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Mogh was a male Klingon citizen of the Klingon Empire in the early 24th century . He was the father of Worf and Kurn .

Mogh was a very influential figure in the Empire. He helped Huraga 's House during their blood feud with the House of Duras . He was also a friend of Noggra and Lorgh . ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Sons of Mogh "; TNG : " Sins of The Father ", " Birthright, Part I ")

In 2346 , Mogh had suspected that another high-ranking Klingon, Ja'rod , was collaborating with the Romulans and was prompted to observe him. He followed Ja'rod to Khitomer , taking his wife , son Worf and Worf's nurse, Kahlest , with him. Not expecting a long trip, he left his younger son, Kurn, with Lorgh as he was only a year old. While there, Mogh was allegedly observed by the commander of the outpost as acting strangely. The Romulans then attacked the outpost , and he was killed along with his wife. Fortunately, Worf and Kahlest survived. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Sons of Mogh "; TNG : " Sins of The Father ", " Birthright, Part I ")

The fact that Ja'rod had betrayed the outpost's defenses did not come to light until 2366 . As his House was very powerful at the time, the Klingon High Council decided to frame Mogh. Duras, son of Ja'rod subsequently made the allegation. Worf came to challenge it, however, having learned of the consequences of the truth being known, was forced to accept discommendation in order to protect the Empire. ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ", " The Drumhead ")

Kor often called Worf "the son of Mogh". ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ", " Once More Unto the Breach ")

When Worf met General Martok for the first time in 2373 , he introduced himself as "Worf, son of Mogh". ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

This character was only mentioned in dialogue.

Ronald D. Moore 's early idea for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Soldiers of the Empire " was for Worf and Martok to encounter Mogh in Gre'thor . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 448))

A deleted scene from DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind " saw Worf wish that Mogh was alive to see his son briefly be Chancellor of the Klingon Empire . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library )

It was widely assumed that Mogh was the son of Colonel Worf , but this was never confirmed on-screen . This assumption was briefly mentioned in the Star Trek Encyclopedia  (3rd ed., p. 563). Promotional material for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , including interviews with Michael Dorn , stated that Dorn was playing Worf's grandfather in the movie .

While Mogh was never seen on camera, a trading card of the character was created for the Star Trek Customizable Card Game , using photo elements of both Worf and Kurn, combined together using Photoshop.

The Star Trek: The Lost Era novel The Art of the Impossible used the assumption that Mogh was the son of Colonel Worf, and stated that Worf was named after his recently deceased grandfather. The same novel also established that Mogh served as first officer under Captain K'mpec on the IKS Pu'Bekh . K'mpec noted that, while Mogh was a warrior and excellent with a disruptor pistol, he was terrible with a bat'leth . When K'mpec ascended to the Klingon High Council , Mogh became captain of the Pu'Bekh .

External link [ ]

• Mogh at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek Neglected Worf's Brother Kurn, And We're Here To Fix That

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Sins of the Father," Worf (Michael Dorn) learned that he had a brother named Kurn (Tony Todd) who arrived on the Enterprise to recruit Worf for a special mission. It seems that their deceased father, Mogh, had been posthumously accused of treason by the Klingon High Council. Worf and Kurn needed to go back to the Klingon homeworld to make an appeal and clear their father's name; in Klingon society, the crimes of one generation implicate the next. Worf and Kurn, if they are unsuccessful, will be excommunicated from Klingon society — a grievous shame indeed — and executed in their father's staid. 

At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Mogh had been framed ... by the father of Duras (Patrick Massett), a Klingon nobleman and heir to the throne. It seems that everyone knows how dirty Duras was, but to expose him would throw the Klingon homeworld into chaos. Worf, instead of fighting the system, chooses to take the heat for Duras' father's crimes, all for the good of the empire. Worf's life is spared and he is excommunicated. He will live out his days in shame. Kurn, meanwhile, was spared the shame of both fates, as he had been living under an assumed identity this whole time anyway.

With its Klingon episodes, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" became massively complicated, almost like a socio-political soap opera. Klingons had their own culture, and the show's Klingon stories were a vast network of supporting players and political intrigue that stood apart from the dealings of the Federation. Worf was the conduit into this world, so it was rare that the entire crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise became involved in Klingon stuff. 

Kurn was a key player in these stories.

Kurn, the recruiter

Kurn only appeared in four episodes of "Star Trek," but had a massive tragedy all his own. In "Sins of the Father" and the two-part episode "Redemption," Kurn would appear to Worf to bring him back to the Klingon homeworld to address malfeasance thereupon. In "Redemption," Kurn became upset that the new Klingon emperor, Gowron (Robert O'Reilly), wouldn't use his executive power to pardon Mogh and reinstate Worf. Kurn was outraged that he had to live under an assumed name, aching to rejoin the Klingon empire with his birthright intact. When Worf refused to kill Gowron over this, Kurn became incensed. Indeed, Worf eventually ordered Kurn to support Gowron against Duras in an encroaching Klingon civil war. In so doing, Gowron restored the Mogh family name. 

Yes, it's all very complicated, and it took two episodes to cover. I didn't even get into Lursa and B'Etor (Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh), the Duras sisters. So that should be the end of it, right? Kurn, even though he didn't want to, defended Gowron against Duras, and was reinstated into the Klingon honor system as a result. That sounds like a happy ending. 

It seems, however, that Worf's continued career in Starfleet cast a pall over Kurn's life, and his life slowly turned to crap after the events of "Redemption." Kurn's final appearance on "Star Trek" was in the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Sons of Mogh," a tragic episode wherein Kurn revealed the true dishonor he had been suffering ever since his last appearance. It seems that Worf, in serving with Starfleet and fighting against the Klingon empire on several occasions, was more or less considered an outright defector back on the Klingon homeworld. Just like with Mogh, that reflected poorly on Kurn. 

Worf: bad brother

Worf, a bad family member all around, never even considered Kurn's fate. In "Sons of Mogh," Kurn explains that despite being exonerated, the House of Mogh lost all its graces with the Klingon High Council and was kicked out in shame. Gowron , embarrassed that Worf fought against him, stripped Kurn of all his property and left him honorless and destitute. Kurn arrived on Deep Space Nine to find his brother living in comfort with his new alien friends, never bearing in mind the consequences of his actions. Kurn had nothing. The only way to restore his honor, Kurn felt, was for Worf to stab him in a specialized ritual. 

Worf, feeling it the decent thing to do, agrees to kill Kurn. Because his DS9 friends are savvy to Klingon rituals, however, the ritual is interrupted and Kurn's life is saved. This is the opposite of what he wanted. Kurn just wanted to die. He is horrified to be alive, but to make amends, he is offered a position as a security officer on the ship. If Kurn can't live honorably with Klingons, he can at least live in comfort with his brother. Kurn begins to join Worf on various Federation missions and sees that the politics of the Klingon Empire are dodgy at best. They're pulling out of certain accords and generally behaving dishonorably. Kurn is now torn. 

Worf may be the one who is most often seen wrestling with his Klingon identity, but poor Kurn is the one who truly lost something. He lived as an outsider for years, having to lie about his family name, embarrassed that he was never permitted to be honest. All of Kurn's issues are through the actions of his family. Kurn only received fallout.

Kurn's fate

Worf, meanwhile, has lived away from the Klingon Empire for so long, he can no longer really return. His Klingon identity has become less and less important to him. Kurn, in doubting the Empire, is also now trapped between worlds. He would like to serve on a starship, but his habit of killing treason suspects isn't really the way the Federation operates. Neither likes their position. Kurn tries to behave like a Starfleet officer but simply doesn't have the wherewithal. 

Kurn, finally realizing that he no longer has a place with Klingons or aliens once again asks for the murder ritual. Worf, also disconnected from the Klingon world, refuses this time. It seems that both are alienated from their culture. The difference between Worf and Kurn, however, is that the former did it deliberately. The latter only suffered as a direct result of Worf's actions. 

Worf, as a solution, asks that surgery be performed on Kurn to alter his appearance. Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) is also able to wipe out most of his memories, leaving him without an identity. This isn't much of a loss for Kurn who feels he lost his identity anyway. Kurn is taken in by a friend of his father, given a new name, and freed to form a new life from scratch. While leaving Deep Space Nine, Kurn passes by Worf. Do we know each other? No. Worf has no family. 

Worf sucks as a brother. When it comes to caring for family, Worf knows only neglect. He is self-absorbed and preoccupied with ritual. Worf also famously neglected his son, never checked in on a paramour, and didn't correspond with old friends. He's an honorable dude, but he will not text you back. 

What Is Star Trek's "Lost Era" & What We Know

• The "lost era" between Star Trek VI and TNG holds major historical events that shape the franchise's future.
• Michelle Yeoh's Section 31 movie explores this politically fractious time with Emperor Georgiou's mission in the 24th century.
• Key events like the Tomed Incident, the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, and the Khitomer Massacre impact future Trek characters.

Michelle Yeoh's Section 31 movie will take place in Star Trek 's "lost era", expanding on the limited knowledge that fans have of this tantalizing time period. The confirmation that Kacey Rohl will play a young Rachel Garrett in Star Trek: Section 31 confirms that the latest mission for Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) will take place in the early 24th century. This extensive period in the Star Trek timeline takes place between the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation , during which some major historical events took place.

Star Trek 's "lost era" lasts for almost 70 years, taking in two starship Enterprises and some key events that would influence the Star Trek: The Next Generation era . While Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) may have helped to establish peace with the Klingons in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , there were multiple threats elsewhere in the universe. During this 70-year period, the Romulan Star Empire and Cardassian Union became big threats to the peace and stability established by the Khitomer Accords. Star Trek 's "lost era", therefore, is the perfect time period for Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek spy movie to explore.

Where You've Seen Star Trek: Section 31's New Actors Before

Unknown: emperor georgiou is sent to star trek's "lost era", why has the guardian of forever sent georgiou to the early 24th century.

The Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) sent Georgiou back through time in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, when it became clear that the former Terran Emperor could no longer live in the 32nd century. It was never confirmed exactly when the Guardian was sending Georgiou, with many presuming that she would just re-emerge in the 23rd century. Now it's been confirmed that the Guardian has sent her to Star Trek 's "lost era", a politically fractious time where, perhaps, Georgiou can do a lot of good to atone for the sins of her past .

2293: Kirk "Dies" While Saving The USS Enterprise-B

Could captain john harriman appear in section 31.

In the same year that Captain James T Kirk helped to usher in a new era of peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, he gave his life to save the USS Enterprise-B. Kirk's death effectively marks the start of Star Trek 's lost era , as barely anything is known about what happened next to the USS Enterprise-B. Commanded by Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck), the Excelsior-class starship embarked on its fateful first flight in 2293, over 70 years before the launch of the Star Trek: The Next Generation 's version of the starship Enterprise .

Given that it's a younger Rachel Garrett in Star Trek: Section 31 , there is the possibility that Harriman's Enterprise is still in service...

Captain John Harriman has been dubbed the worst Enterprise captain due to his handling of the situation involving the Nexus and the El Aurian refugees in Star Trek Generations . However, that's just one moment in the Starfleet officer's career, and official Star Trek has never confirmed if he ever redeemed himself for his mistakes. Given that it's a younger Rachel Garrett in Star Trek: Section 31 , there is the possibility that Harriman's Enterprise is still in service, meaning that the movie could update fans on this unfairly maligned Starfleet captain.

Star Trek: How The Enterprise Got Its Worst Captain (Backstory Explained)

2311: the tomed incident occurs, the federation-romulan conflict is one of the biggest events of star trek's "lost era"..

One of the most important, and mysterious, events in Starfleet history's "lost era" is the Tomed Incident . The exact specifics of this historical confrontation between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire are unknown. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation revealed that the incident led to the loss of thousands of lives, presumably on both sides of the conflict. This led to the signing of the Treaty of Algeron, which redefined the boundaries of the Romulan Neutral Zone, and barred any Federation experiments with cloaking technology. The Romulan Star Empire also withdrew from interstellar politics, becoming a more isolationist regime.

The Treaty of Algeron remained in place for decades, barring a special dispensation that let the USS Defiant break the cloaking device ban in 2371. Years before, Captain Erik Pressman (Terry O'Quinn) worked with individuals within Starfleet Intelligence to develop a top secret interphasic cloaking device . While Pressman's experiment took place years after Star Trek: Section 31 , the involvement of Starfleet Intelligence does create the possibility that Georgiou could be thrown directly into the aftermath of the Tomed Incident.

2319: Cardassian Occupation Of Bajor Begins

The Cardassian Occupation of Bajor was another major event that took place during Star Trek 's "lost era". In 2309, the technologically advanced Cardassians offered to help the Bajorans, and spent a decade preparing to finally assert military rule over the planet in 2319 . The occupation was a brutal time, in which the Cardassians began stripping Bajor of its natural resources and enslaved its people. For 50 years, the Federation stood by and did nothing, as to intervene would be a breach of the Prime Directive.

The Cardassian Occupation of Bajor was a hugely formative event for Star Trek characters Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) and Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor).

Key figures like Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and his father, Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lennard) bitterly disagreed over the Federation's handling of the Cardassians. It's possible, therefore, that figures within the Federation may have sent Section 31 operatives to supply the Bajoran Resistance with weaponry and supplies to fight their oppressors. The Cardassian Union were probably the biggest threat to peace and stability during Star Trek 's "lost era" , so weakening them by covertly supporting their enemies would be a smart tactical move by the Federation.

2327: Jean-Luc Picard Is Stabbed Through The Heart By A Nausicaan

The near-fatal incident was the making of the future enterprise captain..

The Starfleet career of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was almost cut tragically short in 2327, when he was stabbed through the heart by a Nausicaan. Picard underwent emergency surgery, in which he had an artificial heart fitted . In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 15, "Tapestry", Q (John de Lancie) helped Picard to realize that this incident made him the legendary Starfleet captain that he would become. By facing death at the start of his career, Picard knew that life was short, and was emboldened to make his mark as an officer, eventually becoming captain of the Enterprise.

2333: Jean-Luc Picard Takes Command Of The USS Stargazer

Could jean-luc picard meet philippa georgiou.

In 2333, Jean-Luc Picard assumed command of the USS Stargazer when the commanding officer was killed in action . Starfleet were so impressed by Picard's courage under fire that they made him the permanent commanding officer of the Stargazer. Jean-Luc commanded the USS Stargazer for 22 years, joined by his best friend, Lt. Commander Jack R. Crusher (Doug Wert), the husband of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). The timing of Picard's service aboard the Stargazer does make him one of the few Star Trek: The Next Generation characters who could cross paths with Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31 .

Picard's History With Beverly Crusher's Family Explained

2335 - 2336: lore and data are built on omicron theta, the soong-type androids were a huge leap forward for artificial intelligence..

Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) and his wife Juliana (Fionnula Flanagan) made a huge leap forward in creating synthetic life. In 2335, Lore was built and activated, but displayed signs of emotional instability, and even a sinister degree of malevolence. Lore was deactivated, and Soong began working on a new and improved model, Data, who was less emotional and therefore more stable. With the help of Juliana, Data began to learn about art and music, in a desire to become more human . However, the Soong family were soon to face a devastating tragedy that would place Data in the hands of Starfleet.

2338: Omicron Theta Is Attacked By The Crystalline Entity

Lore's revenge was devastating, but set data on a path to starfleet..

Lore took revenge on Noonien and Juliana by communicating with the Crystalline Entity, an immensely powerful being responsible for thousands of deaths in the 24th century . Lore effectively fed the Soongs' home of Omicron Theta to the Entity, which quickly consumed all organic life on the planet. Juliana was seriously injured as she and Noonien Soong fled the Entity, later dying and being replaced by an android duplicate. Data was left behind on Omicron Theta, where he was discovered by the crew of the USS Tripoli, who reactivated him, and inspired the Soong-type android to pursue a career in Starfleet.

The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Silicon Avatar" reveals that Raymond Marr was killed on Omicron Theta, inspiring his mother Kila to dedicate her career to learning more about the Crystalline Entity.

2344: The USS Enterprise-C Is Destroyed

Captain garrett's sacrifice preserved peace with the klingon empire..

Years after she meets Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31 , Rachel Garrett is captain of the USS Enterprise-C . Beyond its tragic ending, the service history of Garrett's Enterprise is unknown, but it was a starship of huge historical significance. As revealed in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise", the Enterprise-C bravely fought off a Romulan attack on a Klingon colony. Outgunned and outmanned, the Enterprise-C was destroyed above Narendra III by four Romulan warbirds .

First appearing in 1990's Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise", Rachel Garrett would remain the only female captain of the starship Enterprise until Seven of Nine took command of the USS Enterprise-G in 2023's Star Trek: Picard finale, "The Last Generation".

The biggest tragedy of the USS Enterprise-C was that the crew were presented with a way out when, over 20 years later, they fell through a temporal rift. However, their disappearance from Narendra III ultimately led to tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire reaching boiling point once again. And so Garrett and her crew made the decision to return to 2344 and face their tragic fate. The Klingon Empire was so impressed by the Enterprise-C's glorious battle against the Romulans that relations between them and the Federation began to improve .

2346: The Romulans Attack Khitomer

The khitomer massacre tore the house of mogh apart..

The complicated relationship between the Klingon Empire and Worf (Michael Dorn) begins in Star Trek 's "lost era" with the devastating Khitomer Massacre in 2346. It was a massive escalation of the attempted destruction of Narendra III two years earlier. Worf's father, Mogh, desperately tried to warn the colony about the impending attack, after unearthing the fact that the planet's defense codes had been leaked by the traitor Ja'rod. Romulan forces launched a devastating attack on the Klingon colony, resulting in an estimated 78% of the population being listed as casualties . The attack orphaned Worf, who was raised by his adoptive human parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko.

Why Worfs Son Alexander Rozhenko Has Human Names, Not Klingon

2362: the setlik iii massacre happens, the tragedy made chief o'brien a hero..

The Federation-Cardassian Wars began in 2347 and the conflicts between both powers lasted into the early 2360s . One of the most devastating tragedies of these conflicts was the Setlik III massacre, the date of which is up for debate in Star Trek canon. In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 12, "The Wounded", Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) states that the massacre occurred in 2347, but this is later contradicted when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine dates it closer to 2362.

Chief O'Brien became the " Hero of Setlik III " by saving the lives of 13 people with a field transporter.

Whatever the date, the Cardassian attack on Setlik III was devastating, and killed the majority of the colony's inhabitants, including the family of Captain Benjamin Maxwell (Bob Gunton). Chief O'Brien became the " Hero of Setlik III " by saving the lives of 13 people with a field transporter. It was revealed in Star Trek: The Next Generation that the Setlik III massacre was a terrible mistake, launched out of the false belief that the civilian colony was a staging ground for a Federation invasion of Cardassian space .

Captain Janeway, Chief O'Brien, and Captain Picard all saw action during the Federation-Cardassian Wars.

2363: Construction On The USS Enterprise-D Is Completed

19 years after the destruction of the USS Enterprise-C, construction was completed on her successor in 2363. This is the moment that brings Star Trek 's "lost era" to a close, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard would command the USS Enterprise-D for eight years beginning in 2364. The adventures of Picard's crew are legendary, and well documented, as are those of Captains Janeway and Sisko who followed in his wake. However, whether it was the falllout from the Cardassian border agreement, or the revelations about the Khitomer Massacre, all three of those legendary Star Trek captains had to deal with the fallout from this "lost era" of Starfleet history.

Star Trek: Section 31 will release exclusively on Paramount+ at a later date.

Star Trek: Generations is available to stream on Max.

All episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount Plus.

Star Trek: Section 31

In this Paramount+ exclusive movie event, Michelle Yeoh returns as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, who was first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery Season 1. Star Trek: Section 31 centers on Yeoh's character as she faces her past sins and is recruited by Starfleet's secret division that protects the United Federation of Planets.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Sons of Mogh (Review)

This February and March, we’re taking a look at the 1995 to 1996 season of Star Trek , including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and  Star Trek: Voyager . Check back daily Tuesday through Friday for the latest review.

