Ch'Pok

Ch'Pok was a male Klingon and advocate during the late-24th century Klingon Empire. He had a son, Katogh. () 
In 2372, Ch'Pok visited Deep Space 9 to serve as the prosecution in the extradition hearing of Lieutenant commander Worf, who commanded the during an incident in which a Klingon civilian transport ship was apparently destroyed, supposedly killing all 441 passengers and crew aboard. The incident was a ruse designed to embarrass the Federation and possibly take control of the Pentath system. 
It was Ch'Pok's responsibility to "prove" that Worf was full of bloodlust and would knowingly attack an unarmed opponent. He questioned Jadzia Dax, Miles O'Brien and Benjamin Sisko to demonstrate his case. However, he also broke into Worf's personal database to show he was running a holoprogram, Battle of Tong Vey, in which the main character advocated attacks on children. Worf allowed the breach of privacy, since he had nothing to hide, but was slightly embarrassed when Dax confirmed the nature of the program. He pressed O'Brien on whether he, given command, would have fired on a decloaking ship without confirming its identity. He eventually said no, but he is also not able to put himself in the command chair. Finally, he infuriated Worf by accusing him of killing innocent people to prove himself a true Klingon. At first, Worf denied that he would do such a thing, but, angered and feeling that his honor had been questioned, he attacked Ch'Pok. Satisfied that he had proven his point, Ch'Pok rested his case in front of Admiral T'Lara. 
The ship was later determined to have falsified its sensor readings in order to appear as though it had a full crew aboard when in fact it was empty; all of the supposed victims never existed. Sisko forced Ch'Pok to admit that the entire affair was staged in order to discredit Worf and was part of a elaborate Klingon plot to stop the Federation from escorting Cardassian freighters. () 
Ch'Pok's son Katogh joined the crew of the in 2374, which ironically placed him under the command of Worf, who was the ship's first officer. ()
== Extradition Proceedings ==
Ch’Pok arrived at DS9 to argue that Worf deserved to be extradited to the Klingon Empire to be put on trial for war crimes for an incident where Worf, in command of the Defiant, allegedly destroyed a civilian Klingon ship full of women and children. Captain Benjamin Sisko represented Worf, arguing that the civilian Klingon ship had entered an active warzone where the Defiant had been defending a convoy of Cardassian cargo ships from Klingon raiders and the ship had been accidentally destroyed by Worf.
Ch’Pok threw off Sisko and Worf by stipulating to the facts as outlined by Worf and his bridge officers in their official report. Hearing this, Sisko moved to dismiss the proceedings, arguing that if no facts were in dispute then Worf should be found innocent. Ch’Pok however argued that the trial was not to determine whether Worf had destroyed the ship intentionally or accidentally, but rather what was on his mind when he went into battle. Ch’Pok argues that if Worf went into battle solely to fulfill his mission of defending the convoy he can be judged as a Starfleet officer, however if Worf went into battle looking for combat, filled with “blood lust”, then he must be judged by as a Klingon warrior by fellow Klingons and thus must be extradited. Admiral T’lara agrees and rules that Ch’Pok will be allowed to explore what was on Worf’s mind when he went into battle.
=== Prosecution's Case ===
===== Jadzia Dax =====
Ch’Pok called his first witness, Jadzia Dax, to the stand. He asked her about her relationship with Worf, where she stated that they often sparred together as sparring partners. She stated that while she had seen that Worf could be dangerous, he always knew when to stop and rein in his impulses.
Ch’Pok then attempted to bring Worf's personal file into evidence, but Sisko objected to this egregious violation of Worf's privacy. T'lara agreed, noting that those files were personal and thus subject to privacy protections. Ch’Pok understood but asked Worf if he would consent to admitting his personal file as evidence, implying that if Worf had nothing to hide he should have no problem agreeing. Despite Sisko's advice to not play along Worf agreed, arguing he did have nothing to hide.
Ch’Pok asked Dax about a Klingon exercise program Worf ran, the Battle of Tong Vey. Dax summarizes the program, stating that the program is a reenactment of a battle in which the Klingon Emperor Sompek conquered and massacred a city of Klingons. Dax is also forced to admit that when running the program Worf plays the role of Sompek. Ch’Pok presses further, asking if Worf orders the massacre of the city, and despite Dax’s protests that the program requires the user to order the massacre, Ch’Pok forces her to admit that Worf does indeed order the city massacred when using the program. When asked the last time Worf used the program, Dax reluctantly states it was the day before Worf left on the mission.
