Changes: Heart of Glory (episode)

Revision as of 19:09, 9 December 2005

Worf faces a test of loyalties when three fugitive Klingons come on board the Enterprise-D.

Summary

Starfleet Command sends a communication to the Enterprise-D about a disturbance in the Neutral Zone, a battle. There are no Federation vessels in the area, and Riker suggests that the Ferengi are involved. Data says it's not the Ferengi, but could be the Romulans. On arriving at the location of the battle, they find a vessel adrift without power. It is identified as the Talarian freighter Batris. Worf detects life signs, so Picard orders Riker to take an away team over. He brings Data and La Forge with him, giving Geordi a chance to test out his visual acuity transmitter. The device transmits what his VISOR sees, but only has a range of a few kilometers.

The away team beams over, and finds the ship in ruins. Geordi switches on the transmitter, and the viewscreen shows an image of flashing colours and indistinct shapes. Picard is intrigued by the images, and asks Geordi how he is able to filter out all the extra information. Geordi compares it to listening to an individual conversation in a noisy room. Picard also has trouble identifying Riker and Data. They move off down the corridor, dodging falling beams amid smoke and gas. Geordi spots a fissure in the bulkhead, and reckons they only have five minutes until the hull breaches. The bridge loses the transmission from the VISOR.

They locate the survivors on the far side of the engine core. Data goes across on his own, to minimise the risk to the others. He returns, telling them that the door to the compartment is jammed. The others run over, and Data pulls open the door. Inside are three Klingons, one badly injured. They all make their way out of the engineering section, and Yar tries to get a lock on them. She has difficulty, and fails the first time, but then manages to beam them out just as the ship explodes.

The survivors are brought to Sickbay, and Picard and Worf go to meet them. Dr. Crusher says the injured Klingon is critical. The others introduce themselves as Commander Korris and Lieutenant Konmel. They say they were being transported on the freighter when a Ferengi cruiser attacked them. Worf says the weapons were Klingon. They say they were, but the ship was Ferengi. They took control at the captain's request, and pretended to surrender, but when the Ferengi dropped their shields they destroyed the cruiser with merculite rockets. Worf shows them to their quarters, but Picard is suspicious as to why they were on the freighter in the first place.

In the Klingons' quarters, they get something to eat. Worf tells them he is the only Klingon in Starfleet, and they mock him, telling he has become soft and docile living with humans. Then they reassure him, telling him they are only trying to anger him to see if it is still possible. Then the captain calls from Sickbay, where the third Klingon, Kunivas, is dying. They go to Sickbay, and Korris opens Kunivas' eyes and looks into them. Then all three howl at the ceiling. They leave again, Korris telling Crusher that the body is now only an empty shell.

Worf asks them what really happened, and they ask Worf how he came to be where he is. He tells them that he was at Khitomer as a child when it was attacked by the Romulans. He was buried under some rubble, but survived to be rescued by a Starfleet officer, who brought him home with him. He was raised as his son at Gault colony, and when they were old enough, he and his foster brother went to the Academy. His brother returned, he stayed. Korris and Konmel tell him that he was shunned and misunderstood all his life, and even now he is driven by something inside, even though there are no other Klingons around. He says those feelings are still there, but he is able to control them. They say that is the mark of a warrior. Korris says that the peace is like a living death to them, so they commandeered a freighter, in search of somewhere they could live as warriors. The ship they destroyed was a Klingon cruiser, and they claim that Klingons have been corrupted by peace.

Korris then asks to be shown around the ship. On the bridge, Data detects a vessel approaching. He comments that this was the first time outsiders have witnessed the Klingon death ritual. The howling is a warning to the afterlife that a Klingon warrior is about to arrive. The approaching ship is in visual range – it is a Klingon cruiser. Picard hails and Commander K'Nera answers. Picard tells him they rescued three Klingons. K'Nera asks if that is all that is left of the T'Acog. Picard tells him that they were on the freighter and he replies that they are criminals who have stolen a freighter and destroyed a cruiser. He wants them delivered to him when he arrives.

Picard sends a security team led by Yar to arrest the fugitives. They are in a corridor with Worf when the team arrives. Worf asks what's going on. The Klingons appeal to Worf for help, saying he is one of them. Then, a door opens and a small girl runs into the corridor. Korris picks her up, and after a moment hands her to Worf. Yar's team arrests them and brings them to the brig. Yar says she was afraid she was going to have a hostage situation, but Worf replies that Klingons don't take hostages, it is a cowardly thing to do.

The prisoners are in the brig when the Klingon ship arrives. K'Nera tells Picard that they will be tried and executed for their crimes. Worf appeals to him, saying their words have stirred something inside him, and asking him to allow them to die an honorable death on a remote planet. K'Nera says he feels the same, but he must follow orders. In the brig, Korris and Konmel assemble a phaser from their belts and other parts of their uniform. They disable the force field and kill a guard. The second guard hits Konmel three times before he dies, but then Korris kills him too. He runs, and Yar arrives on the scene. She informs the captain what has happened. Korris gets to engineering and climbs onto the second level around the core. He points his phaser at the dilithium crystal chamber and says he will only talk to Worf.