Moving Worf over from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could be seen as a cynical move.

In fact, it was a bit of a cynical move, a rare example of executive meddling in the basic plot of Deep Space Nine . Although there is some disagreement as to precisely how much give and take was involved in the decision-making process by the production team and the studio, it was clear that the writing staff had not originally envisaged Worf joining the show and that the addition of Michael Dorn to the show’s cast was an attempt to shore up the show’s ratings and profile. These are the realities of network television production.

As the world Kurns…

At the same time, moving Worf over to Deep Space Nine from The Next Generation afforded the production team unique opportunities and storytelling possibilities. With Star Trek: Voyager unfolding in the distant Delta Quadrant, Deep Space Nine had been largely free to reinvent and rework the franchise’s status quo for its own purpose. Deep Space Nine was allowed to play with toys that would have been off limits while The Next Generation was on the air; war with the Klingons, Federation civil war, Dominion invasion.

However, actually transitioning a character from The Next Generation to Deep Space Nine allowed the production team even more freedom and even greater contrast. Although very clearly the same character, Worf changes between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine . There is a sense that Deep Space Nine is a lot more willing to carry certain aspects of the character to their logical conclusion, in a way that was simply not feasible on The Next Generation . This is clear in Sons of Mogh , when Worf attempts to murder his own brother.

Worf was always the most ambiguous regular character on The Next Generation . Whereas the crew of the Enterprise were always professional and efficient, Worf had always had a bit of an edge to him. His defining moment in Encounter at Farpoint was to object to Picard’s orders on the grounds of his Klingon heritage, with Picard firmly asserting that Worf is a Starfleet officer. In The Enemy , Worf was willing to stand by and allow a wounded Romulan to die by refusing to offer a blood transfusion; a decision that clearly upset Picard.

Worf was the only crew member to voluntarily leave the crew over the course of the show’s seven-year run. He resigned his commission at the end of Redemption, Part I , opting to return to his own people to support Gowran during a Klingon civil war. Of course, the demands of episodic storytelling dictated that Worf would return to duty at his old post (and in his old uniform) by the end of Redemption, Part II . Nevertheless, there was always something a little different about Worf when measured against the rest of the cast.

“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

At the same time, The Next Generation imposed limits upon what Worf could and could not do. Worf could murder Duras at the end of Reunion in retaliation for the murder of K’Ehleyr, receiving a stern reprimand for his misconduct while still serving as the hero of the narrative. After all, episodes like Sins of the Father had gone out of their way to demonstrate that Duras was evil through-and-through. Indeed, Reunion takes Duras’ villainy for granted; it is never explicitly confirmed that he murdered K’mpec.

However, Worf could never push too far. While Worf would try to force Riker to help him commit ritual suicide in Ethics , he would not expect the same of his son Alexander. As much as Ronald D. Moore might have wanted to write that ending, Worf could not murder an unarmed teenager during the closing scenes of Redemption, Part II . While Worf’s pigheadedness and stubbornness could come to the fore in episodes like Birthright, Part II , there were seldom long-term consequences of those choices.

“I had the most horrible dream. I dreamt I was Jake Sisko.”

In contrast, Deep Space Nine is willing to push Worf a little bit further and allow him to get away with quite a lot more. According to Hidden File 07 on the DVD collection, it was that opportunity that intrigued writer Ronald D. Moore:

The only thing I really sparked to in Sons of Mogh was the idea that I came up with working on the draft. Working on the draft was difficult, because we didn’t know how this story was going to resolve itself, in any way other than a very expected way. You know, the brother comes, he wants to kill himself, Worf talks him out of killing himself, life goes on. It just sort of laid there a little bit, even though we were kinda excited to bring Tony Todd back on and there was a richness to Worf’s family situation. But it wasn’t really until I came up with this idea that Worf should do it – Worf should really put that knife in that guy’s chest and kill him, kill his brother and then face the consequences – that the show sort of came alive. Then it was really like, “Oh, now wait a minute! Now you’re really doing something here!” And that was Deep Space Nine. It was always like, “What if you did it this way? What if you pushed it one more step and found the unexpected way to go?”

Moore makes a very good argument. Sons of Mogh opens with Kurn arriving on Deep Space Nine, urging his brother to kill him. The plot seems quite clear from that starting point; it is quite unexpected to have Worf plunge the knife into Kurn one-third of the way through the episode.

Heaven scent…

It is a great twist, and one that demonstrates the freedom enjoyed by the Deep Space Nine writing staff. Although The Next Generation had dealt with issues of assisted suicide in episodes like Half a Life and Ethics , there is a big difference between theoretical discussions and actually having one of the show’s leading characters attempt to murder his own brother as part of a ritual suicide. It is a scene that feels entirely in character for Worf, who has fetishised and obsessed Klingon culture, and entirely appropriate for Deep Space Nine .

After all, Deep Space Nine has always been the Star Trek show most engage with issues of multiculturalism, dealing with the idea that concepts like death are culturally relative. Deep Space Nine is a show that embraces the philosophy of “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” , perhaps exemplified by its reluctance to treat the Federation or Starfleet perspective as inherently “right” or “superior” in the way that the other shows do. This is most apparent with the handling of the Ferengi, elevated from a joke race to a (mostly) fully-formed culture.

“This is nothing. You should have seen the job I did on Bareil!”

Sons of Mogh pushes that idea of multiculturalism to its logical extreme. After all, finding a way for various cultures to peacefully coexist involves imposing limits on just what is and is not acceptable. I t would be easy enough to write around these tough questions about multiculturalism by simply avoiding these sorts of conflicts of interest. It is quite easy to agree that Quark selling his own remains and Kira wearing her earring falls under these cultural freedoms; it is tougher when those cultural freedoms involving the ending of a life.

After all, it is not too hard to make an argument from a philosophical perspective that Worf and Kurn should be perfectly within their rights to commit the ritual suicide. If Kurn took his own life, it seems unlikely that Sisko would object as strongly; Kurn has a right to self-determination. However, Kurn is consenting for Worf to end his own life. This fits with Klingon cultural norms, which emphasise the importance of death in combat and detest suicide; it runs against the Federation cultural norm that insists  “thou shalt not kill.”

“Thank your lucky stars you’re not still on your probationary period, Worf.”

It is interesting to build various thought experiments and “what ifs?” around this. If Worf had killed Kurn by administering a drug overdose, would that have been more acceptable than standing over Kurn with a bloody dagger? If Worf had simply been passive during a ritual suicide in which Kurn did all of the hard work, would Sisko have been as angry over Worf’s failure to stop it? Where does the line fall? Sisko allows Dax and Worf to engage in dangerous combat simulations resulting in real wounds. Picard let Worf use painsticks on the holodeck.

Sons of Mogh does not bog itself down with these questions, leaving it for the audience to mull them over and reach their own conclusions. Indeed, Sisko’s dressing down of Worf helps delineate Deep Space Nine from The Next Generation even further. Picard would be quietly disappointed. Sisko is vocally disappointed. When Worf attempts to cite regulations, Sisko is having none of it. “Regulations?” Sisko is quite frank. “We’re not talking about some obscure technicality, Mister Worf. You tried to commit premeditated murder.”

“I’m worshipped as a messiah by my first officer, and even I think that was out of line.”

The bluntness of Sisko’s response is as refreshing as the (relatively) open-minded approach that Deep Space Nine adopts towards multiculturalism. There is room for all perspectives, but that does not mean anything goes. “I have given you both a lot of leeway when it comes to following Klingon traditions,” Sisko advises Worf and Dax, “but in case you haven’t noticed, this is not a Klingon station, and those are not Klingon uniforms you’re wearing. There is a limit to how far I’ll go to accommodate cultural diversity among my officers and you’ve just reached it.”

The hook of having Worf actually attempt to murder Kurn elevates Sons of Mogh . It pushes the story in an unpredictable direction and helps to demarcate the differences between Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation . It also provokes interesting questions about the boundaries that must exist within a multicultural society for the preservation of order. More than The Sword of Kahless before it, Sons of Mogh makes it clear that Worf has changed in the transition between the two shows.

Some light necking…

However, the biggest problem with Sons of Mogh is that the story really has nowhere to go after that original plot twist. Worf tries to kill Kurn one third of the way through the episode; that means that there is still half-an-hour of plot to fill. The problem is that nothing can quite measure up to the raw visceral impact of Worf jamming a knife into his brother’s chest, rather literally severing his strongest remaining link to the Klingon Empire. Indeed, given the impact of that sequence, the actual ending of the show seems like an anticlimax.

It could be argued that Sons of Mogh would be a much stronger episode if it ended with Worf agreeing to murder Kurn rather than beginning with it. Allowing Worf to actually kill his brother would make a much more tragic (and definitive) end to the story, while providing any number of delightful ironies. There would be something poetic in the fact that Worf’s fidelity to Klingon ritual and tradition would be the thing to break any material connection that the Klingon still has to Qo’nos. By adhering to Klingon culture, Worf severs his roots to that culture.

Brothers in law…

Instead, the actual ending to Sons of Mogh feels like something of a cop-out. The decision to have Worf wipe Kurn’s memory instead of just killing him feels like the worst sort of creative compromise, recalling the delightfully gonzo false compromise that would be made regarding Nog in The Siege of AR-558 . While the decision to have Worf plunge the knife into Kurn demonstrates that Deep Space Nine is willing to go further than The Next Generation , the refusal to let Worf actually kill his brother demonstrates the show is not as transgressive as it would claim to be.

After all, the erasure of Kurn’s memory feels very much like an easy solution to a complex issue. In fact, it is precisely the sort of techno-babble contrivance that The Next Generation would use during its first two seasons; Picard and his crew memory-wiped Sarjenka to avoid any serious consequences of their actions in Pen Pals . It seemed like a deus ex machina ending in that episode, and it is no better here. While Sons of Mogh does linger on the emotional consequences of the decision, it still seems a cheap resolution.

