Under the Cloak of War (episode)

Captain Pike and his crew welcome a Klingon defector aboard the USS Enterprise, but his presence triggers the revelation of some shocking secrets.
== Summary ==
=== Teaser ===
The arrives in the Prospero system, which has been under Federation jurisdiction since the end of the Klingon War, to rendezvous with the , which is carrying a special visitor – a Federation ambassador. The Prospero system's three planets have been fighting one another for years, but the ambassador has managed to arrange a cease fire, and now the Enterprise is transporting the ambassador to Starbase 12. The ambassador is Dak'Rah, a former Klingon general who defected to the Federation during the war.
"Rah", as he prefers to be called (as formal Klingon names are a "mouthful"), is greeted in the transporter room by Captain Pike, Una, and La'an. Rah comments on the unusual sound of the boatswain's whistle greeting his arrival. Pike explains it as a tradition dating back to Earth's seafaring days, and it had become a custom on the Enterprise for greeting distinguished guests. Rah thinks it similar to "rolling the red carpet out", and Pike confirms, saying he wished to extend every courtesy the ship had to offer. He indicates that La'an is ready to escort him to his quarters, but Rah asks for a tour of the ship, having heard many things about the Federation flagship. Una and La'an exchange uneasy glances at that.
On the bridge, Ortegas – presently holding the conn – is uneasy as well. Uhura lists Rah's diplomatic achievements, including the Summit of Scorpi X, the Klingon Free-Trade Agreement, and the Perez Accords, and believes that a former enemy speaking on Starfleet's behalf has been an effective voice. Ortegas, however, believes it could be a "long con" so the Klingons could steal Federation secrets. She lists his military actions, such as the slaughter at Lembatta V, the siege of Starbase Zetta, and the colony on . Uhura realizes it was a sore subject, but Ortegas assures her she was right, and she didn't know what he was about – only the stories she had heard, about how he had killed his own men to cover his retreat, and that the Klingons called him the "Butcher of J'Gal".
As she is saying the last, Rah – accompanied by Pike, Una, and La'an – steps onto the bridge. Ortegas, realizing what is happening, comes awkwardly to attention. Rah's first comment was to admire the view through the viewscreen. A Bird-of-Prey was not meant to take in its surroundings, and though Klingons would never admit it, he thinks the Federation has better ships. Pike points out that Starfleet ships were primarily intended for exploration, but Rah thinks the Enterprise in particular is "fun to fly". Una indicates Ortegas, the senior helm officer. He compliments the ship, and expresses the belief that it was in good hands. Ortegas replies that she does her best. Rah continues on with the tour, not wishing to distract the bridge crew from their duties.
In the crew lounge, Spock and Mitchell are attempting to reproduce raktajino, a caffeinated beverage popular on Qo'noS, in anticipation of Rah's arrival. They are still struggling with the coding, as the sample they have made so far has come out cold, and Spock hopes to work out the trouble in time. Mitchell sees Rah enter and tells Spock he didn't have as much time as he hoped. Pike mentions Spock had a "surprise" in anticipation for his arrival. Spock has been attempting to reproduce raktajino. Una explains that Spock had been able to parley with a Klingon captain during a recent mission and procured the recipe; Spock adds that the experience made him curious about Klingon culture. Rah believes there was nothing to be curious about, dismissing his people as warmongers limited by ideology. Spock realizes he has breached a complicated subject, and apologizes. Rah apologizes in turn, saying his distaste for the past colors his words, and offers to try the raktajino. The cup comes out scalding hot, burning Rah's hand, but he takes it in good stride, saying Klingons had a high tolerance for pain. Pike asks for his indulgence, and escorts him to sickbay.
Both Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel look up to see Rah enter, and another nurse applies the dermal regenerator. M'Benga has a particularly stricken look on his face. Seeing it, Chapel offers to handle things, and the doctor enters his office, his heart racing as his memories of J'Gal resurface.
