Rightful Heir
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 17 May 1993
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- 46852.2
- DIRECTED BY
- Winrich Kolbe
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 249
WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Ronald D. Moore; story by James E. Brooks
Worf, troubled in his faith, travels to a remote monastery seeking a vision of Kahless, the greatest of all Klingons. What he finds instead could shake the whole Empire.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
Questioning his beliefs, Worf goes to the Temple of Boreth, where Klingon clerics await the promised return of Kahless the Unforgettable. After days of ritual, a flesh-and-blood Kahless appears. Worf brings him to the Enterprise, but his doubts grow when the legend seems vague on details of his own story. Chancellor Gowron arrives, alarmed by the political danger, and tests blood from an ancient dagger against the newcomer. It matches, yet Gowron then beats Kahless in combat, something the true Kahless would never allow. High priest Koroth finally admits the truth: the clerics created Kahless as a clone of the original, in order to restore Klingon faith. Rather than destroy him, Worf proposes a compromise: the clone becomes a ceremonial emperor, a spiritual figurehead with no political power. Gowron agrees. Before leaving for the homeworld, Kahless assures Worf that the spirit of Kahless lives on in every true Klingon.
- 01Kahless had appeared only once before, in the original series' “The Savage Curtain”, played by Robert Herron.
- 02This was Robert O'Reilly's final TNG appearance as Gowron. He continued the role on Deep Space Nine.
- 03The story follows on from “Birthright, Part II”, directly referring to Worf's time with the young Klingons of the prison colony.