“This may sting a little…”

As much as Moore argues that Worf’s attempted murder of Kurn demonstrates Deep Space Nine ‘s willingness to push itself, the episode’s ending feels like a step backwards for the show. Worf and Bashir are able to use advanced medical technology to resolve a difficult plot, with Bashir wiping Kurn’s memory and resquencing his DNA as if it were nothing. It undercuts a lot of the dramatic stakes of the episode. Sons of Mogh might as well have Q turn up and click his fingers so that Kurn is magically not depressed any longer.

To be fair, the issue is not the memory wipe itself. There are interesting stories to be told about memory and identity; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes to mind, and the franchise had played with it in episodes like Conundrum and Unforgettable . Indeed, the ethics of memory manipulation are very much a matter of contemporary debate . In fact, it has been suggested that selective memory wipes could be used to treat drug addiction . While they are a well-worn trope, memory wipes are not inherently bad writing.

“Doctor Crusher would never have let me get away with this.”

The problem is how the episode chooses to employ the memory wipe, using it as clumsy deus ex machina where Worf and Bashir choose to wipe Kurn’s memory (and destroy his identity) without his consent. Ronald D. Moore concedes the point to The Official Poster Magazine :

I think the one criticism I’ve heard several times is that people have objected to Worf wiping his brother’s memory at the end, that it was immoral or that he had gone too far in doing it. I understand that point of view, but it felt as if, in Klingon terms and in Worf’s mind, he was giving his brother the only way out. Worf, I think, is caught in the crux of a dilemma where he doesn’t want to kill his brother because he is more Human than he thought he was, but at the same time he’s very strongly Klingon and understands that his brother cannot go on with his honor being torn from him like this. So he really had to find a third way out, and giving his brother a new life and a new chance to be somebody else seemed like the best to Worf. So I justified the decision in my mind in that sense. The one thing that is a more legitimate criticism is that we never showed the scene where Worf went to Dr. Bashir and talked to him about it and got him to agree. I take it as read that off-camera that scene did occur, that he did have that discussion, and that Bashir ultimately came around to the point of view of understanding that it’s a Klingon thing and that he could see the logic behind that Worf was doing and agree to do it. But the way the show plays out ultimately, there is a little bit of a feeling that you go to Bashir’s laboratory to to get your memory wiped, and that he is the mad scientist.

That “third way out” is a massive cheat in storytelling terms, but it doesn’t feel earned in character terms. Worf may be willing to kill Kurn with Kurn’s consent, but it feels too much to wipe his memory without talking it through with him. More than that, Bashir is the most principled member of the ensemble. What did Worf say to convince him?

Undercover brother.

It doesn’t help matters that the episode strains to offer an easy “out” just in case the production team change their minds at some point in the future. “Once I’ve erase his memory engrams it’ll be almost impossible to restore them,” Bashir advises Worf. The key word there is “almost” , as if the writers are leaving a trapdoor in case they decide to bring back Tony Todd at some point in the future. Ultimately, he never did; the character would become a part of the ensemble of Keith R.A. DeCandido’s I.K.S. Gorkon series.

It is a rather clumsy way to write out Kurn, one that feels like the production team had settled on an outcome before they plotted the story. It feels like Sons of Mogh exists to further isolate Worf, to disconnect him from his people even more than The Way of the Warrior had. “I have no family,” Worf confesses at the end of the episode. It feels like the mission statement of the episode, a clear attempt to manoeuvre Worf to a point of maximum vulnerability. Worf is more alone than he has ever been before.

“I want to put your face back on…”

Of course, Worf also seems to be glossing over the fact that he does have a biological son, who will reappear in Sons and Daughters and You Are Cordially Invited before fading into history. Ronald D. Moore attempted to explain this inconsistency, albeit in a way that makes Worf seem like even more of a jerk :

On one level, Worf was speaking of the fact that he cut his ties to the family of Mogh when he let Kurn go.   On another level, I think that it was a Freudian slip, and that Worf has psychologically distanced himself from Alexander.

That said, Alexander’s reappearance in the early sixth season will build on the precedent established by Sons of Mogh , suggesting that the writers struggle with the question of what to do about Worf’s extended family. Deep Space Nine clearly wants to position Worf as a loner, but it has difficulty managing his baggage.

Mogh brother, Mogh problems…

Then again, Deep Space Nine is going through a phase of isolating its main characters. Dukat fell from power in Return to Grace . Quark will be cut off in Body Parts . Odo will be cast out in Broken Link . As writer Keith R.A. DeCandido noted, this is a recurring motif of the fourth season. Acknowledging the trend, the novelist reflected, “I thought they were dipping into that well a bit too much and it got irritating.” There is an argument to be made that Deep Space Nine could occasionally seem downright sadistic in how it treated its lead characters.

Of course, this is a major theme of the show, and it has been since Emissary . The crew of Deep Space Nine is not the best or the brightest; they are not the flagship staff. In the larger context of the Star Trek universe, Deep Space Nine is the island of misfit toys. Given that Voyager features a bunch of former terrorists, that is really saying something. (Or… maybe not, given how quickly those former terrorists put on those snazzy Starfleet jumpsuits.) The fourth season represents the midpoint of the show; it makes sense to have the character arcs reach a nadir.

“This is me asking nicely.”

Then again, part of this does seem needlessly harsh. Much like K’Ehleyr in Reunion , it is hard to argue that Kurn had fulfilled all of his dramatic potential when Ronald D. Moore chose to write him out of the show. Certainly, actor Tony Todd has voiced his frustration with the way Kurn was dispatched :

“I didn’t like what happened to Kurn in the Sons Of Mogh, but I signed the contract to do that before I had read the script. Which was my first mistake. Otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to do it. Kurn started to turn out a bit like Hamlet, and I think the fans missed some resolution to him. They should have done something. Kurn should have gone out in a fight!”

Todd has a point. Kurn is an interesting character in his own right at this point in the story. Worf has spent decades romanticising Klingon culture from afar. Being cut off from the Klingon Empire must hurt, but it is largely theoretical to him. Kurn has actually lived within the Empire. His loss is not theoretical.

He ain’t heavy…

Sons of Mogh works quite well when it has Kurn call Worf out on the fact that he has never made his home with his own people. When Worf was cut off from the Empire, he still had a home and a life and a job. In some ways, Worf’s principled stand against the invasion of Cardassia had a fairly low cost, all things considered. “So in avoiding dishonour for yourself, you brought it on the rest of your family,” Kurn sarcastically observes. “What a noble act. How selfless.” His criticism stings.

When Worf tries to brush aside Kurn’s observations with a dismissive “what is done is done” , Kurn refuses to have it. “For you, it’s done,” he insists. “You and your comfortable Federation life, your glorious Starfleet career. But not for me.” Kurn demands, “Did you watch as Gowron’s men seized our land and stripped our family of its name? Did you have to endure the humiliation of being ejected from the High Council in front of the Emperor himself? No. You chose to stay here, safe, comfortable, secure.”

“You want me to kill you? Good, because this was beginning to look like a bad sit-com episode.”

Kurn paints a very visceral picture of the dishonour that Worf brought upon the house, lending a lot of meat to a development that had been largely theoretical to this point. Kurn’s experience gives texture to Worf’s discommendation and honour. More than that, it serves to raise tough questions about the choice that Worf made; was Kurn even a consideration when Worf refused to go along with Gowran’s illegal and immoral invasion of Cardassian space? Should he have been?

(Again, this plays into the somewhat complicated moral framework of Deep Space Nine . As with Dukat’s heroism in Return to Grace , the script for Sons of Mogh suggests that doing the right thing is not necessarily enough of itself; it is worth evaluating the process that led to that decision. Worf made the right call in refusing to side with Gowran, but Kurn makes a very convincing argument that Worf never truly considered the material cost that Kurn would pay for his refusal. Perhaps Worf’s pride and self-image led him to carelessly gamble Kurn’s life and future.)

“You know, you’d think having the ability to erase memories would be useful more often. Ah, well…”

The decision to write out Kurn in this manner feels particularly cruel in hindsight. Sons of Mogh makes a great deal of fuss about how Worf has effectively once and for all chosen Starfleet over the Klingon Empire. “For a long time I have tried to walk the line between the Empire and the Federation,” he confesses to Dax. “I told myself I could live in either world, that it was my choice. But the truth is, I cannot go back to the Empire.” As with Crossfire , there is a sense that this would be a bold and brutal conclusion to Worf’s character arc. Worf cannot get what he wants.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. After all, the production team on The Next Generation mined years of stories out of that tension between Worf’s sense of duty to the Federation and his romantic fixation with the Klingon Empire. Given that Worf had barely spent half a season on Deep Space Nine , it seems highly unlikely that the production team would actually tidy up that recurring character beat. Instead, Sons of Mogh becomes a bump in the road. Much as Crossfire only delays Odo and Kira getting together, Sons of Mogh only teases resolution to Worf’s arc.

Taking at stab at this ritual stuff…

After all, the fifth season rather dramatically rolls back on many of the bold moves made by the fourth. Odo regains his ability to shape-shift in The Begotten . The peace with the Klingons is restored in By Inferno’s Light . Dukat returns home triumphant in the same episode. Quark his his business license restored in Ferengi Love Songs . Worf has his disgrace erased by joining the House of Martok in Soldiers of the Empire . Odo’s feelings for Kira come back into play with Children of Time . There is a sense that the fourth season is something of a diversion.

This is not a problem in most cases. After all, one of the big ideas of Deep Space Nine (and Star Trek in general) is the idea that the characters are enriched by the journey. These story threads are worth exploring on their own terms, because they lead to interesting episodes and character beats. However, it does feel a bit strange to so brutally and definitively write Kurn out of the show. Kurn has only appeared in a handful of episodes, but his first appearance in Sins of the Father makes him a core part of Worf’s larger decade-long character arc.

Taking a Kurn for the worse…

Sons of Mogh has some very interesting and very bold ideas, but it never seems entirely sure what to do with them. There is a sense that the episode front-loads its most powerful scenes, leading to a climax that feels trite in comparison. It is great to see Tony Todd again, and to get a sense of the material consequences of Worf’s decision in The Way of the Warrior . However, that is not enough to support the episode as it stands.

