Plot Synopsis: At the Klingon monastery on Boreth, Worf sees a vision of of the legendary Kahless the Unforgettable, whose legendary return has been foretold for centuries.
Plot A and B Analysis: The brief teaser shows Riker taking command of the bridge from Data, only to notice Worf is not at his post. A visit to Worf’s quarters sees him in front of a fire in his quarters, zoned out. Plot A is about Worf, Kahless and the Klingons, there is no plot B. Worf tells Picard his visit to the colony back in Birthright influenced him. As he taught the young Klingons there about their history and beliefs he realized he was unsure if he believed it himself, so he was trying to summon Kahless. When Picard asks what he can do, Worf decides to go to Borath, a sacred planet. He doesn’t have any luck at first, then Kahless himself seems to show up, and before long convinces most everyone except Gowron. Kahless wants Worf to join him in leading the Klingons, Gowron believes the Klingon high priest has developed a fake to seize power and replace him as leader. Worf, as usual, is right in the middle. We learn that ‘Kahless’ is a clone, but Worf comes up with an elegant solution to both keep Gowron in charge and make the clone a spiritual leader as Emperor.
Favorite Scenes: There is a good line of Gowron’s, when he meets the high priest: “Koroth. I see that not all fools die young!” It gives me a chuckle. The best scene is around the 30 minute mark, where we realize Gowron is right as he bests ‘Kahless’ in battle. Oops, you’re not supposed to be able to beat the greatest warrior of all time! Also, Data telling Worf of his own crisis of faith is enjoyable to watch.
Use of Cast/Characters: As is typical of most of the character-centric episodes, most everyone except Worf is off to one side. Picard is just a captain, Riker has little, Beverly does nothing more than check Kahless’ genes. Neither LeVar nor Marina are in this episode. Only Data offers a contribution, saying how he made a ‘leap of faith’ when he learned he was an android who’d never grow beyond his programming. He chose to believe that he was a person instead, which has guided him since. This is good character development for him, and helps Worf make his decision as well. This is Worf’s episode, and we see him wrestle with his own spiritual beliefs, a theme that is largely absent in the entire canon of Star Trek. I do like that it is a part of Rightful Heir instead of just deciding if this Kahless is the real one or not. Robert O’Reilly is back as Gowron, and he always does a good job. This is his last appearance on TNG. Kevin Conway is pretty great as Kahless, and puts his own stamp on his episode.
Blu Ray Version: The matte painting was altered a bit for this version, with some additional lights and a new sky. The first deleted scene occurs right after the teaser. In Picard’s ready room Riker says after he confronted Worf he just got dressed and went to his post like nothing happened. However, he’s been getting sloppy for a while, which is what leads Picard to Worf’s quarters. I think this scene should have been included, it provides us more context. The second deleted scene continues when Kahless says he appeared to Worf in a vision as a child, telling him he would do something ‘no Klingon has ever done.’ This scene answers that question, when Worf supplies that he is the first Klingon to join Starfleet. Again, this is a useful scene and didn’t need to be cut. The third deleted scene is unnecessary, taking place in the observation lounge where some of the crew say stuff we learn elsewhere in the episode. However, Deanna Troi is in the scene and participates in the conversation; they cut her only scene. The fourth scene is by far the longest. In Worf’s quarters he talks to Kahless, who asks him about his son and Worf’s original Rite of Ascension. It’s not bad. The fifth scene doesn’t add much, just a few lines. The sixth (!) scene adds even less, and is not necessary.
Nitpicks: Couldn’t they have made Kahless, the great prototype of all Klingon warriors, a little taller? Practically every Klingon towers over him! Also, for some reason the director seemed to have a lot of scenes where the character in the background is talking to the back of the head of the character in the foreground. Sure we can see both actors’ faces, but I kept thinking in real life people are generally facing each other when they talk!
Overall Impression: This is an episode that Ron Moore wrote about faith and spirituality in the 24th century, and is something I don’t think would have happened if Roddenberry was still alive. While Kahless isn’t exactly Jesus Christ, he’s close enough that this episode can provoke some good discussions among those who watch it. It’s one of those episodes that is better than you remember it being (which in my case was a pretty low bar) but it’s still just an average episode. For that reason I’ll raise my original rating a bit, to 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: Kevin Conway may be familiar to those who saw the HBO series Oz, as he played the recurring character of Seamus O’Reily. You may not know that Kahless the Unforgettable first appeared on the TOS episode The Savage Curtain, where he fights against Kirk; of course that wasn’t the real one either. In Sins of the Father we are given to believe there is a contemporary emperor, which contradicts what we learn here. Oh well. While this is Robert O’Reilly’s last appearance on TNG, we do see Gowron again in the DS9 episode The House of Quark. Kahless warns Gowron “not to stand against the wind”, and it’s in another DS9 episode, Tacking into the Wind, where Gowron bites the dust. I do like that connection.
Missable/Unmissable? It is missable, but it’s a bit better than you will remember it being. The next episode is about the same.
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