===== Benjamin Sisko =====
Ch’Pok next calls Sisko himself to the stand, asking him why Worf was chosen for this mission. Sisko states he trusted Worf’s abilities as commander and thought he was the best pick for the job.
===== Quark =====
Ch’Pok’s next witness is Quark, who recalls that before Worf left on the mission he had come to Quark’s Bar. Quark relays that when he asked about the mission and the possibility the Klingons might attack Worf stated: “I hope they do.” The statement is particularly damning as it shows that Worf may have indeed set out in his mission looking for a battle.
===== Miles O'Brien =====
Ch’Pok next calls Miles O’Brien to the stand, where he has O’Brien declared an expert in Federation military tactics and strategy due to his extensive military combat experience. O’Brien summarizes the day of the incident, stating that two Klingon ships had attacked the convoy. One would attack the Defiant while the other went after the convoy, with both ships cloaking and decloaking between their attacks. O’Brien detected a tachyon surge immediately ahead of them, leading Worf to believe one of the Klingon battleships was decloaking and ordering it be fired upon as soon as it decloaked. After firing on the decloaking ship however the bridge crew is horrified to discover it was merely a civilian transport.
When Ch’Pok presses O’Brien on whether he would have given the same order as Worf to fire, O’Brien reluctantly states he would not have, but that he was not in command that day and it’s not the same in hindsight. Despite this Ch’Pok has no further questions for O’Brien and rests his case.
Ch’Pok, believing he has won the case handily, offers a final chance to settle the case to Sisko. He states that if Worf pleads guilty and agrees to extradition he will personally defend Worf in a Klingon trial. Sisko declines, and states that Ch’Pok’s plea offer shows that he is afraid of what Worf will say on the stand. Ch’Pok counters that Sisko is the one who should be afraid.
=== Defense Case ===
===== Worf =====
With the defense now arguing its case, Sisko calls Worf himself to testify. Worf gives his summary of events, explaining that there was no time to think during the battle and he had to make a decision to fire on a ship or risk his crew and the convoy. He made the decision to protect his ship and his convoy but regrets destroying a civilian ship and mourns the loss of the Klingon civilians.
On cross examination, Ch’Pok asks Worf about his life as a hated Klingon outcast living amongst Humans. When asked if he is still Klingon Worf insists he is, however Ch’Pok argues that a true Klingon would not regret his actions destroying an enemy vessel and would celebrate the deaths of the Klingon civilians in battle, for which they will now be able to enter Sto’vo’kor. Worf snaps back that no warrior celebrates the deaths of civilians as there is no honor in attacking those who cannot defend themselves.
At this point Admiral T’lara attempts to rein in the advocate and calm down the room, however Ch’Pok begins to press Worf on whether he feels the need to prove he is a Klingon to himself and to other Klingons by fighting in combat. When Admiral T’lara threatens both Worf and Ch’Pok with contempt, Ch’Pok changes tactics, stating that he actually pities Worf because Worf’s son will grow up knowing he is the son of a coward. At this Worf finally snaps and attacks Ch’Pok, however this is exactly what Ch’Pok wanted. Following the attack he sarcastically reminds Worf that he just said he would never attack an unarmed man. Turning to T’lara, Ch’Pok says Worf should have said he would never attack an unarmed man unless he is angry, unless he has something to prove.
===== Ch'Pok =====
As Admiral T’lara considers her decision, Sisko suddenly asks for another hearing in the matter. Ch’Pok is surprised that he himself is called by Sisko to the stand. Sisko first asks Ch’Pok regarding the state of Klingon-Federation relations, with Ch’Pok stating there are currently no relations between the two, only war.
Sisko then begins to press Ch’Pok on the incident itself, before revealing that he has acquired information that shows the Klingon transport was carrying civilians who mysteriously had all been present on another Klingon transport that crashed and was destroyed months ago. Sisko asks what the odds are that all the civilians of the crash all survived, then months later all boarded the same transport together and then coincidentally died when that transport is destroyed. Sisko next asks if it’s more likely, or at least possible, that Worf’s alleged “victims” had in fact died months ago in a crash, and that the Klingon Empire had faked their presence on the ship Worf destroyed, with the transport ship broadcasting false life signs. Sisk argues that this would allow the Klingon Empire to frame Worf, the only Klingon in Starfleet, for a massacre, which would gain the Klingon Empire significant political sympathy and support throughout the quadrant. When pressed, Ch’Pok reluctantly agrees it is possible that could have happened.
