2. Commander Dak’Rah
Commander Dak’Rah arrives in Season 2 as a Klingon defector, immediately dragging the Enterprise crew back into the unresolved moral wreckage of the war that shaped Ortegas, Dr. M’Benga, and Christine Chapel. Unlike the broad “honorable warrior” archetype that often defines Klingons, Dak’Rah is a more uncomfortable figure: a former war criminal whose apparent repentance forces Starfleet to confront whether it actually believes in rehabilitation when the crimes are personal.
Actor Robert Wisdom's incredible performance and on-screen presence turns Dak'Rah's only SNW appearance into a must-see episode. "Under the Cloak of War" presents something far more volatile than a standard “diplomacy mission,” forcing officers to weigh their own trauma against the Federation’s principles and public image.
Dak’Rah’s chillingly composed attempts at penance, and the crew’s divided response to him, give Strange New Worlds one of its sharpest interrogations of what it means to “move on” from war, which is why he edges above Pelia and Batel despite having less overall screen time.