In the twenty-third episode of the sixth season of The Next Generation, Worf’s loss of faith has unforseen consequences. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.Â
For a show so heavily steeped in science fiction tropes and archetypes, I admit that it’s refreshing to get an episode that is largely about the spiritual journey of one of the main characters. Worf’s story is explicitly about faith and how someone like him struggles to rectify his own dedication to rationalism and his culture. It’s honestly one of my favorite stories, and I’ll state right now that it’s the most compelling thing for me about Dana Scully’s character on The X-Files. Is anyone surprised, then, that I’d get so much mileage out of “Rightful Heir”?
Truthfully, this ends up being a very personal thing for me. I can’t help. I grew up as a massive nerd and a geek. I was a Ravenclaw as much as one kid could be a Ravenclaw. I studied hard, I was obsessed with learning new things, and I craved the chance to gain as much wisdom and knowledge about the world as possible. At a very young age, I suspected that what I was being told about the very world I was trying to discover was wrong. Raised in a very conservative, non-denominational Christian household meant that a very specific portrait of existence was painted for me, and I knew deep down that it was all bullshit. At the same time, my desire to feel accepted – to feel as if I was a part of something – overpowered whatever doubts I had. Oh, they were still there, and they never went away, no matter how hard I tried to believe. I never once got to experience what it felt like to pray as others did. No matter how hard I did it, no matter how frequently I prayed, and no matter how much studying I did, I couldn’t ever seem to do it right. It always felt wrong. I always felt like a fraud. I always felt like I was just talking to myself in my head.
Thus, my struggle with faith was a struggle with what I observed and experienced and what I was expected to observe and experience. Like Worf in this episode (and like Dana Scully oftentimes in The X-Files), I sometimes could not rectify the two, regardless of my attempt to do so. I got to a point where I tried harder than I ever had in my life to believe in God, to get some sign that he existed, and I walked away from it. In “Rightful Heir,” Worf does the same thing, only to return to it after some guidance and get exactly what he asked for. And I found it believable that Worf would immediately question that result. He was so used to that vacancy in his soul that the very idea of Kahless showing up was impossible to him. It couldn’t be real. The man had to be a hologram or a trick or some sort of long con.
And wouldn’t most people in this situation react in a similar manner? Sure, we see plenty of people accept Kahless as their leader and spiritual guidance, and I don’t think that “Rightful Heir” aims to tell us that these people are inferior for doing so. No, I think this story communicates that this particular belief might not work for Worf. He is one individual in this entire scenario, and his struggle with faith is his struggle alone. And what a hell of a conflict! I constantly expected that Kahless was not what he said he was, but I never once anticipated a solution to this problem that maintained Kahless’s honesty. Seriously, he didn’t lie ONCE in this entire episode. He truly believed that he was Kahless because… well, he had no reason not to.
This certainly wasn’t the first time this show addressed cloning or the complications of personhood, but it did feel uniquely personal. What if a man showed up on Earth tomorrow, claiming to be Jesus, and we could somehow prove that he was genetically identical to the Biblical figure? How would people react? Who would still refuse to believe in him? Could good be done in the name of that person, even if they were technically not the real person? That’s what this episode asks of us, specifically Worf, and I think the results are fascinating. In the end, Worf chooses not to personally believe Kahless. He knows that he’s not the real thing. However, he recognizes the worth that Kahless represents. To those whom believe in him? He is a sign. He is a spiritual leader. He is the first real chance to unite the Klingon people and stop all the in-fighting.
So Worf chooses to remain spiritually alone for the sake of his race. TALK ABOUT A SACRIFICE, Y’ALL. But that’s how this fits in with Data’s advice and the story as a whole. Worf chooses hope over despair. He hopes that Kahless will be as he promises, and he chooses that option. That assumption is powerful all by itself, and even if it doesn’t provide an easy resolution for Worf, I believe that he’s fine with that decision. It’s the best alternative for him.
The video for “Rightful Heir” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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