Martok and his father . With a black mark on his record from a Dahar Master , Martok couldn ' t even enlist as a common soldier but was forced to spend five years as a civilian orderly aboard a ship . " Luckily " the ship was attacked by an inept Romulan vessel which allowed the young Klingon to display his courage and military skills , and then earned him a battlefield commission . To Martok though , this all happened too late , as his father had died and could not share in the honor . If Kor had had his way , he concludes , Martok would still be scrubbing decks , instead of playing the vital role in the war he now occupies . Worf said he had used his own authority to appoint Kor as Third Officer aboard a ship in the Ninth Fleet . He begins to apologize , but Martok waves him down , saying it has been done and warns Worf that he is responsible for Kor . In the Replimat , Kor is enjoying a catch - up meal with Ezri Dax , when Worf appears . He tells Kor the reason for Martok ' s dislike of him , and Kor does not recall this but admits it is possible . Worf tells Kor that he should not have stopped a man from serving the Klingon Empire for such a trivial reason . Rebuffed , Kor asks if his commission was revoked . Worf confirms that it is not and instructs Kor to report for duty in the morning aboard the and advises him to stay out of Martok ' s way . Before leaving , Kor asks for a reminder of the ship ' s name . Hours later , as the squadron is about to deploy , Kor reports for duty on the bridge of the " Ch ' Tang " . With the memories of his humiliation still vivid , Martok is aggravated when every member of the bridge crew is awestruck to have a Dahar Master on board . Act Two . In Quark ' s bar , Ezri talks to Kira about what it was like to see Kor again , an odd experience since it ' s the first time Kor has seen Ezri and not Curzon . She does in part wish she could be side - by - side with him once more . Quark overhears this and assumes she meant Worf . A brief respite of Martok telling war stories in the ship ' s mess hall is interrupted , when Kor joins them , and the crew is once again in awe . Noticing the tension , Worf attempts to change the subject by asking Martok to announce his plan of attack for Trelka V . Martok lays out his plan , which impresses the crew . . . only for Kor , in congratulating him , to note that Kor himself had once executed a similar plan against the Federation outpost on Caleb IV , along with his late comrade Kang . As the crew turns their attention back to Kor , Martok leaves the room in disgust . Worf attempts to reassure Martok that the crew are simply not accustomed to serving alongside a Dahar master , when an alert klaxon sounds . As the crew reports to battle stations , Kor appears confused as to where he ' s supposed to go , before an encounter with Lieutenant Synon , the ship ' s helmswoman , inadvertently reminds him he ' s supposed to go to the bridge . Act Three . At Trelka IV , Martok orders two of his ships , the and to decloak and fire on the planetary base , before withdrawing . This attracts the attention of a Cardassian cruiser . The " Malpara " is quickly destroyed , but the " Ning ' tao " manages to lead the larger ship out of the system . Meanwhile , with the base ' s shields down and repair crews underway , Martok orders the other ships to decloak and open fire . In the heat of battle , Martok and Worf are incapacitated , leaving Kor to assume command . The confused Kor orders the ships to come around for another pass , even as an injured but conscious Martok , who had only intended one pass , attempts weakly to order his crew to withdraw . The ships are battered by returning fire from the base , with the taking heavy damage and the suffering a hull breach as well as the deaths of its captain and first officer . Kor announced his intention to capture the base , despite Synon ' s protests that they have a garrison of ten thousand troops . When Kor orders the crew to open a channel to his long - dead comrade Kang , to tell him that Federation outpost on Caleb IV will fall within the hour , it becomes clear that the old Klingon has confused reality with his memories of a century - old battle . The injured Martok attempts to dispose of Kor by throwing a " d ' k tahg " at him . However , Worf , regaining consciousness , manages to catch the knife , knock Kor to the deck , and resume command , ordering an escape course . Martok then orders Kor off his bridge . Act Four . While the raid is going on , back on Deep Space 9 , Quark decides , while talking to Jake , to declare himself , telling Ezri that Jadzia was too good for Worf , and Ezri most definitely is , and it would be the worst mistake for her to resume a relationship with Worf just because she feels obligated by Jadzia ' s commitments . Ezri cuts him off and clears the air , telling him that she and Worf have agreed to just remain friends , and not pursue another relationship . Having said that , she is still charmed by the " kind , dear and [ for Quark ] embarrassing " declaration the Ferengi just made to her . Ezri then kisses Quark on the cheek , which the Ferengi apparently sees as encouragement and amuses Jake . Kor eats in the mess hall , alone except for Martok ' s elderly aide , Darok . Martok comes in , along Synon and weapons officer Kolana , who start needling