TREKCORE > DS9 > EPISODES > SONS OF MOGH > Synopsis

Episode Synopsis by Tracy Hemenover

Worf and Dax are sparring in the holosuite, he with a mek'leth, she with a bat'leth. He defeats her, and she concedes the advantages of his weapon. They are talking when Worf gets a call from Odo, who says there's an intoxicated Klingon demanding to see him at one of the airlocks.

Worf goes and finds Odo and two deputies standing off against a Klingon whom he recognizes as his brother, Kurn. "The sons of Mogh reunited for one last time," Kurn slurs. Worf exclaims that he has been trying to contact Kurn for months. "Well," Kurn replies, "I'm here now. But not for long. Soon there will be only one son of Mogh. I came for Mauk-to'Vor...Yes, brother. I want you to kill me."

Kurn wakes up in Worf's quarters, which he doesn't think much of. "I've been overseeing the end of a once-proud house. Perhaps you've heard of it. It was called the House of Mogh." Worf regrets that his opposing Gowron has brought disgrace to their family, but he has no apology, even when Kurn reproaches him. After all, Kurn has taken the brunt of the humiliation. while Worf has been here, far removed from the consequences of his actions. But now Worf can restore his honor by giving him Mauk-to'Vor.

O'Brien and Kira are on their way back to the station after an inspection tour of Bajoran colonies, and have just entered Bajoran space when the runabout rocks from a nearby explosion. They start to investigate, but a Klingon bird-of-prey decloaks in front of them and warns them away from the area, saying they are engaged in military exercises. They lock disruptors, and the runabout leaves, but not before scanning the coordinates of the explosion.

Dax is concerned when Worf is late for their regular workout, but even more so when Quark tells her that this morning Worf ordered some incense called adanji. She is lost in thought when Odo passes by; she asks him about the Klingon who was wanting to see Worf. Odo tells her it turned out to be Worf's brother Kurn. "Oh my God," Dax says, realizing. She calls Worf, but gets no response; the computer says he's in his quarters, and Dax tells Odo to come with her.

Worf is engaged in the ritual, and has just stabbed Kurn when Dax and Odo burst in. Dax beams to the infirmary with Kurn. "You'd better hope he lives, Commander," Odo tells Worf. "If not, you'll be charged with murder."

Worf faces a quietly angry Sisko as Dax enters and tells them Kurn is going to live. She tries to support Worf by telling Sisko it was not attempted murder but a Klingon ritual. "At the moment, I don't give a damn about Klingon beliefs, rituals or customs," Sisko says. "Now, I have given you both a lot of leeway when it comes to following Klingon traditions. 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. When your brother is released from the infirmary, you better find another way to settle your family problems. Is that clear?" Dax tells Sisko there are other options for Kurn, and it won't happen again. But after they leave the office, Worf is ticked at her for interfering.

Sisko is much calmer when O'Brien and Kira report to him. There are any number of explanations for the explosion, but the Captain is quite curious about what's going on. He tells them to take the Defiant and run a sensor sweep; if the Klingons object, the Defiant is conducting military exercises. Worf is not to go along.

Kurn is stabilized, and Worf has Bashir wake him. "I am alive," Kurn says in surprise and disappointment. Worf tells him what happened; Kurn accuses him of choosing not to complete the ritual. After all, he didn't fight Dax or Odo, and he's not about to kill him now. "For a moment, in your quarters, during the ritual, you were Klingon. But your Federation life has claimed you again. And now it is claiming me as well. I have no life. I have no death. Whatever is to become of me is up to you."

Dax goes to see Worf in his quarters, to apologize; he tells her she was following her conscience, but she knows that's no excuse from a Klingon perspective. Now, Worf consults her on what to do next. Dax says in the short term, Kurn could stay on the station. Of course, Worf realizes his brother will need a job. The obvious choice would be security, but Kurn won't be interested in joining Starfleet. However, Dax says there is another security force on the station.

So Worf pays Odo a visit. Odo's main concern as he looks over Kurn's record is whether Kurn can use non-lethal skills. But he sees that Worf is sincere about this. "I can appreciate how difficult it must be for you to be asking for a favor. Especially from me." He tells Worf to have Kurn report here tomorrow morning. "I am indebted to you," Worf says. "Yes, you are," notes Odo calmly. "And Mr. Worf, you'll find I'm a man who collects on his debts."

Wearing a Bajoran security uniform, Kurn takes part in a cargo inspection of a Boslic ship, as Odo watches. Worf comes in, and Odo tells him Kurn is doing pretty well. When Worf speaks to Kurn, Kurn assures him he has accepted the situation.

On the Defiant, Kira and O'Brien find high concentrations of traces of cloaked ships having passed through the area. But the Klingons seem to be scrupulously avoiding actually entering Bajoran space. Suddenly there is an explosion nearby, and a Klingon ship appears, damaged. The Defiant hails them; Kira asks if they need assistance. The other captain says they don't, and not to approach them. Oddly, the other Klingon ships don't come to help -- perhaps they're too busy. The damaged Klingon ship, which is named the Drovana, calls back after a moment to ask for access to their medical facilities. Kira tells them they will need to tow them to DS9, and surprisingly, the Drovana captain accepts.