=== Act One ===
A few years earlier, during the war, Chapel is aboard shuttlecraft 12648 approaching the moon of J'Gal, with the battle raging around them. The shuttle is unable to land due to Klingon disruptor fire, so they have to beam Chapel down while in transit. She is beamed down to a field hospital, where she is greeted by the chief medical officer, Commander Buck Martinez. The hospital is both understaffed and under-equipped, and none of Martinez's requests for resupply have gone through. He also mentions asking "Joseph", who does a lot around there. Chapel requests to meet with the head nurse, but Martinez gives her an unpleasant surprise: she is the head nurse. She had the most experience on anyone on the staff, Martinez explains, and he couldn't wait for roster rotations, so he did what he had to – and it had cost him a case of Romulan ale. The hospital then takes fire, and Martinez tells her one got "used to it"; they scrambled the sensors, but the Klingons knew where they were, and it wouldn't take long for them to get a lock. He calls their camp "Tent City" and tells her to get settled, but she doesn't have long to do that, as the wounded begin beaming in.
Chapel goes right to work, directing patients to where they were needed. One particularly bad case, a man named Alvarado, leads her to call for a doctor, and M'Benga is the one who answers. Alvarado has severe internal bleeding and trauma to all major organs, but they had no internal organ regenerator. Chapel insists something had to be done to keep the wounded until the relief convoy arrived. M'Benga tells her that the worst cases are kept inside the transporter's pattern buffer, and shows her how. Alvarado is preserved inside the buffer, clearing the pad for more patients.
Back in the present, M'Benga is working on one of the biobeds, which has not been working the same since the Gorn attack on Finibus III. Pike enters, asking if he had any Deltan parsley in his stock. M'Benga procures the herb, warning that it was deadly in excessive amounts, but Pike counters that it was delicious in small amounts. M'Benga thinks he could have just called or sent a yeoman, but Pike wanted to check in with the doctor personally, knowing that he and Chapel had both been on J'Gal, where Rah had earned his reputation. A minor protest had broken out during the last transport, and Pike was under direct orders that veterans of the war had to interact with Rah. Pike intends to make the ambassador welcome, but he doesn't wish to do so at the personal expense of anyone on the crew. M'Benga assures him he's fine, as does Chapel when she enters behind him. Chapel notes the Federation's ultimate goal was to make peace with its enemies, but Pike points out that it was also an organization that waged war with the Klingons. He had his orders from "pretty up high", and as part of the effort, he was hosting a dinner for Rah that evening. M'Benga and Chapel both assure him they will be there.
Once Pike leaves, however, their bluff facade fades; M'Benga in particular looks haunted. Chapel thinks they can still back out, but M'Benga refuses, saying he has had worse than "polite conversation", and doesn't want to give Rah the satisfaction of chasing him from the captain's table. When Chapel tells him "we got this", his memory goes back to J'Gal, where he and Chapel were working to save the life of an ensign named Inman. While in surgery, he goes into cardiac arrest, and with no equipment, M'Benga urges Chapel to manually stimulate his heart. M'Benga tells her "we got this", and urges her to repeat it with him, like a chant. Inman's heartbeat returns, and M'Benga calls for a dermal team to take over, as he and Chapel go to their next patients.
=== Act Two ===
M'Benga heads down the corridor to Pike's quarters, and sees Ortegas pacing furiously outside. Ortegas is incensed that the "Butcher of J'Gal" is inside being treated "like he's the freaking Dalai Lama". She admits she has a "bad poker face" when she doesn't like someone, and intends to back out. M'Benga asks why she didn't just say no to Pike's invitation, and Ortegas asks him the same. M'Benga thinks there is a chance that Rah (whom he identifies first as "general", then as "ambassador") has genuinely reformed. Ortegas is certain Rah is pretending, and doesn't want to play along. "Sometimes you pretend something long enough, it becomes the truth," M'Benga muses, before suggesting that they pretend the war didn't bother them… at least for that night. Ortegas calls it putting on the "Starfleet face", and M'Benga thinks it a good face… plus, he adds, Pike made jambalaya with Deltan parsley.
Rah is regaling the captain's table about his recent negotiations in the Prospero system when M'Benga and Ortegas enter. Spock and Chapel are in the midst of a word game, but Chapel, seeing M'Benga's face, is distracted, and Spock can see that she was under duress. Uhura asks whether it was true that most diplomatic negotiations involved drinking bloodwine in excess. Rah tells her that peace was not a destination, but a journey, a state of mind. Spock offers to help if Chapel wants to talk, but Chapel bluntly tells him to change the subject. Chapel does, however, wish Rah would stop talking about the "amazing peace" he's managed, and Spock does have a solution to that. He approaches, and asks the ambassador if he is familiar with Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which Rah considers a "most inspired Human masterpiece". Spock admits he would like to hear his thoughts comparing it to the Klingon text mL'parmaq Qoj. Rah enthusiastically takes up the topic, mentioning that it was often required reading, and he had been introduced to it when he was seven years old.
