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Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E7 "Reunion"

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"Aww, look how much he's grown since he was born last year!"

Original air date: November 5, 1990

The Enterprise is scouting the Gamma Arigulon system for anomalies reported by another ship. As they are chasing the latest sensor readings, a Klingon warship decloaks without warning and hails the Enterprise. It's K'Ehleyr, the human-Klingon Federation–Klingon Ambassador from "The Emissary," who brings urgent news about the political state of the Klingon Empire.

Picard asks Worf to greet their guest in the transporter room, though Worf is hesitant to meet his former lover, feeling ashamed over his discommendation during the events of "Sins of the Father." However, Picard insists that he must continue to perform his duties. Worf meets K'Ehleyr and is shocked to find her with a young Klingon boy named Alexander in tow.

K'Ehleyr brings news of an impending political crisis in the Empire. Chancellor K'mpec, aboard her ship, is dying, and requests an audience with Picard. He tells Picard that he has been terminally poisoned, most likely by one of the two candidates looking to fill the power vacuum he is about to leave behind, which is why he has unilaterally named Picard as Arbiter of Succession. It will be Picard's responsibility to name the next Chancellor of the High Council, preferably after he has disqualified one of them for murdering K'mpec. A Klingon Promotion is one thing, but only the lowest of the low would resort to poison. Picard isn't pleased by this, but doesn't have much choice.

If Worf expected his discommendation to repulse his erstwhile lover, he was mistaken. In fact, K'Ehleyr has used their time apart to reverse her previous decision to remain apart and now wants to marry Worf. Now it's Worf's turn to refuse—not just for her sake, but for his son's, since acknowledging his parentage would make Alexander a pariah from Klingon society as well.

Shortly after K'mpec's death, the new challengers arrive. One is Gowron, a political outsider no one knows much about. The other is Duras, the same man whose political influence forced Worf's father to take the fall for the Khitomer Massacre in place of his own.

The ceremony goes smoothly until a bomb explosion brings things to a sudden halt. The only casualties were redshirts (or whatever the Klingon equivalent is), which neither Gowron nor Duras seem too concerned about. The Enterprise takes things a bit more seriously, and through forensic investigation discovers two interesting facts: first, the bomb used Romulan technology, and second, it had been implanted inside the arm of one of the dead guards—Duras's guard. To buy them more time to investigate, Picard invokes the ja'chuq, an ancient ritual that calls for some lengthy chest-thumping by the claimants before judgment is rendered.

Meanwhile, K'Ehleyr has been growing more suspicious about the circumstances surrounding Worf's supposed dishonor. Neither he nor Picard are forthcoming about what happened that day. She starts poking around in some classified files for answers, which draws the attention of Duras. He sneaks out to confront her, but K'Ehleyr refuses to be intimidated, so Duras murders her right then and there. Worf and Alexander find her nearly dead soon after. She has just enough breath to name her killer.

Worf rushes over to Duras's ship. Despite his low standing, his right to avenge the death of his mate takes precedence, and no one on the crew lifts a finger to stop him from challenging Duras to a Duel to the Death. Duras accepts his challenge, and a mighty bat'leth-on-sword fight ensues. The fight ends with Riker arriving just in time to see Duras Impaled with Extreme Prejudice.

Gowron ascends to the Chancellorship by default, and no one on the High Council questions the legality of Worf's actions. Picard is considerably less pleased by his conduct as an officer, entering a reprimand into his permanent record for going AWOL. He also encourages Worf to break his silence over Khitomer now that Duras is dead, but Worf refuses, knowing the Council will still fight him to hide their complicity in the lie.

Finally, in the wake of K'Ehleyr's death, Worf decides to send Alexander to live with his foster parents back on Earth, but not before letting the boy know that yes, he is in fact his father.


Tropes in this episode include:

