ST:TNG Season Three, Episode Seventeen "Sins of the Father"

ST:TNG Season Three, Episode Seventeen "Sins of the Father"
Production Order: 17
Air Order: 17
Stardate: 43685.2
Original Air Date: March 19, 1990

Okay, sorry. Roomie moved out and took her laptop, and then I caught several weeks' worth of that Christmas plague that everyone was getting. Also, the laptop that I'm borrowing won't allow me to access Paint...?

*******

Picard's Log 43685.2: "You remember that time that Riker was first officer on a Klingon cruiser? We're gonna do the opposite and have a Klingon first officer here."

Picard and Riker are walking to the transporter room, talking about what this experience will be like for everyone aboard. Picard says he heard Commander Kurn requested the E specifically.
Kurn beams aboard. He gets down to business, relieving Riker and refusing to be shown to his quarters. He wants to go to the bridge right away.

Once on the bridge, Kurn tells the crew that he is impressed by their service record, and hopes they will live up to their reputation.
Wes gets yelled at by Kurn for whispering to Data, though that was probably warranted. Don't talk when your CO is talking, Wes. They all sit down and Picard tells Kurn where they need to go.
Kurn gives Wes the coordinates and barks "Execute!"
"Engaged!" Wes calls back, plugging in his numbers.
Wil Wheaton kind of rocks forward here, like he's going to barf all over the comm panel. I guess he's supposed to be startled or something, but it's a weird acting choice.

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

Riker joins Wes in Ten Forward. Wes is pretty sure Kurn hates him. Geordi approaches to complain that Kurn did an Engineering inspection during a maintenance cycle and found the whole section lacking.
"Klingons have a different command style," says Riker. "He's probably leaning a lot on everyone."
"Yeah," says Wes bitterly. "Just not the guy who would mind."

On the bridge, Worf is scanning a debris field up ahead at Kurn's request. Kurn is hella patronizing, and Worf looks ready to hit him. In fact, Kurn looks eager for that fight. But Worf is a good officer, and so his nostrils flare, but he returns to his station.

Kurn gets into the lift with Riker. They're both going to a dinner in "the captain's mess."
"Can I give you a suggestion as to how to deal with the crew?" Riker offers.
"Fuck your suggestion!" Kurn replies.
"Hey, this isn't a Klingon ship," snaps Riker.
"No, it's not." They get out of the lift. "If it were, I would have killed you for trying to make a suggestion," Kurn finishes.

At the dinner, Kurn is unimpressed with the way that humans mostly cook their food. Crusher offers him caviar (a raw alternative), and Picard admits that the replicator doesn't do fish roe justice, so he's squirreled away a few cases for occasions like this.
Kurn sounds genuine when he says he's honored, but he wipes a literal handful of caviar on a turkey leg in a rather disgusted way.
Troi asks Kurn how how he's getting along on the ship and Kurn jovially replies that he almost killed Riker just now. He then implies that Worf should not be eating the bland human shit-food served on the E.
Klingons got no tact.

Later, Worf shows up at Kurn's quarters. Because Kurn can't resist telling Worf what a sissy he thinks Worf is, he insults the comfort level of the E. As in, it's too comfortable and only a complete wuss would be okay with that. Worf shrugs this off and asks if he has offended Kurn.
"Nope," replies Kurn. "I find you to be a capable Starfleet officer. Too bad you're not a real Klingon."
This, of course, has the effect Kurn wants. Worf gets pissed and throws a chair.
"Ha! You are a Klingon after all! Also, you're my older brother."
HOLD. THE MOTHERFUCKING. COMM BADGE.
Commercial break!

When we return, Kurn explains how this could be so: he was just a baby when Worf's family got transferred to Khitomer. Kurn was too little to go, so they left him with another family.
"That's crap," says Worf. "My adoptive human family was told I had no living relatives."
"They assumed I also died at Khitomer," Kurn explains. "And my adoptive father Lorgh had no soms, so they just kind if let me carry on thinking I was part of that family. The whole thing came out when I hit the Age of Ascension."
"So you used the exchange program to spy on me?" asks Worf.
"Yeah, I had to find out if you were the right kind of Klingon. Also, as the eldest brother, you have to bring the challenge."
"Could you quit with the truth bombs?" demands Worf. "What challenge?"
"The High Council is about the declare our father a traitor to the Empire."

