History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E18RulesOfEngagement

* BatmanGambit: The Klingon plan required Worf to notice a consistent pattern in their attack, predict the most likely position of the Bird-of-Prey when it decloaks at the exact right moment, and open fire before completely identifying his target.

* HollywoodLaw: By the episode's own admission, there are no current diplomatic relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, which ought to mean that the Klingons have no standing to demand the extradition of an active-duty Starfleet officer for actions carried out in the performance of his duties. However for some bizarre reason the Vulcan (!) judge finds it logical (!!) to not only allow the extradition hearing to proceed, but allow it to proceed under ''Klingon'' legal norms (!!!).

* TheVoiceless: Morn. When Quark is trying to recall his story, he suddenly remembers that he was talking to Morn and Morn said...and then he's told to just get on with it.

* TooDumbToLive: Subverted. Decloaking in front of a active warship in mid-battle may seem stupid, but considering the Klingons were actively ''trying'' to get Worf to blow up the transport, not so much.

* DebateAndSwitch: The situation regarding the unfortunate situation of firing on a civilian ship in this situation ultimately goes unresolved (though Sisko, at least, believes Worf was wrong to be so quick on the trigger), as the situation is proven to have been deliberately set up to disgrace Worf.

* FrameUp: The entire situation was a ploy by the Empire to disgrace Worf. The transport ship was totally empty, and its passengers had already died in a horrific crash in the not-to-distant past.

* WouldNotShootACivilian: Sisko makes it clear that a Starfleet officer ''never'' fires at a target unless they are absolutely sure it is a hostile, even if it means hesitating will cost them their life. (Although somehow nobody had a problem with it when James T. Kirk was faced with practically the exact same tactical situation in ''Film/StarTrekVI'', and didn't even wait for the bird-of-prey to decloak before firing.)

* AntiVillain: Ch'Pok isn't evil; he's just doing his job, and even offers to defend Worf himself if the ruling is for extradition. (How much he knew about Worf being set up is never totally clear.)

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Ch'Pok has O'Brien on the stand, and tells him to imagine that he was in command instead of Worf during the same situation. Would he also give the order to open fire? O'Brien says he wouldn't, but also points out that he ''wasn't'' there and that it's easy to throw stones after the fact.

Commander Worf is on trial. The cause of which is to establish motive in a horrible tragedy. In the heat of battle, did he purposely fire on a transport ship full of innocent civilians on purpose? Or was it simply a case of reflexive action in a heated situation?

Commander Worf is on trial. The cause of which is to establish motive in a horrible tragedy. In the heat of battle, did he purposely fire on a transport shoot full of innocent civilians on purpose? Or was it simply a case of reflexive action in a heated situation?

* AntiVillain: Ch'Pok isn't evil; he's just doing his job. (How much he knew about Worf being set up is never totally clear.)
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Ch'Pok has O'Brien on the stand, and tells him to imagine that he was in command instead of Worf during the same situation. Would he also give the order to open fire? O'Brien, after some anguish, says he wouldn't.

** Not to mention the question of ''why'' an unarmed freighter would decloak right in the middle of a battle--again, becoming irrelevant once the FrameUp is revealed. Same can be said of the question of why an unarmed passenger freighter ''has'' a cloaking device in the first place...

* WouldNotShootACivilian: Sisko makes it clear that a Starfleet officer ''never'' fires at a target unless they are absolutely sure it is a hostile, even if it means hesitating will cost them their life.

** Not to mention the question of ''why'' an unarmed freighter would decloak right in the middle of a battle--again, becoming irrelevant once the FrameUp is revealed.

* InvisibilityFlicker: Worf's battle plan is to shoot at whatever starts to decloak.

* WouldNotShootACivilian: Sisko makes it clear that a Starfleet officer ''never'' fires at a target unless they are absolutely sure it is a hostile, even if it means hesitating will cost them their life.

* WhatTheHellHero: Sisko chews Worf out for shooting at something before making sure it's a legitimate target. He then treats it as a potential CareerBuildingBlunder by assuring Worf that he'll still make a great captain someday.

* AntiVillain: Ch'Pok isn't evil; he's just doing his job.

* CompletelyMissingThePoint: Quark is more concerned trying to figure out who was sitting at the bar than remembering what Worf was doing there.

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Ch'Pok may be a lawyer, but he proves he's still a Klingon by treating the trial as a fight.

* FrameUp: The entire situation was a ploy by the Empire to disgrace Worf. The transport ship was totally empty.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Eeveryone's reaction when the transport blows up.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The witness flashbacks speak directly at the camera, almost appearing to talk to the viewer.