876 – Redemption Part 1 | Sleep With TNG S4E26
Worf wears a robe so you know you are in for a bedtime treat, and a table of grapes makes it extra sweet.
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EPISODE 876 – Redemption Part 1 Sleep with TNG S4 E26
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary, it’s time for the podcaster who hopefully, I’ll be baffling you in lulls, or baffling you with my lulls, patrons, but you’re the one that enables my baffling so I can be Baffle Man. Hopefully you’re in a bed full of baffles and not waffles ‘cause that wouldn’t make any sense. It’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. Thanks, patrons.
Hey everybody, it’s Scoots and I know this is not an easy time for anybody. This episode was recorded a few months ago so I just wanted to let you know that and to let you know…to check our show notes for resources, ‘cause the podcast is here to put you to sleep but there’s more resources in our show notes if you’re needing more. Please use those links. You’re really important to me, so please use them. Thank you so much.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether it’s thoughts, things you’re thinking about, feelings, like anything emotionally coming up for you or physical sensations, changes in time or temperature or schedule, so if you’re working the second or the third shift or you’re traveling, getting ready for a move, whatever it is that’s keeping you up. It could be one of those things; it could be something else. I’m here to help. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake.
Is that what I…whether it’s thoughts or feelings, physical sensations, changes in time and temperature…I guess I get mixed up. That’s another thing I do. I got mixed up. Oh, whatever’s keeping you awake, I’d like to take your mind off of…what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night. I mentioned…the aforementioned…I don’t know if I’ve ever used that word ever…800+ episodes, I don’t know if I’ve ever said aforementioned, but the aforementioned, and I may be using it in the wrong context, safe place I have here, plenty of room set aside. I got space for you. Look around, go ahead. Check it out. I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents. I will be going off-topic and I’ll be going in-depth about stuff you might have never cared or might currently…where you don’t need to care. You say, I’m going in-depth about this but I’m barely gonna scratch the surface at the same time, and I’m gonna buff…instead of scratching the surface here, we buff it.
As a matter of fact, I like to breathe on the surface. Don’t worry; oh boy, did I brush my teeth before I sat down. Then I had some apple slices. But yeah, we don’t do that to the surface ‘cause that would be…that’s not soothing for bedtime even though in that particular…is that a metaphor, scratch the surface? Or what is that? It’s not a truism. I don’t know. I got another question for Alan Z out there who has a new podcast at the time I’m recording this; Veronica Mars Investigates, so check that out for sure. What was I talking about? Oh, buffing the surface. This is the podcast that barely buffs the surface. You don’t need to wear your glasses; I still fog them up. Yeah. You say well, I don’t have my glasses on, Scoots. I’m in bed with my eyes closed. I’d say that’s right, I’m fogging up your glasses. By the time tomorrow, it’ll have dissipated. I barely scratched the surface…oh, ‘cause if you’re new, sorry about that. Going off-topic early. I was probing for meanders there and really just using that famous…you know when you see people buffing or doing that to a table?
Not quite polishing. You’re right. Part of my brain, the car-cleaning part of my brain, said are you polishing? Shouldn’t you be buffing the car right now? That’s a thought that’s come up for me at bedtime. Then I said to that part of my brain; have we ever…other than when we had to for an…when we needed money from our father and we…or some…I can’t ever remember buffing anything. Okay, well, that’s a hot…that’s something totally different. That’s not right…this is not a good time to talk about buffing. It’s funny ‘cause…anyway, I was gonna say that Helen’s podcast is with Jenny Owens Young who was a buff…has a buffering…buffing podcast. But I was way off-topic. Oh, if you’re new…so here’s what I’m gonna do; I’m gonna…okay, ‘cause if you’re new here, you’re probably like what is this guy talking about? Or what’s going on here? Let me circle back here. Let me sit down in our safe place we have set aside. Here’s a couple things to know; this podcast is different, so if you’re skeptical or a bit confused, well, I’m confused…currently confused.
That’s what it says on my…one of my profiles, maybe. This podcast is nonsensical. Here’s a couple of things to know; structurally…we’re already a bit into the structure of the show, but the show starts off with a few minutes of business. That’s more important for regular listeners, so if you’re new, that’s how we keep it free for everybody instead of behind a paywall with ten episodes and then the other 290 you got to pay for. All 300 episodes right now, you could listen to for free. Or, our most recent 300 episodes you could listen to right there for free whenever you need it, or all in a row. Thank you for that. There’s business, then there’s an intro. But in our case the intro’s a cool-down. I don’t know why I always call it a intro. That’s just the only…it’s the cool-down part of the show. Normally an intro is just to warm you up to the podcast, say hey, we’re gonna be here talking about…this is Carwash Cast. This is Carl with the Carwash Cast. I’m gonna be talking about car-washing and things interesting car-washers…it’s carwash notes, which doesn’t really work.
