Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 8 - "Under the Cloak of War"
Summary
- Lieutenant Ortegas, Dr. M'Benga, and Nurse Chapel struggle with the presence of Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah on the Enterprise due to his past atrocities during the Klingon War.
- Dak'Rah claimed to be responsible for the brutal deaths of innocent civilians on J'Gal, earning him the nickname "the Butcher of J'Gal," but it is revealed that Dr. M'Benga was actually the one who committed those murders.
- The tension between M'Benga and Dak'Rah reaches a breaking point, resulting in M'Benga killing Dak'Rah in self-defense. This episode explores the lasting impact of war and the question of whether some actions can be forgiven.
Robert Wisdom plays the role of Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Under the Cloak of War." This episode follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the USS Enterprise as they transport Ambassador Dak'Rah to Starbase 12. Though Dak'Rah now works with the United Federation of Planets, he had previously been known as a ruthless general during the Klingon War, earning the nickname "the Butcher of J'Gal." Dak'Rah's presence on the Enterprise proves to be deeply upsetting for those crew who had previously served in the war.
Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) are all veterans of the Klingon War and were intimately familiar with the atrocities Dak'Rah and the Klingons committed. Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel had been stationed at the Combat Hospital on the moon J'Gal when General Dak'Rah ordered the slaughter of innocent civilians there. Ortegas, M'Benga, and Chapel all had difficulty being in the same room with Dak'Rah, and none of them were entirely convinced that he had changed his ways.
Robert Wisdom's Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Explained
Dak'Rah, son of Ra'Ul, was a Klingon warrior who served as a general during the Klingons' war with the Federation. He became known as a ruthless leader and was eventually placed in command of the Klingon forces on the moon J'Gal. While on J'Gal, Dak'Rah ordered his troops to kill anyone who was not Klingon, which resulted in the brutal deaths of over a thousand civilians, including women and children. Dak'Rah later defected to the Federation, claiming that his subordinates had orchestrated the murder of civilians, and he had killed them out of disgust. This earned him the nickname "the Butcher of J'Gal" among other Klingons. Dak'Rah then became an ambassador for the Federation and helped negotiate on their behalf.
Robert Wisdom has appeared in many well-known television shows and films since he began acting in the early 1990s. He may be best known for playing Howard 'Bunny' Colvin on HBO's The Wire and Coleman Carlisle on CMT's Nashville. Wisdom has also had minor or recurring roles on Prison Break, Supernatural, Happy Town, Burn Notice, Chicago P.D., Rosewood, Flaked, and Ballers. He played Cyrus Montrose on TNT's The Alienist and appeared in eleven episodes of the HBO hit Barry as Jim Moss. Wisdom appeared in the feature films Face/Off and Mighty Joe Young in the late 1990s, and Ray, The Forgotten, The Hawk Is Dying, and The Loft in the 2000s and 2010s. All in all, Wisdom has had a prolific career and enjoyed particular success in the world of television.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Real Butcher Of J'Gal Explained
Although Dak'Rah was known as the Butcher of J'Gal, Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8 reveals the Klingon has been lying for years. While Dak'Rah claimed to be the one to kill his subordinates on J'Gal, Dr. Joseph M'Benga was actually the one who committed those particular murders. When Dak'Rah defected, he took credit for the killings in order to make himself look better in the eyes of the Federation, and to intimidate other Klingons who would have murdered him for deserting his own men as M'Benga killed them. Dr. M'Benga, of course, knows the truth, but Dak'Rah does not find out that M'Benga himself is the true "Butcher of J'Gal" until near the end of "Under the Cloak of War."
Dak'Rah's presence on the Enterprise triggers particularly horrifying flashbacks for M'Benga and the tension builds throughout Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8 until their inevitable confrontation. Dak'Rah keeps insisting that M'Benga should work with him, but M'Benga cannot forget Dak'Rah's actions on J'Gal. Though M'Benga tells Dak'Rah to leave him alone, Dak'Rah continues to argue with him. M'Benga eventually takes the knife he used to kill those warlords on J'Gal and kills Dak'Rah. Nurse Chapel and M'Benga both claim the action was self-defense, and Captain Pike lets the matter go, despite his misgivings. As Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' darkest episode yet, "Under the Cloak of War" serves as a fascinating commentary on the ways war changes people and the question of whether some acts are unforgivable.