History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E20TheEmissary

** Klingons were also later shown to be ''much'' more casual about sex outside of marriage than Worf claims they are here, but then again it is [[HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday Worf]] who may be holding to some standard his adoptive parents didn't know fell out of fashion two centuries ago (this is in line with a number of subsequent episodes, including those of [[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]], that show Worf as being fairly out-of-touch with how "native" Klingons actually behave).

** Klingons were also later shown to be ''much'' more casual about sex outside of marriage than Worf claims they are here, but then again it is [[HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday Worf]] who may be holding to some standard his adoptive parents didn't know fell out of fashion two centuries ago (this is in line with a number of subsequent episodes, including those of [[StarTrekDeepSpaceNin DS9]], that show Worf as being fairly out-of-touch with how "native" Klingons actually behave).

** Klingons were also later shown to be ''much'' more casual about sex outside of marriage than Worf claims they are here, but then again it is [[HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday Worf]] who may be holding to some standard his adoptive parents didn't know fell out of fashion two centuries ago.

* ExactWords: Worf wasn't lying to Captain K'Temoc that he is commanding the Enterprise (at the moment, he is Officer of the Deck and is ordering other officers on the Bridge), that K'Temoc technically committed an act of treason by firing on the Enterprise (Klingon Empire and the Federation are allies, and any military officer attacking their ally unilaterally without their government's approval would be an act of treason), and that there is no current state of war between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets.

* BookEnds: When Worf bets big in the poker game, Geordi accuses him of bluffing, to which he replies, "Klingons never bluff." At the end, when no one else can find a nonviolent solution to the problem, it is Worf who comes up with the idea of bluffing the other Klingons into thinking he commands the ''Enterprise''.

** The 75 year Klingon sleeper mission seems weird considering their prior Trek appearances, but seems extremely weird compared to their later TNG {{Proud Warrior|Race}} culture.

* ExactWords: Worf wasn't lying to Captain K'Temoc that he is commanding the Enterprise (at the moment, he is Officer of the Deck and is ordering other officers on the Bridge), that K'Temoc technically committed an act of treason by firing on the Enterprise (Klingon Empire and the Federation are allies, and any military officer attacking their ally unilaterally without their government's approval would be an act of treason), and there is no current state of war between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets.

** The 75 year Klingon sleeper mission seems weird considering their prior Trek appearances, but seems extremely weird compared to their later TNG ProudWarrior culture.

* StatuesqueStunner: K'Ehleyr is quite tall and portrayed as very sexually appealing to Worf. (Suzi Plakson is 6'2", only slightly shorter than Michael Dorn's 6'3".)

* StatuesqueStunner: K'Ehleyr is quite tall and portrayed as very sexually appealing to Worf.

-->'''Troi:''' You're upset.\\
'''K'Ehleyr:''' Your finely-honed Betazoid sense tells you that? \\
'''Troi:''' [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder Well, that and the table.]]

* NoTimeToExplain: Invoked by "Captain" Worf, who gives the crew of the ''T'Ong'' a choice of submitting their ship to Worf's command or "die in ignorance." Without the chance to think things over, the captain elects to surrender.

* StatuesueStunner: K'Ehleyr is quite tall and portrayed as very sexually appealing to Worf.

K’Ehleyr briefs the crew on their mission: the Klingon vessel ''T’Ong'', sent out before the Klingons and the Federation made peace and with its crew in suspended animation, has sent a message indicating that the crew will soon be awakened, and it will be within striking distance of several Federation outposts when it happens. The ''Enterprise'', being the closest ship to the ''T’Ong'', has been ordered to intercept it. K’Ehleyr informs them that diplomacy is not likely to work, and that they will probably have to destroy the ''T’Ong'', but Picard is unwilling to accept that and orders his staff to think of another way.

On her way to her quarters, K’Ehleyr discusses her parentage with Counselor Troi, as they’re both half-human, and she admits that she tries very hard to keep her Klingon instincts under control, as they cause her to act out in unpleasant ways. As she and Worf discuss the mission, as well as their past, it becomes clear that her distrust of Klingon ways extends to other Klingons as well. As Worf tries to determine what the ''T'Ong'''s mission was, she insists that it’s pointless, as whatever it was they will surely attack any Federation target they see. The argument gets heated, and K’Ehleyr returns to her quarters and breaks a table out of frustration.