  • Almost Dead Guy: Duras mortally wounds K'Ehleyr but doesn't finish her off—she still has a few minutes left when Worf and Alexander drop in. It's long enough to tell him that it wasn't Gowron, leaving only Duras.
  • Ambiguous Syntax: While trying to bribe K'Ehleyr, Gowron mentions that K'mpec was also stubborn and refused to heed him; while K'Ehleyr interprets the remark as an Implied Death Threat, Gowron is never proven to be K'mpec's murderer, so his comment could have been a genuine warning.
  • Ancestral Weapon: Worf tells Alexander that his bat'leth has belonged to the House of Mogh for ten generations
  • Asshole Victim: Duras qualifies, not only for framing Mogh as a traitor but for killing Worf's mate K'Ehleyr when she came close to uncovering the truth of what really happened at Khitomer. After Worf kills Duras in revenge, Picard is not happy that Worf took the law into his own hands and reprimands him, but otherwise sympathizes with Worf and encourages him to reveal the truth. Worf counters that the time is not right but when it is both he and Kurn will convince the council to tell the truth. In later episodes most other Klingons - even Duras's own family - make it clear they weren't sorry to see Duras meet his maker at Worf's hands. Duras also doesn't help his case by constantly needling and insulting Worf, who has to just stand there and take it, when both know that Worf's discommendation is a lie to protect the Empire from the treachery of Duras's own father.
  • Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The leader of the Klingon Empire is traditionally decided by a duel.
  • Back for the Dead: K'Ehleyr, Duras, and K'mpec. All previously established characters, all dead by the end credits; in K'mpec's case, dead after a single scene.
  • Big "WHAT?!": Two from Gowron, complete with what will become his signature super-eyeball stare. First, when Picard announces the ja'chuq, and a bigger one when Worf later reveals the Sonchi bombing used Romulan technology.
  • Bittersweet Ending: K'Ehleyr is dead, Worf has a formal reprimand on his record, and the House of Mogh is still dishonored. But Duras is dead, preventing him from becoming Chancellor and forming an alliance with the Romulans, Worf and his brother will soon force the High Council to admit its role in the Treachery Cover-Up, and Worf has admitted to Alexander that he is the boy's father.
  • Bond Villain Stupidity: Why didn't Duras make sure K'Ehleyr was dead to lessen the likelihood someone would happen upon her and find out he did it?
  • Call-Back:
    • The events of "Sins of the Father" are in play, as Worf faces not only the consequences of his discommendation but the man (Duras) who led to it.
    • K'Ehleyr returns from "The Emissary," along with the product of her and Worf's liaison during that episode—their young son, Alexander.
  • Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Played with after Worf kills Duras. The Klingons let him off the hook because he followed their law to the letter. (Later episodes mention some Klingons were happy he got rid of Duras.) Picard, however, reprimands Worf for defying Federation law and notes that in his file. And before that, there's the fact he got K'Ehleyr pregnant, despite the two only having sex once.
  • Chekhov's Gun: Worf shows Alexander his bat'leth in an effort to get the youngster to learn about his Klingon heritage. He later kills Duras with the bat'leth to avenge K'Ehleyr's murder.
  • Cornered Rattlesnake: Duras' previous appearance established him as a Dirty Coward who prefers to rely on assassins to do his dirty work while he hides behind K'mpec's protection, and here, he proves little better, being a prime suspect in K'mpec's murder by poison, murdering an unarmed K'Ehleyr, and initially dismissing Worf's challenge. However, when Worf reveals that he and K'Ehleyr were mates, Duras accepts that he has no choice but to fight and, despite trying to talk Worf out of killing him, holds his own in the resulting duel.
  • Cool Starship: The Vor'cha-class cruiser is introduced, and goes on to be a prime ass-kicking machine throughout TNG and DS9.
  • Cool Sword: The bat'leth makes its first appearance in this episode, and goes on to become the signature weapon of the Klingons throughout the franchise.
  • Corrupt Politician: This episode further establishes the endemic corruption of the Klingon government that continues to be a theme through DS9. Duras is his usual perfidious self. Gowron, while certainly the better pick for Chancellor, isn't above resorting to backroom deals to get ahead, and he only gets worse from here.
  • Captain Obvious: Duras, just to irritate Worf.
    Worf: What did your investigations reveal about the explosion?
    Duras: (sarcastically) It was a bomb.
    Worf: (gives him a "Seriously?" look before turning to Gowron) And was your analysis just as "insightful"?
  • Dead Man Walking: K'mpec. He knows damn well that he's been poisoned, and he wants Picard to find his murderer. Notable in that, while the Klingons find assassination a perfectly legal way to ascend to the chancellorship, they are supposed to do it openly by challenging the current chancellor and fighting him in a duel, not by using a cowardly method like poison. This is the only reason there is any controversy.
  • Dead-Hand Shot: The camera focuses on K'Ehleyr's hand joining Worf's and Alexander's. Then it goes limp.