Worf goes to Picard to ask for leave.
"Basically," says Worf, "Duras, the douchey son of my father's biggest rival, is claiming that my father helped the Romulans attack the Khitomer Outpost. Because a warrior is responsible for his family's actions and vice-versa, if I don't win the challenge, they'll execute me and disgrace my family's name for seven generations."
"That's fucked up," says Picard. "Also, that was 20 years ago. Why are they bringing this challenge now?'
"Dunno," shrugs Worf. "Can I have leave?"
"Hell no," says Picard. "I mean, you can, but I'm going with you, to provide moral support, because I think you'd do the same for me."
Okay, that's a bit "taking my CMO on the away team because we're buddies," but whatever, Picard.
They exit the ready room and Picard tells Kurn to change direction and head for Qo'nos.

Worf and Kurn meet up in Ten Forward. Kurn tries to mansplain the challenge procedure, but Worf brushes him off. He already knows it.
"You can bring the challenge, but you can't fight," says Kurn. "You have to choose a cha'DIch to fight for you. Please, please, please pick me!"
Now that they're going to challenge, Kurn is super excited. Worf agrees to make Kurn his armed wingman, but tells him that he can't reveal that he is also a son of Mogh.
"Why? Because if you lose we'll both be executed? I don't care!"
"Too bad," replies Worf. "On this ship, you're my commander, and I have to obey you. But in Council chambers, you're just the cha'DIch, and you obey me."
Kurn is properly chastised. "Yes, brother."

The E rolls up on Qo'nos, and that's some sexy matte painting right there. They added thunder and lightning in the background, too. Either fancy effects or maybe some model-work. It's fabulous either way.

This yumminess is bought to us by Syd Dutton.

Our boys beam down into Council chambers, and Worf has added one of those floor-length Klingon vests to his regular uniform and sash. He's got Kurn, Picard and Riker with him, and they all step forward.
"I am Worf, son of Mogh," he announces, "and I've come to challenge the lies being spoken about my father!"
Fuck yeah, Worf! Get it!

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

They start the challenge. Worf formally announces himself and agrees to pay with his life if he fails in his challenge.
"Why the fuck are you here, Kurn?" demands K'mpec, the Chancellor in charge.
"I'm cha'DIch," Kurn replies.
Some dude steps forward and hands him a scary-ass Klingon knife, which Kurn accepts.
"Why the hell are you here?" asks Duras of Worf. "You're not a Klingon! You're wearing little kid clothes, and you brought outsiders in!"
"Fuck off," replies Worf. "I am still Klingon."
"Yeah, seriously," says Picard. "I'm here of my own volition. Worf is a great officer, and has earned my admiration and trust."
"Fuck off, Duras," says K'mpec. "If a commanding officer wants to tell us that he admires Worf, we'll make a note of it. He's a good character witness. Anyway, start the challenge. Tell us what charges you're bringing against Mogh."
"New evidence has come to light," says Duras, "that Mogh sent access codes to the Romulans at Khitomer. Lots of people died on Khitomer. My father died on Khitomer." He steps up to Worf. "Your father was a traitor. By bringing the challenge, you are a traitor." He backhands Worf, and based on the fact that Worf just takes it, it's probably part of the ceremony. "You're a fool, and when you lose this challenge, you'll die a fool." He rips off Worf's sash. "You don't get to wear our people's symbols."
Worf is cool as a cucumber. "It is a good day to die, Duras. And the day is not yet over."
Ohhhh, damn.

K'mpec calls a recess. Picard and Riker return to the E, where Picard decides that he wants to bone up on info about Khitomer, Romulan tactics, and Klingon law. He gives Data the assignment of looking up shit on Khitomer and the Roms.
Downstairs, K'mpec asks to speak to Worf alone. When Kurn walks away, another Klingon brings him a note. He walks off.
K'mpec tells Worf that he should not have brought the challenge.
"I served with your father, and don't want to remember him like this. You would not have been harmed in your life with the Federation. Just go back to your ship and your life there, and no harm will come to you. But if you stay for the next part of the challenge, you could lose your life."
"The fuck?" asks Worf. "Why would I not challenge? I'm still a Klingon, and that's my father's honor! Is this the Council speaking, or what?"
K'mpec gets pissed off that Worf would question him.