But my favorite other podcast is Trip Notes, so I built it on that. But not just for professional car-washers. It’s car-washing. I can’t remember how John and Craig say it. Oh, I think John always says it. But that’s the Carwash Cast. That would be the end of the intro for the Carwash Cast. Then maybe they would do ‘tonight we’re gonna be talking about buffing and buffering. Do you watch buffering or listen to podcasts while you buff cars? I’ll offer my opinions later.’ That would be an intro. For our intro, it takes maybe somewhere between twelve to eighteen minutes because I want to ease you into bedtime. It is a big part of the show. Sometimes new listeners, they kind of think oh, are you just…is this just filler? No, this isn’t…kind of an essential part of the podcast but there’s no essential parts. What I mean by that is some listeners skip the intro and some listeners fall asleep during it. But for most listeners, it’s part of their wind-down routine.
Some people are listening before they get into bed and some people are in bed. Good to see you; looking great. I’ll be fogging up those glasses later. Don’t worry about it because I’ll be…I’ll buff…I’m gonna buffer them. I think I’ve been buffering half my life. My thoughts are always buffering. The intro is just an explanation of the podcast. It’s a little bit different every time but it gives you time to kind of let the day fade away or fader away, and to start your drifting off into dreamland. That’s the first twelve to eighteen minutes of the show. Then there’s some business and then tonight we’ll be talking about TNG. That’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and if you don’t watch the show, you don’t need to. Believe me, I’ll talk about it in a way that won’t make any sense to anybody. But if you can’t sleep, it’ll be pleasant, pleasant enough to keep you company or to help you drift off. We’ll be talking about the stuff that happened, what people were wearing, a lot of the dialogue, how people held their bodies, how many close-ups…when does the camera zoom on Jean-Luc Picard?
That’ll be the episode, then there’s some thank yous at the end. That’s how the show is structured. Also, if you’re new or a regular listener, you don’t really need to listen to this podcast. You can listen and if you can’t sleep and you’re looking for a companion in the deep, dark night, I’m here to the very end so I’ll be here to keep you company. But you don’t need to listen. You won’t miss anything. You could replay it if you really want to, or listen during the day. It’ll be kind of a slow-paced [00:10:00] discussion about things. No pressure to listen but also no pressure to fall asleep. The reason the shows are about an hour is so you could drift off at your leisure, kind of see how it goes and then fall asleep as you wish. I think…let’s see, I think that’s it about that. The structure of the show, you don’t need to listen, no pressure to fall asleep. If you’re new and you’re kind of like, how do I listen to this or when are you gonna start making sense, it’s kind of like listening to…what if there was a class and you were taking a class where they said hey, not only is there no grade, where…what if there was a class…I’m trying to think of a class that could be a metaphor for this that’s still conducive to sleeping at bedtime.
What if there was a professor who secretly…they were doing some sort of performance art or something and they said hey, come to my class and you could really learn as much or as little as you want. I don’t know what you would learn from me ‘cause I’m just gonna be lecturing and my lectures don’t necessarily follow any logic, but they kind of do follow a meandering path. But my classroom’s a safe place. You’ll give yourself a grade at the end based on whatever you feel like. Also, you know, this is a tuition-free class, maybe, even though I’m getting…of course the professor’s…everybody’s getting paid whether you’re a teacher or a student in this class. This is imaginary, by the way, just so you know that. No pressure; show up…just respect everybody else’s space, but since this is…really, you’re in your own space, so…I don’t know. I guess that would be one way to listen. If you knew all that and then you showed up to class, you would say well, how do I feel like listening today?
Well, I’m just gonna kick back and see…they got comfortable chairs in these classrooms, holy cow. I guess I’ll maybe kind of listen for a while. What’s the old Professor Scoots talking about? Oh, how many different shades of dragonflies are there in the world? They do wonder that. Oh, but now he’s talking about iridescence, but I don’t know if he knows…I think he has confused…he’s confused translucence and iridescence. Yeah, well, I wonder if…how many…yeah, how come a lot of dragonfly dresses have wings but they don’t…he’s imagining he’s wearing a dragonfly dress and how that would feel. Then he’s giggling ‘cause he’s saying of course my dress wouldn’t be translucent; it would be iridescent. I guess he does know the difference. That’s kind of how to listen to the podcast, as an example. But here’s the thing; I’m glad you’re here. The reason I make this show is ‘cause I’ve been there in the deep, dark night, tossing and turning, trouble getting to sleep.
I have trouble staying asleep, waking up and getting…I’ve had it all and changing my schedule just recently, so I’m getting back in the groove, myself. Here’s the thing; I’m glad you’re here. See how it goes. Give this show a few tries. We’ve had thousands of people review the show and almost every single one says hey, it took me a few tries to get used to the podcast. Give it a few tries, see how it goes. No pressure on your end. Hopefully it helps you. If it doesn’t, I appreciate you checking it out. You can also go to sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou if you find that the podcast doesn’t help. But I really appreciate you checking the show out. I appreciate your time. I work very hard. I yearn and I strive and I want to help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by.
