‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Sins of the Father’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We like to firmly believe, that we know our parents through and through and there is good reason as to why we hold to that belief. Simply because, we spent at least eighteen years living under the same roof as them and that allowed for us to get to know our parent’s quirks and habits and loves and hopes and dreams. But while we do know more about them than the average person or even some of their closest friends, it is in fact… impossible to truly know everything about those we love. Which is why there is some measure of surprise when we learn something new and fascinating (or negative) about them when they depart this plane of existence for the next one. 

But while we may not know every single detail about them, one thing that we do know for certain is whether or not they are a good person and when someone questions their integrity or their moral center in any capacity, we will defend them with every ounce of our being. If anything, this is relevant to today’s discussion, because the defense of the honor of our parents is something that Commander Worf had to deal with in the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Which made for one fascinating and downright surprising tale, since 'Sins of the Father' really seemed as though it was to focus on other topics, at first glance.

For this particular tale saw a Klingon Commander named Kurn come aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to serve as its first officer temporarily, as part of a follow up to the Officer Exchange Program that was introduced in the season two episode, ‘A Matter of Honor’. And his arrival made it seem as though this episode was going to examine the importance of being open to the ways of other cultures and the importance of tradition, as evidenced by the celebration of Thanksgiving that takes place in this tale and the challenges that Kurn put Worf through. For it truly seemed as though Kurn wanted to test Worf’s mettle as a Klingon to see if his time in Starfleet had somehow made him soft as a warrior and a confrontation revolving around that possibility is when this episode shifted gears toward a plot revolving around the honor of one’s family.

Because it turns out that Kurn and Worf are biological brothers and Kurn sought Worf out in order to bring him to Qo’Nos to handle a nasty family matter. For the Klingon High Council was about to brand their father as a traitor. Because they believed that Mogh aided the Romulans in the massacre at Khitomer and well, Worf wasn’t having that. For he knew his dad was a good and honorable man and he fought hard with the council to prove that, to the point where he was able to produce a witness to that dark day with a little help from Captain Picard. But despite his best efforts to clear his family name, politics and the potential fallout to the Empire regarding the actual truth of that day, prompted Worf to ‘take one for the team’ and accept dishonor after all. Which was quite the shocking way to end this tale, since Worf worked so hard to clear his father’s name. But sometimes, the greater good does take precedence and by accepting a lie, lives were saved. Since the people of Qo'Nos would have brought forth civil war if it was revealed to the masses that a prominent Klingon family, was actually responsible for the betrayal at Khitomer.

But what matters more is that Worf’s decision helps to hammer home an important lesson, in that… sometimes how we honor the legacy and the truth about our family outweighs what people think of them and by making a choice for the greater good, Worf did indeed honor his late father. In the end however, this really was quite the fascinating tale. For it was quite cerebral and philosophical and filled with twists and turns. Plus, this episode also features the first on screen appearance of Qo’Nos in the Star Trek Universe, which is quite the milestone for certain and for those who weren’t happy with Worf’s decision to just let the Empire do its thing, have no fear. For the twists and turns present here would eventually be revisited down the line, allowing for proper resolution when it comes to the honor of Worf's family line. Until next time. 

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