Odo calls Worf to tell him that Kurn has been seriously injured. When Worf meets him at the infirmary, Odo gives him the story. Kurn found some contraband on the Boslic ship, and let himself be shot by the Boslic captain. He could have disarmed the man easily, but just stood there; the only thing that saved him was the captain's shaky aim. After Bashir reports Kurn will be all right, again, Odo tells Worf, "A man with a death wish is a danger not only to himself, but to the rest of his team. Kurn's days as a security officer are over." Worf goes in to see Kurn, who doesn't want to talk. "You're the elder brother. You tell me what to do, and I'll do it. My life is in your hands."

The officers gather to discuss the Klingon ship now docked at the station. Finally Worf realizes that they must have hit a cloaked mine. Since ships have passed through that area safely, it must be a type of mine that remains dormant until armed by a coded signal; the one that damaged the Drovana could have malfunctioned. With this minefield, the Klingons can cut off DS9 and the entire Bajoran system. It's decided to learn the coordinates of the mines from the Drovana, and Worf has an idea how to do so.

He enlists Kurn in the plan, although Kurn considers it dishonorable. Worf asks if Kurn agrees with what has happened between the empire and the Federation. Kurn admits he does not; he opposed the decision because he believes Gowron underestimates the Federation. Worf makes the point that doing nothing will only encourage Gowron in that misapprehension; if Gowron attacks the Federation, that will be the end of the Empire. "That is why you must join me on this mission. Not for my honor, and not for the Federation, but to prevent the Empire from being destroyed in a war they cannot win. Our people have turned their backs on us, but we have not turned our backs on them. Let it be the sons of Mogh, side by side, saving our people. Do this with me."

Bashir gives them some fake scars and makes some slight alterations to their DNA signatures. Worf and Kurn then beam aboard the Drovana and make their way to a computer room. As they're searching for the information, however, a Klingon officer comes in and demands to know what they're doing. Worf and Kurn bluff him, and it seems to finally work, but suddenly Kurn spins Worf out of the way and shoots the officer dead. He shows Worf the small knife in the officer's hand. "He was going to kill you." Worf turns back to the panel; they must hurry now. Kurn looks down at the officer's body. "He was a warrior doing his duty, defending the Empire. And I killed him. My dishonor is complete."

Worf gives a briefing to Sisko and the others; with the detonation codes, they can now explode the mines individually or all at once. O'Brien and Kira will take care of it. Dax observes, when left alone with Worf, that he doesn't seem very pleased. He tells her he's troubled; he should have seen what the officer was going to do. There is a Klingon instinct by which they can tell when someone is about to try to kill them, and Worf has lost that instinct. "Kurn was right. I have lived with humans so long, I no longer think like a Klingon. For a long time, I have tried to walk the line between the Empire and the Federation. 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." He had always hoped he could return; however, now he knows he would have no place there even if the House of Mogh were to regain its honor. Starfleet can still be Worf's home, but Kurn doesn't even have that. Yet Worf can't kill him. He can't help but think of Mauk-to'Vor as murder, like a human would. "What if there was a way for you to kill your brother without killing him?" Dax asks.

On the Defiant, Kira sends out a general message warning any ships in the area to leave immediately before they start destroying the minefield. There is no response, until after they actually begin setting off the mines. O'Brien and Kira watch with satisfaction as Klingon ships suddenly start appearing and fleeing.

Worf finds Kurn drunk in his quarters, with a disruptor in his hand, contemplating suicide. When Worf reminds him that Klingons who die by their own hands do not enter Sto'Vo'Kor, Kurn replies that even in the underworld with the dishonored dead, at least he would be with other Klingons. For a moment, he entertains the hope that Worf is here to give him Mauk-to'Vor, but isn't surprised to find that's not the case. He puts down the disruptor at Worf's request. "Do you know what my one regret is, Worf? That we weren't raised together. In the Empire, on Earth. It wouldn't have mattered. But the Sons of Mogh should have never been separated." "On that, we both agree," says Worf. Kurn smiles.

"But that is in the past. And a warrior should look to the future. And in the future, you should not be burdened by my dishonor." "You are not a burden," Worf tells him. "I have never understood you, Worf," Kurn says, starting to pass out. "But I do know this. In your own way, you are an honorable man." After he's unconscious, Worf says, "And you will be an honorable man again, but not as my brother."

Kurn is taken to the infirmary, where Bashir is ready to wipe his memory, change his genetic coding, and alter his features. Worf says a family friend named Noggra has agreed to provide Kurn with a new identity. After all the surgeries are completed, Kurn awakens, but he is no longer Kurn. He is Rodek, son of Noggra, who is there and tells him he was hit by a plasma discharge on their shuttle. Rodek has severe amnesia, and may never regain all his memory, Bashir says. "Do not worry," Noggra tells his "son". "I will teach you all that you have forgotten, when we get home." Rodek accepts this.

He notices Worf standing nearby. "Who are you?" "I am Worf." "Are you part of my family?" asks Rodek. "I have no family," replies Worf, and walks out into the crowd on the Promenade.