Leyton Leyton was a male Human Starfleet officer of the 24th century . By 2371 , he was a vice admiral . Leyton was forced to resign in 2372 after staging a failed " coup d ' état " against Federation President Jaresh - Inyo . The " Okinawa " . In the mid - 24th century , Leyton was captain of the , with Benjamin Sisko as executive officer . The two generally had a good working relationship . Leyton was a decisive captain , but appreciated Sisko ' s honesty . Leyton and his crew served in the Federation - Tzenkethi War . It was during this conflict that the " Okinawa " encountered three Tzenkethi raider s , which Leyton decided to pursue into an asteroid belt . During a staff meeting , Sisko voiced his opinion that chasing the raiders was an " unnecessary risk , " and continued to press his point in the ready room even after Leyton had made his decision . Leyton responded that " " a good officer has to respect the chain of command . There comes a time when you have to accept the orders of a superior officer and carry out his orders , whether you agree with them or not . " " Sisko later conceded that Leyton ' s decision was the right one . Coming to respect Sisko ' s forthrightness , Leyton would later personally recommend Sisko for the command position of Deep Space 9 in 2369 . ( ) Attempted " coup " . In 2371 , Constable Odo , the Changeling chief of security on Deep Space 9 , learned from one of his people that Changelings had infiltrated the Federation . Not long after Odo gave this information to Starfleet , Leyton , by now an admiral , led a contingent of high - ranking officers to meet with Federation President Jaresh - Inyo to recommend implementation of sweeping security measures meant to protect Earth , measures which Jaresh - Inyo rejected as " extreme . " ( ) The next year , when the Dominion bombed a high - level diplomatic conference between the Federation and the Romulan Empire taking place on Earth , Leyton became convinced that the Changelings posed a greater threat to Earth than the president was prepared to deal with , and initiated a conspiracy to attempt a military takeover of Earth . Assigning Sisko , by this time a captain , as acting head of Starfleet Security , Leyton utilized an elite group of Starfleet cadets known as " Red Squad " to sabotage Earth ' s global power grid in an attempt to spread paranoia regarding Changeling infiltration . When Sisko uncovered Leyton ' s plot , he ordered the to bring Lieutenant Arriaga , a conspirator stationed at Deep Space 9 , to Earth , where he could testify that Leyton ordered him to attach a subspace modulator to the relay satellite at the far end of the Bajoran wormhole , which caused it to open and close at random , making it appear as if a cloak ed Dominion fleet was entering Federation space . Leyton subsequently had Sisko framed as a Changeling infiltrator and imprisoned , but Odo was able to break Sisko out . Leyton ordered Captain Erika Benteen , commander of the , to intercept the " Defiant " and prevent them from reaching Earth , telling her that the entire crew had been replaced by Changelings . Sisko , however , was able to convince Benteen that Leyton had been lying to her , and she called off her attack , allowing the " Defiant " to reach Earth . When it became clear that his plot had failed , Leyton offered his resignation . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Leyton was played by Robert Foxworth in his first of two " Star Trek " appearances . The script for " Homefront " describes Leyton as , " " in his mid - fifties , tall , healthy and looks younger than he is . He ' s a veteran of conflicts with the Romulan s , Tholian s , Cardassian s and Borg . " " It also says he held the position of Head of Starfleet Operations , though this was never confirmed in dialogue . ( " " ) , Foxworth played a similar role of General Hague on the series " Babylon 5 " . On that show , his character also attempted a military takeover of Earth , but the attempted " coup " was shown in a very different light , as an attempt to overthrow a totalitarian government . Foxworth was originally set to reprise his role in the episode " Severed Dreams " , but was unable to do so , as he was filming " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " at the time . As such , his character was killed off - screen , and the role changed to that of Major Ryan , played by Bruce McGill . In an outtake for the episode , when asked where General Hague was , McGill jokingly answered , " " General Hague is doing " Deep Space Nine " . It seems he was double - booked by his agent , there was nothing to be done . " " Leyton was described in the as the Chief of Starfleet Operations . Apocrypha . Leyton appears in the " " novel " Catalyst of Sorrows " , which confirms he held the position of Chief of Starfleet Operations in 2372 . It also states Leyton was the one to promote Sisko to the rank of lieutenant commander and first officer on the " Okinawa " . He also features in the " " novel " Rough Beasts of Empire " in scenes set during the Tzenkethi War in the 2360s . There were also plans for a " Lost Era " novel that would have involved Leyton and Sisko on the USS " Okinawa " during the Tzenkethi War , but due to the firing of Marco Palmieri and other " Star Trek " writers at Pocket Books , the story never developed past the planning stage . The events of " Homefront " and " Paradise Lost " are also referenced in the " Starfleet Academy ! " comic " Loyalty Test " and the Pocket TNG novel " The Best and the Brightest " , in which Leyton appears . The Pocket DS9 novel " Hollow Men " reveals that Leyton was sentenced to five years imprisonment in the New Zealand Penal Settlement for his crimes . In 2374 , he receives a visit from Benjamin Sisko following the events of , in which Sisko tricks the Romulan Empire to join the war against the Dominion . In the novel " Articles of the Federation " , Leyton ' s manipulation of Jaresh - Inyo into declaring martial law later proves to be a deciding factor in 2372 ' s presidential election . President Jaresh - Inyo is defeated after only one term by Federation Councilor Min Zife of Bolarus , who favors a more militant stance against the Dominion in preparation for the coming war . Leyton further appears in the " " novel " A Gutted World " , which is set in an alternate timeline in which the Cardassians never leave Bajor and the Bajoran wormhole is never discovered . In the book , Leyton serves as commander of the fleet that defended Earth from the Borg at the Battle of Sector 001 and is later killed in action . The novel " Hollow Men " calls him James Leyton , while the novel " The Poisoned Chalice " calls him Robert Leyton . The Decipher RPG module " Starships " calls him Thomas Leyton . " The Autobiography of Jean - Luc Picard " calls him Rodney Leyton . Leyton is also mentioned , though does not appear , in the " Star Trek Online " novelization " The Needs of the Many " , when Jake Sisko ' s talks of a traitor from the recent Undine War and people committing treason in the name of saving the Federation .