Upstairs, Data and Riker are just starting their investigation into the Khitomer Massacre. They look up the logs for the USS Intrepid, the first Federation ship on the scene. Riker calls Crusher, and asks her to look up the logs for every ship that responded to the Khitomer's distress calls.
On the surface, Kurn goes to meet up with whoever sent him the note.
Surprise, surprise, it's Duras.
"I know that you're a son of Mogh," says Duras. "You were smart to hide that fact. You should just walk away, not say anything, and then you won't be killed."
"Screw you!" says Kurn.
"Fine," says Duras.
He leaves. And shocker, it's an ambush. Two other Klingon warriors jump out and attack Kurn.
WTF? That's not honorable. That's some straight Romulan shit.
Kurn gets stabbed and left for dead.

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

Upstairs, Kurn is being tended to by Crusher.
"He'll make a full recovery," she assures him. "That wound was kind of messed up, though."
"It was made with the ceremonial knife of an assassin," sighs Worf. "You should have let him die. Now that Duras knows we're brothers, we'll both be killed."
"Sounds like you've given up already," notes Crusher.

On the bridge, Data tells Riker and Geordi that the Klingons recently captured a Romulan ship whose logs had new info about Khitomer: there was a transmission from the outpost with Mogh's security codes to the Romulan ship just before the shields went down.
Riker suggests that they cross-check that against the Intrepid's logs.
"Okay," says Data. "But the Intrepid was pretty far away. It might not match up exactly."
They check, and see the gap in the Intrepid's logs. But Geordi notices that the timing doesn't sync up when the gap vanishes.
"Somebody screwed with these logs," he says.

In the ready room, Picard and Worf talk about the fact that something is not being talked about here.
"They didn't expect you to challenge," says Picard. "They're hiding something."
"Fabulous," growls Worf. "So it's not just Duras that's my enemy. It's the High Council, too." He pauses. "I have to choose a new cha'DIch. I pick you."
"You should probs pick someone younger and stronger," Picard suggests.
"No, you're who I want," asserts Worf.
Picard gives the ceremonial response, and agrees.

Worf and Picard beam back down to the Council chamber for the Mek'ba, the second half of the challenge.
"I haven't given up my challenge," announces Worf, "even though a fucking coward set a trap for my cha'DIch."
Duras is all insulted by this, but Picard steps forward between them.
"Get the hell out of here, human," snarls Duras.
"Bite me," says Picard. "I'm cha'DIch now."
"You have to fight to be cha'DIch," says Duras. "Starfleet doesn't teach people to fight."
"You wanna go?" demands Picard.
The other, set-dressing Klingon steps forward and gives Picard the crazy ceremonial knife, which he accepts.

Upstairs, Crusher tells Riker that she's found something: Worf wasn't the only survivor of Khitomer, a woman was found with him. Kahlest was taken to Starbase 24 with severe injuries, then returned home later.
"We should find her," says Riker.
Downstairs in the Council chambers, Duras begins his accusations.
Riker calls Picard. Picard makes a hand gesture at K'mpec, who nods his approval at Picard taking a call. Picard walks away while Riker tells him about Kahlest, and about how she lives nearby. Then Picard steps back into the chambers to request a recess.
K'mpec seems thoroughly over this shit already, and agrees.

Picard pulls Worf aside.
"You know someone named Kahlest?"
"Yeah, she was my nanny. But she died at Khitomer."
"Naw, she survived. And she may have seen some shit go down. She lives nearby. I'm gonna go see her."
Worf grabs Picard's arm. "That sounds dangerous."
"Bitch, I'm cha'DIch."
Picard leaves, and the camera zooms in on Duras and his two assassin guys, in the shadows nearby.