At that moment, Troi visits her again and suggests letting off some steam with some exercise. She chooses to try out Worf’s calisthenics routine (last seen in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E2WhereSilenceHasLease Where Silence Has Lease]]"). Meanwhile Worf has been worked into an agitated state as well and he has much the same idea. Seeing the program already running, he enters and joins her. And of course nothing sets the mood for Klingons like kicking ass together, so inevitably the two end up knocking whatever Klingons call boots over a commercial break. To Worf, this and their history together mean that they have to take the Oath and become wedded, but K’Ehleyr isn't ready for that kind of commitment. She spurns Worf's proposal, leaving him bitter.

When the ''Enterprise'' encounters the ''T’Ong'', it quickly fires upon them and cloaks. Since it is an old ship, La Forge manages to find an emissions trail to follow them by. K’Ehleyr still insists that the ship must be destroyed, but Worf says he has another idea. They cut off the ''T’Ong'' and hail it, with Worf and K’Ehleyr sitting in the captain’s and first officer’s chairs and wearing Klingon uniforms. He convinces the ''T’Ong'' that the Klingons have won the war with the Federation and orders them to turn the ship over to him. They are skeptical, but yield when he gives the command for the ''Enterprise'' to fire. Picard returns to the bridge, commending Worf on his first turn as acting captain. Riker asks how it felt and he replies that he liked the chair.

** Like most Klingon rituals in the first few seasons of TNG, the marriage ritual is implied to be simple and blunt, completed in a matter of sentences. By the time it got to Worf's marriage in ''Deep Space Nine'', the Klingon wedding ceremony took a matter of ''days''. Possibly justified if the Oath Worf makes a big deal about in this episode is more of a betrothal than the actual ceremony (though he certainly acts like they're effectively already married).

* CallBack: Worf's "calisthenics" program last seen in "Recap/[[StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E2WhereSilenceHasLease Where Silence Has Lease]]" is brought back. The skull-faced adversary is back. We're again shown how feral Klingsons can go after combat.

It's poker night again. Data, still getting a grasp of the game, claims that Worf is only winning because he's had a string of good hands. Indeed, he bets aggressively into Pulaski, who has a straight, but Worf's full house defeats her, and he takes the plot. In their next hand, Worf opens with a big bet, but Picard cuts in to summon them to the bridge immediately. As they leave, La Forge says he's sure Worf was bluffing this time, but Worf maintains, "Klingons never bluff!"

The ship has been ordered to receive an emissary from Starbase 153, who will arrive at the coordinates via a modified Class 8 probe, a tiny but fast vessel. Picard deduces that, whatever the issue is about, time must be of the essence. The emissary turns out to be a half-Klingon, half-human woman named K’Ehleyr (that’s “Kay-Lar”). Picard introduces her to the crew, but when she greets Worf it becomes clear that the two of them have a past, one which Worf does not remember fondly.

At that moment, Troi visits her again and suggests letting off some steam with some exercise. She chooses to try out Worf’s calisthenics routine (last seen in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E2WhereSilenceHasLease Where Silence Has Lease]]"). Meanwhile Worf has been worked into an agitated state as well and he has much the same idea. Seeing the program already running, he enters and joins her. And of course nothing sets the mood for Klingons like kicking ass together, so inevitably the two end up knocking whatever Klingons call boots over a commercial break. To Worf, this and their history together mean that they have to take the Oath and become wedded, but K’Ehleyr isn't ready for that kind of commitment. She spurns Worf's proposal, leaving Worf bitter.

* NoTimeToExplain: Invoked by 'Captain' Worf, who gives the crew of the ''T'Ong'' a choice of submitting their ship to Worf's command or "die in ignorance". Without the chance to think things over, the captain elects to surrender.

* SlapSlapKiss: K’Ehleyr and Worf have a bit of a Klingon variant going on.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck:
-->'''Picard:''' Whenever Starfleet gets enigmatic, I know we're about to face a challenge.

We open with another poker game. Data seems to have a little more experience under his belt than he had last time, although he still hasn’t mastered the lingo (not liking his cards, he announces he is going to “bend”). This time around though, it’s Worf who’s dominating the game, even besting Riker. But the game is interrupted by an emergency call from the bridge. They’ve received orders to head to a certain location, but they’ve been given no reason why. Picard orders them to do as commanded, feeling uneasy about the vagueness of the message.

