The Golden Age of Star Trek: we had the 6th Season of The Next Generation and the 1st Season of Deep Space Nice on our televisions, Generations on view in our cinemas and First Contact due out soon. This season of TNG contains some excellent stand-alone episodes and several spectacular two-parters, with only the occasional make-weight. Despite the length of time it had already been on the air, it still represents some of the highest standard of television Science Fiction ever broadcast.
This is one of the best Klingon episodes of the series, in my opinion. I like it because it makes a serious examination of the place of religious faith in an increasingly secular world. Something that might not have been possible during committed humanist, Gene Roddenberry's, lifetime. Where does myth end and faith begin and how much latitude should be given for religious observance?
Picard takes the pragmatic view that Worf's crisis of belief, which results in tardiness and inattention, cannot be allowed to interfere with the safety of the ship and send him off to explore his demons at the monastery of Boreth, even suggesting that he has the option not to return. The subtext being "shape up or ship out"; sentiments that probably wouldn't be permitted in the Star Trek of today.
The ends-justifies-the-means approach of the religious elders who have secretly cloned a new version of the ancient hero Kahless in order to take their race back to its traditional values has numerous echoes in the behaviour of so many religious leaders of today. That I didn't notice this when I first saw this episode is probably because of the strong narrative and fine guest performances, to say nothing of the polarisation of opinion that has taken place in the in the intervening thirty years.
The episode revolves around a fine performance from versatile actor Kevin Conway as the putative Kahless who despite (or perhaps because of) being so much shorter than the regular Klingon, conveys all the strength and magnetism his character requires. His confusion when confronted with the understanding of what he really is turns him from an imposter to a rather tragic figure. That said, the compromise reached at the end of the episode has little to recommend it and suggests that, knocked backwards by Robert O'Reilly's stellar over-acting and all that smoky atmosphere, the writers just ran out of road.
Senior Trekker scores each episode with a 5.
This is one of the best Klingon episodes of the series, in my opinion. I like it because it makes a serious examination of the place of religious faith in an increasingly secular world. Something that might not have been possible during committed humanist, Gene Roddenberry's, lifetime. Where does myth end and faith begin and how much latitude should be given for religious observance?
Picard takes the pragmatic view that Worf's crisis of belief, which results in tardiness and inattention, cannot be allowed to interfere with the safety of the ship and send him off to explore his demons at the monastery of Boreth, even suggesting that he has the option not to return. The subtext being "shape up or ship out"; sentiments that probably wouldn't be permitted in the Star Trek of today.
The ends-justifies-the-means approach of the religious elders who have secretly cloned a new version of the ancient hero Kahless in order to take their race back to its traditional values has numerous echoes in the behaviour of so many religious leaders of today. That I didn't notice this when I first saw this episode is probably because of the strong narrative and fine guest performances, to say nothing of the polarisation of opinion that has taken place in the in the intervening thirty years.
The episode revolves around a fine performance from versatile actor Kevin Conway as the putative Kahless who despite (or perhaps because of) being so much shorter than the regular Klingon, conveys all the strength and magnetism his character requires. His confusion when confronted with the understanding of what he really is turns him from an imposter to a rather tragic figure. That said, the compromise reached at the end of the episode has little to recommend it and suggests that, knocked backwards by Robert O'Reilly's stellar over-acting and all that smoky atmosphere, the writers just ran out of road.
Senior Trekker scores each episode with a 5.