Top 20 Episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine #12: Sons of Mogh

Today’s episode comes to us from Season 4. I mentioned in some of our earlier entries that at the beginning of that season, Worf directly defied the Klingon Empire and opposed the invasion of Cardassia and as a result, Worf was stripped of any status he may have held within the Empire. He was cast out, a pariah among his people. But more than that, his house and land was seized and his family was made to share his dishonor. In today’s outing, we see the ramifications of Worf’s actions.

The episode begins with Worf’s younger brother, Kurn arriving on the station drunk and more than a little pissed off, even by Klingon standards. It seems Kurn’s been tasked with overseeing the end of the House of Mogue, while Worf has been to busy with his Starfleet duties to have even bothered to take an interest. This is obviously not the case as we all know that Worf's actions have in fact weighed heavily on his conscience, this is just how Kurn sees it. As if it weren’t obvious enough, Kurn isn’t on the station for a family reunion. You see, in Klingon culture, when a warrior has been dishonored as Kurn has, there are only two ways that they can redeem their honor and be accepted into Stovokor (Klingon Heaven). Either they die an honorable death in battle, or they have a close friend or family member end their life in a sacred Klingon ritual. Kurn has opted for the latter and has appointed Worf to do the deed, not only because they are brothers, but also because Worf was the one who brought the dishonor upon him in the first place. This ritual has been brought up before, back in Worf’s TNG days when he was crippled in an accident. Worf was all but ready to end his life until he saw how that decision was affecting his son, and instead opted for an experimental surgery that allowed him to walk again. Because of that, Worf is at first reluctant, but ultimately agrees.

Here’s the thing about Worf and Kurn. Worf is as proud a Klingon as you could ever hope to find, but his views of honor and Klingon customs are highly romanticized as he was raised by humans and spent much of his adult life away from the empire. And when he opposed Gowron and cast out from the Empire, he still had his duty to Starfleet to fall back on and give him the sense of purpose he desperately desired. Kurn on the other hand, was raised within the Empire and being a Klingon warrior was the only life he had ever known, and when he was cast out he had no Starfleet duties to fall back on. Just like Garak, who was endlessly devoted to Cardassia, so to is Kurn endlessly devoted to the Empire. For Kurn, the only possible redemption is an honorable death.

Unfortunately, while Starfleet is willing to put up with a lot for the sake of Klingon culture, they draw the line at ritual suicide so Sisko puts the kibosh on Worf and Kurn’s plan. Kurn is devastated, but Worf begins to seek alternate solutions. See, at the end of the day, Worf wants to see his brother live on. He tries his best, he even briefly gets Kurn a job as part of Odo’s security team. But it soon becomes apparent that death is the only way that Kurn will accept, and Worf is forced to choose between his duties as a Klingon and his duties as a Starfleet officer. I won’t spoil the ending, other than to say it is a tragic moment for Worf.

This episode is a excellent character piece for both Worf and Kurn. Michael Dorn is great as always, but the real shining star is the always awesome Tony Todd who plays Kurn. While this isn’t Kurn’s first appearance, this is the only time I can recall that we’ve really taken the time to explore his character in depth. What we see is someone who is perhaps even more devoted to the Klingon way of life than Worf is. He is constantly berated Worf for having been “softened by federation ideals,” particular when it comes to his reluctance to end Kurn’s life. That is the depth of Kurn’s dedication. To live life as anything other than a Klingon warrior is no life worth living as far as Kurn was concerned. At one point, he even considers the idea of ending his own life, which would mean he’d spend an eternity of torment in Klingon Hell, simply because at least then he’d be amongst other Klingons. And yet, through all of this, he still demonstrates great respect and reverence for his older brother, despite having every right to hate him. He even states that his single greatest regret in life is that he and Worf were not raised together. It is an episode in which the bond shared by two brothers put to an ultimate test, and no matter what happens, it is doomed to end in tragedy. We’re not quite done with Tony Todd though, as next time, he returns playing another relation to one of our regulars.