J.G. Hertzler uses his “pirate cred mixed with an aging rocker” to voice Klingon Martok in Star Trek Online’s “House Divided”, out now on PS4 and Xbox One

J.G. Hertzler voices Martok in Star Trek Online “House Divided”

Early in July, we told you about the newest chapter of gaming in Star Trek Online, “House Divided”. The two-episode Klingon-centric storyline allows players to work alongside the legendary General Martok from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, voiced by the one and only J.G. Hertzler. Yesterday, Cryptic Studios made “House Divided” available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles. While promoting the game in an interview with SYFY WIRE, Hertzler reflected on his influence in developing the Martok character and some of the similarities between acting for film and lending one’s voice to a video game.

Originally hired to appear as a “one and done” character in the Deep Space Nine episode “The Way of the Warrior”, Hertzler was delighted when he was brought back to reprise the role in further episodes. He was, however, surprised by one drastic change. Martok returned to television screens with only one eye. Hertzler recalled a conversation with DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr in which Hertzler accidentally turned the missing eye into a permanent feature. When Behr told Hertzler that Martok would eventually receive an artificial eye, the actor said to Behr, “No Klingon would get an artificial eye.” Hertzler added, “What it did was give me automatic pirate cred mixed with an aging rocker.”

While working on Star Trek, Hertzler said he never saw a complete script and would rarely get much more of the story than his own lines. The format for his voice work in the world of gaming wasn’t much different. “I give three or four line readings for each line that I am given,” Hertzler said, “so they can choose what fits best in the way they are perceiving the scene. And it's small differences in each line reading [that] make all the difference."

After his work on Deep Space Nine and lending his voice to three Star Trek video games over the years, getting into character is never a problem for Hertzler. "The thing about him,” Hertzler said, “is that as a stage actor, you usually get some weeks to rehearse, if you get lucky, and then you go on. And with Martok, I was able to work on him for four years. Now I am still doing it 25 years later!” When it comes to voicing his iconic character in the world of video games, Hertzler said, “It’s all still there, because I’ve been doing him for so long. As long as I don’t look at myself and see I don’t have ridges on my forehead and masses of black hair and funny teeth, I believe I am the General!”

Check out the newest addition to Star Trek Online, “House Divided”: free to play, and now available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One.