With this revelation, the hearing ends, and Worf is absolved of any wrongdoing.
== Personality ==
Ch’Pok proved to be a shrewd and talented legal advocate. He devised a theory of the case pinning the blame on Worf for accidentally destroying a Klingon civilian transport and skillfully extracted testimony from witnesses, including Worf’s friends, which incriminated Worf and proved his theory. He was only bested when Sisko learned the entire incident was a ruse by the Klingon Empire.
Ch’Pok was a unique Klingon in that he was not a warrior in the sense that he did not participate in combat and did not possess martial skills. However he was still respected because he was a warrior with words, using legal arguments to win his battles. He revealed as much to Sisko when he framed Worf’s extradition proceedings as a battle between the two of them. When Sisko stated that Worf’s extradition proceedings was not a battle but instead a search for the truth, Ch’Pok countered with “the truth must be won”, before stating he would see Sisko “on the battlefield”.
Ch’Pok viewed the Federation judicial system with some contempt, stating that it prioritized “procedure over substance, form over fact”. Nonetheless he was able to skillfully manipulate the Federation’s legal system, ably avoiding Federation laws protecting Worf’s privacy by coercing Worf into voluntarily giving up his right to privacy. He was also able to reframe the hearing to exploring what Worf’s motivations were heading into the mission rather than exploring whether he intentionally destroyed a civilian ship, which would have been far easier for Sisko to disprove. 
==Memorable quotes==
"Worf is about to present us with something we never could have won in battle. Sympathy. Any move we make against you will be seen as a legitimate response to an outrageous slaughter."
:- Ch'Pok, to Benjamin Sisko
"We Klingons are not concerned with matters of fact and circumstance. What matters to us is what was in Worf's heart when he gave the order to fire. Was he just a Starfleet officer doing his duty or was he a Klingon warrior reveling in the battle? That is why I am here. Because if he was a Klingon lost in the bloodlust of combat, only we can judge him, not you."
:- Ch'Pok
"The names and faces of these people are seared into my heart. This is a list of heroes who died at the hands of a coward. It is a list I can never forget."
:- Ch'Pok
== Appendices ==
=== Background information ===
Ch'Pok was played by actor Ron Canada.
The script for "Rules of Engagement" gives the pronunciation of Ch'Pok's name as "chi-POK (rhymes with Reebok)" In a deleted scene, Ch'Pok also requests that Worf remove his baldric as it is offensive to him, echoing Duras’ words when Worf challenges the High Council’s ruling against Mogh in . 
Ronald D. Moore commented: "I think Ron Canada was excellent. I thought he was one of the best Klingon's we've ever cast. I think he really got inside that character and he, along with LeVar Burton, liked the character. In the script I had written he was described as a warrior of the nine and [Canada and Burton] jumped on that and see able to give us a Klingon who was different. He was a warrior, but warrior on a different battlefield than we were used to seeing. An interesting color to play in terms of the Klingons". (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages p. 116)
During filming of the episode, Canada became sick but continued to act the part of Ch'Pok while feeling unwell. "His role was very dialogue intensive," recalled Director LeVar Burton, "It was a superhuman effort on his part to get through it. He did a terrific job." ()
Star Trek author Keith R.A. DeCandido liked the character of Ch'Pok, which he said was "well played" by actor Ron Canada, but criticized his logic. "It’s fun in the abstract to see a Klingon lawyer," wrote DeCandido, "but Ch’Pok comes across as spectacularly incompetent. He is making a case before a Vulcan admiral, and so chooses an emotional argument. He seems to be trying to get a rise out of Worf, but Worf isn’t the one making the decision, T'Lara is, and not a single point Ch’Pok makes speaks to logic or rule of law." 
=== Apocrypha ===
Ch'Pok appears as a selectable commanding officer in the non-canon Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars.
He also has a card in The Dominion set of the Star Trek Customizable Card Game.
=== External links ===
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