Gowron Gowron , son of M ' Rel , was Chancellor of the Klingon High Council in the late 24th century . He ruled during the Klingon Civil War , Klingon - Cardassian War , and the Dominion War . He was killed by Worf in 2375 . History . Early career . Before 2367 , Gowron was a political outsider , who often challenged the decisions of the Klingon High Council . After the death of Chancellor K ' mpec , Gowron and Duras , son of Ja ' rod , became the two leading candidates for leadership of the council . It was suspected that Gowron had in fact poisoned K ' mpec to advance his career , though many believe that K ' mpec was indeed poisoned by Duras . Gowron traveled on the to undergo the Rite of Succession in the Gamma Arigulon system , where K ' mpec had gone to rendezvous with Captain Jean - Luc Picard who would serve as Arbiter of Succession . Gowron , like a typical Klingon , was skeptical of an outsider ' s ability to function as Arbiter , and was frustrated with his choice of undergoing the ja ' chuq , but still went along with little argument . Once Duras was killed by Worf through the Right of Vengeance , Gowron ' s election as chancellor was complete . ( ) Klingon Civil War . Following Gowron ' s election , Duras ' s sisters , Lursa and B ' Etor , challenged Gowron ' s office . They appealed to the High Council to install Toral , the illegitimate son of Duras , as Chancellor . The resulting division of loyalty in the council quickly sparked the Klingon Civil War in late 2367 . ( ) . After a few weeks , Gowron ' s forces emerged victorious . With the help of the Federation , Duras ' s family ties with the Romulan Star Empire were exposed . In addition , Gowron reinstated the House of Mogh in recognition of the actions of Worf and his brother Kurn coming to his aid in the conflict . ( ) Later career . In the aftermath of the war , Gowron found it was best to avoid calling attention to the Federation ' s support during the war . He ordered that all official accounts of the events omit the Federation ' s involvement in the conflict and emphasize his own courage and strategic genius . ( ) When a clone of Kahless the Unforgettable was created in 2369 , Gowron dismissed his right to rule the Empire , though he soon became worried that the clone ' s existence would plunge the Klingon Empire into another civil war . In order to keep the peace , he agreed to support Kahless as the spiritual leader of his people , agreeing to support his succession as " Emperor " ( the title having been defunct for generations ) , while Gowron would remain leader of the Council . ( ) In 2371 , a Klingon named Kozak was killed in an accident at Quark ' s on Deep Space 9 . D ' Ghor , posing as Kozak ' s brother , made a claim before Gowron and the Council to the House of Kozak , but Gowron temporarily transferred leadership of the House of Kozak to Quark , who had secretly married Kozak ' s widow , Grilka . Together , they proved to Gowron that D ' Ghor had dishonored himself by trying to financially ruin Kozak for years instead of openly fighting him . D ' Ghor challenged Quark to personal combat , but Quark refused to fight . D ' Ghor was about to kill the unarmed Ferengi when Gowron intervened , discommended D ' Ghor for his dishonorable attempt to kill an unarmed opponent who was not even attempting to fight back , proclaimed the House of Kozak would become the House of Grilka , and commended the Ferengi for his uncommon bravery . ( ) Later that year , Commander Sisko theorized that Gowron had sent the Klingon Intelligence agents Atul , Bo ' rak and Morka to Deep Space 9 to spy on a Romulan delegation . ( ) As the cold war between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant escalated during the 2370s , Gowron took prominent Klingon General Martok as his military adviser . Martok had secretly been replaced by a Changeling , and used his position to influence Gowron ' s military decisions . ( ) When a civilian revolt took over Cardassia Prime in 2372 , Martok spread misinformation that the Cardassian uprising had been supported by the Dominion . This view gained some credence as it fit the Founders ' modus operandi , since they regularly made use of infiltrators to weaken their enemies . Martok led Gowron to believe that the civilian - led Detapa Council had been replaced by Changelings . Seeking to protect the Empire , Gowron ordered the invasion of the Cardassian Union . The move was condemned by the Federation Council , and Gowron withdrew from the Khitomer Accords , ending the decades - long alliance with the Federation . ( ) The Klingons conquered a number of Cardassian colonies but failed to take Cardassia Prime . Gowron declared victory anyway , in order to avoid assassination attempts . He fortified his positions in Cardassian space and continued expanding the borders of the Empire . He also ordered several attacks on Romulan targets on the Klingon - Romulan border . ( ) In late 2372 , Gowron demanded that the Federation withdraw from the Archanis sector , in particular Archanis IV . During this time , the Dominion planted false information in Starfleet through Odo that Gowron , not Martok , was a Changeling spy . ( ) Starfleet sent a team to Klingon military headquarters on Ty ' Gokor to expose Gowron . Eventually they discovered that Martok was , in fact , the Changeling agent , and Gowron ' s men swiftly killed it . ( ) After the Cardassians joined the Dominion in 2373 , the Klingon forces were driven from Cardassian space . Facing the combined forces of the Dominion and Cardassia , Gowron reinstated the Khitomer Accords and posted a permanent contingent of Klingon officers on the Cardassian border at station Deep Space 9 , commanded , ironically , by the real Martok . ( ) The Dominion War . In early 2374 , Gowron was reluctant to involve the Empire in Operation Return . However , he was later persuaded to assist Captain Sisko ' s forces by Martok and Worf . The late arrival of the Klingon fleet proved critical in the battle , throwing the Dominion lines into disarray and allowed the " Defiant " to break through . ( ) Several months later , the Dominion and the Orion Syndicate used Gowron ' s feud with the Klingon