Sons of Mogh (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Sons of Mogh" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
. It is rated 4/5 on the official Star Trek Website.
gets an unexpected visit from his younger brother Kurn. Kurn arrives on the station drunk and brandishing a knife. Kurn quickly lands in a holding cell, but he is released into Worf's care. When Kurn wakes in Worf's quarters he confronts Worf about the dishonor Worf has brought upon the House of Mogh after rejecting the Klingon Empire
's war with the Cardassian Empire
. Worf acknowledges what has happened but would debate it with Kurn. As a result of Worf's choices, his house has been disbanded, its land and ships all seized. Kurn was consequently ejected from the High Council and dishonored. Kurn has lost everything he cared about and has lost all honor and Worf has taken it away without suffering the consequences. Now he wants Worf to give him back his honor the only way he can, by having Worf ritually kill him. Worf begins the ceremony, but Jadzia Dax
realizes what Worf is planning when she runs into odd and finds out that the Klingon who came to see Worf was his brother as well as the incense that he purchased. She and Odo rush to interrupt the ceremony but Kurn has been stabbed, Dax quickly has herself and Kurn beamed to the Infirmary and Dr. Bashir manages to save him. Captain Sisko
is furious and forbids that Worf complete the ceremony and reminds both Dax and Worf that he has given them both a lot of leeway with regard to Klingon ritual and says frankly that he's reached the limit of what he will allow.
Worf visits Kurn where Kurn tells Worf that he is not truly Klingon
. Kurn points out that despite initiating the ceremony, Worf did not threaten and vigorously fight Dax and Odo to continue the ceremony, nor did he come ready to kill Kurn in the infirmary. Kurn, without an honorable life or death, places himself in Worf's hands. Dax visits Worf to apologize for stopping the ceremony and Worf says that she acted as she felt was right and that that was honorable. Worf asks Dax for advice about what to do next as Worf believes that Kurn will need something to do with his time. At Dax's suggestion, Worf asks Odo for a favor and gets Kurn a position with Odo's Bajoran
security force. However Kurn loses his position when he allows himself to be shot without any attempt to defend himself.
A subplot throughout the episode is mysterious explosions accompanied by cloaked Klingon birds of prey near Bajoran space. One of the Klingon warbirds suffer severe damage and is forced to dock at Deep Space Nine
. Eventually it is discovered that the explosions are due to malfunctioning mines, and that the Klingons are mining the space around Deep Space Nine in preparation for a future war. Worf proposes to Kurn that they go undercover to discover the mine locations and activation codes on the docked bird of prey. Kurn is appalled, but Worf appeals to Kurn's sense of family and the idea that this will discourage Gowron
's ambitions (which Kurn agrees will ruin the empire). The mission is at first successful, and with Kurn's up to date knowledge of the Klingon military they are able to access the files, but they are interrupted by a Klingon officer. Worf pretends that he has a superior rank and seems to be able to send the officer away, but once Worf turns his back Kurn shoots the officer. Worf is shocked and insists that the man would not have killed him, but Kurn shows that the man was bringing a knife. Kurn's intense depression is enhanced by the fact he killed a man attacking in defense of the Empire. Worf gives the information to Sisko, but he is disillusioned by the fact that he was not able to realize the Klingon officer was going to kill him - feeling that a real Klingon would have. He comes to the conclusion that he is not of the Klingon or human world, but he only has his Federation rank, and Kurn has nothing at all. Worf has no idea what to do, since he no longer feels able to exercise Klingon honor and kill his brother, but Dax offers him a solution.
Worf finds Kurn drunk in his quarters contemplating suicide, a solution he would welcome were it not so dishonorable. Kurn reveals to Worf that while he never understood his brother, he always considered him honorable in his own way and that his greatest regret was that they were separated. Worf agrees and injects his brother so he passes out. Meanwhile on the Defiant
, Major Kira
detonates the mines and flushes out the cloaked birds of prey. Worf talks to Dr. Bashir
, revealing that they are wiping Kurn's memory and giving him a new identity. Jullian warns Worf that Kurn won't remember him and will only have the most basic skills and knowledge to live amongst Klingons and that the process can't be reversed. Kurn - now "Rodek" - is then entrusted to a family friend who agrees to take him in as a son. Kurn has lost all memory and accepts the situation. In the last scene he looks to Worf and asks him, "Are you my family too?", to which Worf replies "I have no family."
and this series between his identity as a Klingon and a Starfleet officer. While in this episode he concludes he does not fit into the Klingon world, in later episodes he is accepted once again as a Klingon when he is adopted by General Martok
and his house.
The episode contains one distinct discrepancy. Dr. Bashir, renowned for his commitment to medical ethics, agrees to perform a life-altering surgery on Kurn without his consent (though Kurn was suicidal so this may have been the only way to save his life). While Worf would have been able to act as Kurn's medical guardian had he been incapacitated in some way, in the episode Kurn appears to simply pass out due to alcohol consumption and is subsequently transferred to the sickbay.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
. It is rated 4/5 on the official Star Trek Website.