M'Benga quietly moves away and pours himself a drink. Chapel asks him to make it two, and thinks it even better when M'Benga says his was a double. She asks why they were even there, and M'Benga replies they were there because their captain needed them. She then asks why it was so hard to explain the war to people who weren't there. M'Benga's memories go back to J'Gal, speaking with Ensign Inman after surgery. Inman looks haunted, saying that General Dak'Rah's men would not let him die. M'Benga urges him to focus on his recovery, and asks how his chest feels. Inman feels like someone had squeezed his heart with their fingers, and M'Benga smiles as he reveals someone did. He asks where the ensign was from, and he replies he was from New Angeles on Luna, which they always just called "the Moon". M'Benga goes to check on other patients, but asks to hear more about it when he returns. Outside, he is approached by Va'Al Trask, a battle-scarred Andorian black ops lieutenant. Trask knows that M'Benga has a history as a fighter, with the most confirmed kills in hand-to-hand combat, and asks for his help to eliminate General Dak'Rah, who had given orders to kill anyone who was not a Klingon soldier. Trask tells him that civilians – Klingon and Human alike – were being killed by his troops. M'Benga replies that he was just a doctor now, preferring to save lives instead of take them. Trask then asks about Protocol 12, the stimulant M'Benga designed, but M'Benga refuses, saying that it turned out filling one's body with adrenaline and pain inhibitors was bad for their health. Trask insists, saying his team needed an edge.
Returning to the present, Rah talks about the peace negotiations to end the Klingon War, and recalls that the chancellor had asked how a Klingon was speaking on behalf of the Federation. Pike thinks it a good question, and asks how he answered. Rah replied that he simply told the truth of who and what he was, and his belief that J'Gal had changed him. "J'Gal changed a lot of us," M'Benga says quietly, getting Rah's attention. The doctor confirms he had been there during the final conflict, and Chapel also brings up the colony on Athos. Rah believes they both understand his pain, calling the fighting on Athos in particular "without merit", pointless. Pike expresses his belief that war was never the ideal option. Ortegas, distrustful, asks if the stories about how he escaped were true. Rah replies simply that they had all been pushed to their limits, then raises his glass in a toast to the survivors of J'Gal. Ortegas, however, retorts with "tlhIngan maH taHjaj" – "remain Klingon", their battle cry during the war. She recalls hearing it constantly over the comms, and then "boom, all of your friends are dead." Una tells her to stand down, but she remains standing, staring defiantly. Rah is unperturbed, saying he has heard worse, but wishes only to make up for his past deeds, and connect to others who need healing, like her. Ortegas is not having it, and leaves without another word. Chapel says she needs to check on her, and uses that as a reason to leave as well. Pike apologizes, but Rah assures him he bears no grudge. Uhura notes that his philosophy sounded much like Aenar existentialism. Pike, seeing M'Benga's hands clenching on the arm of his chair, quietly suggests he help Chapel to calm down Ortegas. M'Benga, seeing what he is doing, agrees, and makes his way out. As M'Benga makes to leave, Rah catches him by the arm, much to his shock. He mentions that La'an had told him that she and the doctor practiced "full contact mok'bara", and wonders if they might arrange a session. M'Benga says he would check his schedule.
Back on J'Gal during the war, Inman leaves his bed and sits outside, watching the weapons fire. When M'Benga approaches, telling him he should be in bed, Inman asks what they were doing there. M'Benga asks why he joined Starfleet, and Inman replies he had hoped to explore, to learn – none of the things he was doing at present, in other words. M'Benga had joined to learn how to heal people, and calls the war a disease eating at the heart of the Federation. If they allowed the Klingons to conquer every colony in the sector, they wouldn't stop and return to Qo'noS. He tells Inman that they had to remember that they were fighting for those they loved back home, hoping they wouldn't be changed by it… but if they didn't fight, they didn't win, and the "disease" takes over. "We have to fight so the people we love have a chance to live in peace," he says. "That's Starfleet."