  • Death Wail: Worf throws back his head and roars when K'Ehleyr dies, a Klingon custom established in "Heart of Glory."
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: K'Ehleyr getting unceremoniously killed in the middle of the episode is a rather disappointing use of a good recurring character.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: The iconic Klingon bat'leth makes its first appearance, but it doesn't seem to be the National Weapon of the Klingons yet. Duras, for instance, uses a one-handed sword against Worf instead of another bat'leth. In later episodes, the majority of Klingon duels are fought exclusively with bat'leths. Worf would also eventually come to prefer to use the one-handed mek'leth instead of the two-handed bat'leth, which would not be introduced until Worf transferred to Deep Space Nine, as well as the kur'leth come Star Trek: Picard.
  • Establishing Character Moment: Gowron makes his presence felt — first with his wide, wild eyes, then with his purring death threats.
  • Everyone Has Standards:
    • The Klingons may be the Trope Namers for Klingon Promotion, but via honorable combat, not a coward's weapon like poison. As K'mpec himself tells Picard, "The Klingon who kills without showing his face has no honor. He must not lead the Empire."
    • Gowron may be a Corrupt Politician, but he's visibly and audibly shocked to learn that the bomb on K'mpec's ship was of Romulan design.
    • Duras tries to invoke Worf's discommendation to avoid dueling him, but when Worf says that K'Ehleyr was his mate, everyone backs off and Duras knows he has no choice but to accept. The High Council is likewise perfectly fine with Worf killing Duras, despite the former being rejected by Klingon society and the latter being a member of the High Council itself, showing just how seriously Klingons take the Right of Vengeance.
  • Face Death with Dignity: The only thing really bothering K'mpec about his impending death is that it was done by cowardly means; once he secures Picard's help in ensuring that his killer won't rule the Empire, K'mpec takes a swig of the still-poisoned wine with aplomb.
  • Flynning: Worf and Duras's swordfight mostly consists of them taking huge, haymaker swings at each other's weapons.
  • Got Volunteered: K'mpec's reasoning for appointing Picard as Arbiter of Succession before even speaking to him is quite straightforward.
    K'mpec: If I'd asked, you would have said no.
  • The Guards Must Be Crazy: The Starfleet security officer calls to Duras's aide that he needs an escort when he storms out of his quarters, allowing Duras to sneak out to confront K'Ehleyr. Literally one extra guard would have foiled this brilliant plan. Duras subsequently murders K'Ehleyr and escapes to his ship without a problem. In fairness, they were diplomatic guests, not prisoners, though still guests suspected of an assassination.
  • Ham-to-Ham Combat: Duras vs Gowron and his bug-eyes. Maybe that's what the ja'chuq is actually about.
  • Harmful to Minors: Alexander witnessing his mother's death.
    Worf: You have never seen death? [Alexander shakes his head] Then look... and always remember.
  • Heartbroken Badass: Worf lets out a devastating howl when K'Ehleyr dies. It's the Klingon Death Wail, but there's as much anguish as ritual.
  • Holding the Floor: Inverted. Picard chooses the older, more traditional version of the Klingon Rite of Ascension in order for both Gowron and Duras to filibuster themselves, proving their leadership and buying more time for the Enterprise crew to determine which contender ordered the bombing.
  • Honor Before Reason: Worf would rather kill the man, Duras, who killed K'Ehleyr, than have his innocence proven. Ironically, in doing so he's putting one kind of honour (his duty to avenge his mate) ahead of another (the good name of his family). (Then again, at this point, Worf rightfully thinks Duras will simply break any promises he gives.)
  • Idiot Ball: Seriously, Duras, what the hell possessed you to use a Romulan explosive device for the bombing, thus exposing their involvement? Don't the Klingons have bombs of their own?
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Worf drives his bat'leth blade into Duras's chest.
  • I Need a Freaking Drink: K'mpec tells Picard the wine he's been drinking is poisoned, while chugging down a flagon of bloodwine. It's too late to save him, so he might as well enjoy the wine.
  • Insignia Ripoff Ritual: Worf takes off his baldric as he prepares to avenge K'Ehleyr. Then he pauses, takes off his Starfleet badge, and drops it carelessly onto a table—that he doesn't even pause when it falls to the ground shows just how intense his emotions are.
  • "It" Is Dehumanizing: (or de-Klingonizing) A variant. Duras refers to Worf as that, as in, "what is that doing here?"
  • It's Personal: When Worf mentions that K'Ehleyr was his mate, the other Klingons on Duras's ship immediately back off and let the fight happen.
  • Karma Houdini Warranty: Duras' last appearance had him successfully maintain the lie that Worf's father was a traitor, getting away with ordering an assassination on Picard to boot. Killing K'Ehleyr was the last straw for Worf and he makes sure that this time he doesn't get away.
  • Karmic Death:
    • K'mpec is (possibly) assassinated by the man he sacrificed the honor of the Klingon Empire to protect.