Alright, hey everybody, it’s time for the…another episode of Sleep with TNG. This episode is a two-parter. We’ll be covering the first part tonight and it’s Redemption, season four, Episode 26 which, when I was writing this earlier, I thought about that…what a accomplishment that is; twenty-six episodes, I’m presuming, in a year, of quality television. That’s an episode every two weeks. I mean, my math could be off but I’m pretty sure 26 + 2…26 x 2 is 50…26 x 2 is 52. Maybe there’s 54 weeks in a year; maybe there’s 52. I’m not sure but really a great accomplishment. This is one of those episodes that not only stands up to multiple re-watches but really reveals more and more depth if you watch both episodes. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this first episode ‘cause I watched it once maybe a year or two ago and then a bunch of times recently. It really is an amazing, amazing episode if you’re a fan of Jean-Luc or Worf and/or both.
I don’t know, the ways in which…if you choose to project, I think that’s one of the great things about TNG, or Star Trek, is that you can project and identify with characters, particularly Worf and Data; the times you do feel like you’re a little bit on the O-U-T-S-I-D-E or whatever or you don’t under…your own journey of self-discovery and then doing it also through Picard’s eyes. This is just a classic. It opens with Captain’s log; headed to the Klingon home world. My handwriting says an instablation ceremony but it’s installation ceremony. Hopefully it’ll correct a grave injustice. What does that say? Roses? Worf? Oh, he’s got a robe on, so Worf’s working out. He’s doing a little Klingon martial arts practice or training. I don’t know if I’ve seen this…I don’t know how to describe it other than a robe, but he’s there. Cha’DIch shows up; that’s Picard. Not time…oh, this is just…I’ll read some of the dialogue. It’s so amazing and you think about TV writing, or I think about writing a lot.
Within the first four minutes, this episode sets up the theme and the main conflict in a very segmented television way, but still, I mean, in my opinion, flawlessly. Picard rolls up to Worf’s room. Worf’s working out. They talk about some amazing things. I guess I don’t even need to read it. Picard basically says…practice more info…nothing…the gourd. But basically, Picard says are you gonna try to right the wrongs when we’re here on your home world, and Gowron’s gonna be in charge? Basically, Worf says I think this calls for more practice. Oh, ‘cause he says I’m here as your cha’DIch, not as your captain. He says…oh yeah, Worf says it’s not time for me yet. He says patience is sometimes more effective than sharp things. Picard says well, patience is a human virtue. I’m glad to see you’ve taken on, but doesn’t this situation call for a more Klingon response? He goes, this was a cover-up and you got the raw side of it. No escargot scheduled…Gowron what? Effective for Bortas.
Lies must be challenged. Worf goes yeah, I’ve grown weary of this dishonor. Oh, and then they…Riker calls. He goes yeah, we got this vessel Bortas here. Says it’s gonna be our escort. Worf goes yeah, there’s no escort. They go up to the bridge and Picard goes, on screen. He goes yo, this is Gowron. Picard goes what’s up, Gowron? He goes, we gotta speak if we’re gonna be successful. He says successful at what? That’s where I said what? Bortas…then he said Gowron, what? He goes yeah, I must speak if we’re gonna stop the trouble on the…troubling Klingon again. Then there’s a zoom on Picard. Episode opens…I’m watching, still…the scene playing in front of me is still Worf’s…I didn’t realize his robe was so…it kind of has that puckered material. Really looks comfortable and good for wicking of sweat. He’s working out and staying cool, and also looking cool. Honor will scorn, have no cranickery. The sisters of Duncas…pot a tree…three fleet commanders. How many football?
That’s what my handwriting says. I do not see what I can do to assist. You must see this duty to the end. It’s beyond my purview. Basically, Gowron’s…oh, he says however…[00:20:00] basically, Duras’s sisters are making trouble…oh, for the patriarchy. That’s what that says. I think they would have three fleet commanders on their side. Picard says well, I don’t see what I can do to assist you if they’re not gonna follow you; if they’re gonna follow Duras’s sisters. Gowron says you gotta see me into…being in charge ‘til the end. Then Picard says that’s beyond my purview. I’ll deal with things according to Klingon war…law but not anymore. Not enough…Worf tale air goes…Picard to Data. Riker looks on. Worf tale argues; let me see what that is. Transporter room…dismissed, arms crossed. I would speak with you. Don’t hurt trails…I am not. Gowron’s mind is blown. Live you with your dieser like a Klingon. Stop to fourteen. That’s what my notes say. I guess I’m not…I’m being serious.