=== Act Three ===
Chapel is observing Trask speaking with his men, and M'Benga asks why they were being briefed. Trask and his men are Starfleet special forces, and just received their orders. Chapel observes that for "black ops", they spoke particularly loudly. Starfleet Command is sending Trask and his team to take out the Klingon generals commanding the forces on J'Gal, while a massive assault was staged at the Athos colony to provide cover. "And all they need is meat for the grinder," she sums up grimly. M'Benga is horrified to see Inman approaching, dressed in combat gear; his platoon was leading the charge. M'Benga protests at the idea of a suicidal attack, and believes he can have Inman put down for mandatory convalescence, but Inman urges him not to; he puts his previous questioning of it all to the medication and fatigue. M'Benga can only suggest he stay low and fight hard. Trask brings them all to attention and begins discussing the battle plan.
Back in the present on the Enterprise, Spock apologizes for his part in what occurred the previous evening. Chapel assures him it was not about him, and that their close relationship made him see her "going through something" as his responsibility. Spock replies he understands… then quietly admits he was having difficulty seeing her in such obvious distress, and wants to help, but can see he was only making it worse. Chapel is struggling with her feelings about her service in the war, and becomes agitated when Spock begins talking about his research of the loss of life there. To her, J'Gal was not a statistic; it was what it was. She makes clear she needs personal time, which he now realizes meant personal time away from him.
Chapel's memories go back to the war, to an attack led by General Dak'Rah's forces. Martinez tells her that his men hit the primary power supply, and there were still people in the field who couldn't get out. Chapel knows they only need one operating transporter, and suggests rerouting all the auxiliary power, overriding the redundant systems. Martinez knows it would purge the backlogs, but thinks it would work. As Chapel prepares to initiate the transport, however, she remembers Alvarado was still in the buffer, and if they deleted the backlogs, he would die. M'Benga, however, deletes the backlog and initiates the transport. When Chapel asks what he did, he replies simply that they saved lives. He activates the transporter, with multiple signals being brought in.
In the present, in the ship's gymnasium, M'Benga and Rah prepare to meet for their sparring match. Rah had thought M'Benga would decline the invitation, and M'Benga admits it had crossed his mind, before asking if he was prepared for full-contact. The ambassador replies he is more virile than he appeared, as they engage. M'Benga sees there is more to him than what was on the surface; Rah replies that most people saw him as a Klingon, a bringer of death, and did not believe he had reformed. M'Benga thinks Rah has put his past behind him, and in fact made it look easy. Rah, however, doesn't think one can put something like J'Gal behind them, but instead learn from it. They grapple again, ending with Rah hurling M'Benga to the mat. He proposes that two direct combatants from the war working together would send a powerful message. M'Benga wonders if that means Rah wanted to be friends, and Rah thinks more allies than friends. He knows the combat veterans on the ship look up to M'Benga, and believes others in Starfleet would as well. He proposes that M'Benga join him at his next peace conference, and together they could advance Klingon-Federation relations.
M'Benga thinks he asks a "big favor", but still wants to know about Rah, asking if it was true that he did kill his own men. Rah explains that the other leaders considered all tactical options to be viable. M'Benga points out the casualties on Athos were largely civilians, a fact Rah is well aware of. Rah admits that indeed, he did kill his own men, himself standing against three Klingon warriors, because he was appalled by the atrocities. One of them, Commander Kiff, had fought the hardest and nearly killed him, but he chose to fight on for the nameless victims of the war, to stand up for what was right, and that was why the Klingons called him "the Butcher of J'Gal". As they grapple and stand face-to-face, M'Benga says that J'Gal had changed them both, and that war changed people. After parting, Rah calls their session "invigorating", and looks forward to the next.
Returning to his quarters and setting the sonic shower to full, M'Benga grapples with his memories of the war, remembering how the casualties kept coming in – even children. He remembers how Trask referred to him as "the Ghost", needing people who could operate swiftly and silently to eliminate J'Gal's Klingon commanders – General Gra'val, Commander Kiff, Captain Ruh'lis… and General Dak'Rah. But Trask and most of his men were killed, as well as Ensign Inman, his throat slashed. Filled with determined anger, M'Benga grabs a d'k tahg from Trask's belt in the morgue and swiftly makes his way out, intending to fulfill the mission himself.
