Misdirected Mark Forums

I selected this episode as it has very large impact to the Star Trek universe that spans both TNG and DS9. It also introduces two minor characters who will appear throughout TNG and even make appearances in DS9.

Wow. I remember watching this episode when it aired and being blown away at how intense it was, and it had the same effect when I watched it, today.

The episode starts with a pleasant surprise, followed by an eye-opening surprise, and that is before the credits roll.
This episode remains intense, with mystery, romance, duty, and vengeance.

I like that it defies the common trope of sparing a downed enemy. It was common in the 80's for an attacker to be stopped by something before finishing off an enemy. When Riker appears on in the room, the writers could have stopped Worf, but luckily, they knew their character and let him follow through, in a very satisfying way.

The final scene with Worf and Alexander is quite touching.

The main arc of the episode is profound for it shapes the Star Trek universe. Gowron is one of my favorite minor characters. Also jokingly known as "The Eyes". Once again the Enterprise is drawn into Klingon politics. Gowron is a character we will see again and again.

This to me, may be one of my top 10 episodes, as we are re-watching the series. It packs a lot of emotion into 45 min.

I definitely got more out of this episode as part of Watch Club than I've gotten out of it in the past. Like...I appreciated it before for its contribution to the lore, but I never really gelled with the emotional impact, I don't think, until this last rewatch. It was a richer experience for me this time around. I'm still one level removed from "feeling" it, I think, just in the sense that Klingon drama is so...operatic...and Worf in particular can lean melodramatic, but even so, I appreciated the emotional content more from this viewing than I have in the past.

Phil mentioned that we'll be seeing more Gowron in the franchise, and like...having the memories of a more embellished character in my head, it's weird to me to see early Gowron and feel like the character is so bland. But I'm not bothered. We'll get more Gowron.

One thing this episode reminds me is that I miss the Klingon death howl! That was a facet of Klingon culture introduced in the season 1 episode "Heart of Glory" (not part of Watch Club) and is (sadly) very rarely revisited over the course of the series. In brief for the Watch Clubbers: we're told that when a Klingon dies, other Klingons ritually scream as a warning to the dead that a Klingon warrior is on the way. That is so fucking metal, and I love it.

Another piece of Klingon lore introduced earlier in the series is the "pain stick." It's...well...it's right there in the name, really. But again for Watch Clubbers, those are what are used in that sonchi ritual at the beginning to declare K'mpec dead. We've seen them previously used on a living Klingon (Worf, no less) as part of a coming of age ritual (season 2 episode "The Icarus Factor").

"Hello son, sorry the show fridged your mother."

Ugh.

That said, I agree with Rob, the one cool Klingon thing they introduced early-on, the death-howl, is the one thing they backed away from. Shame.

This episode is another example of the "we're episodic, but we really want to build on past episodes" formula that's getting more momentum. Not only is this building on Worf's discommendation and the Klingon infighting that was introduced earlier, it expands on Worf's personal life, and also builds on what we just saw earlier this season, Worf's human parents.

I would say that Alexander looking at Worf's family weapon on the wall was Chekhov's Bat'leth, but given this is a Trek show, that just makes things more confusing.