ambassador to Farius Prime in an attempt to bring down the Treaty of Alliance . Gelnon and Raimus hoped that by having Liam Bilby , Krole and Flith assassinate the ambassador with Klingon weapons it would look like Gowron had ordered the pro - Dominion ambassador ' s execution . ( ) Gowron played a role , albeit unknowingly , in bringing the Romulan Star Empire into the war against the Dominion . In late 2374 , Captain Sisko contacted Gowron and asked him to issue a formal pardon to Grathon Tolar , who was needed by Sisko and Elim Garak to forge a holo - recording . ( ) Early in 2375 , both Worf and Martok planned to speak to Gowron to see if he could find Kor a fitting assignment on Qo ' noS . ( ) Martok ' s actions during the war had made him a prominent figure throughout the Empire , such that he was regarded by the Klingon people as their savior . Feeling threatened by Martok ' s growing political influence , Gowron took direct control of the Klingon Defense Force in 2375 . He began trying to undermine Martok ' s military standing , repeatedly sending him against impossible odds so that he would be forced to retreat . ( ) Martok refused to challenge Gowron even after such dishonorable actions , believing it would be tantamount to turning against the Empire . Instead Gowron was challenged by a member of Martok ' s house , Worf . Worf , who had been subtly directed by Captain Sisko to have Gowron " removed " as Chancellor , defeated Gowron in one - on - one combat , killing him , and passed the leadership of the High Council to Martok . Despite his disapproval of Gowron ' s actions , Worf still performed the Klingon death ritual for him , acknowledging the former Chancellor as a Klingon warrior . ( ) Worf recalled fighting Gowron for the leadership of the Empire before leaving Deep Space 9 to take up his post as Martok ' s Federation ' s ambassador . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " You will die slowly , Duras . " " " " K ' mpec was also stubborn . He , too , refused to listen . Now . . . he is gone . You need not make the same mistake . " " " " The grasp of Duras reaches up from the grave ! " " " " Are you blind to what they represent ? Then go . . . your blood will paint the way to the future . " " " " What are you , Worf ? Do you tremble and quake with fear at the approach of combat , hoping to talk your way out of a fight like a Human ? Or do you hear the cry of the warrior , calling you to battle , calling you to glory like a Klingon ? " " " " You have made many enemies , Worf . Fortunately , I am not one of them ! " " " " What kind of fools do you have working for you , Picard ? " " " " What was his name ? If you were really there , you should be able to tell us the name of the man who stood outside the walls . Describe him to us . How tall was he ? What was he wearing ? ! ? What color . . . were his EYES ! ? ! " " " " Kahless has been dead for a thousand years ; but the idea of Kahless is still alive . Have you ever fought an idea , Picard ? It has no weapon to destroy , no body to kill . The idea of Kahless ' s return must be stopped here and now - or it will travel through the Empire like a wave , and leave nothing but destruction behind . " " " " You should have killed me when you had the chance . I promise you will not get another . " " " " It ' s time for me to take a more active role in this war . As of today , I ' m assuming direct command of our forces . " " " " I decide what can and cannot be done . " " " " I should ' ve known better than to trust you again . If you were a true Klingon , I would kill you where you stand ! Fortunately for you , that child ' s uniform shields you from your rightful fate . " " " " The Klingon Empire will remember what has happened here . You have sided against us in battle . And this we do not forgive . . . or forget ! " " " " You will not have this . . . day . . . " " " " Think of it . Five years ago no one had ever heard of Bajor or Deep Space 9 . Now all our hopes rest here . Where the tides of fortune take us , no man can know . " " Appendices . Background information . Actor Robert O ' Reilly believed he was cast in the role by " Reunion " director Jonathan Frakes partly because of " " that crazy loon eyeball thing , but he saw also a sense of humor , and he has one of the great senses of humor of all time . I think that created a curiosity in him and he wanted to see more of me . " " O ' Reilly had been cast as Gowron after performing as in a production of " King Lear " , and this influenced his approach to the character . " " I thought it absolutely fit . Remember , the way Gowron came in is not the way he went out . He went out as this bad , terrible Klingon , which I disagreed with strongly , but that ' s fine . But the earlier part of Gowron ' s arc , he was the outsider , the only one with honor , and he was sort of a crazed warrior who did not want to be anywhere near ' hew - mons . ' So it started off very , very differently . If you take the point of view of Edmund , he ’ s the outsider . He ’ s the ' bastard ' , just out there and not part of the group , and then he decides to defeat everybody and become head of the group . " " Apocrypha . The " " expansion of the " Star Trek Customizable Card Game " shows a card where , in an alternate universe , Gowron , not Picard , was assimilated by the Borg . His name was simply " Gowron of Borg " . Gowron also appeared ( in character ) in a Hallmark Keepsake ornament commercial filmed on the promoting the Klingon Bird - of - Prey ornament . Gowron also features heavily in the video games " " and " " , with O ' Reilly reprising his role in both games . His mirror universe counterpart is mentioned as being a colonel in the service of the Klingon - Cardassian Alliance in the novella " The Mirror - Scaled Serpent " . A firm opponent of inter - species breeding , he sent a slave to assassinate B ' Elanna , the half - Klingon , half - Terran Supervisor of Ardana . The slave was unsuccessful and was killed himself by B ' Elanna ' s personal aide Kate Janeway . He later appeared in the short story " For Want of a Nail " contained in the anthology " Shards and Shadows " , in which he was killed by Duras .