him mercilessly about his senility . Kor does not respond , but finishes his meal in silence and excuses himself . Martok challenges him to make some kind of response , and Kor simply tells his fellow Klingons to enjoy the fruit life , but not to live too long for as long as they can , since " the taste turns bitter " as one grows old . In the wake of his absence , Martok clearly doesn ' t feel the enjoyment of his long - awaited victory over Kor . In Martok ' s quarters , Worf brings him the new personnel assignments . He has removed Kor from active duty , and concedes that it was a mistake to give him a position in the first place . Worf says that when they return , he will ask Chancellor Gowron to find some sinecure for Kor that will allow him to feel useful , while keeping him safely out of combat . Martok confesses that he did not take the satisfaction from gloating over Kor that he thought he would ; the elderly Klingon is no longer an enemy , just an old man to be pitied , and a sobering glimpse of what awaits every Klingon who lives too long , even one of Kor ' s accomplishments . They are interrupted when the bridge alerts Martok that a fleet of ten Jem ' Hadar attack ship s have been detected , having managed to penetrate their ships ' cloaking field s and are gaining on them . Act Five . The bridge officers grimly report that the Jem ' Hadar will overtake them in about two hours , less time than it will take the Klingons to rendezvous with the " Defiant " and other Federation reinforcements . Worf devises a plan : one Bird - of - Prey , the " Ning ' tao " with a skeleton crew , drop out of warp and fire a graviton pulse to force the Jem ' Hadar to drop out of warp , and then engage them long enough for the rest of the fleet to reach safety . Since the Ning ' tao ' s own captain is considered too inexperienced , Worf volunteers to command the doomed ship . Kor is lying in his quarters when Darok drops in and briefs Kor on the plan in secret . Darok says the plan is a good one , but its success hinges on the one ship being able to successfully engage and delay the Jem ' Hadar , to prevent them from reentering warp to resume pursuit of the fleet . Kor , despite the recent drubbing his self - confidence has taken , immediately states that the solution would be to confuse the Jem ' Hadar sensors in the opening moments , with a spread of torpedoes , and Darok ( clearly still a " fan " of Kor ) encourages him that the ship must be commanded by a warrior of Kor ' s great experience – but , even more importantly , such a warrior could not hope to succeed unless he was " completely " confident in his own abilities . Kor , with new resolve in his heart , replies he would not take on the mission unless he was this confident . Darok bows deeply and tells Kor it has been an honor to serve with him . Soon after , Kor catches up to Worf in the transporter room , where the two say goodbye until they meet again in Sto - vo - kor . Worf , to his surprise , is then asked if he has any message for Jadzia , but before he can respond , Kor renders him unconscious with a hypospray . Kor promises the unconscious Worf that he will convey Worf ' s undying love to Jadzia , and tells his friend to " live well . " Beaming away to the doomed ship , Kor gives one last salute to the world he loves and the Empire he has served . " " Long live the Empire ! " " In space , the " Ning ' tao " de - cloaks as it drops to impulse , then turns about and hurtles back into warp , towards the enemy . Kor ' s progress is monitored by ship sensors . At this point , it is assumed by Martok and others that Worf is leading the suicide mission . Darok brings a bottle of bloodwine to the bridge , in brazen defiance of regulations . Martok objects , and Darok says that , whether the volunteers fail or succeed , they will deserve to have their courage saluted . The bridge crew keeps a tense vigil as the " Ning ' tao " drops out of warp and succeeds in pulling the whole Jem ' Hadar squadron out of warp . The battle goes beyond their sensor range , and they can only wait . Martok expresses a hope that Worf will die gloriously – but when Worf himself appears on the bridge and states that this will not happen today , it dawns on him that Kor has taken control of the ship . The weapons officer reports that the " Ning ' tao " is taking heavy fire , but has succeeded in collapsing the Jem ' Hadar formation . Then the battle goes beyong the " Ch ' tang " ' s sensor range , and they lose contact . Martok ponders that it doesn ' t seem possible that a single Bird - of - Prey could stall ten Jem ' Hadar ships , but Worf is more optimistic about the outcome . After the whole bridge crew has waited with bated breath , the weapons officer reports in an awed voice that , miraculously , Kor has succeeded : the Jem ' Hadar can no longer overtake the Klingon ships before they reach friendly space . For all his own tactical brilliance , Martok is unable to comprehend how Kor could have succeeded . In reference to the Crockett discussion at the beginning of the episode , Worf simply replies , " " Does it matter ? " " Martok demands the bottle from Darok and lifts it high in salute to Kor , " " a noble warrior to the end ! " " As the bottle is passed around the bridge , Darok begins to sing . The rest of the bridge crew ( with the exception