"Soldiers of the Empire" is the 119th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 21st episode of the fifth season. It was directed by LeVar Burton. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet-run space station Deep Space Nine. In later seasons of the series, the United Federation of Planets comes into conflict with a hostile empire known as the Dominion; when the Dominion absorbs the nearby planet of Cardassia, the Federation forms an alliance with the Klingon Empire for mutual defense. This episode focuses on Klingon characters including Worf, a Klingon officer in Starfleet, and General Martok, the Klingon Empire's liaison to Deep Space Nine, as Martok takes command of a ship only to find its crew demoralized by recent loss