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

Picard goes to Kahlest's house, but she refuses to help him. She seems to have been following the challenge and knows what's going on, but she tells him that her life essentially ended on Khitomer, and shit has fallen apart.
"Was Mogh a traitor?" he asks.
"No," she says. "He suspected that someone else was a traitor, and followed that person to Khitomer."
"Do you know who the traitor was?"
"No. Go away."
Sensing he won't get anywhere, Picard takes off. But guess who is waiting for him outside? Fucking Duras' assassins.
They try to take him down, but Picard is as good as his word, and he's actually doing pretty well. He dispatches the first one. The second corners him and is about to cut a captain, but Kahlest puts a knife in his back.
"Thanks," says Picard.
"You're a good cha'DIch," she replies.
"Would they recognize you?" he asks, trying to convince her again.
"K'mpec would," she answers. "He tried to hit that back in the day, but he was too fat for me. Yeah, I'll go with you."

Back in the Council chambers, K'mpec and Duras are ready to hand down a judgment and condemn Worf, but then Picard bursts in like some avenging human angel with Kahlest in tow.
"I got another fucking eyewitness," Picard yells.
"Oh, hell," says K'mpec. "Recess!"
He drags Worf, Picard, Kahlest and Duras back into his own private chambers.
"What do you know?" he demands of Kahlest.
"Fuck that," says Picard. "She's supposed to make her report in open chambers. Will you allow her to speak there?"
"...no," says K'mpec quietly.
"This is bullshit," says Duras.
"STFU, you dishonorable asshole," K'mpec snaps.
"Hello, confession!" shouts Picard. "This is about your dishonor, isn't it?" he asks Duras.
K'mpec pauses, then tells Kahlest that she can go. He already knows what she has to say.
"It was good to see you," he tells her.
"You are still too fat," she replies.

I'm not normally down with body shaming, but that shit's funny.

K'mpec spills the beans: when the Romulan ship was captured, other Klingons knew that a Klingon had given the access codes of the outpost to the Romulans. Duras' father Ja'rod had given the Romulans the codes, but that family was too powerful. The truth would tear the empire apart, plunge them into civil war. So they falsely accused Mogh, because Worf was in Starfleet, and they didn't know that Kurn was Worf's brother. They figured Worf wouldn't care. K'mpec had tried to ask Worf to drop the challenge, but now it was too late.
"His challenge was successful," argues Picard.
"No, his challenge failed before he ever made it," K'mpec says.
"Bullshit!" says Picard. "What does that say about the Empire?"
"We won't destroy the Empire over one family's honor," K'mpec declares.
I'm sorry, but isn't that what you're doing now?
"You're such hypocrites," snarls Picard.
"STFU, cha'DIch," snaps Duras.
"Fuck off," Picard answers. "You will not execute my security officer, or his brother to keep your fucking secrets."
"You're interfering in internal affairs. That could destroy our peace treaty, between the Federation and the Empire," K'mpec says angrily.
"Those agreements weren't based on lies," yells Picard.
"No, I'll die for the Empire," says Worf quietly to the room at large.
"NO!"
"STFU, cha'DIch," snaps Worf.

"Let Kurn go," says Worf. "Nobody needs to know that he's a son of Mogh. Leave him alone, and I will accept discommendation."
K'mpec is excited about this. He can have his Klingon cake, and eat it, too. "You'd be willing to say this in open council? It's like admitting your father's guilt."
"Yes."
K'mpec nods. "You are a Klingon after all. Things discussed here today do not leave this room."
Duras turns to leave, but Worf stops him.
"You are the son of a traitor."
And he backhands Duras. K'mpec nods sagely, and it's obvious that he's 1000% done with Duras' shit, and wishes he could do the same.

Kurn and Picard are walking to the Council chambers.
Kurn is frustrated that Worf would accept discommendation.
"I was ready to die," he says.
"Worf wants you to live, with your honor intact," says Picard. "Someday, you will have to clear your father's name. But make sure you tell your children about his sacrifice. It's a big one."
Kurn nods.
In the Council chambers, Picard and Kurn flank Worf.
Worf says something quietly in Klingon, accepting his discommendation, and K'mpec replies in Klingon also. Then he crosses his arms across his chest, and spins so that his back is facing Worf. One by one, each of the Klingons encircling Worf does the same until the circle is complete.
Worf looks at Kurn. "You must do the same... brother."
Resolutely, Kurn raises his arms to cross his chest, then clenches his fists, and spins around.
Quietly, Worf and Picard exit the chambers.
Worf has accepted disgrace to save the Empire.
Chills.