Worf and Picard go down to engineering. Yar wants to wait him out, but Worf says he will blow the core, destroying them all. Worf goes up to talk to Korris. He wants Worf to separate the ship and come with him in the stardrive section. Worf says that won't happen. He pulls out his phaser and points it at Korris. He can't believe what is happening and appeals again to Worf. Worf tells him he is looking for battles in the wrong place, the true test of a warrior being within himself. He hasn't mentioned duty, honor or loyalty, the things a true warrior must have. Korris says he has become weak like the humans, and goes to shoot Worf. Worf phasers him first, and he falls down to the ground level. Worf returns down, and performs the death ritual for Korris.

He and Picard return to the bridge and tell K'Nera that the fugitives are all dead. Worf tells him that they died well. He invites Worf to join his ship when he is finished aboard the Enterprise. Worf says he would be honoured. K'Nera leaves, and Worf assures Captain Picard he doesn't want to leave the Enterprise, he was just being polite. Picard replies that the bridge wouldn’t be the same without him.

Background Information

This was Vaughn Armstrong's first appearance on Star Trek, playing Captain Korris. He would later play a record setting ten other roles in various Star Trek series.

While in the engine room, Korris says the following line: I would rather die here than let the traitors of Kling pick the meat from my bones. The writer of that line intended for Kling to be the name of the Klingon homeworld, but was later officially changed to Qo'noS in STVI since it was decided that Kling sounded a bit odd. The Star Trek Encyclopedia lists Kling as the name of the First City, but it isn't concidered canon since that reference was never in any episode.

The Klingon Battle Cruiser is stock footage from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) and Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) do not appear in this episode.

Links and References

Guest Stars

Featuring

Robert Bauer as Kunivas
Brad Zerbst as Nurse (Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel)
Dennis Madalone as Ramos

References

Age of Inclusion; Batris; deuterium; Ferengi; Ferengi cruiser; Gault colony; Halee system; Khitomer; Kling; Klingon cruiser; Klingon death ritual; Klingon Defense Force; M-Zed V; Merculite rocket; Neutral zone; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; T'Acog, IKS; Talarians; Talarian freighter; Romulans; VISOR; visual acuity transmitter

Previous episode:
Coming of Age

Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Next episode:
The Arsenal of Freedom

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 [[Starfleet Command]] sends a communication to the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|''Enterprise''-D]] about a disturbance in the [[Romulan Neutral Zone|Neutral Zone]], a battle. There are no [[Federation]] vessels in the area, and [[William T. Riker|Riker]] suggests that the [[Ferengi]] are involved. [[Data]] says it's not the Ferengi, but could be the [[Romulan]]s. On arriving at the location of the battle, they find a vessel adrift without power. It is identified as the [[Talarian]] [[freighter]] ''[[Batris]]''. [[Worf]] detects [[life signs]], so [[Jean-Luc Picard|Picard]] orders Riker to take an [[away team]] over. He brings Data and [[Geordi La Forge|La Forge]] with him, giving Geordi a chance to test out his [[visual acuity transmitter]]. The device transmits what his [[VISOR]] sees, but only has a range of a few kilometers.
-The away team beams over, and finds the ship in ruins. Geordi switches on the transmitter, and the [[viewscreen]] shows an image of flashing colours and indistinct shapes. Picard is intrigued by the images, and asks Geordi how he is able to filter out all the extra information. Geordi compares it to listening to an individual conversation in a noisy room. Picard also has trouble identifying Riker and Data. They move off down the corridor, dodging falling beams amid smoke and gas. Geordi spots a fissure in the bulkhead, and reckons they only have five minutes until the hull breaches. The [[bridge]] loses the transmission from the VISOR.
+The away team beams over, and finds the ship in ruins. Geordi switches on the transmitter, and the [[viewscreen]] shows an image of flashing colours and indistinct shapes. Picard is intrigued by the images, and asks Geordi how he is able to filter out all the extra information. Geordi compares it to listening to an individual conversation in a noisy room. Picard also has trouble identifying Riker and Data. They move off down the [[corridor]], dodging falling beams amid smoke and gas. Geordi spots a fissure in the bulkhead, and reckons they only have five minutes until the hull breaches. The [[bridge]] loses the transmission from the VISOR.
 They locate the survivors on the far side of the engine [[warp core|core]]. Data goes across on his own, to minimise the risk to the others. He returns, telling them that the door to the compartment is jammed. The others run over, and Data pulls open the door. Inside are three [[Klingon]]s, one badly injured. They all make their way out of the [[engineering]] section, and [[Tasha Yar|Yar]] tries to get a lock on them. She has difficulty, and fails the first time, but then manages to beam them out just as the ship explodes.


Series:	TNG
Season:	1
Original Airdate:	1988-03-21
Production Number:	120
Year:	2364
Stardate:	41503.7
Story by:	Maurice Hurley Herbert Wright D.C. Fontana
Teleplay by:	Maurice Hurley
Directed by:	Rob Bowman