In the twentieth episode of the second season of The Next Generation, a woman from Worf’s past ruins his life, and IT’S SO GLORIOUS TO WATCH. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
What a spectacle, y’all. This was not an easy thing to pull off, and romantic storylines that seemingly come out of nowhere are often destined for failure. But this episode has two things working in favor of it: a biting, vicious script, and both Michael Dorn and Susie Plakson. LIKE, WHO KNEW? WHO KNEW STICKING THESE TWO TOGETHER WOULD CREATE DRAMATIC GOLD?
It’s not like Star Trek hasn’t used this specific framing device before. How many times have we seen episodes that are based around an old lover or flame coming back into a crew member’s life? I feel like The Original Series invoked that for Captain Kirk more times than I could recall. So why doesn’t this feel like any single episode of the show prior to this? While I’m still eager for The Next Generation to tell more Worf-centric stories, I think the lack of them made this all the more effective for me. It’s a big episode for his character because it introduces an emotional and vulnerable side to him that also doesn’t invalidate what we’ve seen before that. He’s still the Worf that we knew, but with an additional layer.
Let me back up a bit, though. The cold open of “The Emissary” is not just a random scene meant to show us life on the Enterprise outside of command and duty, though plenty scenes like this have existed for this purpose. When Worf dominates his fellow crew at poker, he makes a definitive statement: Klingons do not bluff. But is that true? Is that what we see of Worf and K’Ehleyr over the course of this episode?
From the moment K’Ehleyr arrives right until the final scene, I’d say that this episode demonstrates the emotional depth of the Klingons in a way that past episodes haven’t ever done. It’s not just the awkwardness that plays a part in all of this; I think the fact that Klingons naturally have a temper that pushes “The Emissary” in fascinating directions. It’s not long after the mission is revealed that we see how the same story is playing out in two different timelines. If the Enterprise is here to bring the Klingons on board the T’Ong into the 24th century, then K’Ehleyr has a similar role. She’s here to bring Worf into a future where a romantic relationship is a possibility for him.
It’s important to me, though, that K’Ehleyr doesn’t fulfill a role that’s solely for Worf’s growth as a character. I’d say that both of these characters experience a significant change in their hearts and minds. But good lord, it’s a brutal journey along the way. It’s not long after her introduction that K’Ehleyr begins to egg Worf on. It was spellbinding to watch, and I have no problem admitting that. I’d never seen Worf in this light, and it made me wonder just how far their relationship had gotten in the past. But I think that this still works even though we don’t actually find out much about what happened six years prior. We still understand that there’s an undeniable chemistry between these two, and we understand that both characters are continuing to deal with their own anger and stubbornness.
UNCOMFORTABLY SO, I MIGHT ADD. I keep using the word “brutal” because that’s how so much of this feels. Neither Worf nor K’Ehleyr is hesitant to say cruel, biting insults and criticisms to each other. Is it entertaining? ENDLESSLY SO. Of course, it helped so much that the two actors were so fantastic, but again, I don’t want to ignore the story either. AND LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BIG TWIST RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS BECAUSE Y E S. I appreciate so much that sex is a lot more open on this show, though yes, I do get annoyed by how often sexual agency and freedom is given to Riker. But the sexual politics on display here are so different from what I’m used to. Not only do we see Worf fall deeply for a woman and expect marriage from her (MARRIAGE! WITH WORF!!!), but the writers allow K’Ehleyr to reject Worf without it coming across as something foolish. Is she upset about it? Absolutely. Unlike Worf, K’Ehleyr was not fully raised in Klingon culture and sex does not hold the same meaning to her. Yes, by the end of this episode, she does admit that sex with Worf was not meaningless. But years ago, Worf was not ready to court someone; now, K’Ehleyr is not ready to marry someone. And she’s allowed to make that choice while still expressing interest in Worf romantically.
Can we also acknowledge how cool it is that Deanna bonds with K’Ehleyr pretty much immediately??? IT’S SO FANTASTIC. Because of course Deanna could relate to having dual-species heritage, and OF COURSE Deanna would be the one to have a solution to K’Ehleyr’s frustrations. This also made me want another Deanna-centric episode because I feel like I don’t know quite that much about her, even after two seasons. She tends to exist here to help other people, which I realize is her actual job description. But still!
Anyway, bravo to this episode. What an achievement. And how have I reached the end of this season already???
The video for “The Emissary” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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