    • Worf brings a hefty helping of karma right onto the bridge of Duras's ship; not only are their families old rivals, but Duras is personally responsible for Worf's current status in the Klingon Empire, tried to have his brother killed, and murdered the woman he loves. His death at Worf's hands is richly deserved.
  • A Lighter Shade of Black: Pretty much the only reason that Gowron is seen as a better option than Duras is that Gowron isn't known to be a murderer and collaborator with the Romulans; otherwise, he's far from above making backroom deals, as he tries to do with K'Ehleyr, and throughout the episode, he's as much of a suspect in K'mpec's murder as Duras is.
  • Like Father, Like Son: As his use of a Romulan-made detonator shows, Duras, like his late father, is in bed with the Romulans. Evidently, the fact that Ja'rod's collusion with them ended in his demise didn't convince his son to avoid making the same decision.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: While it is established immediately that Worf is Alexander's father, Worf refuses to publicly acknowledge his relationship due to his discommendation, fearing that Alexander would share his disgrace. It's only in the end that Worf admits to Alexander that he is his father.note 
  • Mass "Oh, Crap!": Because of his discommendation, Worf is restrained when he approached Duras. But when Worf announces, "K'Ehleyr was my mate", they immediately release him and let the confrontation play out.
  • The Needs of the Many: Discussed by K'mpec and Picard once again in the context of Worf's discommendation. K'mpec clearly regrets the decisions they made, bitterly saying, "For the good of the Empire. That should be my epitaph."
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Duras kills K'Ehleyr for snooping into his past and correctly deducing the truth about his father betraying the Empire, an act which makes sure the one Klingon on the ship willing and able to murder him now has a ironclad excuse to do it.
  • Off on a Technicality: Variation. Worf did technically murder Duras but the Klingons don't see it that way, considering it was done through honorable combat, which is legal. Thus the Klingons have no reason to charge Worf, and Picard can do no more than to file an official reprimand on Worf's record. (This is Artistic License – Law: legally Starfleet would still have jurisdiction to prosecute a murder case involving an active duty servicemember regardless of whether the Klingons wanted him charged. Although it's still highly likely they would not as prosecuting Worf would've caused a diplomatic incident given that he acted within Klingon law.)
  • Oh, Crap!:
    • Duras brushes off Worf's invoking the Rite of Vengeance because of the discommendation. His smugness evaporates when Worf says in front of everyone, "K'Ehleyr... was my mate."
    • Another one from Duras just after Worf's Shut Up, Hannibal! comeback (see Honor Before Reason above) as Duras realizes he can't talk his way out of the fight.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After K'Ehleyr's death, Worf, always proud of his service in Starfleet and who has been angsting over his dishonor among Klingons for the entire episode, removes the insignia that mark him as both a Klingon and a Starfleet officer, not even noticing when his combadge falls to the floor.
  • Plea of Personal Necessity: Once it becomes clear he isn't going to beat Worf, Duras tries to get Worf to back down by pointing out that Duras is the only one who can prove his family's innocence. Worf is fine with that if it means killing Duras.
  • Poking Dead Things with a Stick: When the Klingon chancellor dies, before beginning the process of choosing a successor, they hold a traditional ritual known as "Sonchi" ("he is dead") in which the appointed arbiter of succession and the contenders for the position all take turns challenging the corpse to fight and jabbing the body with a "painstik" (a high-powered electrical prod) to confirm that the chancellor is actually dead — presumably because, being Klingons, they'd be risking civil war if he turned out not to be.
  • Pretext for War: Lampshaded when K'Ehleyr says an impending Civil War is for the usual reasons of tradition, duty and honor, but it's actually about which faction will rule the Klingon Empire.
  • Revealing Cover-Up: K'Ehleyr discovers that Duras sealed the records on Worf's discommendation, something he would only do if Duras was the one with something to hide.
  • Riddle for the Ages: Ultimately, we never learn for sure who assassinated K'mpec. Evidence in this show (as well as production notes) suggests Duras, but events in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine suggest it could have been Gowron. Or even both of them, with the whole thing being a Batman Gambit on K'mpec's part to get Picard to unmask them both.
  • Say My Name: Riker arrives on the Klingon ship's bridge to stop Worf and screams out his name just as Duras is disarmed. Worf ignores him and kills Duras anyway.
  • Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Gowron tries to bring K'Ehleyr onto his side by offering her a seat on the High Council if he becomes leader. In "Redemption", it's stated (by Gowron himself) that women cannot serve on the Council,note  hence why Duras' sisters have to track down his illegitimate son to serve as a Puppet King. Presumably, then, assuming this wasn't an empty offer (which K'Ehleyr would likely be too smart to fall for, and Gowron probably knows that), he's offering to change this rule, or at least make a special exception for her.
