History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E7Reunion

* OffOnATechnicality: 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 ArtisticLicenseLaw: 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.)

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Worf and Picard have both kept the secret of really what happened during "Sins of the Father" and don't bring K'Ehleyr into the loop once she comes aboard. So, K'Ehleyr is left baffled by why Worf of all people folded during his Challenge and why he and Picard are suspicious of Duras (and their refusal to elaborate). This ultimately tragically backfires, as a frustrated K'Ehleyr starts digging into the High Council records to figure out what happened the previous year. She correctly deduces the broad strokes, but her digging alerts Duras and he murders her to preserve his secrets. The only silver lining is that this act finally gives Worf the legal excuse he needs to fight and kill Duras despite his Discommendation.

* CorneredRattlesnake: Duras' previous appearance established him as a DirtyCoward 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 [[PleaOfPersonalNecessity trying to talk Worf out of killing him]], holds his own in the resulting duel.

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 KlingonPromotion 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.

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: When Beverley and her team are removing K'Ehleyr's body, it suddenly dawns on her, Picard, and Riker that nobody has seen Worf since he discovered the murder scene. Picard and Riker's attempts to hail Worf or locate him aboard the ''Enterprise''...until the Computer reveals that Worf has just transported over to the ''Vorn''. Riker and Picard ''instantly'' realize what Worf's about to do and Riker immediately scrambled to deploy an Away Team to try and stop Worf in time.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Worf and Picard have kept the secret of really what happened during "Sins of the Father" and don't bring K'Ehleyr into the loop once she comes aboard. So, K'Ehleyr is left baffled by why Worf folded during his Challenge and why he and Picard are suspicious of Duras. This ultimately ends tragically backfiring, as K'Ehleyr starts digging into the High Council records to figure out what hapened the previous year (and correctly deducs the broad strokes). Her digging alerts Duras, who murders her to preserve his secrets. The only silver lining is that this act finally gives Worf the legal excuse he needs to fight Duras despite his Discommendation.

* DeathWail: Worf throws back his head and roars when K'Ehleyr dies, a Klingon custom established in "Heart of Glory." /

* WhoDunnitToMe: 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. [[spoiler: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.]]

* AssholeVictim: Duras qualifies, not only for framing Mogh as a traitor but for killing Worf's mate K'Ehleyr when [[HeKnowsTooMuch she came close to uncovering the truth of what really happened at Khitomer]]. After Worf [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice 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 [[DeadlyEuphemism 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 discommadation is a lie to protect the Empire from the treachery of Duras's own father.

* DeathWail: Worf throws back his head and roars when K'Ehleyr dies, a Klingon custom established in "Heart of Glory."

** 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.

* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: 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. In fairness, they were diplomatic guests, not prisoners, though still guests suspected of an assassination.

** Worf brings a hefty helping of karma right onto the bridge of Duras's ship.

Shortly after K'mpec's death, the new challengers arrive. One is Gowron, an 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.

* TestOfPain: 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 (named Arbiter by K'mpec before his death due to suspicions that Duras was the one who masterminded his poisoning).
* ThereIsNoCure: 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.

* OffOnATechnicality: 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 ArtisticLicenseLaw: legally Starfleet would still have jurisdiction to prosecute a murder case involving an active duty servicemember regardless of whether the Klingons ''wanted'' him charged.)

* OffOnATechnicality: 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.

* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: Gowron tries to bring K'Ehleyr onto his side by offering her a seat on the High Council if he becomes leader. In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E26S5E1Redemption Redemption]]", it's stated (by Gowron himself) that women cannot serve on the Council, hence why Duras' sisters have to track down his illegitimate son to serve as a PuppetKing. 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.

** 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 Federation code, 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.
* TheNeedsOfTheMany: 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."

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The iconic Klingon ''bat'leth'' makes its first appearance, but it doesn't seem to be the NationalWeapon 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''.

* AssholeVictim: Duras qualifies, not only for framing Mogh as a traitor but for killing Worf's mate K'Ehleyr when [[HeKnowsTooMuch she came close to uncovering the truth of what really happened at Khitomer]]. After Worf [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice 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 [[DeadlyEuphemism 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.