When they arrive at the coordinates, they receive a message that they will be receiving an emissary from Starbase 153, but they still aren’t given any specifics on the mission. The emissary arrives via a Class 8 Probe, which is barely big enough for someone to fit into, because it was the fastest way and time is of the essence. The emissary turns out to be a half-Klingon, half-human woman named K’Ehleyr (that’s “Kay-Lar”). Picard introduces her to the crew, but when she greets Worf it becomes clear that the two of them have a past, one which Worf does not remember fondly.

K’Ehleyr briefs the crew on their mission: the Klingon vessel ''T’Ong'', sent out before the Klingons and the Federation made peace and with its crew in suspended animation, has sent a message indicating that the crew will soon be awakened, and it will be within striking distance of several Federation outposts when it happens. The ''Enterprise'', being the closest ship to the ''T’Ong'', has been ordered to intercept it. K’Ehleyr informs them that diplomacy is not likely to work, and that they will probably have to destroy the ''T’Ong'', but Picard is unwilling to accept that and orders his staff to think of another way. He orders Worf to assist K’Ehleyr, although Worf asks for him to pick someone else.

->'''Picard:''' Are there any personal reasons that you don’t want the assignment?\\
'''Worf:''' Yes.\\
'''Picard:''' Any professional reasons?\\
'''Worf:''' No. ''[pause]'' I withdraw my request, Captain.

K’Ehleyr finds herself discussing her parentage with Counselor Troi, as they’re both half-human, and she admits that she tries very hard to keep her Klingon instincts under control, as they cause her to act out in unpleasant ways. As she and Worf discuss the mission, as well as their past, it becomes clear that her distrust of Klingon ways extends to other Klingons as well. As Worf tries to determine what the ''T'Ong'''s mission was, she insists that it’s pointless, as whatever it was they will surely attack any Federation target they see. The argument gets heated and K’Ehleyr returns to her quarters and breaks a table out of frustration.

At that moment Troi visits her again, and suggests letting off some steam with some exercise. She chooses to try out Worf’s calisthenics routine (which of course is more of a battle simulation, as previously seen in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E2WhereSilenceHasLease Where Silence Has Lease]]"). Meanwhile Worf has been worked into an agitated state as well and he has much the same idea. Seeing the program already running, he enters and joins her. And of course nothing sets the mood for Klingons like kicking ass together, so inevitably the two end up knocking whatever Klingons call boots over a commercial break. To Worf, this and their history together mean that they have to take the Oath and become wedded, but K’Ehleyr wants none of that.\\

->'''K’Ehleyr:''' Worf, it was what it was, glorious and wonderful and all that, but it doesn’t mean anything!\\
'''Worf:''' That is a human attitude.\\
'''K’Ehleyr:''' I ''am'' human!\\
'''Worf:''' You are also Klingon!

When the ''Enterprise'' encounters the ''T’Ong'', it quickly fires upon them and cloaks. Since it is an old ship, La Forge manages to find an emissions trail to follow them by. K’Ehleyr still insists that the ship must be destroyed, but Worf says he has another idea. They cut off the ''T’Ong'' and hail it with Worf and K’Ehleyr sitting in the captain’s and first officer’s chairs and wearing Klingon uniforms. He convinces the ''T’Ong'' that the Klingons have won the war with the Federation and orders them to turn the ship over to him. They are skeptical, but yield when he gives the command for the ''Enterprise'' to fire. Picard returns to the bridge, commending Worf on his first turn as acting captain. Riker asks how it felt and he replies that he liked the chair.

* AccidentalMarriage: Attempted by Worf, averted by K’Ehleyr.

At that moment Troi visits her again, and suggests letting off some steam with some exercise. She chooses to try out Worf’s calisthenics routine (which of course is more of a battle simulation, as previously seen in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E2WhereSilenceHasLease Where Silence Has Lease]]"). Meanwhile Worf has been worked into an agitated state as well and he has much the same idea. Seeing the program already running, he enters and joins her. And of course nothing sets the mood for Klingons like kicking ass together, so inevitably the two end up knocking whatever Klingons call boots over a commercial break. To Worf, this and their history together mean that they have to take the Oath and become wedded, but K’Ehleyr wants none of that.