Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Martok

10. J.G Hertzler Nearly Didn't Get The Part

Casting is tricky business in any franchise, let alone one where actors have to portray characters with decades of lore and backstory behind them. When it came time to cast a famed Klingon general, the production crew of Deep Space Nine had a gargantuan task in front of them.

First appearing as Captain of the doomed USS Saratoga in DS9's pilot episode, J.G. Hertzler would go on to audition for several Star Trek parts before Martok's first appearance, being passed over enough times that he considered giving up on the franchise altogether.

Having been convinced to return by casting director Ron Surma, Hertzler originally opted for a less cliche take on the race, instead opting for a refined take that he called 'Patrick Stewart as a Klingon'. When the casting team weren't convinced and asked for a more traditional take on a Klingon, Hertzler complied by hurling a metal chair against a plaster wall, ripping his thumbnail and drawing blood in the process.

A few days later, the part was his.