But so, okay…so, where were we? Picard met with Gowron. He says jeesh, you gotta help me make sure I’m in charge. Picard goes, I’m just gonna follow the laws. Gowron goes, I don’t know if that’s gonna be good enough. Then Picard says Worf, take this guest to our transporter room. Then Picard says Data, keep an eye on…for Romulans in the Neutral Zone; teaser. Keep our outpost stations…keep us alert. Data goes ‘aye’, then he says…Picard goes Riker, Duras are trying to make a move on Gowron. Riker goes, back the Romulans? I don’t know, but we know the history. Then Worf dismisses the technician in the transporter room. He goes…I like how he says this; I would speak with you. Oh, and Gowron says I don’t hear the words of traitors, like a little kid. Worf goes, I’m not a traitor. He goes well, what do you mean? You said you were. Your family is. Worf goes, I took the discommendation to protect the empire. Gowron goes, what? He goes, it was Duras’s dad who did all this; not me.
He goes, you got any proof? Worf goes, there is proof. He goes, why would you do it? He goes, well…he goes, he has the richest family in town. I didn’t want to split the empire. The Council got to blame my dad. Gowron’s like, you gotta be kidding me; the Council knew? Worf goes listen, I know you’re…I believe you to be a man of honor. Restore my family name. He goes dude, I can’t do it. He goes, I know you’ve helped me out in the past but…Worf goes what about when you’re in charge? He goes, well, I’ll need the Council’s support. I guess I can’t reveal this cover-up. Again, the thematic stuff comes up. Picard’s telling him to be more like a Klingon, Worf’s trying to practice patience. Now he says now you must live with your decision like a Klingon. Yeah. Stop…one, four. I don’t know what that means. Skip to…oh, no…it was in my own note to myself…skip it ‘cause there was a page mix-up in my notebook. Then we get some Guinan, Whoopi moment.
Really good, actually, when you think about counsellors on the ship. A little bit of comic relief or kind of a comic relief or lighthearted moment. Worf’s practicing his Nerf aiming and playing video games. Guinan rolls up and she says mind if I join you? I thought I’d get a little practice in. He goes, you practice? She goes, yeah. Worf goes, well, I practice at Level 14. Guinan says, well, I guess I could bring it down to that level. She starts to work at it, like she’s…yeah, I’ve been doing this since way before you were even a twinkle in your mother’s eye or whatever. Then she goes…with a casual conversation, she goes jeez, I had a bet with the captain I could make you laugh before you became lieutenant commander. Worf says not a good bet today. She goes, well, I’ve seen you laugh. I really like it. Worf goes, Klingons do not laugh. But obviously he’s distracted ‘cause his aiming’s off. Guinan goes well, that’s not true. I’ve heard many Klingon laughs. She goes, a matter of fact, your son laughs.
He’s Klingon. Worf goes no, he’s a child, one, and two, he’s human, part-human. She goes yeah, okay, so you’re full Klingon but you don’t laugh. In a classic Worf line, he goes I do not laugh because I do not feel like laughing. Guinan says well, other Klingons laugh. What does that say about you? The truth comes out; he goes, perhaps it says I do not feel like other Klingons. Guinan wins the computer…the game and the other…the sub-game ‘cause it didn’t really sound…it was more like…it didn’t sound that truthy when Worf said it ‘cause he was saying it in a pesky kind of way, so it had to…she planted the seed. Then she goes jeez, don’t worry; I’ve been playing these games since before you were born. How’s your son? He goes, it’s not easy for him on Earth. She goes, I could see how; living with humans, he’s Klingon. Confusing, huh? Worf goes yeah, well, it won’t be easy. She goes, no. But at some point, he goes, he’s gonna want to know what it’s like to be Klingon, just like you’re kind of on your own journey doing that.
I don’t know, excellent, excellent scene. Then Picard carols and has grapes, a snack. Oh yeah, Picard has a plate with carrots and grapes on it, I think. We’ll see here. Worf asks for a leave of absence which Picard grants. He’s happy, Qapla’ or whatever; good luck bruh, he says. Then it goes to a commercial. Anything else I have? No, that was it. Let me just check what Picard had on his plate, here. Oh yeah, he takes it out; he’s like…I think he’s got carrots and grapes, it looks like, like a healthy mid-day snack. Let’s see, then there’s a commercial. Then Worf talks to his personal log; track down my brother, gotta discuss some stuff with him. Then old Commander Kurn, one of my favorites…Worf starts to talk to Commander Kurn. He goes, too long. Yeah, no doubt too long. Then Kurn gets all this Khaleesi talk going, believe it or not. I don’t know if the Khaleesi is watching this, ‘cause he’s basically saying we’re gonna break the wheel, we’re gonna break the wheel.
‘Cause he says we gotta help Gowron. He goes, Gowron’s a part of the wheel, dude. We’re gonna break the wheel, the system, the whole nine yards, or whatever term we used for it; kilowatts. They go back and forth. Kurn says just showing us, Worf? Worf goes no, Gowron’s the leader, man. Kurn says he spits in your face, man. There’s no honor. Worf goes, there’s no honor via dishonor. By the way, I’m the older brother. Worf takes a patriarchal dominance. What is it between siblings? But he says I’m the older brother. I make the decisions. He goes, well, we’re not gonna…we’re gonna be subtle about this, man. We’re gonna wait ‘til he needs us. Oh, also I could not find anything about this but it seems like…let’s see the time. Right now, he’s getting a drink but there’s a bowl with salt or sand in it. I couldn’t find anything about this on the internet. I mean, I didn’t look very long. But I don’t know if Klingons have a salt bowl or what but it’s like, right around fifteen or fourteen minutes into the episode.
