BIRTHRIGHT, PART 2 To be fair, I think I hit the "Klingon culture saturation point" while watching this episode. On the other hand, in some ways it seemed like a retread of the original Trek episode "The Omega Glory", or the TNG episode "Who Watches The Watchers". All three episodes had as their climax the driving home of some simple point to an individual who had lost sight of that point due to the fantasies he had been wrapped up in. And, really, I don't think that "Birthright" provides a substantial variation on the theme. The driving point behind the episode, of course, was "What does it mean to be a Klingon?" I'm not very satisfied with the results, because I don't think they really tackled some of the potentially most interesting issues. In particular, they seem to have forgotten that Worf is no ordinary Klingon! Raised by humans, he has some Federation heritage and has been known to take un-Klingon-like approaches to problems (as shown in "Sins Of The Father"). The irony that these young Klingons' first introduction to their true heritage was from such a man was completely missed. (I had been hoping that Toq would exclaim, upon beaming onto the Enterprise, "Is this a *Klingon* ship?" No such luck.) Another point that's completely skipped is the whole of Romulan culture. Even after "Unification" and "Face Of The Enemy" we still don't have a strong grasp on their culture, and it doesn't intrude here one whit, despite the fact that many of the people in the compound are Romulans. Despite the fact that Gi'ral is half Romulan. Is she not curious about her Romulan heritage? How do the two intermix? Do they? More than ever I'm convinced that mixing this thread with the Data one in part one was a big mistake. There was enough material here to mine for hours, possibly, but instead we're given a slapdash melodrama with a difficult-to- believe ending. Are the children's attitudes REALLY going to be changed so quickly? How do they really feel about this? What are they going to do in the Federation? Are Worf and Gi'ral not going to try to remain in contact at all? Who knows. This story lacked real depth, or a sense of closure. The last exchange between Picard and Worf was exceedingly shallow. Moreover, the Data thread isn't picked up again at all, here, which is very disappointing, as it really could have benefitted from the extra time, or from being given a whole episode of its own. Pity. One irony of the portrayal of Klingons and Romulans here is that it truly clinches the fact that the TNG races are opposites of the Classic Trek races. In Classic Trek, the Romulans were death-before-dishonor types, while the Klingons were the treacherous, win-by-any-means people. This shoddy continuity has bugged me for years, since the change seems completely arbitrary. I have some problems with the Klingons' attitudes toward being captured in battle. True, the Klingons are rather bull-headed, but surely in decades or centuries of war with at least two other nations the Klingons have experienced the prisoner of war phenomenon. It seems difficult to swallow that their culture would still consider being captured so dishonorable. By the way, in retrospect I wonder what the point was in showing us the Enterprise going to search the two planets the trader had recently visited given that we never see them actually doing so. I think they could easily have cut out that bit. Oh, and the woman who played Gi'ral looked a lot like Robin Curtis (Saavik from Star Trek III), don't you think? Weird. The story did have its good points, such as Worf's coaching of Toq, the genuine concern of Gi'ral's father about his home and his family, and the debates between Worf and her father. Problem is, they just didn't go very far, and that was disappointing. However, in total, "Birthright" seemed hastily thrown together, not fully thought-out, and glaringly unoriginal. While its goals were noble, it fell well short of them. I think it's time that TNG took stock of what it's trying to accomplish through its two-parters and focus itself a little better. An hour and a half really isn't enough to tell epic stories. Grade: C- TNG SEASON SIX AT A GLANCE: Time's Arrow II: B- Realm Of Fear: C Man Of The People: C Relics: B+ Schisms: B- True Q: D- Rascals: D+ A Fistful Of Datas: C+ The Quality Of Life: C Chain Of Command: B+ Chain Of Command Part II: B Ship In A Bottle: A Aquiel: B Face Of The Enemy: A- Tapestry: B+ Birthright, Part I: C- Birthright, Part II: C- --- Total Points: 42 2/3 Season Average: 2.510 (B-) (Fall of 0.053 from previous episode)