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Filed under: Deep Space Nine | Tagged: cultural relativism , deep space , ds9 , klingons , kurn , murder , sons of mogh , star trek , star trek: deep space nine |

15 Responses

To be honest, I never liked the addition of Worf’s family (Alexander, K’Ehylar, Kurn) in the first place. If this guy has a big extended family on Quo’nos, than it doesn’t make sense that he would just be sent away to live in Russia. Kurn escaped their father’s disgrace, so why couldn’t he?

But they were written in the fabric of the show for good or ill, and I think DS9 juggled them pretty well.

I do wish more had been done with him and Odo (the sight of Kurn in a security uniform is a scream).

I love that gag about Kurn finding the uniform “uncomfortable”, only to reveal that he is not talking metaphorically. It would have been a waste of Tony Todd, but it would have been fun to have a little more of that “stern-faced Klingon customs officer” running through the show. Then again, my breakout character of DS9 was always the Klingon chef who appeared a few times in the second season, so I just love in incongruity of unconventional Klingon employment.

Klingons as lawyers is also a highly unlikely job for a Klingon, but we get them in Star Trek VI (played by Michael Dorn no less), Rules of Engagement and Judgement. If Klingons ran a legal firm, what would it look like?

Trial by Combat.

Always trial by combat.

(Truth be told, I’m surprised that TNG/DS9 didn’t go with that, although I suppose they kinda did with Worf’s murders of Duras and Gowran, which were justified as legitimate.)

I always find mind wipes – especially erasure of personality like this – absolutely horrifying, probably more so than death. It feels far more… final, strangely. Or maybe not strangely if one believes in some sort of afterlife. To walk around without any concept of who you were, to have that intentionally stolen from you really feels far more barbaric than what Kurn was looking for from Worf.

You’re right. That’s a very valid observation about the afterlife. After all, most religions assume some essence of a person… what happens to that in a mind wipe, and doesn’t using a mind wipe represent an abuse of power beyond that of any deity in any religion that argues for free will? After all, Christian belief treats free will (if not the actualisation of that free will) as involuble, to pick the obvious example. A mind wipe erases that. I fear we may disappear down a rabbit hole.

And it’s weird how okay Bashir is with it. (You get the sense he just wants Kurn and Worf out of there because he’s going to resurrect another Bajoran Vedek or create a new girlfriend. Time is a-tickin’ and all that.)

I think the central problem with this episode is it is just not memorable. This is a problem that affected a lot of the early Worf episodes, as would be later seen in Rules of Engagement. I think it might have been interesting if worf had his doubts about killing Kurn, Jadzia pushed Worf to do it. This could have been an excellent chance to develop their relationship beyond basic flirting.

If he killed his brother, it would all be for naught. He was welcomed back into the Empire at the end of the series.

Killing Kurn would close off too many avenues. The audience would never forgive or forget it. At the same time, you would have to deal with Kurn in the finale. The reason Bashir says it is “impossible” to fix his memory engrams (which contradicts earlier Trek episodes) is because it would be absurd for Ambassador Worf to leave Kurn in that state.

As I said, introducing Kurn was a mistake.

Well, he does functionally kill his brother. He just does it in a “clean” and “socially acceptable” way. Although it should be noted Bashir says it would be “almost impossible” to recover Kurn’s memory, leaving just a tiny avenue in case later writers decided to change their minds.

I suspect you might be right about Kurn. Despite his place in the mythos, he appears in… what? four episodes and three stories? And his function in the first two of those three stories could easily be played by another character, an ally of the House of Mogh or an old friend. And the third of those three stories (this one) could simply not happen.

The only compelling counter-argument that occurs to me is the fact that hiring Tony Todd is always a good idea.

I think it is memorable… to an extent.

The image of Worf actually plunging the knife into Kurn stays with me. But that’s only fifteen minutes into a forty-five minute episode. There is nowhere to go from there.

It’s an interesting idea about Jadzia, but I’d have a hard time buying Jadzia endorsing “kill your brother” as anything but macho Klingon nonsense. Dax respects Klingon culture, but she’s far more willing to call bullsh!t on it than Worf, who has grown up romanticising it from afar. (Indeed, one of my favourite Dax moments is helping Worf see the Klingon Empire for what it really is in Tacking into the Wind, which suggests that she was always skeptical of the institutions.)

Would Dax’s comments about the Empire in Tacking Into The Wind have had more resonance coming from Jadzia instead of Ezri? I think she makes a valid argument though, that when honourable Klingons like Worf and Martok are prepared to follow corrupt leaders like Gowron, what hope is there for the Empire?

I don’t know. I feel like Ezri was even one step further removed from all that. Jadzia kinda liked Klingon culture, but I can’t see Ezri embracing it as readily. Of course, Jadzia was also perfectly willing to call out hypocrisy.

(And some of the show’s best uses of the character were “Jadzia tells it like it is” moments, such as her dressing down of Bashir in The Quickening or even her “playing Romulan” in In The Pale Moonlight.)

Why was Picard for Riker aiding Worf’s suicide in Ethics but Sisko wasn’t regarding Kurn? Have Federation laws changed since that episode? Voyager was exploring the theme of euthanasia too in Death Wish where Janeway granted Quinn’s right to die. The laws seem to change with each Star Trek show.

Why wasn’t Worf charged with attempted murder? Surely that’s still an offence under Federation law? Kurn has a right to self-determination, or self-termination Darren? Kurn is Worf’s last link to the Klingon Empire at least until Martok comes into his life. I wonder if Worf is the only Klingon in history to be discommendated twice? The Empire makes peace with the Federation in By Inferno’s Light.

Good spot on that Klingon peace. Corrected.

And I think you’re probably right about Worf. The Klingon High Council should have an adjustable sign with “current state of the House of Mogh”, adjusted between “discommended” and “commended” depending on the current status.

Fully agree with David and Darren. This episode (and to some degree season 4) flies in the face of star trek history (eg. Gowron’s role), concepts embraced by the wider star trek lore (euthanasia as a right, individuals’ right to freedom of choice), and even specific characters’ personalities (memory wipe as honorable to Worf or ethical to Bashir or Dax who lives only to accumulate experiences????).

This review tries to not be too harsh but to me what Moore wrote as a script here is a joke that could have been written by someone who hasn’t watched the show so far and only caught up on what it is about the previous night.

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Sons of Mogh

• Episode aired Feb 12, 1996

Worf's brother Kurn asks him to perform a death rite to regain his lost honor. Meanwhile, Kira and O'Brien investigate Klingon activity near the Bajoran border. Worf's brother Kurn asks him to perform a death rite to regain his lost honor. Meanwhile, Kira and O'Brien investigate Klingon activity near the Bajoran border. Worf's brother Kurn asks him to perform a death rite to regain his lost honor. Meanwhile, Kira and O'Brien investigate Klingon activity near the Bajoran border.

• David Livingston
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Michael Piller
• Avery Brooks
• Rene Auberjonois
• Michael Dorn
• 15 User reviews
• 5 Critic reviews

• Captain Benjamin 'Ben' Sisko

• Constable Odo

• Lt. Cmdr. Worf

• Lt. Cmdr. Jadzia Dax

• (credit only)

• Chief Miles O'Brien

• Doctor Julian Bashir

• Major Kira Nerys

• Klingon Officer
• (as Elliot Woods)
• Bajoran Security Deputy
• (uncredited)
• Cardassian Computer
• Starfleet Ops Lieutenant

• Bajoran Woman
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Sisko's firm refusal to allow the Klingon death ritual aboard a Federation space station resembles a legend commonly told about British India. The story goes that a group of locals petitioned a British official to respect their custom of throwing a widow onto her husband's burning funeral pyre, to which the British official replied that they would have in turn to respect the British custom of holding any man who commits such action to be guilty of capital murder and bound for the gallows.
• Goofs Kurn's prosthetic nose comes loose from his Kingon make-up. When he talks in the infirmary, you can see it wiggle freely.

Odo : Well, your brother's had an interesting career with the Klingon Defense Forces, Mr. Worf. I have just one question: does he know how to use the 'stun'-setting on a disruptor?

• Connections Featured in What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2018)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title (uncredited) Written by Dennis McCarthy Performed by Dennis McCarthy

User reviews 15

• Sep 16, 2022
• February 12, 1996 (United States)
• United States
• Official Site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine : “Return To Grace”/“Sons Of Mogh”

“Return To Grace” (season four, episode 13; originally aired 2/5/1996)

In which Kira is getting too old for this shit…

One of the best parts of serialization on a long-running TV show is the way it can suggest other series inside of itself as time goes on. On Deep Space Nine , we have our main characters, and we know more or less what they’re up to with each passing season. Sisko is a captain, and he’s running the station, and he’s worried about the Klingons and the Dominion War. Bashir runs the infirmary, Odo is the loneliest constable, Worf is uncomfortable, Dax plays with people’s minds, O’Brien is, well, O’Brien. And so on—the point is, this is the main ensemble’s story, and individual episodes tend to focus on one or more of them, which is how TV works. What’s unexpected is when a recurring character drops by, and you suddenly realize that shit has been going down for them the whole time, and we just didn’t know it. Those changes are less noticeable when it’s someone like, say, Garak, who has a past, but these days spends most of his life on the station, having lunch with Bashir and cutting clothes. But when Gul Dukat pops up near the start of “Return To Grace,” and we learn he’s been demoted and divorced after the events of “Indiscretion,”   that’s unexpected. In the previous episode, Kira persuaded Dukat not to kill his half-Bajoran daughter, even if that meant his political and personal ruination. Well, he didn’t, and it did, and he’s not too happy about it.