=== Act Four ===
In his ready room, Pike is reviewing M'Benga's personnel file when Una enters, giving Pike a course through the Chantico Nebula that would bring them to Starbase 12 the following day. She urges him to get Rah off the ship as soon as possible, as his presence was affecting the morale of the crew. Pike wonders how they can represent a Federation believing in peace if they said that some people weren't allowed to make up for their past. Una agrees in the abstract, but points out that some members of the crew were directly hurt by Rah's actions during the war and might not forgive so easily, and doesn't believe it fair to ask them to just let it go. "Federation or not, everyone is on their own journey," she says. Pike gives the order to change course.
On J'Gal, M'Benga finds his supply of the "Protocol 12" stimulant when Chapel approaches, saying people were looking for him. Seeing the combat gear and the d'k tahg, she realizes he is going out into the field, and M'Benga confirms, saying someone had to finish the mission. Chapel points out that J'Gal was burning, and the convoy was on its way. He hands her a tracker to allow her to follow him, but urges her not to beam him out until she has to. He had hoped to avoid coming home changed by the war, but now realizes it was impossible. Chapel tells him to go, save as many as he could, and when he found who was in charge, to make them pay. He hands her his supply chest and a vial of "Protocol 12", saying if the Klingons breached the wire, she should use it to get out.
In the Enterprise sickbay, M'Benga is examining the contents of that same chest when Rah enters, saying his time had been cut short, and they didn't have as much time as he hoped to get to know one another. M'Benga curtly replies he was okay with that, thinking he does not need to know more than he already does, and tells him to leave. When Rah begins to talk about J'Gal, M'Benga angrily tells him to stop, thinking that Rah was there for validation. As Rah insists that he not let hate cloud his judgment, M'Benga rounds on him and reminds him that he gave the order to consider anyone not a Klingon soldier as the enemy. Rah admits this, but says he has been trying to make up for his transgressions.
M'Benga then corrects him by saying that it was Ruh'lis, not Kiff, who had fought the hardest, holding M'Benga back while Rah made his escape. M'Benga had already killed Kiff, and then stabbed Ruh'lis through the throat with his captured d'k tahg. M'Benga accuses the former general of turning him into a monster, and that he, not Rah, was the real "Butcher of J'Gal". Rah is stunned that he had never said anything before then, leaving Rah to take the credit. M'Benga replies that unlike Rah, he was ashamed of that night, while Rah admits to being ashamed of his cowardice. M'Benga had searched for Rah on J'Gal, and now here he was, in M'Benga's sickbay, using the blood on M'Benga's hands to make himself a saint. Rah only wanted Starfleet to trust him, and points to the work he has done; if Starfleet knew the truth, his work would be undone. M'Benga tells him his work was built on lies. Rah says the Federation had been there for him at his lowest; he needed the Federation, and they needed him. M'Benga opens his old storage chest, showing the d'k tahg still there, and asks why Rah felt he had to come, why he couldn't have just left the doctor alone. Rah pleads with him to give him a chance to help heal him. The two briefly struggle, M'Benga shouting that Rah was a war criminal, just as Chapel enters… and Rah falls to the floor, dead, the d'k tahg stabbed into his chest.
Chapel brings the bloodied d'k tahg to Pike and La'an, revealing she had seen the whole thing. Rah had wanted to talk, but M'Benga wasn't having it, saying he didn't want to be involved with a war criminal, which led Rah to attack him, leading M'Benga to kill him. The DNA analysis of the blade shows the blood of the four warlords killed by the "Butcher of J'Gal": Gra'val, Kiff, Ruh'lis, and Dak'Rah. In addition, both M'Benga and Dak'Rah's fingerprints are on it. Pike is stunned that Rah would be capable of attacking M'Benga, and Chapel believes this just went to show that no one could truly know what goes on in anyone's heart.