It’s to Kurn’s left as he’s drinking. I think he even dips his hand into it. Let’s just keep watching here. Right now, he’s raising his glass to Worf. Worf’s about to drop the whole older brother thing on him. Right now, he has his back turned; he’s thinking, his hair looking majestic. He shakes his mane a little bit. Kurn goes what? WTF, man? This is when Worf goes, no honor without dishonor, whatever. Kurn walks up to Worf, two or three inches ahead of him, tries to act dominant. Worf says no, no, no, bruh. But they’re having a civil dominance discussion. Yeah, okay, so they’re still talking. I want to just…just wanted to see if he goes to the salt…the salt [00:30:00] pile or sand pile, puts his hand on his brother’s shoulder; we’ll wait, make our move later, all subtle like. When he needs us, we’ll offer our support. We’ll have an advantage. We’ll get our honor back, the restoration of our family name. Wouldn’t that be nice? Now Kurn turns, heads back. Yeah, there’s a pile of…he’s got his hand across…he lays his hand in the salt or the sand thoughtfully.
He’s holding onto it; he’s kind of gripping it. Thinking sand, or thinking salt. I could probably use this. He says I gotta to go the Mempa sector, get some more supports. Worf says call me later. He says okay, and Kurn says no problem, but he just crossed his arms. Okay, then…let’s see, where are we? I’ll be ready. Then we’re at the great hall of the Klingon High Council. Picard stands. Gowron, Mirel, you stand alone. I wish it. No other challengers…basically, it’s time for Gowron to become in charge, to get the robe that symbolizes that. Then he says okay, there’s no challengers. Picard goes to put the robe on him. Then they go, there is one challenger; I’ll challenge him. I’m Duras’s son. I forget his name; it’ll come up soon. Then someone says Lorissa, or…I don’t know the names right this second, but…is this your doing? Like, Duras’s sister…oh, Lursa, that’s her name. She goes yeah, we found out he has a son, B’Etor. Oh, Toral. Oh, Lursa and B’Etor are Duras’s sisters.
They go, this can’t be Duras’s son. They go okay, well, check his genes. Gowron’s like, this is outrageous, man. I’m in charge. This is just a kid. He’s got a bit of spunk in him, this kid. He’s got some attitude. What’s his name? Toral. They say well, the arbiter will consider it. Give us a bit. Is that it? Duras’s son…the validity…oh dear…Picard has the ‘oh dear’ look. Then there’s a secret meeting with Duras’s sisters and the kid Toral, and a secret figure in the background. There may even be a Romulan already revealed. To me, this was one of the great reveals that the…like a great season finale even though I was watching it…then Worf was Facetiming his brother. He goes, I got seven sectors on seven squadrons with me. I think they say let’s meet up on the home world. Then we have another great scene; a little small scene that I just didn’t quite pick up on…on the subtleness of it, but Worf’s learning. Worf’s…and Data are doing research and Picard comes in, and he goes…they’re looking up stuff, the proof for Duras, that Duras’s dad was a phony.
Picard goes but dude, I thought you were on a leave of absence. Are you still working? Worf goes no, I’m doing research on Duras. He goes, okay, we’ve got to talk in private, man. He goes, basically…Picard sits him down and goes dude, this is a conflict of interest. You can’t use our resources to…against Duras. He says, we gotta walk the tight rope of compromise, or something. Worf goes, I need those Federation records. He goes, this is a compromise for our fundamental principles; you can’t use your…Starfleet to make change, political change. Worf goes, I need to, man. Picard goes, I’m lecturing you and trying to avoid my own conflict of interest. You don’t think…I don’t want Duras’s family in charge. He goes, I got personal stuff and Starfleet stuff. Oh, this is when he says we walk the same tight rope between two worlds, you and I. We have to try to keep those two worlds separate or we shall certainly fail, or fall. Picard goes, I’ll tell you what; I’ll open-source all the documents to anybody, not just you.
That’s a fair way to do it. Worf goes thanks, man. Then Riker calls; he goes, you got a private message. Picard gets it; he gets invited to the Duras’s sister’s house for tea. Cereal…Gorn…you come here…brave act. She touches his head. Picard is impressed with their Earl Grey. You see clearly. Could be the end of the alliance; be our friend. You are like a couple of ranchers. What? Nervous looks…good day. Picard’s speech time; with due respect, he’s just a boy. Okay, so basically what happens is Picard gets called to see Lursa and B’Etor. They say hey, Earl Grey, right? He goes, yep. They go, you just came here by yourself? That’s brave. Picard goes well, I didn’t expect your invitation. They go yeah, we should have invited you sooner. We just didn’t…we know you don’t like our brother. They go, neither did we. They say, we don’t want to be your enemy. Picard goes, that’s great. They go, do you have a decision on Toral? Picard goes, not yet; I’m working on it.