Dukat’s arc on the series thus far is strong enough to have carried its own show, and we’ve only seen segments of it. Imagine it in the mold of one of those antihero narratives that are so popular of late: A proud military man who believes the subjugation of another people by his own is only just, slowly but surely getting his face ground in the idea that there’s no such thing as a “superior” race. The effort he has to expend to maintain power in the face of shifting realities, as first his position is eliminated, and then the very government he’s given his life serving is overthrown. And then he comes face to face with a symbol of his own compromised past, and, unable to destroy that evidence, he loses everything. Now, just as his people find themselves weak, adrift, and teetering on destruction, he himself is reduced to his lowest point, determined to fight his way back to prominence, but stymied by a developing conscience and a lack of options. That’s where this episode kicks off, but it had me looking back, and you know, I’d love to watch a TV show with that kind of through line. Especially one starring Marc Alaimo, whose ability to make Dukat charismatic, slimy, and yet weirdly sympathetic has helped make the character one of the best villains in Trek history. While Sisko and the others are doing their thing, Dukat has watched his world crumble, and all we get are snapshots.

“Return To Grace” finds Kira once again forced to team up with her longtime nemesis, first as a passenger aboard Dukat’s new freighter (well, new to Dukat; he’s been demoted to busywork post-Tora), then as his co-captain as the two work together to track down a Klingon ship that destroyed a proposed peace conference between Bajorans and Cardassians. Kira also runs into Tora, who’s living aboard the ship with her father; while he’s lost everything else, his long-lost daughter is determined to stand by him whatever the cost. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that she doesn’t have a choice, as her Cardassian/Bajoran parentage makes her an outcast in both societies. But as with “Indiscretion,” Tora helps to humanize (well, you know what I mean) Dukat, especially in Kira’s eyes. While it’s hard to imagine the major ever truly liking her former enemy, or even getting much beyond tolerating his presence, Tora is at least a reminder that there is some sincerity behind all that unctuous charm. Cyia Batten once again brings an almost uncomfortable directness to the role, and her presence helps to make Dukat’s big speech at the end of the hour ring true. He is a man of some convictions, if you know where to dig.

While “Indiscretion” serves as a starting point for much of the character work in “Return To Grace,” the latter is the superior episode. Gone are the forced moments of levity, and the attempts to build some kind of unsettling romantic chemistry between the two leads; while Dukat is still trying to pursue Kira, they don’t share a laugh together, and while she seems troubled from time to time, it’s clear by the end that she’s mostly just concerned for Tora, who she sees going down a dark path. The big difference here is balance, and how Dukat’s advances are portrayed. It’s possible to feel a little sad for how his life has turned out—not to the point of serious pity, mind you, and it’d be hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve most of what he’s wrought so far. Saving Ziyal and bringing her back to Cardassia was the right thing to do, but when “not killing my daughter” is the highest mark on your list of good deeds, you aren’t exactly a hero. This episode gets that balance; Dukat love for his child and his desire to save his people are sincere, but that doesn’t mean his sleazy efforts to undermine Kira’s love life are somehow legitimate or welcome. They play like the kind of asshole behavior of a business executive who thinks he can get whatever he wants so long as he keeps pushing for it, exploiting the fact that most people won’t tell him to fuck off as though that means they’re actually welcoming his advances. While I understand the dramatic value of putting Kira and Dukat in confined quarters, it’s never going to be my favorite setup for a story, even when the episode (like this one) is quite good. It’s just creepy in a way that’s never satisfactorily addressed, that I’m not sure can be addressed. But at least “Return To Grace” makes no question about the selfishness of Dukat’s attraction.

As for the rest of the episode, the novelty of having Klingons as villains (or at least a dangerous threat) still hasn’t quite worn off for me, and there’s some old school fun to be had in Kira’s plan to turn the freighter (whose in-ship weapon’s system is so weak it can’t even dent the Bird of Prey’s hull) into a formidable killing machine. The major is once again called upon to put her freedom-fighting past to good use, reminding Dukat he needs to think more like a terrorist if he wants to win. (A loaded statement, but a true one in this case.) The fight against the Klingons is thrilling and fairly clever, but the real kicker of the hour comes at the end, after Dukat gets his great triumph. Ever since he realized he could potentially destroy the ship that murdered so many ambassadors, Dukat had been gloating about his return to power; only to find that once he’s succeeded in capturing the enemy vessel, his superiors order him to stand down. He’ll be given back his military position, but the Cardassian government wants peace with the Klingons, not war, even though the Klingon ship has detailed records and codes that would give the Cardassians a much needed edge.

The title of this episode, “Return To Grace,” is a little ambiguous; while it’s obvious Dukat is the one doing the returning, it’s hard to say if the “grace” is ironic or serious. After all, he does have a chance to go back to the home that exiled him in all but name, with his former rank restored to him, but he rejects that chance, in favor of starting his own guerrilla assault on the enemy. There’s something almost noble in his choice, and the fervor with which he rails against a Cardassia willing to bow down and embrace its own obsolescence. He invites Kira to come with him, and she, of course, refuses (for all his intelligence and cunning, Dukat isn’t the best judge of character), but when she offers to take Ziyal onto DS9, to save her a life of running and gunning, he allows it. That says something about what all this hardship has done for Dukat’s character. He’s still not trustworthy, and he’s still capable of unnecessary violence (witness his cool destruction of the entire Klingon crew), but he’s a purer character now. Maybe what we’re seeing is Cardassian grace: superior intelligence and ruthless efficiency combined in the purpose of utter domination.

Stray observations:

• It’s a small touch, but I love how Kira has to get inoculated before going to the conference. The Cardassian health care system is a wreck; how far the mighty have fallen.
• “The best way to survive a knife fight is to never get in one.”—Kira, laying down some truths.
• I wonder if we’ll see Tora Ziyal on the station again? It’s a good setup, actually; most shows, you’d know that Ziyal couldn’t stay behind because it would be too much of a change of the status quo, but DS9 is big enough, and the serialization loose enough, that she can hide until whenever the writers want to use her again. (I also love the idea of the station being a place where misfits and oddities eventually wind up. Although that doesn’t work for everyone, as we’ll see in the next episode.)

“Sons Of Mogh” (season four, episode 14; originally aired 2/12/1996)

In which Worf loses his brother…

I’m a soft touch when it comes to Klingon-centric episodes, but even I have to admit that a lot of the plots are getting stale; we don’t need more entries featuring a couple of regular cast members going off in search of a mystical Klingon artifact, at least. There’s none of that in “Sons Of Mogh,” and while the hour does focus on Worf and the responsibilities of his culture, it finds a new angle in Worf’s brother, Kurn (Tony Todd, who is, apart from the voice, completely unrecognizable from his appearance in “The Visitor” ). This is Kurn’s first appearance on DS9 , but while Star Trek: The Next Generation dealt with the sibling rivalry/bond between the two Klingons, raised apart only to discover one another’s existence long after they were full grown, this episode is more about what Worf owes his family now that he’s taken a stand against Gowron and the empire’s actions. Worf’s idealism and nobility were often contrasted against the hypocrisy and venality of modern Klingon culture, but here, he’s put in a situation where someone he loves deeply has been set adrift by Worf’s actions. However justified and necessary those actions were, Kurn is still a wreck, his honor gone, his house stripped of lands. All he wants now is death. And Worf, at least at first, is willing to oblige.

That’s a twist I didn’t see coming. Reading a brief teaser for the episode (something like, “Kurn comes aboard the station, wanting Worf to help him die in a Klingon ritual”), I assumed that most of the hour would be taken up with Kurn getting angry, Worf struggling to convince him that life could get better, and the whole thing would end with some kind of bittersweet resolution. Which is roughly what happens, only Worf agrees to kill his brother right after their first scene together. And he would’ve succeeded, too, if Dax hadn’t realized what was happening and interrupted them; as it is, Worf still manages to plunge a large knife into Kurn’s chest before Dax breaks in to whisk the fallen Klingon to the infirmary. This is a smart way to play expectation against character; for us non-Klingons, a relative in good physical health demanding we murder them is cause for deliberation, discussion, and delay. For Worf, well, this is a guy who wanted to be put out of his misery when there was a chance he might never walk again. He’s definitely not happy that Kurn wants to die, but he also believes in the customs of his race, and he has some very deep-rooted convictions about honor and responsibility. Whatever his own wishes might be, it’s his duty to help his brother. To not do so would be to deny the foundations of his own character.

Still, he’s maybe a bit hasty here, and this does lead to the least in the ongoing series of “Worf does something stupid, and Sisko and the others have to set straight” mini-stories. Thankfully, unlike TNG (which seemed to set aside time each week for Worf to get schooled), DS9 has been letting Worf get some wins in, like his backgrounded capture of the assassin stalking Shakaar in “Crossfire.” And his behavior here isn’t simply adherence to (in our eyes barbaric) custom. As Kurn repeatedly points out, the end of the House of Mogh is, for all intents and purposes, Worf’s fault. His refusal to go along with Gowron’s attack on Cardassia led to Kurn’s current impossible situation, and unlike Worf, Kurn has no Starfleet to turn to if he wants meaning in his life. His position is lost, and since he’s become an outcast through no action of his own, there’s no real way for him to get back what was once his. He’s depressed and angry for completely understandable reasons, and to its credit, the script never undermines or tries to mock his pain. It’s a legitimately agonizing problem, and it’s only through an improbable (but kind of cool, and heartbreaking) final twist that we’re able to find something even remotely approaching a happy ending.

But there’s a lot of angst before we get there. (Good angst, too. The well-earned kind.) Sisko isn’t happy about Worf’s stabbing party, so there’s some shouting; to his credit, Worf doesn’t try and defend himself. (Dax stands up for him, though. And this after we saw the two of them sparring and debating weapon efficiency in a holosuite earlier. Love is in the air…) But even after admitting his error, he’s still got a sad, messed up brother kicking around. Kurn is, of course, angry to find that he’s still alive, but instead of turning the episode into a big fight between the two, the focus is more on trying to find some way around Kurn’s death wish, giving him some new life to replace the old. This goes as well as you’d expect, but in a nice touch, Worf asks Odo to take Kurn on as part of the security force, and it turns out Kurn is very good at his job; having given his life over to Worf’s hands, Kurn believes it’s his duty to do whatever’s asked of him. It’s a passive-aggressive move, done to force Worf to take responsibility as well as to demonstrate just how pointless and wretched Kurn believes his life has become. But he doesn’t cheat. He does well as a security officer (Odo even praises him. Odo!), right up until somebody pulls a gun and Kurn lets himself get shot. He survives, but death wishes aren’t great for group morale, and Worf is back to square one.