*******

OMG, I love TNG Klingons, you guys. The aesthetics are sexy. And the politics are sexy AF.

I have this theory (and maybe you know it) that every iteration of Star Trek does one species really right, and then creates another, which it then ignores. The next show then fixes the previously ignored species. For TOS, the species that they developed into a really well-rounded culture was the Vulcans, thanks mostly to Leonard Nimoy, who did not half-ass things. The species they fell flat with was the Klingons, who had no culture or aesthetics beyond asshole-ishness, a hatred of Tribbles, and a look comprised mostly of fu-manchus and blackface. (Okay, no. TOS blackface was not the same as Jim Crow-era blackface. Looking at you, "Holiday Inn," WTF? But my argument when reviewing TOS remains the same - if you want to do a species of brown aliens, hire brown people to play them, FFS. There is no shortage of quality brown actors in the world. In fact, we got several in this episode!)
It was until TNG that the show runners actually bothered to develop Klingon culture into the rich tapestry that we know today. And while Klingon ships were featured in previous episodes, it wasn't until this episode that the writers and designers were actually forced to ask, "Who are these people?" And that's really where this episode comes together, a blending of story elements and aesthetics. It's a good story that brings in the political nature of Klingons, tangled up with secrets and honor, and then filmed in specific ways with limited color palettes and sharp angles. (Notice, though, that the greys and blacks were retained from the TOS.)

Thank god they got rid of that eyeshadow, though. All the females
in this episode looked normal.

Red was effectively added, probably to convey passion. Symbolism is everywhere. Ritual is important. Even when Duras and Worf backhand each other, the audience feels as though it is part of something bigger, something that has spanned millennia.
The showrunners might have shrugged it off, but instead added in little details: it is of utmost importance that each Klingon acts a certain way. Personality can be accounted for, of course; they are not the Borg. But through ritual and rehearsed response, one gets the feeling that each member of the species knows exactly how to act in each situation - these things have been handed down to them from previous generations. These things are backed up by tiny asides in the script: both Kurn and Picard responded the exact same way when offered the position of cha'DIch; the backhanding ritual and response; the final ritual of the Council literally turning their backs on Worf. Even in season two, when Worf presents Pulaski with the Klingon tea ceremony, where she knows much of the ritual herself. An outsider may go through the motions and say the right words, as both Pulaski and Picard did, but the feeling emerges that it is the Klingon so intimately connected to the movements and responses, who feels the deeper meaning within each ritual.
So now the brass tacks of the story...
The piece with Kurn might have gone sideways, but it didn't. I'm always wary when they introduce new family members for established main characters, as I wonder what kind of sentimental crap they're going to dredge up, or use to make fun of that main character. Sometimes it feels like poorly-plotted fan fiction. While it does feel a bit like they pulled in Kurn specifically as a convenient way to introduce the challenge, Tony Todd rose to the challenges of being "the long-lost brother" and it doesn't seem quite so disjointed to welcome him into the TNG extended family. (Kurn will show up in two more TNG episodes, be mentioned in a third, and appear in one more episode of DS9.) Kurn has his own interesting backstory which helps weave him into the episode, though he does kind of get lost in the story once he is stabbed by Duras' assassins.
The really important parts of this episode are three-fold: firstly, it continues to enrich the few things we have seen thus far of Klingon culture: the reenactment of Worf's Age of Ascension rites ("The Icarus Factor"), that tea ceremony ("Up the Long Ladder"), the death ritual ("Heart of Glory"). Here, we see Qo'nos, the Council chambers, and the ritual of discommendation. We learn that a Klingon may bring a challenge to the Council, but will require someone to fight for him should the need arise. We learn that there is some intrigue in the upper echelons of the governing body, and that at least the current Council members favor peace and lies over civil war.
Secondly, we are reminded that Worf is an outsider no matter where he tries to represent himself. Though he is respected and liked among his crewmates, Worf is viewed as a mysterious Other. His personality is often chalked up to his race. They assume that he is an expert at all things Klingons because he is one, despite the fact that he barely remembers his time among his own people and was raised by humans. He has most likely had to learn about his own culture through second-hand sources. His own people misunderstand him as well. They view him as a human in Klingons' clothing, and assume that he will not care if his family is disgraced because he "has his own life in the Federation." Other Klingons give him shit for eating cooked food and holding his temper. In his guise of "just another Klingon commander," Kurn makes fun of Worf, and goads him into staring a fight, just to see if he "has a Klingon heart." He spends quite a bit of this episode surprising others, both in his knowledge of the Klingon world, and his willingness to participate in it.
Thirdly, this episode not only subtly changes the character of Worf, but it opens the door for more continuing story arcs. Michael Dorn noted that this particular episode changed the way he played Worf, that he gave him more to play with and think about going forward, but didn't think the writers considered that when they came up with the script. Basically, he Nimoyed Worf. What's more continuing arcs had not really been done in TOS, and only kind of touched upon with TNG, but this episode opened a whole can of worms concerning Khitomer, the House of Mogh, and the ongoing storylines with Duras. It provided the opportunity to explore Klingon culture, and what discommendation actually means.