Plot
WorfWorf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
gets an unexpected visit from his younger brother Kurn. Kurn arrives on the station drunk and brandishing a knife. Kurn quickly lands in a holding cell, but he is released into Worf's care. When Kurn wakes in Worf's quarters he confronts Worf about the dishonor Worf has brought upon the House of Mogh after rejecting the Klingon Empire
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
's war with the Cardassian Empire
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
. Worf acknowledges what has happened but would debate it with Kurn. As a result of Worf's choices, his house has been disbanded, its land and ships all seized. Kurn was consequently ejected from the High Council and dishonored. Kurn has lost everything he cared about and has lost all honor and Worf has taken it away without suffering the consequences. Now he wants Worf to give him back his honor the only way he can, by having Worf ritually kill him. Worf begins the ceremony, but Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
realizes what Worf is planning when she runs into odd and finds out that the Klingon who came to see Worf was his brother as well as the incense that he purchased. She and Odo rush to interrupt the ceremony but Kurn has been stabbed, Dax quickly has herself and Kurn beamed to the Infirmary and Dr. Bashir manages to save him. Captain Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
is furious and forbids that Worf complete the ceremony and reminds both Dax and Worf that he has given them both a lot of leeway with regard to Klingon ritual and says frankly that he's reached the limit of what he will allow.
Worf visits Kurn where Kurn tells Worf that he is not truly Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
. Kurn points out that despite initiating the ceremony, Worf did not threaten and vigorously fight Dax and Odo to continue the ceremony, nor did he come ready to kill Kurn in the infirmary. Kurn, without an honorable life or death, places himself in Worf's hands. Dax visits Worf to apologize for stopping the ceremony and Worf says that she acted as she felt was right and that that was honorable. Worf asks Dax for advice about what to do next as Worf believes that Kurn will need something to do with his time. At Dax's suggestion, Worf asks Odo for a favor and gets Kurn a position with Odo's Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
security force. However Kurn loses his position when he allows himself to be shot without any attempt to defend himself.
A subplot throughout the episode is mysterious explosions accompanied by cloaked Klingon birds of prey near Bajoran space. One of the Klingon warbirds suffer severe damage and is forced to dock at Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
. Eventually it is discovered that the explosions are due to malfunctioning mines, and that the Klingons are mining the space around Deep Space Nine in preparation for a future war. Worf proposes to Kurn that they go undercover to discover the mine locations and activation codes on the docked bird of prey. Kurn is appalled, but Worf appeals to Kurn's sense of family and the idea that this will discourage Gowron
Gowron
Gowron is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. Portrayed by Robert O'Reilly and featured in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...
's ambitions (which Kurn agrees will ruin the empire). The mission is at first successful, and with Kurn's up to date knowledge of the Klingon military they are able to access the files, but they are interrupted by a Klingon officer. Worf pretends that he has a superior rank and seems to be able to send the officer away, but once Worf turns his back Kurn shoots the officer. Worf is shocked and insists that the man would not have killed him, but Kurn shows that the man was bringing a knife. Kurn's intense depression is enhanced by the fact he killed a man attacking in defense of the Empire. Worf gives the information to Sisko, but he is disillusioned by the fact that he was not able to realize the Klingon officer was going to kill him - feeling that a real Klingon would have. He comes to the conclusion that he is not of the Klingon or human world, but he only has his Federation rank, and Kurn has nothing at all. Worf has no idea what to do, since he no longer feels able to exercise Klingon honor and kill his brother, but Dax offers him a solution.
Worf finds Kurn drunk in his quarters contemplating suicide, a solution he would welcome were it not so dishonorable. Kurn reveals to Worf that while he never understood his brother, he always considered him honorable in his own way and that his greatest regret was that they were separated. Worf agrees and injects his brother so he passes out. Meanwhile on the Defiant
USS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
, Major Kira
Kira Nerys
Kira Nerys , played by Nana Visitor, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Backstory:Per Bajoran custom, her family name, Kira, precedes her given name, Nerys. She has two brothers , and her parents' names are Kira Taban and Kira Meru...
detonates the mines and flushes out the cloaked birds of prey. Worf talks to Dr. Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
, revealing that they are wiping Kurn's memory and giving him a new identity. Jullian warns Worf that Kurn won't remember him and will only have the most basic skills and knowledge to live amongst Klingons and that the process can't be reversed. Kurn - now "Rodek" - is then entrusted to a family friend who agrees to take him in as a son. Kurn has lost all memory and accepts the situation. In the last scene he looks to Worf and asks him, "Are you my family too?", to which Worf replies "I have no family."
Arc significance
- Worf's brother Kurn confirms that Gowron went through with his threat to seize Worf's land and remove his family's seat on the High Council if he opposed the Klingons' invasion of Cardassia.
Background information
This represents a continuation of a struggle in Worf's character seen throughout Star Trek: the Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
and this series between his identity as a Klingon and a Starfleet officer. While in this episode he concludes he does not fit into the Klingon world, in later episodes he is accepted once again as a Klingon when he is adopted by General Martok
Martok
Martok is a recurring character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, played by actor J. G. Hertzler.-Overview:Little backstory is given regarding the early life of Martok, except for a brief history sketched by himself in the Deep Space Nine episode "Once More Unto the Breach"...
and his house.
The episode contains one distinct discrepancy. Dr. Bashir, renowned for his commitment to medical ethics, agrees to perform a life-altering surgery on Kurn without his consent (though Kurn was suicidal so this may have been the only way to save his life). While Worf would have been able to act as Kurn's medical guardian had he been incapacitated in some way, in the episode Kurn appears to simply pass out due to alcohol consumption and is subsequently transferred to the sickbay.