In sickbay, M'Benga is still working on the biobed when Pike enters. He tells the doctor that La'an is submitting her report, and there is likely to be an inquiry. He asks how long they had known each other, and M'Benga admits "too long to count", which leads Pike to think that M'Benga could talk to him about who really started the fight. M'Benga assures him he didn't start it. Pike considers the whole situation complicated, but M'Benga is not so sure. He points out that Rah was living a lie, and that the Federation Diplomatic Corps had known who and what he was, and still let him represent them. He knew that Rah himself, not just his men, had been responsible for the killing of children, and asks Pike what he would do if M'Benga told him he had started the fight then. Pike points out that even in such cases, there was due process, and that was why they had tribunals; the Federation believed in second chances. M'Benga asks about justice, about the victims, and whether everyone deserves to pay for their actions. Pike turns it around by asking who decides who pays, and who gets redemption. M'Benga concedes they have known each other a long time, and see eye-to-eye on most things, but points out that Pike had not lived his life, and had the privilege of seeing the best in people. For M'Benga himself, however, he knew that some things could not be forgiven. He emphasizes he did not start the fight, but is still glad Rah is dead. Pike absorbs this before he leaves.
M'Benga finishes the repairs on the biobed, but knows it was only a matter of time before it breaks down again. As he walks away, the biobed malfunctions again…
== Memorable quotes ==
"Just because he's Klingon…"
"Trust me, I know Klingons. This guy with the peace treaties, that's not Klingon."
:- Uhura and Ortegas, discussing Ambassador Dak'Rah
"In anticipation of your visit, we are attempting to produce a popular caffeinated beverage from Qo'noS."
"On a recent mission, Spock was able to parley with a Klingon captain and procure a recipe."
"I must admit, it has ignited a curiosity in me. A desire to experience more of your culture."
"There's nothing to experience. They're a warmongering race limited by ideology."
"I have breached a complicated subject. Please accept my apology."
:- Spock, Chin-Riley, and Dak'Rah
"Whatever you need, we probably don't have it, but ask anyway. I'll run it up the flagpole and see if it quacks."
"Sounds good."
:- Martinez, upon Chapels arrival at J'Gal
"Where's the head nurse? I should report in."
"You haven't heard? Congratulations, Head Nurse Chapel."
:- Chapel and Martinez
""Remain Klingon", remember that?"
"It was our battle cry during the war."
""Remain Klingon" is much easier to shout in our language."
:- Ortegas and Dak'Rah
"We have to fight so the people we love can have a chance to live in peace. That's Starfleet."
:- M'Benga
"War, it doesn't leave you. It… it can, it can bury itself but it's–it's always there."
:- Chapel
"No. What did you do?"
"We saved lives."
:- Chapel, after M'Benga purges the pattern buffer of Alvarado to beam injured Starfleet officers out of the battlefield
== Log entries ==
* Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2259
* Chief medical officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
== Background information ==
=== Title ===
* The title was originally revealed in CTV Sci-Fi Channel programming guide on , where it was scheduled to air after on . 
=== Cast and characters ===
* Clint Howard previously appeared as Balok in , Grady in , Muk in , and an Orion in . Howard has the distinction of being the actor whose appearances span the longest time interval in the franchise – fifty-six years, having filmed "The Corbomite Maneuver" in early- and "Under the Cloak of War" in .
=== Continuity ===
* In addition to previous Strange New Worlds episodes, the episode recap includes clips from the episode , featuring Chris Obi as T'Kuvma.
* This episode builds on M'Benga and Chapel's Klingon War backstory, first introduced in .
** Several s are depicted in the episode, which featured Chapel's arrival and introduction to M'Benga on the moon of J'Gal, through their eventual evacuation.
** While the dates of the Klingon War spanned from 2256 and 2257, the exact date of the events visited in the episode were merely intertitled as having occurred "a few years ago".
** The vial M'Benga provided himself and Chapel to aide in their handily dispatching a number of enemy captors aboard NCC-1279 in "The Broken Circle" is revealed to be a substance M'Benga created called "Protocol 12".
