The Next Generation | |
143 | |
Birthright, Part II | |
46579.2 | |
Continued from last time...
Why don't the Klingons want to leave, and why are they conspiring with the Romulans? Easy, because they're all dead! Extremely mobile dead I might add, but nonetheless dead. They were knocked unconscious and captured at Khitomer, and weren't allowed to die honourably, so they decided to stay and not dishonour their children. How thoughtful of them. But this isn't what they told their new children. They think they are here because their parents wanted to escape "The War". How politically correct.
It's a strange prison though, as the walls define their home, and they are not limited by them. But who cares, if they go for a walk in the jungle at night, there's just going to be one less mouth to feed, and one more satisfied snake. The "prisoners" aren't the only ones bound here, Tokath the Romulan "jailer" chose to stay here rather let the Klingons be killed. The have put aside old hatreds and live in peace. He even married a Klingon. Give me a break! Next they'll all be singing "Cum By Yah" and beating their spears into plough-shears. Actually they are using the spears as gardening stakes...
Rambo Worf has had enough of this silliness, and decides it's time to escape! He blows up a pile of supplies and heads out over the wall. After dodging Romulan guards he gets to a position where the Caterpillar's ship is in sight, but only 10 minutes into the episode, we know he isn't going to make it. Pow! Kersplat! He's tackled to the ground - by a Klingon! Eventually the Romulans arrive and drag him back to the compound. For his effort he gets implanted with a tracker and told not to cause trouble. Ooooo...
No trouble. Right, how about a little social re-engineering then. Worf teaches the young Klingons the basic forms of combat, and the ancient Klingon legends. With no cable TV, they lap it up! After the others have left, Ba'el, the girl he saw bathing, starts to come on to him. He embraces her and finds... pointy ears! She's part Romulan! Discovering that his potential babe is one of them, really annoys him. And he was so close, too...
After finding more Klingon weapons being used in the garden, Worf decides to take Toq the tackler out on a ritual hunt. He gives his word that he will not try to escape. Given that he's wearing a tracker I wouldn't have thought they cared, but just to make sure, if he does try, he will be killed. Hah! Recurring characters are immune from permanent death!
The hunt works better than he'd expected, and the previously simpering Toq has turned into Toq the warrior, complete with dead beasty and an attitude. Tokath is not impress, and when all of the Klingons start singing their traditional battle lullaby, he looks like he is going to have a fit! He takes Worf aside and soliloquises. "Live with us, or I will have you put to death". Of course Worf chooses death, as any honourable Klingon would.
So it's up against the wall. He claims that he is being executed for bringing knowledge to the young Klingons, but we know it's actually the fashion police annoyed with his ponytail. "Raise weapons". Hold on, now there are two of them. Toq joins Worf and says that if they are going to kill Worf, they will have to kill him too. No great loss. "Raise weapons". Klingons must be like sheep - or possibly lemmings - as they all join Worf at the wall. Tokath can't kill them all...
Suddenly a booming computer voice rings out: "Warning, episode will self destruct. You have 5 minutes to reach minimum safe distance". Oh, oh. The crappy ending detector has gone off again!
"It's our prison, not theirs". So they let the children go. To honour their parents sacrifice, they must promise to never reveal the secret. They hitch a ride on a Romulan supply ship and rendezvous with the Enterprise. Worf tells Picard that they are survivors of a crashed ship, and that "Everyone died at Khitomer". Barf.