Editing Gowron (section)

{{Short description|Klingon character in two Star Trek series}}
{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with the surname, [[Gawron]]; the Polish Navy class, [[Gawron-class corvette]]; the village in Ireland, [[Gowran]]; or the ''Full Metal Panic'' character, [[Gauron]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| name        = Gowron
| series      = [[Star Trek]]
| image       = Gowron.jpg
| caption     = Chancellor Gowron
| first       = "[[Reunion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Reunion]]" (1990; ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|TNG]]'')
| portrayer   = [[Robert O'Reilly]]
| species     = [[Klingon]]
| affiliation = [[Klingon|Klingon Empire]]
| lbl24       = Position
| data24      = [[Chancellor]]
}}
'''Gowron, son of M'Rel''', is a fictional character who appeared in the American [[science fiction on television|science fiction television]] series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. Portrayed by [[Robert O'Reilly]], he is the leader of the [[Klingon|Klingon Empire]], known as the Chancellor. O'Reilly had appeared earlier in ''The Next Generation'' as Scarface in the [[Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2|second season]] episode "[[Manhunt (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Manhunt]]", and was cast as Gowron due to his comedic ability and his piercing and extremely unsettling gaze, or what O'Reilly himself humorously referred to as "that crazy loon eyeball thing".<ref name=catchingup/>

Appearing first in "[[Reunion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Reunion]]", where he is named Chancellor, Gowron defends his position against the challenge of the [[Duras (Star Trek)|Duras family]] in the two-part episode "[[Redemption (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Redemption]]". Following the advice of Lt. [[Worf]] ([[Michael Dorn]]) in "[[Rightful Heir]]", he incorporates the clone of [[Kahless]] into the Klingon government without disrupting his own leadership. In ''Deep Space Nine'', he initiates a conflict with the [[Federation (Star Trek)|Federation]] over fears that the [[Cardassian]]s have been infiltrated by the [[Founders (Star Trek)|Founders]]. After Cardassia sides with the [[Dominion (Star Trek)|Dominion]], he allies with Starfleet throughout the rest of the war. However, he later grows jealous of the success of General [[Martok]] ([[J. G. Hertzler]]) and undermines the war effort, resulting in Worf killing him in a duel.

O'Reilly also appeared as the character in video games, such as ''[[Star Trek: Klingon]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation: Klingon Honor Guard]]''. Critics responded positively to the appearances of the character, equating his actions to those of a politician. He ranked 20th in a list of the best characters in the franchise by [[IGN]], while [[Keith DeCandido]] called him one of the "more memorable characters".<ref name=fourthtor/>