== Links and references == 
=== Starring === 
* Anson Mount as Christopher Pike
* Ethan Peck as Spock
* Jess Bush as Christine Chapel
* Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh
* Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura
* Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas
* Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M'Benga
;And
* Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley
=== Guest starring ===
* Robert Wisdom as Dak'Rah
* Clint Howard as Buck Martinez
=== Co-starring ===
* Saida Ali as Jix
* Ryan Allen as Polk
* Carolyne Das as Lead Pilot
* Rong Fu as Jenna Mitchell
* Kyle Gatehouse as Lieutenant Va'Al Trask
* Jose Gutierrez-Solana as Ensign Alvarado
* Brendan Jeffers as Ensign Inman
* Alex Kapp as USS Enterprise Computer
* Vanessa Smythe as 
=== Uncredited co-stars ===
* Unknown actors as
** Gra'val
** Kiff
** Ruh'lis
** Human civilians
** Human Starfleet officers
=== Stunt doubles ===
* Mike Joseph as stunt double for Babs Olusanmokun
=== References ===
adrenaline; Aenar; ambassador; Andorian; (aka Colony Athos); ; blast shield; biobed; Bird-of-Prey; black ops; bloodwine; boatswain's whistle; "Butcher of J'Gal"; captain; captain's log; Chancellor of the Klingon High Council; Chantico Nebula; chief medical officer; coding; commander; ; Dalai Lama; defect; Deltan parsley; dermal regenerator; device; disruptor; d'k tahg; doctor; Earth; Echo 25; ensign; ; existentialism; Federation; Federation Diplomatic Corps; Finibus III; flagship; FOB; general; Geronimo (aka Shuttlecraft 12648); ; ; Gorn; guest; heart; Human; hybrid; Illyrian; internal organ regenerator; jambalaya; J'Gal; ; ; Klingon; Klingon Free-Trade Agreement; Klingon War; Klingonese; Kronos; Lembatta V; lieutenant; lieutenant commander; mL'parmaq Qoj; mok'bara (aka Klingon Judo); moon; morgue; morphine; New Angeles; nurse (head nurse); pain inhibitor; pattern buffer; peace; Perez Accords; Phoenix; platoon; Protocol 12; Prospero Alpha; Prospero system (aka ); "Rah"; raktajino; Ra'Ul; "Roger"; Romulan ale; S/COMS; ship; son; sonic shower; star chart; Starbase 12; Starbase Zetta; stardate; Starfleet; Starfleet Command; Starfleet special forces; ; Summit of Scorpi X; Sun Tzu; Tellarite; Tent City; Terra Luna (aka The Moon); transporter; viewscreen; Vulcan; yeoman
==== S/COMS references ====
2223; argon; atmospheric composition; Battle of J'Gal; bio-data backlog; cell rate; carbon dioxide; coordinates; database; diagnosis; DNA analysis; escape velocity; fingerprint analysis; Kenya; life sign; live scan; lung; M class; ; matter conversion; ; ; ; ; medical scan; medical station; memory core; methane; Mobile Combat Surgical Unit; Nakuru; nitrogen; ; oxygen; patient; personnel file; planetary data; pulse; respiration; revolution period; rotation period; service record; surface temperature; system operations; pattern buffer memory core; transport buffer; water
==== Star chart references ====
81 Cancri; Acamar; Ajilon; Akaali; Andoria; Aneto; Archanis; Archanis sector; Ardana; Argelius; Azati Prime; Barolia; Barradas; Beta Rigel; Celes; Coridan; Corvan; Deep Space Station K-7; Delta Outpost 10; Delta Outpost 6; Delta Outpost 7; Delta Outpost 8; Deneva; Denobula; Doctari Alpha; Donatu; Dorala; Drayken; Elas; Epsilon Outpost 12; Epsilon Outpost 3; Epsilon Outpost 4; Epsilon Outpost 5; Epsilon Outpost 6; Forcas; Galorndon Core; Gamma Hromi; Ganalda; Gariman sector; Hyralan; Japori; Jouret; Kantare; Kelfour; Korvat; Lorillia; Maluria; Miridian; Nausicaa; Nivalla; No'Mat; Pahvo; Pollux; Porathia; Priors World; Qo'noS; Qualor; Ramatis; Regulus; Romulan Neutral Zone; Septra; Sherman's Planet; Starbase 1; Starbase 18; Starbase 19; Starbase 22; Starbase 23; Starbase 24; Starbase 39-Sierra; Starbase 88; ; Tagus; Tellun; Tomed; Tribble Prime; Troyius; Turkana; Wolf 359; ; Yridia; Zibal
==== Meta references ====
; intertitle
=== External link ===
* 
Category:SNW episodes
de:Der Schlächter von J'Gal
es:Under the Cloak of War
pl:Under the Cloak of War