“Sons Of Mogh” has two storylines; this isn’t unusual for an episode of television, but they fit together in a clever way. On a trip back to the station, Kira and O’Brien see an explosion in space; a Klingon ship appears soon after and tells him to move long, lest he explode their butts, but the two are understandably curious. Long story short, it turns out the Klingons are mining nearby space in an attempt to cut the station off from the rest of the Bajor. So, obviously our heroes are going to want to take care of that—but to do so, they need the coordinates for the mines; otherwise they’d just have to blunder around and make a note of it whenever anyone blew up. (The mines are cloaked, by the way.) That’s where Worf and Kurn come in. It’s both a smart idea to tie the two plots together—they are, after all, both about Klingons—and a useful tool to make Kurn’s position that much worse. Now, not only is he destitute and honor-less, he’s actively working against his own people; and, worst of all, during the mission, he’s forced to kill another Klingon to save Worf’s life.

This leads to some interesting soul-searching with Worf (which he does with Dax, hint, hint), when he realizes that his inability to see the threat of death in the other warrior’s eyes means that he’s never going to go back to being a “real” Klingon, no matter how much he might wish otherwise. Worf’s journey over the course of TNG and DS9 has dabbled in racial identity (well, species identity), and while it’s never really got beyond, “Man, I hope I’m not a wimp because I hang out with humans. Damn, I guess I kind of am,” it’s a struggle that always made sense. Everyone has to wonder about their legitimacy when they realize they don’t fit every parameter from whatever sociological group they identify with, and while neither Trek franchise has ever suggested that the Federation is worse than the Klingon Empire, there’s an undeniable sadness to what Worf expresses here. There really is no more home for him, not in the way he always imagined there would be.

Which is why the end of the episode is so sad, even if it’s the happiest possible outcome for Kurn and Worf’s dilemma. Realizing his brother can never be happy as himself, Worf persuades Bashir to permanently alter Kurn’s features, as well as erase his memories of the past. Kurn will still know enough to survive, but he’ll no longer remember he was a son of Mogh; Worf even manages to find him a new home and a new house to belong to. It’s all a little goofy in the details, a one-off sci-fi switch-up that, even though the individual steps make reasonable sense, seems a bit goofy when put all together. (Does plastic surgery in the future leave any sign? Is Kurn going to get a physical someday and find out he used to look like someone else? Not to mention the fact that Bashir can’t change DNA.) But it works, because of the emotion behind it. The details don’t matter; what matters is that Worf is permanently cutting himself apart from the only Klingon relative he has left. To save his brother, he has to lose him, and it’s ridiculous and tragic all at once.

• “You thought by distracting me with your outfit, you would gain an advantage.”—Worf, walking into a trap.
• Despite their bonding last week, Worf and Odo still have a very professional kind of relationship; when Worf comes to him to ask for a favor, Odo makes sure to point out how hard the request must be, and how he always collections on his debts. One of the things I like about Worf being on DS9 is that he mixes up the general love-in of the show’s main cast. I don’t need everyone hating on each other, but it’s nice to have a character who doesn’t quite fit in with the others.
• “Uglier, that is. [Pause.] Joke.” “I got it.”—Bashir and Worf. It’s hard to convey in print, but the delivery is excellent.
• “I have no family.”—Worf. Aw.
• Tony Todd is, as ever, excellent; he makes Kurn seem on edge and crazed without ever losing the very real grievance and pain at the heart of the character.
• Love that last shot of Worf walking away, alone.
• SLIGHT SPOILER: I was sad to see this is Kurn’s last appearance on the show. It’s the right choice, though.

Next week: Quark has to struggle with the “Bar Association,” and Sisko meets a potential rival in “Accession.”

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Mogh Battlecruiser

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Release date: December 12, 2013 The Mogh -class Battlecruiser is a Tier 5 ( Level 50) Battlecruiser which may be flown by Klingon Defense Force characters, including Klingon Empire-aligned Romulan Republic and Dominion characters. All faction restrictions of this starship can be removed by having a level 65 KDF character or by purchasing the Cross Faction Flying unlock from the Zen Store .

Purchasing this starship will unlock a Fleet Ship Module discount when purchasing the Fleet Mogh Battlecruiser (T5) .

• 2 Class variants
• 3 Starship Mastery
• 4.1 Universal consoles
• 4.3 Cruiser commands
• 5.1 T5-X upgrade
• 6 Ship comparison
• 7 Admiralty ship

Overview [ | ]

Ambassador Worf overlooks the construction of the Mogh -class Battlecruiser

Several teams of engineers have been working on iterations of the Klingon Defense Force 's battlecruiser technology. One team, led by Ambassador Worf , developed a smaller, more nimble ship intended to combat enemies who rely on speed as a defense. In honor of his contributions to the project, Ambassador Worf was allowed to name the new starship class. He chose the name " Mogh " in honor of his father, a Klingon warrior who died in the Khitomer massacre of 2346 .

The Mogh -class Battlecruiser is more offensively focused than the Negh'Var class , but slightly less durable. It was designed with versatility in mind and offers a balance between offense and defense. It features a Dynamic Defense Deployment System (or D.D.D.S. ), which is a versatile rapid defense deployment weapon designed specifically for the Mogh Battlecruiser.

Mogh class from behind

Like most Klingon Battlecruisers, the Mogh maintains an aggressive profile, but takes design cues from other recent KDF ships such as the Bortasqu' class and Peghqu' -class Heavy Destroyer . Weapon hardpoints are readily visible on the hull, including a large, distinct weapon point in the center of the ship for the D.D.D.S., and the ship's few windows are secured in recessed niches that are covered up in combat. The Mogh class also comes with a Mogh Ship Material which is shiny and more metallic than other Klingon hull materials.

Class variants

Starship mastery [ | ], abilities [ | ], universal consoles [ | ].

The Mogh Battlecruiser comes equipped with the [ Console - Universal - Dynamic Defense Deployment System ] .

This dynamic weapon system functions differently depending upon which Cruiser Command has been activated:

• If Weapon System Efficiency is active (or no Cruiser Command is active), the D.D.D.S. will switch to:

• If Shield Frequency Modulation is active, the D.D.D.S. will switch to:

• If Strategic Maneuvering is active, the D.D.D.S. will switch to:

This ability is part of the Deadly Maneuvers Set , which also includes [ Console - Universal - Ablative Hazard Shielding ] obtainable with Kurak Battlecruiser (T6) , but also equippable on the Mogh Battlecruiser. For each console added after the first, an additional passive bonus is unlocked.

The Mogh -class Battlecruiser has a cloak that allows the ship to cloak when not in combat, granting stealth and a damage bonus upon decloaking.

Cruiser commands

As a Battlecruiser , this starship supports the following cruiser commands :

Standard configuration [ | ]

Klingon starships come with standard equipment and weapons of the lowest mark available at the ship's minimum rank. The items provided are appropriate to the type of vessel and its related playing style.

Fore Weapons

Aft Weapons

T5-X upgrade

By using an [ Experimental Ship Upgrade Token ] , the Mogh -class Battlecruiser may be upgraded to T5-X , unlocking an extra ship device slot, universal console slot, and the ability to slot an extra starship trait . Note that upgrading the Fleet Mogh Battlecruiser (T5) , the fleet version of the Mogh Battlecruiser, will not apply the upgrade to this starship.

Ship comparison [ | ]

Admiralty ship [ | ].

Notes [ | ]

• The Mogh -class was released as issue #10 in the Star Trek Online Starships Collection , represented by the I.K.S. Mogh .

Links [ | ]

• Season 8 Dev Blog - Mogh Battle Cruiser
• Star Trek Guest Blog - Designing the Mogh Battle Cruiser
• 1 List of canon starships
• 3 Playable starship

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Episode Preview: Sons of Mogh

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Kurn, son of Mogh

• View history
• 1.1 Early life
• 1.2 2366-2367
• 1.3 Klingon Civil War
• 1.4 Aftermath of the Civil War
• 2 Alternate realities and timelines
• 4.1 Appearances
• 4.2 Connections
• 4.3 External links

Biography [ ]

Early life [ ].

Kurn was born in 2345 on Qo'noS to Mogh, son of Worf and Kaasin . At a meal one night, Kurn threw a dish containing food, angering his mother, who ordered that he be given no more food that evening. It was at this meal that Mogh was tasked with tracking down a traitor working at the Khitomer outpost. Due to both Kurn's young age and a desire to preserve the family in case the rest of the family was killed, his parents decided to leave him on Qo'noS, under the care of Mogh's friend Lorgh , who was a Klingon Imperial Intelligence agent.

Shortly after Mogh and his family arrived on Khitomer, the Romulan collaborator Ja'rod revealed the shield codes to the Romulans, who lowered the outpost's shields. Mogh, Kaasin, and almost everyone else on the outpost died. Worf and Worf's nurse Kahlest survived, as did a number of other warriors who were taken prisoner. Lorgh decided to hide Kurn's true bloodlines, and raised Kurn as his own son. Sergey and Helena Rozhenko were informed by the Klingon High Council that Kurn's brother Worf had no surviving relatives, and the couple adopted Worf. ( TLE novel : The Art of the Impossible , TNG episodes : " Sins of the Father ", " Birthright ")

When Kurn reached the Age of Ascension , Lorgh told Kurn about his true family bloodlines, however publicly Kurn's bloodlines were kept hidden. Kurn joined the Klingon Defense Force , and by 2366 he had reached the rank of Commander and was serving on a Klingon vessel as first officer . ( TNG episode : " Sins of the Father ")

2366-2367 [ ]

When the Klingon High Council learned that Ja'rod had betrayed the Khitomer outpost, they decided that the House of Duras was too powerful to blame for this act, fearing that to do so would split the Klingon Empire and cause a civil war . Seeing that Worf was in Starfleet , and Mogh apparently had no other surviving family, it was decided to cast blame on Ja'rod's rival Mogh. Learning of this, Kurn decided to seek out his brother. Participating in the officer exchange program , he requested to be assigned to the USS Enterprise .