They freshen his tea. They go jeez, this Toral’s gonna help us. He’s the next generation, support of the people and all that. Picard goes well, I want to see if he has the support of the law. That’s my job. They go well, you gotta figure it out. Picard goes okay, well, I’m in a pickle here ‘cause if I see Toral’s challenge is valid, you two will be in charge, Gowron will be out. If I reject Toral’s claim, you’ll say I’m just serving Federation interests and you’ll try a coup against Gowron. That’s when they say you see clearly but one thing is missing; what if you rule against us and we win? That would be the end of the alliance with the Federation. Wouldn’t that be unfortunate? Picard goes, you’ve manipulated the circumstances with the skill of a Romulan. I’ll make my announcement tomorrow. Great tea. Good day. Okay, so then Picard goes…where’s the speech here? Okay, Picard will make a speech; with all due respect, this dude…he goes, I understand he’s definitely…has the Duras bloodline.
One day, perhaps. Right now, he’s just a boy. Perhaps he shall, but just because he has the bloodline doesn’t mean he has a claim to leadership. He’s never led anything. Then the dude says…Toral says follow me and I’ll show you honor. Let me see…let me read the things. Oh, then Gowron says if you follow him, you’re rejecting Klingon law. Picard basically says Gowron’s in charge. Duras had a claim; he’s not here anymore. Gowron is. Yeah, I already gave him the claim. That’s it. Then seven people follow along, then there’s a lot of ‘oh dear’ looks, a lot of looks. Then there’s an ad. I think on Frown Mound. That’s what that says. Then at 28:54…oh, this is a great shot of the Klingon vessels. Worf is…what is this? Worf, Gowron pointing at throne. I got four squadrons. What? So, Worf is meeting with Gowron. Oh, he says dude, you’re in trouble. How are you gonna deal with Duras? He goes, what do…he goes, you’re dishonored, bruh. Worf goes, I got four squadrons. He goes, how?
He goes, my brother Kurn. He goes, Kurn’s your brother? Wha…? He goes, yeah. He goes, we hid his bloodline to protect him. Gowron goes, he doesn’t like me. Worf goes, I’m the older brother. I’m in charge. Gowron goes, what do you want? Worf goes, family honor. Gowron’s finicky; he says…Gowron really has to think about it. He says well, it’s four squadrons…not enough. He goes, we need more help. You could get Federation help. Picard listens to you. Worf goes, I can’t ask for my…that’s my work, man. Gowron goes well, if you want your family honor, you’re gonna have to get Federation help. He goes, are you a Klingon or are you hiding behind human excuses? What are you, Worf? Are you trying to talk your way out of stuff like a human? Or do you hear the cry calling you, calling you to [00:40:00] glory like a Klingon? Let’s see, listens to you…okay, we got that. Then Enterprise looks on as it begins…Klingon…oh yeah, Klingon…the…some other Klingon ship shows up and starts going after Gowron’s ship.
Worf’s on board helping out. There’s…does that say Dorf? It definitely doesn’t…Dorf skunk. That’s what my handwriting looks like. But there’s trouble…Worf’s working, lost Dorf skunk…general dislikes. Call Picard…has to sit. Let’s see, basically there’s two ships against the Bortas and Gowron’s working. The Enterprise is looking on. Picard says, it’s begun. Data’s like, Picard, what are we gonna do? They’re in trouble and Worf’s on board, I think. Worf says…or Picard says we gotta get away from here. We gotta stay out of this. Riker goes but isn’t Bortas…shouldn't we help him? Picard goes, engage. We can’t drag the Federation into this. Then they’re like oh no, the ship’s in trouble. Shields are going down. Worf goes…the grounds…goes, go, let’s get this done. Worf goes no, no, no. Let them think the ship’s helpless and then we can trickaroo ‘em. Gowron goes, okay. Then 35,000 kellicams…that must be kilometers. I think I looked it up though, at the end. They go, okay.
Now they’re in transporter range. They’re gonna drop their shields. They take out one ship but the second ship manages to only get minor hits. Now they’re in trouble again but then one of Kurn’s ships shows up and defends them. Kurn goes yeah, we’re here to follow the banner of Gowron. Worf says the enemy took off, the other ship took off anyway. Gowron goes, great job Kurn; I can’t believe Lursa and B’Etor are already moved against me. Meet me at the great hall. Then Gowron says call the Enterprise and tell them to attend my installation as leader. Then we have another captain’s log; with newfound support, Gowron has chosen to proceed with the installation ceremony. The Enterprise has returned so that I may perform my final duty as Arbiter of Succession. Let’s see what else we have. Ghos, G-H-O-S, like I said a lot. Robe goes on, so Picard puts the robe on Gowron, mad dev Ghos. Worf walks up to him with Kurn. He goes oh jeez, you’re both…proven yourselves.
