SDS9 – S4E15: "Sons of Mogh" (Patreon)

This episode was recorded on July 2, 2024.

First, Sam and Scott discuss the similarities between DS9 and Battlestar Galactica, and then they discuss "Sons of Mogh," in which Worf receives a visit from his brother Kurn.

SDS9 seasons 1, 2, and 3 can be found wherever you stream Southpaw. Season 4 is only available to paid subscribers.

You can also listen to this episode directly from your favorite podcast player by following these instructions: https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/212055866-Subscribe-to-your-Audio-RSS-link-on-the-Patreon-app

(Note: Many phone plans come with Paramount+ for free. It can also come with your cable package, credit card, or in a bundle, so make sure to double-check. There are also other ways to watch DS9 that we're sure you internet space explorers can figure out. Otherwise, since Scott does such an excellent job with the play-by-play, you don't have to watch the episodes to enjoy our breakdowns.)

Transcript

[Note: Transcripts are autogenerated and may contain errors.]

We are back with Southpaw Deep Space Nine Season 4. If you don't know what SDS9 is, it's Southpaw's completest DS9 watch-along show where we watch every episode, recap it, and analyze it. We are your hosts, Scott and Sam. But Scott, before we get into today's episode,

I need to ask you something about a sci-fi show I've actually watched the entirety of, which is Battlestar Galactica, the remake. I know one of the DS9 writers became the showrunner of that show. Yes. I think I only found that out recently. But since I'm watching it in reverse order, Battlestar, then DS9,

so not the way it chronologically happened, so much of what I thought was cool about Battlestar DS9 did first. In fact, now I'm like, wait a minute. Battlestar seems like it just took DS9 scripts and wrote over it, including the chubby, goofy engineer dude with the Asian love interest.

and then shoehorning spiritual stuff at the end of the series. It feels like you could only be amazed by Battlestar if you have never seen DS9 first, which is kind of like where I was coming from, where I'd only watch random episodes, but I didn't really understand the entire story.

And then I watched Battlestar, and I thought the ending was kind of weak, but overall... It blew me away with who's the shape-shifting Cylons and what's the spiritual aspect and all this other stuff. So Scott, what do DS9 fans think of Battlestar?

So I can only speak for a few people because while I know a lot of people that much love Ronald D. Moore's take on Battlestar Galactica, the venn diagram which is probably a circle in most communities of people that like deep space nine and battlestar galactica i don't know that many people that like

both properties and i liked battlestar galactica i think it's good but i haven't watched every single episode but When I found out that the guy that really loved Klingons wrote Battlestar Galactica, it made a lot of sense. Because Ronald D. Moore is pretty much you're going to see in this season. I've talked about it before,

or I've hinted at it before, that with Ronald D. Moore starting to show up, you're getting a lot of Klingon world building. He loves Klingons. But for me, Battlestar Galactica is a good show. For many people, it's a great show. It didn't latch on to me the way other shows did.

So it latched on to me, but Now, if I think about if I had watched DS9 first, I don't think I would have finished Battlestar Galactica because it would have felt like a retreading. And also, the reason why I asked you about DS9 fans and how they feel about the show is

because whenever I've talked to DS9 fans, they'll mention other Star Trek properties to watch. They'll definitely mention Babylon 5. They never, ever, ever, ever bring up Battlestar Galactica. And I thought that was interesting. Once I found out, Ronald D. Moore went on to make Battlestar Galactica. So I was like, well, if they're not mentioning it,

and one of the writers was the showrunner for that, must be that a lot of them didn't like it that much.

I didn't dislike it. It just didn't connect to me the way that it connected to my roommates at the time. This came out in my, I was like 23, 24. So my roommates watched every single week. And this was pretty much pre-streaming. So they would come home to watch it. I'm not saying it's a bad show.

I think it's very good. And there's some great acting. And I've watched episodes. But it just takes a lot for me to be drawn in by sci-fi. While Deep Space Nine is my favorite TV show, I tend to drift towards fantasy more than I do than sci-fi.

Now I'm curious if at the end of this I'll like DS9 more and maybe I'll like Battlestar less. I already like Battlestar a little bit less now, knowing that a lot of these ideas existed prior.

Yeah, I mean, look, it's all about taste. But where I'm at right now, if I'm excited to talk about TV shows, it's deep space nine, um, Babylon five and full metal alchemist brotherhood. And that's just where I'm at. And that's okay.

All right. So now let's get to today's episode. We are discussing sons of mode. Scott, can you recap this episode?

Worf and Jadzia are doing some LARPing with Klingon swords in the holosuite. And I don't know about you, but I'm sensing maybe even a little bit of flirting. And then Worf is called by Odo to talk to a drunken Klingon. And guess who the drunk Klingon on Deep Space Nine is? Kern! Worf's estranged brother.