Arriving on the Enterprise , Kurn began shaking up the routine on the Enterprise , acting like a proper Klingon officer with everyone except Worf. Worf naturally took offense to this, and later confronted Kurn in his quarters. When Worf angrily told Kurn that he was Klingon and that if Kurn had any doubts that he could arrange a demonstration, Kurn replied that Worf's response was that of a true Klingon and older brother. After explaining to Worf that he had been hidden in Lorgh's family shortly as a young child, Kurn informed Worf that the High Council had judged their father Mogh a traitor.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard agreed to take the two brothers to Qo'noS to answer these charges. Worf asked that Kurn stand with him as his cha'DIch , but ordered Kurn not to reveal that he was a son of Mogh, to maintain his identity as the son of Lorgh. Duras, son of Ja'rod learned of Kurn's true bloodlines, and tried to have Kurn assassinated . Kurn was seriously injured in the attempt, but recovered in the sickbay on board the Enterprise . Picard took Kurn's place as cha'DIch , and found Khalest. Despite bringing her before the council, K'mpec and Duras were unwilling to reverse the judgment of the council. Worf decided to accept discommendation . Because Kurn's true identity had not been revealed, Kurn was able to continue serving in the Klingon Defense Force , with his honor intact, while Worf became persona non grata in Klingon society. ( TNG episode : " Sins of the Father ")

During the course of the following year, Kurn rose to command the IKS Hegh'ta . He came to feel that neither Gowron or the Duras family were worthy of leading the council, and began plotting with other high ranking officials to stage a coup to insure that neither the House of Duras or Gowron came into power. Shortly before Gowron's installation, Kurn revealed his plans to Worf, who decided not to allow Kurn to proceed with the coup. Kurn was able to convince several of the high ranking officials to join him in backing Gowron.

Kurn arrived back at Qo'noS to find Gowron's ship under attack. Worf, who was on Gowron's ship was able to destroy one of the attacking ships, and Kurn drove off the other ship. In response, Gowron, in his first act as chancellor , restored the honor of the House of Mogh . ( TNG episode : " Redemption, Part I ")

Klingon Civil War [ ]

During the Klingon Civil War , Kurn continued to command the IKS Hegh'ta . During one engagement in which the Hegh'ta was being pursued by two other Klingon ships, Kurn took the ship into the corona of a star , and having the ship fly away from the star at warp caused a reaction that destroyed the pursuing ships. He then took the Hegh'ta to Qo'noS for repairs.

When Worf criticized some of Gowron's actions, Kurn angrily replied that Gowron was now their leader, and that he supported Gowron at Worf's insistence. He stormed out of the room, and Worf was soon captured by agents loyal to the House of Duras.

During the closing moments of the war, Kurn led a force in attacking the Duras base on Qo'noS. He was able to find his brother Worf, as well as Toral, son of Duras . Smiling, Kurn informed Toral that Gowron wished to see him. When Gowron offered to let Worf execute Toral for the actions of the House of Duras, Worf refused, and citing his seniority in the House of Mogh, prevented Kurn from killing Toral. ( TNG episode : " Redemption, Part II ")

Aftermath of the Civil War [ ]

Following the war, Worf returned to Starfleet. Gowron offered Kurn a seat on the Klingon High Council in recognition of the House of Mogh's service to him during the war. ( TNG episode : " Redemption, Part II " and TNG novel : Foreign Foes )

When the clone of Kahless surfaced in 2369 , Worf decided to offer a proposal to the clone and to Gowron - that this Kahless would be allowed to reign as a ceremonial Emperor . Worf made it clear that if Gowron refused to accept this proposal that he would fight Gowron, as would Kurn and Kurn's supporters on the High Council. This would've almost certainly brought about another civil war. Fortunately, Gowron decided to accept the proposal, and allowed Kahless to take his place as ceremonial Emperor. ( TNG episode : " Rightful Heir ")

In a bid to stop his father from being killed in the early 25th century , Alexander Rozhenko traveled back in time to 2370 . Adopting the guise of K'mtar , the gin'tak of the House of Mogh , the older Alexander attempted to convince both Worf and his younger self of the need to develop into a warrior, hoping it would prevent Worf from being killed by his enemies. This older Alexander explained to Worf that Kurn had no male children of his own, and that leadership of the House would most likely fall to Alexander. He explained that Kurn was concerned about Alexander's ability to lead the house of Mogh in that event. However, as this was an older Alexander trying to manipulate Worf and his younger self, he might not have been telling the whole truth regarding Kurn. ( TNG episode : " Firstborn ")

In early 2372 , Chancellor Gowron decided to invade Cardassia , and broke off the alliance with the United Federation of Planets when they refused to support his action. Worf also refused to support Gowron, and as a result, the House of Mogh had its lands and title taken from them. ( DS9 episode : " The Way of the Warrior ") Kurn was forced to give up his seat on the council, and after roaming the Empire for several months in despair, he came to Deep Space 9 , asking Worf to perform the Mauk-to'Vor ritual, in order to regain his honor. However Jadzia Dax and Odo interrupted the ritual, and Kurn received medical treatment.

Thus thwarted, Kurn accepted a position in the Bajoran Militia , as part of Deep Space 9's security forces. However, Odo soon terminated him for having a death wish and endangering the rest of the force. Following a mission with Worf, uncovering a Klingon plot to mine the Bajoran system , Kurn contemplated suicide with a disruptor , despite the fact that the act would be dishonorable under his circumstance. However, Kurn was too drunk to carry out the suicide, and lost consciousness.

Worf arranged for Doctor Julian Bashir to completely wipe Kurn's memory, and to perform cosmetic surgery to alter Kurn's appearance. Kurn then began his life as Rodek, son of Noggra , an old friend of Mogh's who agreed to take Kurn into his family. ( DS9 episode : " Sons of Mogh ")

Alternate realities and timelines [ ]

Aside from the mirror universe , Kurn existed in other realities as well. In late 2370 , Worf passed through a number of realities after encountering a quantum fissure while returning from a bat'leth tournament. In the second to last alternate reality that Worf visited, Worf had been unable to participate in the tournament as he was assisting in maintenance activities on the Enterprise . As a result, Worf asked Kurn to go in his place, even though he felt that his younger brother did not have his prowess with the blade. ( TNG episode : " Parallels ")

In an alternate timeline in which the Cardassian Union did not withdraw from Bajor in 2369 , Kurn was still a member of the High Council in 2373 . In that year, he was killed when a Dominion fleet bombarded Qo'noS, devastating the planet and wiping out almost its entire population. ( TNG - Myriad Universes novel : A Gutted World )

See Also [ ]

• Rodek, son of Noggra

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TNG episode : " Sins of the Father "
• TNG episode : " Redemption, Part I "
• TNG episode : " Redemption, Part II "
• DS9 episode : " Sons of Mogh "
• DS9 novel : Vengeance
• ST novel : A Burning House

Connections [ ]

External links [ ].

• Kurn, son of Mogh article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Kurn, son of Mogh article at the Star Trek Timelines Wiki .
• Kurn article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• 1 Achilles class
• 2 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 3 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)

Screen Rant

Star trek confirms a shock species are immune to borg weaponry.

Few species strike fear into the hearts of the Federation like the Borg, but now, Star Trek has revealed that one species is immune to their weapons.

• The parasites from "Conspiracy" are immune to Borg weaponry, posing a major threat in Star Trek: Defiant #13.
• The parasites and the Borg share a hive mind trait, but the aliens have a serious advantage over the Borg.
• New revelations in Star Trek: Defiant reveal the parasites' body horror makeover and their potential to defeat the Borg.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Defiant #13

The Borg are perhaps the biggest threat to the Star Trek universe, but now it has been confirmed a shock species are immune to their weaponry. Few names strike fear into the hearts of Federation citizens , like the Borg. An ultra-powerful, cyborg race from the Delta Quadrant, the Borg have been responsible for untold misery across the galaxy, but in Star Trek: Defiant #13, one species looks to be immune.

Star Trek: Defiant #13 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. After arriving at Starbase 99 to drop off their prisoners, Worf and the crew of the Defiant learn the station has come under siege from the parasite aliens from the first season Next Generation episode “Conspiracy.” Hugh, an ex-Borg who threw in with Worf’s crew, tries to blast the parasites with a Borg heat weapon, but is shocked to learn they are resistant to it.

The crew continues to defend themselves against the infected, who have gained superhuman strength.

The Parasites From Conspiracy Are An Organic Version of the Borg

The two species share a great deal in common.

The parasitic aliens from “Conspiracy” have returned to the Star Trek universe. In their first appearance, Captain Picard thwarts their attempt at a takeover of the Federation. However, the crew of the Enterprise dealt the parasites a temporary set-back at best, as the episode ended with the aliens sending a homing beacon to their brethren, signaling a new area ripe for conquest. Thanks to the nature of episodic television, the parasites were never seen again, and they became a topic of debate among fans, who wondered if they would ever return.

Previous issues of Star Trek: Defiant have revealed a number of surprises about the parasitic aliens. First, a takeover by one of the aliens is extremely painful for the host, and can even drive the host insane. The parasites’ sole on-screen appearance alluded to the physical toll they can take on their hosts, and Star Trek: Defiant has doubled down on this, giving them a body horror makeover. Finally, the parasites and the Borg share some traits in common, namely a hive mind. However, the parasites cannot take over a Borg drone, giving Hugh an edge.

Star Trek Is Setting Up Tasha Yar's Daughter to Become the Franchise's Greatest Romulan Anti-Hero (Theory Explained)

The parasites have a serious advantage over the borg, could the parasites even defeat the borg.

Yet as seen in Star Trek: Defiant #13, the parasites are not at a total disadvantage, as they are immune to the Borg’s weapons, or at least their hand-held models. When Picard tries to blast the queen’s host with a phaser, it proves ineffective. Picard and Riker had to dial their phasers all the way to “kill” in order to even hurt the human host. That same resiliency is on display in this issue. While Borg weaponry is still some of the deadliest in the Star Trek universe, the “Conspiracy” parasites are immune, making them a true galactic threat.

Star Trek: Defiant #13 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!