Bottom line: Yes, more of this please.

Fun Facts:

- This story was actually two different scripts, one where Mogh's honor was challenged, and Worf goes to Qo'nos to fix it; and one where Kurn reveals himself as Worf's brother. Ronald D Moore was in charge of combining them into one story.
- Originally, there was no ritual response for accepting a cha'DIch position. Patrick Stewart mentioned to Moore that he would like for Picard to know what to say to accept the position, so responses were written for both Kurn and Picard to say. The response is: "I accept with honor. May your enemies tremble before you."
- The Klingon spoken at the end during the discommendation translates as:
   Worf: "I fear your judgement."
   K'mpec: "Coward!"
- Richard James, the art director, and Jim Mees, the set decorator, both won Emmies for this episode.

- The captain of the USS Intrepid was listed as Drew Deighan. Deighan wrote the original spec script  which this episode is based on.
- The Great Hall set was built off of the Tanuga set from "A Matter of Perspective."
- This is the first time we see Qo'nos.
- The guy who played K'mpec (Charles Cooper) also played General Korrd in Star Trek V. K'mpec is wearing the same coat as Korrd wore.
- This is the first time we see the captain's mess. It is a redress of the Obs Lounge.
- Kahlest tells Picard that Mogh was loyal to the Emperor, but the Klingons haven't had an emperor for centuries. Possibly she was talking about Kahless and his teachings.
- In the Council chambers, Worf calls Duras a Ha'DIbaH (animal). However, he mixes up two letters and accidentally says "ha'bidah." He is not the only actor to make that mistake.
- Memory Alpha doesn't say whether or not Kahlest is the female version of the name Kahless, but I'm making it a headcanon that it is.



Red deaths: 0
To date: 1
Gold deaths: 0

To date: 1

Blue deaths: 0
To date: 1
Unnamed color crew deaths: 0
To date: 127

Obnoxious Wes moments: 0
To date: 0

Legitimate Wes moments when he should have told someone to go fuck themselves: 0
To date: 0

Sassy Geordi moments: 0
To date: 9

Sassy Wes Moments: 0
To date: 0

Sassy Worf Moments: 1
To date: 6

Sassy Riker Moments: 0
To date: 10

Sassy Picard Moments: 0
To date: 8

Sassy NPC Moments: 0
To date: 0
Sassy Data Moments: 0
To date: 5
Sassy O'Brien Moments: 0
To date: 0
Sassy Crusher Moments: 0
To date: 2
Sassy Troi Moments: 0
To date: 4
Sassy Guest Star Moments: 1
To date: 2

Number of times that it is mentioned that Data is an android: 0
To date: 21

Number of times that Troi reacts to someone else's feelings: 0
To date: 21

Number of times that Geordi "looks at something" with his VISOR: 0
To date: 4
Number of times when Data gives too much info and has to be told to shut up: 0
To date: 2
Picard Maneuvers: 1
To date: 22
Tea, Earl Grey: 0
To date: 3

Uhura