Worf scolds him for ignoring his messages. Kern asks Worf to restore his honor by killing him in the Mok Tovor ritual. At Worf's quarters, we see Kern. He's grumbling. He's not very comfortable. He's mocking Worf for siding with the Federation. And he's like, look, I'm trying to salvage our disgraced family house. Because as we know,

Worf was ejected from the High Council, and this has created a lot of tension in the Klingon world. And Worf certainly regrets dissing their fam house by opposing Gowron, who's basically leading the Klingons. And Kern dismisses this apology as another one of his human weaknesses.

And Kern is like, Gowron stripped the House of Moog of its seat and property, and I have nothing. So he asks Worf that the only way to restore his honor is through the Moktovor ritual. Miles and Kira are returning from a border inspection. They're investigating some energy science thing and they peep a Klingon bird of

prey conducting some sort of military exercises. They retreat, but they are suspicious. Dubious, if you will. Back on Deep Space Nine, Jadzia tries to find Worf because he missed their hollow sweet LARPing sesh. and learns that he's going to angrily and seek this rare Adanji incense from Quark. And because, as we know,

Jadzia has a lot of connection through the Klingon people, through Curzon, one of her previous entities, she knows what's going on. In Worf's room, Worf and Kern are prepared for the Moktovar. It's a Klingon ritual where a dishonored individual can regain honor through a ceremonial death at the hands of a close family member or trusted ally.

Like some samurai sort of thing, but Klingon. Jadzia, who realizes Worf's plan, rushes to stop him, and Jadzia and Oro are able to arrive as Worf stabs Kern, and they beam him to the infirmary, and he doesn't die. In Ben's office, he's like, Worf, what is going on?

And Worf admits that, you know, what he did was definitely against Starfleet regulations, but could be considered premeditated murder under Federation guidelines. Jadzia tries to explain cultural competency, and Ben emphasizes that this ritual crosses the Federation line. And Jadzia assures Ben that they will find other ways to resolve the issues within the House of Moe. Later,

Kira and Miles, they brief Cisco, Ben, on their suspicious encounter with Klingons near Bajoran space. And Ben's like, they should take the Defiant to investigate. And orders them to keep Worf informed, but Worf is not allowed to join the mission. Miles tries to defend Worf, but Ben is not having it.

In the infirmary, Bashir informs Worf that Kern is stable. Kern is frustrated, dismayed to be alive, and says, Worf was almost a Klingon for a moment. But Kern regrets not being in Stovo Corps, which is like the Valhalla for Klingon folks. But Worf assures him it's just not yet the time.

And Kern is like, you could have tried harder, bro. Tadzia visits Worf to apologize for stopping the ritual, for getting involved. Worf accepts her reasoning, but also notes that it is not honorable from a Klingon perspective. And Tadzia suggests that Curran could stay on Deep Space Nine, join security, just chill here. And Worf

He's not sure that this is going to happen. He doubts that Kern would necessarily join Starfleet, but Jadzia proposes that maybe he could be part of Odo's Bajoran security detail. And as Odo looks at Kern's CV, and although concerned... He's like, fine, as a favor to you, Worf, I'll make Kern a deputy.

And Worf's like, I owe you. And Odo's like, look, when you owe me something, I expect you to pay me back. And then Odo watches Kern inspecting some freighters and cargo bay. And Worf tries to pretend he has a reason to be there and just wants to check on Kern's job. And Kern admits,

that he's adjusting, he's ready to work, he wants meaning, but he hates the uniform. On the Defiant, Kira and O'Brien, they start to detect cloaked ships and witness what they believe to be a Klingon cruiser explosion. The cruiser, IKS Nirvana, is damaged, but initially declines assistance.

But with some work, they agree to be towed to Deep Space Nine for medical help. And Odo tells Worf that Kern was injured in an incident. Kern found some contraband and basically allowed himself to be shot by the Vasa captain. Obviously, Kern would have been able to disarm this dude, but just let him get hurt.

And Odo worries that Kern has a death wish. And that makes him a liability. So he gets fired. And in the infirmary, Worf tries to confront Kern, who insists he will respect Worf's wishes, but does not like all the talking. Bashir tells staff that the injuries of those aboard the Drivona don't quite match

those from a starship explosion. They suggest that the ship was hit by like a photon or something. Jadzia knows a torpedo would leave an ion trail, but none were found, however. So Kira adds that the Dravon was cloaked, which makes it even less likely that Klingon vessels would have targeted it.

And they realize, oh, they had a cloaked mine. There are mines. And they are very worried that there could just be all these undetectable mines in the Bajoran system. Mines are not cool. Bashir comments that this is an act of war, and the Flummox Klingons would take such a risk. They're confused.

