Day 85: DS9, Sons of Mogh

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S4EP14, “Sons of Mogh”

 Summary: Worf’s brother, Kurn (Tony Todd), has come to DS9 with a very specific request. Thanks to Worf refusing to side with the Klingons in “The Way of the Warrior”, Kurn was kicked off the Klingon council and lost all his titles and property. Now disgraced, the only way to regain his honor is to perform a ritual and be killed by Worf. Worf tries to go through with it, but is stopped at the last moment by Dax, and then royally chewed out by Sisko for doing what the Federation would consider an act of murder. While Worf and Kurn try to figure out what to do, Kira and O’Brien notice some unusual activity at the edge of Bajoran space, which is almost certainly related to the Klingons. Naturally, that may be just the opportunity Worf and Kurn are looking for.

Standalone Thoughts: This is one of those episodes that starts out weak, but gets stronger the longer it goes on. It starts out almost like a preachy episode that wants to discuss the ethics of assisted suicide, albeit one that tries to play fair with both sides of the issue. As the plot continues, though, it very clearly becomes a story about Worf having to wrestle with his Klingon nature and his Starfleet/human training, and that makes the episode a lot more focused. It helps that for once, the subplot eventually ties into the main plot, and adds some intrigue to proceedings while also allowing for more opportunities to explore Worf’s dilemma. Furthermore, Michael Dorn successfully sells Worf’s unhappiness with the situation—his big speech at the end of the episode is excellent. By the end, I was fully invested, and I appreciate the fact that the solution to the problem isn’t an easy way out; Worf had to make a difficult choice, and while the choice he made is probably for the best, it’s definitely bittersweet. It’s not enough to make the episode one of the best of the season, but like yesterday’s episode, it’s probably somewhere in the upper middle.

How it Relates to the Whole: Obviously, there’s a tie-in to TNG here in bringing back Worf’s brother, though in this case, it’s an understandable one and doesn’t seem like it was included for a ratings boost. As for connecting to DS9, while I don’t think any of the specific details here will come back into play (except for some hints at a future relationship), the episode is definitely developing Worf’s view and place in the world, which will (hopefully) impact his character going forward. Only time will tell on that one, but based on what I read in the DS9 Companion, I’d say this one is a safe bet.

Other: *Dax continues to unimpress me. When Worf suggests that Dax wore a low-cut outfit to weapons practice in order to distract him, Dax basically responds with “don’t flatter yourself”. Then Worf gets called away, and she gets a supremely smug look on her face. Later, we see her preparing for another workout, and she’s wearing the same karate-style outfit that Worf was wearing in the first scene, which kind of confirms Worf’s suspicion without outright drawing attention to it. I’m not sure if that’s what the writers were going for, but it definitely doesn’t make Dax look good.

*While Michael Dorn does a great job with the material he’s given, I can’t say the same thing for Tony Todd as Kurn. I think he was trying to go for speaking in a low, menacing voice, but instead, he just sounds like he’s whispering most of his lines, and it was more distracting than anything. But at least he was willing to change the volume for the more dramatic scenes, so it wasn’t a total disaster.

*It’s probably just a coincidence, but I can’t help but feel that this;

…looks suspiciously like a Star Wars Star Destroyer. Perhaps it was an in-joke by the model makers.

*While Bashir has definitely come a long way since Season One, there are still moments when he speaks before he thinks, like jokingly telling Worf that the disguise Bashir created for him makes Worf look “uglier”. Fortunately, Worf is aware that it’s a joke, otherwise Bashir might have been sent flying across the infirmary and needed some medical treatment himself. It’s a little awkward, but at least it’s a reminder that while people do change, there are elements that will always stay the same.

Best Line/Exchange: Despite the aforementioned good speech from Worf, the line that got the biggest response out of me was, naturally, comedic.

(Odo is considering taking Kurn on as a member of Bajoran station security)

Odo: Well, your brother’s had an interesting career with the Klingon defense forces, Mr. Worf. I have just one question; does he know how to use the stun setting on a disruptor?

Odo’s sarcasm is generally entertaining anyway, and given a lot of the heavy material we had this episode, this particular line was a bright spot, coming at the right time. No wonder it jumped out at me, really.