280. FirstbornFORMULA: Redemption + New Ground + Rightful Heir
WHY WE LIKE IT: Certainly an interesting way to resolve Alexander's story.
WHY WE DON'T: These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. It's continuing mission, to talk to every bloody mercenary scumbag in the quadrant.
REVIEW: We just got round to closing the books on Wesley's story, so now it's Alexander's turn (with another cameo by little Eric, he could be next... mmm, maybe not). Taking a page from the Terminator movies and have his future self go back to the past to make sure he DOES become a warrior is interesting, and James Sloyan has great presence in the role of "K'mtar", but he's really taking his regrets too far (technically committing suicide) and the time travel element is glossed over pretty boldly (so never mind the temporal paradoxes).
It's a worthy story, with the usual care taken to portray Klingon culture, and Worf's touching acceptance of his son's destiny as a great peacemaker (a dirty Klingon word, I'm sure). There are a lot of children in the episode, including Kurn's progeny and Lursa's unborn child (all these years, I was sure it was B'Etor's). It seems like the Houses of Mogh and Duras will never resolve their feud, and that's how we like it: operatic.
The rest of the Enterprise spends most of the episode chasing a paper trail back to the Sisters of Duras, which turns out to be padding of the worst kind, especially since the assassination attempt on Worf's life was a red herring. It gives Quark a chance to get a cameo in, but after that, we talk to two more alien rogues who are basically variations on Quark. Ultimately, Riker's usual "outside-the-box" thinking ferrets the Sisters out, but it seems a bit easy.
LESSON: Not only do Klingon children mature quicker, but a Klingon "year" is very short. Alexander is close to 13 here, a mere 5 years since he was conceived.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Another good chapter in the Klingon story, but slowed down by a wild (and repetitive) goose chase.
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