And Ben says that they can't yet prove the mines exist, but if there is a war, the mines could cut off Deep Space Nine and Bajor from the Alpha Quadrant. So Kira suggests that the Dravona's computer might have the mind coordinates, and Worf has an idea. Worf tries to convince Kern to help,

that arguing the Klingon Empire is acting dishonorably by mining space, and opposing minds is honorable. As AF. So Kern, who opposed the decision to withdraw from the Katoma Accords, which were the peace treaties between the United Federation and plans to the Klingon Empire, he agrees that Gowron underestimates the Federation and Worf just begs his bro to

help prevent the Empire from starting a war they can't win. stating that the Sons of Moog could save their people and be glorious again. In the infirmary, Worf and Kern undergo surgical alterations, so they look like the Drivona 12. They beam onto the Drivona, and using their understanding of High Council, Kern retrieves the mind coordinates,

though a Klingon dude enters and questions their presence. And while Worf tries to pretend that he's the commander, the lieutenant isn't quite convinced, but as he tries to leave, Kern shoots him, kills him, and also reveals that the lieutenant was actually going to attack Worf with a knife.

Worf and Kern retrieve the mine detonation codes, and Kira and O'Brien leave to destroy the mines. And that's when afterwards, Worf is telling Jadzia that he's really very disturbed. He's lost a lot of his identity. He's really changed from living with humans and does worry about Curran's future.

And Worf is worried that he's lost his killer instinct and the line of being between two worlds of the Federation, the Klingons, is no longer realistic. So while Worf wishes so bad to be part of the Klingon society again, and is sad that Kern doesn't even have an inkling of what Worf has,

and that Kern just is never going to have the Klingon world that he needs while existing as the Kern that he is. That's when Jadzia suggests an alternative to the Moktovor ritual. Kira and Miles detonate all the mines and flush out some Klingon birds of prey. Worf finds Kern drunk and is content warning suicidal.

In the Klingon afterlife, it is not honorable to opt out. But Kern points out that if he were to do that, he won't be alone because there are others like him who will be there who have opted out in the past. And Kern laments not growing up with Worf and that the sons of Moog could have been

bigger and should never have been super separated and feels like a burden and starts to note that Worf indeed has honor. Worf promises Kern will regain his honor, but not as his brother. This is where something funky happens. Bashir erases Kern's memory, changes his face, gives him a new identity as Rodek, son of Nagra,

a friend of Worf's family, who agreed to this terrible idea. to just reinvent this guy, even though they believe it's the only way. And Kern slash Rodic wakes up, doesn't remember anything. He asks Worf if he's his family. Worf tells them he has no family. It's really sad.

And he goes on to live a life of honor, not knowing who he was. And Worf wonders of his own Klingon identity and tries to realize what he still has. or may have.

First off, Scott, this chemistry between Jadzia and Worf, is this just a one-off, or does this matter? No comment. Okay. And also, Tony Todd is back. So how often does this happen? A guest star returning to Trek, but as a different character?

Oh, it happens all the time. There are Trek actors who play two or three people, three or four people. It's not uncommon for someone to play multiple characters throughout the Trek canon, especially if there's makeup involved.

That seems like the beauty of Aliens of the Week shows. You can bring back actors you like without making them a recurring character, which makes it so much easier. Yeah. Now let's get to the meat of this episode. There's a lot of sociopolitical meat to this.

Oh, absolutely.

Now, Sisko talking about Klingon rituals within Starfleet and the limits of cultural diversity seems pertinent.

Mm-hmm.

Except it's being criticized by a character fans probably wished was arguing for cultural diversity. But when we think of the future and a space outpost, cultural diversity probably matters even more than it does here on Earth. And the problems with cultural hegemony are probably even more oppressive because it's all the more expansive.

No one really thinks about the intergalactic cultural hegemony of Starfleet. but it is kind of the future successor of the British imperial culture. I don't think the creators thought about that or how oppressive it is to other cultures, let alone other human cultures. Has anyone talked about the standpoint of putting British colonial, quote unquote, explorers,

which are just colonizers in space? Because I think early on we talked about how Star Trek is about a naval fleet in space and it still harkens back to that often, but there's a lot of influence of the British Navy.

Absolutely.

Do you know if this is a topic that other Trek podcasts or books have covered?

The Trek podcast, I really only listen to two other Trek podcasts. That's not true. I listen to like two and a half. I listen to Soy Trek, which doesn't follow a particular guideline. They just sort of cover whatever they want. But they're awesome. And I love them.

And I do sometimes listen to Mission Log, which is the other Star Trek episode-by-episode guide. And they don't totally go deeply into that sort of thing.

They don't go where no one has gone before?