of Martok , who still cannot bring himself to forgive Kor ) joins Darok in honoring the Dahar master who has just sacrificed himself to save all their lives . Memorable quotes . " " The only real question is whether you believe in the legend of Davey Crockett or not . If you do , then there should be no doubt in your mind that he died a hero ' s death . If you do not believe in the legend , then he was just a man , and it does not matter how he died . " " " " I heard the news about Jadzia . " " " " She died a warrior . " " " " I expected nothing less . " " " " To absent comrades . " " " " The way of the warrior is not a humble one . Show some pride in your accomplishments ! " " " " I will try . " " " " There will come a day , Darok , when your services as my aide will no longer be required . " " " " I look forward to that day with " great " anticipation . " " " " It ' s a pity Captain Sisko frowns on summary executions . " " " " I wish to speak to you about Kor . Now I know you have strong feelings about this , but – " " ( loudly ) " " Clear the bridge ! " " " " You ' d make a pretty good counselor . You wanna trade jobs ? " " " " < nowiki > Oh yeah , people would love to bring their problems to me . . . ' You dreamed about what ? You ' re crazy ! Get out of my office ! Next patient ! ' < / nowiki > " " " " Savor the fruit of life , my young friends . It has a sweet taste when it ' s fresh from the vine . But don ' t live too long . . . The taste turns bitter . . . after a time . " " " " I was playing a deep game . I ' m not the kind of man who just rushes in and declares himself . I like the chase . But then Mister Today - is - a - good - day - to - die shows up and spoils everything . And now , it ' s going to happen all over again with Ezri . New body , new personality , but she ' ll make the same mistake . " " " " I ' ve hated his name for almost 30 years . I ' ve dreamt of the moment when I would finally see him stripped of his rank and title – when he would suddenly find himself without a friend in the world , without the power of his birthright . . . Well I ' ve " had " that moment now – and I took no joy from it . " " " " We are being pursued by a Jem ' Hadar fleet . Worf believes he can stop them – with a single ship . " " " " How ? " " " ( Shows Kor a datapad ) " It ' s a good plan , but it has one flaw : it depends " entirely " on Worf successfully engaging the whole enemy fleet , if only for a short time . " " " " It can be done . . . the key would be to confuse their sensors in the opening moments , with a spread of torpedoes . " " " " Perhaps , but it would take a warrior with three times the experience to accomplish such a feat . And such a man would have to be " certain " of his abilities . " " " " Such a man would not " take " the job . . . unless he " were " certain . " " " " It has been an honor serving with you . . . Kor , son of Rynar . " " " " I look forward to seeing you at the gates to Sto - vo - Kor . " " " " As do I . " " " " Do you have any message you want me to convey to Jadzia ? " " ( Worf falls unconscious before he can respond ) " " When I reach the halls of the hallowed dead , I will find your beloved , and remind her that her husband is a noble warrior . . . and that he still loves " no one " but her . Goodbye , my friend – live well . " " " " Long live the Empire ! " " " ( re : a bottle of bloodwine ) " On the bridge ? ! " " " " If they succeed , you can drink to their courage . And if they fail , you can still drink to their courage . " " " " Die well , Worf . " " " " Today was " not " my day to die . " " " " Worf ? ! But then wh . . . ? " Kor ! " " " One ship against ten . . . It doesn ' t seem possible . . " " " " He " will " succeed . He is Kor , the " Dahar " Master . " " " " How ? How did that pompous old man hold off an entire Jem ' Hadar fleet with only one ship ? " " " " Does it matter ? " " " " To Kor , a " Dahar " Master and noble warrior to the end ! " " Links and references . References . 19th century ; 2309 ; 2350 ; 2345 ; active duty ; Alamo ; American Indian ; Battle of Caleb IV ; Battle of the Alamo ; bloodwine ; Borias Cluster ; Caleb IV ; Cardassian s ; cavalry raid ; cloaking device ; congressman ; counselor ; ; ; ; Dahar Master ; Deep Space 9 ; defense condition one ; disruptor ; division ; Dominion ; Dominion War ; Duke ; Earth ; emergency power ; Federation ; Felton Prime ; flagship ; garrison ; Gowron ; graviton ; guidance system relay ; Halls of the Hallowed Dead ; harem ; House of Kor ; House of Martok ; humor ; hypospray ; Imperial Fleet engineers ; inverse graviton burst ; Jem ' Hadar ; Kahless the Unforgettable ; Kalandra sector ; Kang ; Ketha lowlands ; Ketha Province ; Klingon Empire ; Klingon High Council ; Klingon Imperial Court ; Klingon Imperial Fleet ; Klingon Oversight Council ; Klingonese ; Korma Pass ; laborer ; long - range tachyon scanner ; Lurkan ; main deflector ; Manora shipyards ; Martok ' s father ; meter ; Mexicans ; Mogh ; Moscow Mule ; Ninth Fleet ; phaser ; Qo ' noS ; Quark ' s ; Raid on Trelka V ; Renavi ; Romulan s ; rum ; Rynar ; Saltah ' na clock ; Santa Anna ; Sheva II ; ShiVang ; ShiVang ' s flagship ; spacedock ; sponsor ; squadron ; " Sto - vo - kor " ; strafing ; supply depot ; T ' nag ; targeting sensor s ; third officer ; tip ; tongo ; transporter room ; ; Trelka V ; vodka ; warp field