Klingon Culture is one of the cooler explorations this series allows and I always look forward to another episode that dives into their ways. This one not only introduces some fun elements but also a new character. Originally Airing on June 29, 1989 this is The Emissary.
The Episode:
Stardate 42901.3: The Emissary
A Klingon Sleeper Ship from before the Federation Peace Treaty is discovered and the Enterprise is called upon to handle the situation. In order to help with the situation, a special emissary arrives who also happens to be one of Worf’s prior love interests.
The Breakdown:
The Enterprise rendezvous with a specialized probe containing K’Ehleyr who is there to assist in the mission to deal with the Klingon Sleeper ship. Pulaski scans her and notices that something is odd about her physiology. She reveals that she is half human and half Klingon, and clearly has more of a human personality. She is soon introduced to the senior staff for her beifing and Worf does not appear to be too happy with her presence.
K’Ehleyr reveals that a Klingon Sleeper ship from the Klingon-Federation war has been found and is nearing a point where it’s crew will be coming out of their sleep cycle. This is a problem because they will not know that peace has been reached and they will attack the nearby Federation outposts without hesitation. K’Ehleyr suggests that they destroy the ship before the crew awakes but Picard asks for other options.
Worf and K’Ehleyr begin their work and it is very clear that there is still some difficult tension between the two. Unable to work together, they both storm off and after a violent outburst in her room, she has a discussion with Troi about ways to let off some steam. Troi suggests the holodeck and she complies.
After an outburst of his own on the bridge, Worf is ordered to ‘relax’ by Picard and leaves the bridge to participate in his calisthenics program. There he discovers K’Ehleyr and is impressed with what he sees. After commenting on the program’s ease, he ups the difficulty and they fight side by side against the holographic foes. After they succeed, she attacks him and they find they are still very much enamored with one another.
After they are…mated, Worf tells her that now that they have done the deed they must be joined in union as per the Klingon tradition. She immediately rejects his proposal and he is infuriated. Worf doesn’t understand why seeing that she is Klingon only for her to remind him that she is only half. She leave the holodeck, leaving Worf alone.
Afterwards, acknowledging they must be professional, they decide that it is possible the Klingon ship has awaken and that they are aware of being in Federation space. Soon they encounter the ship and it immediately attacks before cloaking. Geordi is able to use their modern technology to discover where the Klingon ship is. Despite K’Ehleyr’s insistence that they allow the Klingon Crew to die in battle, Worf proposes another option.
Worf and K’Ehleyr, dressed in full Klingon Armor, contact the Klingon vessel under the guise that they are in command of the Enterprise. Worf tells the Captain of the opposing ship that if they do not stop their attack he will destroy their ship. The Klingons give into Worf’s bluff and yields command to Worf.
K’Ehleyr leaves the ship to take command of the Klingon vessel until help arrives. Before she leaves she and Worf discuss their feeling for one another, acknowledging that they will indeed see one another again.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
This is one of the highlights of season two for sure. It really dives deeper into Worf’s background and personality. The arrival of K’Ehleyr ushers in some memories that Worf doesn’t want to deal with. After coming to terms with his past he and K’Ehleyr set aside their differences for a moment only for his Klingon heritage to get in his way again.
His biggest issue with the entire situation is that he was raised by humans but longs to embrace his heritage however here is a woman who embodies both sides of his life that rejects her heritage. It is maddening for him and just as frustrating for her. She clearly loves Worf but can’t get past his blind obedience to honor and duty and it drives her nuts as well.
Her feelings for him scares her as does his feeling for her frighten him. They both know that they are made for one another but the time to be one is not now. It is bittersweet but man it made for some good storytelling.
Personal Log:
I will be honest, I found K’Ehleyr very sexy and still do to this day. She is both strong and passionate and that was enough to win me over. It also doesn’t hurt that she looked really hot with those ridges. It’s funny looking back now to this character as my wife embodies many of the same traits (minus the ridges of course). She is a stubborn, strong and a very passionate person. In many ways she has some Klingon tendencies and it can be interesting at times. Come to think of it, I wonder if the character of K’Ehleyr did not influence my young mind in determining the kind of woman I would be attracted to.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
Can’t read my
No he can’t read my poker face
The episode opens up with another Poker game in which Worf mops the floor with the Senior staff. He earns the nickname Iceman as he has a hard core pokerface.
You get a cool glimpse of available holodeck programs, including two Dixon Hill programs!
We do see K’Ehleyr again in a later episode and let’s just say we see the fruits of their union.
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: Peak Performance
If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Wednesday and also a complete review of Star Trek Discovery.
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Late To The Game 4/13/2018
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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