Your hearts are Klingon. I’m giving you your honor back. Let your name be spoken once again. Then there’s an ad after they get their honor back, Worf gets his honor back. Then Klingon…Enterprise…the Klingon ship and the Enterprise, after the ad…Worf, Riker, Picard, and the sole leader Gowron are on the ship. Gowron goes, because of the treaty, I want your assistance against my enemies. Riker goes, those are Klingons. He goes, all who oppose me. Picard goes, the Enterprise, or the Federation can’t get involved in internal affairs. Gowron goes, you already did the Rite of Succession. You’re involved. Picard goes, my duties are done, man. Then Worf butts in; he goes, captain, we gotta intervene. This is Duras…is behind it. They’re no good. They’re not good for the Federation either. You know that. They conspired with Romulans. He goes, I beg you, support us in this cause. Picard goes Worf, I don’t have to…Mr. Worf, I don’t have to lecture you on non-interference. We’ve sworn an oath.
No matter personal feelings, I refuse your request. Gowron starts to pound…what do we call that? Go out, like in a frustrated way. Worf’s behind him. Picard goes Worf, you gotta get back to work, man. Leave of absence is over; we’re leaving. Worf goes captain, I need an extended absence. Picard goes Worf, nope. Time to get back to work. Your responsibilities as a Starfleet officer are incompatible with remaining onboard a Klingon ship during internal affairs. Picard goes, captain, please…he goes, I order you to return to duty at once. Then Worf resigns his commission as a Starfleet officer. Puts his Enterprise badge on the table. It’s like a dun-dun-dun moment. Worf was stunned. Oh, Worf stunned…he’s been stunned the captain refused him. Gowron says, I’ll await you on the Bortas. Worf walks out of the room. There’s lots of music. Then Worf’s in his room, packing. He’s in a Klingon uniform now. The doorbell rings. Picard goes jeez, you mind if I come in? Worf goes, no.
He goes, so you’re gonna be on…working on the Bortas, huh? Worf goes, yeah. Picard goes, you’re gonna serve them well. Really great scene, by the way, this one. Picard goes jeez, are you certain you’re making the right choice? Worf goes, you know, I was raised by humans, spent my life around them, but I was born a Klingon. My heart is of that world. I do hear the cry of the warrior. I belong with my people. Then Picard says, well, you’re the only Klingon ever to serve in Starfleet which gave you singular distinction. But what I felt was unique about you was your humanity, compassion, generosity, and fairness. You took the best qualities of humanity and made them a part of you. The result was someone I’m proud to call one of my officers. He says, I’ll have your belongings transported. Which is something…in a sense, I think Picard’s getting away with a little bit, just ‘cause he told him in the beginning of the episode to be more Klingon. But then, I don’t know, sometimes I start to wonder, is Picard like God in some sense?
I mean, he does have this god-like power but even though he’s human, he is super-human in his ability to deal with things and be kind and generous. Maybe he knows how this is all gonna work out, but then I cried. I’m not gonna bounce around it. Not on the first time; maybe on the second or the third time I saw this scene. I think on the third time. Picard walks out, Picard goes thanks, and they go out of the room and the whole hall is…the whole ship is there. Everybody’s there waiting to say goodbye to Picard. I mean, waiting to say goodbye to Worf; all the staff. It was really a tearjerker for me. Oh, it was the third time. I even wrote it down here. Everybody stands at attention, they’re all looking at Worf with respect and kind eyes. Then they go to the transporter room. I think I wrote everybody that’s there, but maybe I didn’t. Lift surprise…maybe it was after they got off the lift. Such great dialogue. Tear-filled moment, Worf gets transporter permission. I think it’s…everybody’s there, like Troi…let me fast-forward here.
Yeah, so Data, Geordie, Troi, Crusher, Riker…am I missing anybody? I think that’s it. They’re all waiting to say goodbye, but in military style. Worf’s kind of choking back some feelings, I think. Then he says permission to leave the ship. Picard says permission granted. Qapla’ or whatever. Then Worf says goodbye. Then Riker dismisses everybody. He says basically get back to work. Let’s see, Picard kind of stays behind as everybody goes back and kind of just looks at the transporter, kind of stares off at it. Then we see some shots of the ships. Duras’s crew…oh, then we go to…back to wherever Duras’s sisters hang out. They’re there. They’re sisters…[00:50:00] Toral…so, let’s see, who’s there? So, yeah, Toral, Duras’s sisters, some Romulan dude. Then a Romulan messenger comes in, hands a message, then we see the character in the background before. They say jeez, Picard rejected Gowron’s plea, the Enterprise has left orbit. Toral says oh, he wasn’t tough enough. Picard’s weak.