  • Sequel Episode: Serves as one to both "The Emissary" in season two with the return of K'Ehleyr and "Sins of the Father" in season three that follows up on Worf's discommendation and the corrupt Duras family, combined this kickstarts a Klingon subplot that runs through the end of DS9.
  • Serious Business: The Klingon Right of Vengeance is serious enough to force Duras to fight an enraged Worf to the death despite him being on the cusp of becoming Chancellor and Worf being a discommendated traitor, and his own men won't lift a finger to intervene. Klingons take matters of vengeance very seriously indeed.
  • She Knows Too Much: K'Ehleyr is killed by Duras when she starts looking into the sealed records of what happened at Khitomer and realizes that Duras's father was the traitor.
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
    • While the Klingon Empire considers Worf's duel with Duras a closed case—despite Worf's disgrace before the Empire—Picard still has to discipline Worf, as killing Duras was still a violation of Starfleet military law (dueling and premeditated murder), even if the Empire considered it legal.
    • A particularly distressing one, K'Ehleyr expresses repeated intense curiosity as to why Worf folded at his challenge to the council and neither Worf nor Picard will reveal anything. This is vastly inflamed when Worf condemns Duras in a meeting while Picard will only admit they've had dealings with Duras before that make them suspicious. K'Ehleyr promptly pries into the Klingon computer files, leading the powerful and ruthless Duras to assassinate her. Unfortunately for the unwitting Duras, this action also leads to Worf's immediate and justified killing of Duras.
  • Test of Pain: The first step in the Rite of Succession is the Sonchi ceremony. The Arbiter of Succession and all those who are vying for the position of Chancellor give a formal challenge to the corpse of the former Chancellor and shock him with a painstik. The thought process is that between the pain from the painstik and the challenge, no living Klingon would dare back down lest he lose his honor, and this confirms that the former Chancellor is indeed dead and not faking it. This is done to K'mpec by Duras, Gowron, and Picard.
  • There Is No Cure: It's revealed K'mpec has been poisoned with Veridium Six over the course of several months. The poison has no known antidote, a fact about which K'mpec is surprisingly cavalier to the point of continuing to drink the poisoned wine while explaining the situation to Picard.
  • Tranquil Fury: Picard when reprimanding Worf following the death of Duras.
  • Ungrateful Bastard: Duras, if indeed he was responsible, murdered K'mpec despite the Chancellor protecting his family's honor at Worf's expense in their last appearance.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Worf, natch. When K'Ehleyr is murdered, nothing will stop him from avenging her.
  • Villainous Valor: To give Duras his credit, as soon as Worf establishes his Right of Vengeance, Duras makes no effort to weasel out by denying his guilt in K'Ehleyr's murder or even feigning surprise at her (very recent) death. Once challenged, Duras immediately calls for his sword and fights Worf head-on without flinching, although he does try to bribe Worf into backing down once he realizes how badly outmatched he is by the Son of Mogh. Still, even when he's disarmed and literally seconds from death, he doesn't even attempt to call for his men to intervene, although that may just be because he knew not even the most dishonourable Klingon would interfere in a duel of vengeance.
  • Wham Line: In universe version. Once Worf declares "K'Ehleyr was my mate!", Duras's crew drop their boss like a hot potato as Worf is here for the one legal reason a discommendated Klingon may challenge one with full honour.
  • Wham Shot: Worf seeing his son for the first time.
  • Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: While it is established who was working for the Romulans, who planted the bomb, and who killed K'Ehleyr, it is never determined who poisoned K'mpec. The production staff intended it to be Duras, but this is never explicitly stated in the series proper.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Picard disciplines Worf for violating Federation law in pursuit of vengeance.
    Picard: Mr. Worf, your service aboard the Enterprise has been exemplary... until now.
  • Who Dunnit To Me: K'mpec reveals to Picard that he's dying from gradual doses of poison, and names Picard as the Arbiter of Succession in order to find out who poisoned him and to make sure that the one responsible does not become the next High Chancellor. Although it's implied that it was Duras' doing, it's never definitively proven, and it largely becomes a moot point after Worf kills Duras anyway for other reasons.
  • The World Is Not Ready: After the reprimand, Picard asks Worf if he will demand restoration of his honor in light of Duras's treachery. Worf replies that other members of the High Council have shared in the lies told to protect Duras, but the time will come when he and Kurn will speak the truth.
  • Worth It: Worf's attitude at the end makes it pretty clear that killing Duras was totally worth Picard's reprimand.
  • Yank the Dog's Chain: K'Ehleyr finally agrees to "the oath," but Worf stops it midway to spare her and Alexander his dishonor.

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