That's funny. I mean, they try to. I have no issue... with Mission Log. I really enjoy them. In fact, if I'm doing a rewatch of a show and I just want to miss an episode, I might just listen to an episode of Mission Log. They just don't go deep politically into it. It's very surface level.

It's very like you could win a trivia contest listening to these episodes. And my friend Alana Levin does on their podcast channel, Deep Space Dive, which goes into concepts from Deep Space Nine. And I was on an episode talking about Miles and Keiko's relationship.

But yeah, no, they're not going into it the way that we're going into it. And that's not saying anything bad about it. It's just... answering your question.

So for us to dive into this, what I'm talking about is not just how the characters dress, carry themselves, or speak, or the spirit of Starfleet, but also from how the acting is influenced by the Royal Academy. And Dieter, it's too much to talk about in one episode,

but someone could write a whole book about how Starfleet is the successor of Western hegemony and British naval culture replicating itself in space. But going back to this episode, questions arise. Other meaty, heavy questions arise about national identity and nationalism. Should your identity mean supporting the actions of the worst actors in your community?

Does it mean blindly supporting a nation state? Is loyalty to what you perceive as your people more important than doing what's right? This is always pertinent for Americans, but right now this has become a heated argument amongst Jewish people across the world. Worf kind of acts like a removed proxy for a lot of very human situations.

I know you've always found Klingons interesting, Scott. What did you think about some of these themes?

So I think the trope of a character feeling distance from their culture and people is one, a very profound trope in sci-fi, but also a profound trope in writing. So this trope also happens a lot in Deep Space Nine. We have We have Worf, who is the Klingon, who is also the Federation guy.

We have Garak, who is the Cardassian without a home. We have Odo, who's also a... didn't even realize that he was part of a culture that he didn't even know. Even to some extent, you have... Kira, who's without many of her Bajoran people, and obviously we have Ben, who is without part of his family.

So people being disconnected from where they come from is a very potent and powerful part of Deep Space Nine. And Worf just creates a very important and familiar feeling of that in the show. Because one, Deep Space Nine gets considerably better when he shows up.

And people that love Worf from Star Trek come here and they already know this person and the crux of his pain. Because his pain is, is he human or is he Klingon? And to him, he's both. Even though phenotypically, he's unquestionably Klingon. But he's not from a monoculture, and he's existing that way. Now,

talking about how that imparts my own experience, I don't think I'm really prepared to go into this evening, but I definitely relate to Worf in some ways.

In seeing Worf in the series, to your point, he is more human-like. He seems to accept that. Klingon actions sometimes repulse him. And from a sociopolitical perspective, you could think of it as Worf having a human gaze, returning to cultural hegemony. In our world, examples of gazes are the white gaze, the western gaze, or the male gaze.

The problem with this in Star Trek is using the human gaze to judge non-humans, similar to using the white gaze to judge non-white people, male gaze to judge non-men. Previously, I've pointed out that Dax doesn't understand consent. just off the top of my head, and I'm sure there's examples I'm missing here,

but when she coerced Cork to give up his body to be one of her personalities, or her response to Kira being assaulted on the Holosuite, or even recently her prank where she moves all of Odo's stuff, which seems like an obnoxious joke, but as part of a greater pattern, it reads different.

And here we go again with Dax. This time, she suggests wiping Kern's brain without his consent, but also altering his body. And they do that. From an ethical perspective, medical ethical perspective, that's wrong. And going back to Bashir's Hippocratic Oath, which there was a whole episode about that, it's even worse that Bashir went along with it.

So what's the moral lesson here? What's the Starfleet lesson here? Death with dignity with the person's consent is wrong under Starfleet and Western culture, but the death of your personhood without consent and denying your bodily autonomy is okay. Which, yeah, that's what happened to indigenous and enslaved people by Western hegemony.

So I guess that's a blind spot that writers carry into a show about space, cultures, and British doctors. Thinking about it from that perspective, Worf denying his brother didn't make me feel bad for him. However, this episode dealt with some heavy, heavy pertinent themes, and everyone did their jobs well, whether I agree with them or not.

And I feel like these episodes really age well just because so many of these themes are becoming pertinent now. Scott, from mythology to quality, How did you rate this episode?

So the thing is, again, the season is just getting better and better. So this is like a solid three and a half stars. There's a lot of mythology that is teensy tiny important to the story. And I'm not going to go too deeply into it. It's almost a four, but I can't just give everything a four.

Yeah.

I'm giving it a 3.5. It's a great episode. The morals of Kern and what they did to Kern definitely doesn't feel good.

I think you called it a long time ago, right? That DS9 would just get more gray and gray. Yes. Can you tell us about the next episode?

The boss needs you, you don't need them.

Until then...