They say, be quiet, kid. Then the woman steps forward; you immediately hear her voice. You say, I know that voice. This really was such a reveal for me the first time. It’s so sweet. She says celebrate later, Toral. We should not discount Jean-Luc Picard yet. He is human and humans have a way of showing up when you least expect them. While she’s saying that, we see that it’s the actress who played Tasha Yar, or Tash Yar. Pretty mind-blowing because she was in the big spaceship in the sky. That’s how the episode…the season and the episode end. We will do another episode. I’ll continue that. The next episode we do will be that one. But let’s look at a couple things; one thing, a question I had…let’s see, Wikipedia…the entry for this episode. This was the 100th and the 101st episodes of the series and the fourth and fifth season. I mean, I had a question about the…this is about the plot. I don’t want to talk about that. I don’t know when they were…when they were filmed.
They’re both written by Ronald Moore and I mean, not to be…but his writing is really, really, really good. According to Wikipedia, Ronald Regan was on-set during filming of the first episode. It’s one of the more-highly recommended episodes. It’s on the Blu-Ray. Reunion is a prequel to this. Yesterday’s Enterprise, which I think we might have covered, is also related to the next Part 2. It doesn’t say anything about filming, so I guess they probably…maybe they filmed it a few months apart. I’m not sure. Just in case you were wondering, the baldric is what Worf wears. I always forget; the sash that goes over the left or right of Klingons. It’s the symbol of their Klingon house. Worf wears his baldric…he’s a member of Starfleet; over his right shoulder. I just wanted to get that. Now, those of you studying for SAT or any other thing, purview is one of the words…P-U-R-V-I-E-W. It’s from Middle English purview, proviso, and the Anglo-Norman porvista; it is provided. This is from the Wiktionary.
It’s purview; as a noun, the enacting part of a statute, the scope of the statute, the scope or range of interest or control. I think that’s what…how Picard was using it, but it…yeah, as a noun. Range of understanding…it was the scope or range of his interest or control as arbiter. What about leave of absence? That’s a word we use all the time. This is also from Wikipedia. It’s a period of time you were away from your job while maintaining the status of employee. It can’t be used restrictively to exclude other periods away from the workplace like vacation, paid time off, holidays, hiatus, sabbaticals. But usually leave of absence is used for exceptional circumstances but such arrangement is a predefined termination at a particular date or after a certain event has occurred; Worf. There’s paid and unpaid, you know, but they don’t…I don’t know how that…any of that works. I don’t know how any of that works on Starfleet. Arbiter…oh, Arbiter is a character in Halo, Arbiter Class protoss ship in StarCraft, but it’s the person who decides things in arbitration.
Arbiter is used in Dante, in the game DMC. Arbiter…I think the…which one was the arbiter? Oh, that's in Starfleet. I thought there was…oh, the protoss and Starfleet have Arbiters. I think…I don’t know if Arbiter’s a good, long-range one or if the Arbiter…is that the giant one? I don’t know. Nothing like a StarCraft reference. Then kellicam is a Klingon measurement. This is from fan…memoryalpha.fandom.com. It’s intended for use at a planetary scale and interstellar…oh, insignificant for interstellar measurement. It doesn’t…wonder what it converts to. Sounds like kilometers. Oh, it just doesn’t say. It would be nice, you know, have a conversion. You can probably convert is somewhere, but yeah, I don’t know. But so, kellicams; let’s just say it’s like kilometers. But that wouldn’t be accurate. Okay, then perhaps, I think I said once or twice in this episode, it reminds me of this song. I think I first heard it as a cake song but originally it was a song known as Quizas, Quizas, Quizas.
UI in Spanish, but it’s a famous, popular song by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farres who wrote the music and the original lyrics for the song which became a hit for Bobby Capo in 1947. The English lyrics were written by Joe Davis. They’re not a translation of the Spanish lyrics. English version was first recorded by Desi Arnaz in 1948. It’s also been covered by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Sarah Montiel, Celia Cruz, Paco de Lucia, Cake, Samantha Fox, holy cow, really? Geri Halliwell from one of the original Spice Girls, Mary Wilson, Ruben Gonzalez…I didn’t realize it was covered this many times; Emma Bunton, Pussycat Dolls, Pointivists Social Club, Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo…I guess this is going…so, it’s been covered a lot of times. Here’s the lyrics; this is taken from the Cake song but it is the lyrics from…the song writers are Osvaldo Farres and Joe Davis; ‘you won’t admit you love me and so how am I ever to know? You only tell me perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
A million times I ask you and then I ask you over again. You only answer perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. If you can’t make your mind up, we’ll never get started and I don’t want to wind up being parted, broken-hearted. So, if you really love me, say yes, but if you don’t dear, confess. Please don’t tell me perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. If you can’t make your mind up, we’ll never get started. I don’t want to wind up being parted, broken-hearted. So, if you really love me, say yes, but if you don’t dear, confess. Please don’t tell me perhaps, perhaps.’ That’s the song Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps by Joe Davis and Osvaldo Farres. That’s the song by Joe Davis and Osvaldo Farres, just reminding me of…I don’t know, the times it gets…perhaps came up in this episode. Perhaps I’ll talk to you soon. Goodnight.
[END OF RECORDING]
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