“Birthright, Part II” is episode seventeen of season six of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In the previous episode, “Birthright, Part I”, Worf was stopped from leaving the prison planet by both the Klingons and the Romulans. The Klingons explain they were knocked unconscious during the Khitomer attack and were captured, awakening in shackles. They were interrogated for three months and then the Romulans tried to trade them for territorial concessions. The Klingon High Council refused to negotiate as they wouldn’t acknowledge warriors had been taken prisoner. The Romulan, Tokath, offered to let them go. However, their families believed they had fallen in battle and they didn’t want to dishonour them. They asked to stay and Tokath took pity on them.
Worf says there’s no honour in remaining prisoners. They say they lost their honour when they were captured. All that matters is that their families are not dishonoured. Worf is asked why he came; if he’d found his father, he would have only found dishonour. Worf would be glad to have seen him; there is no room in his heart for shame. L’Kor hopes if his own son came, he would be Klingon enough to kill his father.
Worf sees one of the younger Klingons, Toq, using a spear to till the soil and takes offence. It is a weapon. Toq says they have no need of weapons. The war is far away; their parents came here to escape it. Worf tells Toq the war is over for many years.
Ba’el asks Worf if he isn’t happy to escape the war. They’ve heard stories of it all their lives. It’s why their parents came, to make a safer home. Worf tells her a place can be safe and still be a prison. His people are free to come and go. Ba’el says they are as well. Worf suggests she tells her father she wants to visit the Klingon homeworld and see what he says. Ba’el says it’s dangerous there. Worf tells her not any longer. Ba’el’s mother calls her away and the homer Shrek gave Worf goes off when she leaves.
Worf heads inside and hides it. Tokath knocks and Worf lets him in. He can return later if needed. They talk about the Klingons. In the beginning, they hated Tokath and he had no love for them. But when they asked to remain, Tokath was told by the High Command that if he didn’t remain, they would be killed. Here, they’ve put aside old hatreds and live in peace. He won’t allow Worf to destroy this. Worf says that the Klingons are not happy; he sees sadness in their eyes. Tokath tells Worf he doesn’t see that in his wife’s eyes. He married a Klingon.
Worf plants a device and then heads over to where Ba’el is sinking to a woman’s baby. He asks if she knows what the song means. She doesn’t. Worf is explaining as the device he planted explodes. He uses the distraction to get out of the compound and heads for Shrek’s ship. Toq jumps him, though, and Worf is captured by the Klingons.
On the Enterprise, Shrek’s ship is overdue for the rendezvous and Captain Picard wants Riker to find out the Yridian’s flight plans.
Worf is implanted with a tracker and Tokath delegates L’Kor to keep an eye on Worf as he’s a Klingon. L’Kor delegates Toq.
Outside, Worf is doing the forms of mok’bara and Ba’el asks him what he’s doing. Worf explains and the other young Klingons start to copy. Toq objects and grabs Worf; Worf puts him on the floor and explains that mok’bara forms are the basis of Klingon combat. He will teach them. Later, Ba’el takes Worf to her home and shows him various Klingon artefacts that she’s refused to examine. Her mother is not happy.
Worf tells the young Klingons traditional stories, and traditional Klingon skills. This causes problems with the older generation. Worf is a disruptive influence. Worf has his own problems. Especially when he discovers that Ba’el is half Romulan.
Worf is too disruptive an element to have around. But what choices are there other than killing him?