S6E23 - Rightful Heir

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dnaphil
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S6E23 - Rightful Heir

Post by dnaphil »

I picked this episode because it adds another piece to Worf's story, but it also has implications to the Klingon Government and people.

Worf's arc has been one of finding his place in his heritage. He has been the outsider wrestling with finding his culture while being a stranger in a strange land. This story is about a crisis in Worf's faith in his culture. He is looking for his purpose, and it's affecting his ability to perform his duties.

This spiritual journey leads to the appearance of Kahless, the mythic Klingon warrior. While Worf has trouble believing, he begins to understand what Kahless represents...hope.

That brings about Gowron, who feels his power over the empire threatened. One thing that we have seen is that Gowron is aggressive about keeping his hold as Chancellor.

Over time it is revealed what Kahless is, but Worf identifies that it won't matter, his arrival has created hope, and it shows how powerful hope can be. It is clear that the horses have left the barn, and thus a compromise is made giving Kahless a position as Emperor to be the spiritual leader.

In the end, this story is really about faith and leaps of faith. It talks about the power of a concept, and how it can be more powerful than even fact. Which in these times is both reassuring but also a bit scary, depending on what you choose to belive.
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Jared Rascher
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Re: S6E23 - Rightful Heir

Post by Jared Rascher »

Back in the day, I had a lot of other thoughts on the ramifications of this story, but one of the things that didn't strike me back then was, if Klingons believe that the first Klingons killed their gods, wouldn't it stand to reason that they would be able to master their own destiny and summon the most important figure of their religion? Klingon religion seems to be an interesting mix of both believing in the supernatural, and also proving the ability of Klingons to master reality in spite of it.

I don't doubt that the writers had some of the same thoughts that I did when I first saw the episode. My thoughts were about what this would say about my religion if this were to happen with a specific religious figure. While that was an interesting thought exercise, and ultimately there is a lot to say about what a religion says is true, contrasted between spiritual truths versus literal truths. But now it's also kind of interesting to think about how my own perspective isn't the only one, and there are other spiritual baselines that don't assume the same kind of things are "unthinkable."
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GMGERRYMANDER
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Re: S6E23 - Rightful Heir

Post by GMGERRYMANDER »

I liked this episode (it's one of the few I saw back when it originally aired.)

Worf's crisis of Faith (and a throwback to the young Klingons) is well done. And his rationale to keep Gowron in power while still allowing Kahless to be the leader he needs to be and avoiding Civil War.

The Klingons, once again, owe Worf a debt for their whole society.
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