Honestly, I feel like this whole idea of "Worf teaching a bunch of culturally distant Klingons what their ancestors were like" was done way better in DS9's "Children of Time", despite being- what, a C-plot in a single episode which already had a lot to juggle compared to bloated across an entire story here? It had a tighter focus and wasn't weighed down by Worf's exhaustingly overplayed hangups about Mogh and the Romulans, so it used the limited time to better effect.
Shrek is played by James Cromwell, not that you could really recognize him with all the makeup. Though Shrek appears in Part 2, he has no lines and inexplicably disappears from the plot without explanation. This was, in part, due to Cromwell breaking his leg in a riding accident in the period between filming the two parts of "Birthright", which severely curtailed his availability and entailed cutting most of his lines. A sympathetic scene in which Shrek confesses to Worf that the reason he's helping him was because he was once a prison inmate himself was lost, as was a scene in which he would have been assassinated by one of the Klingons' grown sons who was determined not to hear the truth about his father.
Klingon biology is more suggestion than scientific fact. Sometimes they have smooth heads, sometimes not. Sometimes their blood is pink, sometimes red. Sometimes their teeth are normal, sometimes jagged abominations. And so on.
Worf is so hard to please. He gets jealous of Data seeing a vision of his "father", Dr. Soong, but as a child Worf had a vision from Kahless himself telling him he'd go on to do something no other Klingon would do. As if Worf's vision was a poor consolation prize. 😅
The Romulans in this episode are fascinating. They aren't what we usually see. The Warden gave up his entire career to save these Klingons. He loves his wife, genuinely. He has spent so long trying to protect them and keep things happy in the camp. It makes sense he would be conflicted about Worf. I can actually respect him. Unlike the A-hole who "married" Tasha Yar.
They elaborate that Klingons don't kill themselves when captured when there is hope of escape. But that's much later in ds9. So Worf can be quite contradictory at times. Lol.
It's been forever since I watched this episode, but did Worf ever meet Dax? Might be interesting what kind of interaction he has with his future wife while he's on his way to make out with the half-Romulan.
Roots is it’s not historically accurate. The author of roots stated “ I wanted to give my people a myth to live by” also, LeVar Burton’s great grandfather was a white confederate officer.
Funny, I thought it's a lesson in how arrogantly pretending that one's culture is better than others (which Worf does a lot, Klingon this Klingon that) and obsessively clinging to outdated traditions (which Worf also does a lot, because he wants to prove he is more Klingon than other Klingons) is bad. 🙄And how you shouldn't tie your "identity" to stupid traditions. But hey, I know how all the kids today _love_ to scream "cultural appropriation" because it makes them feel all righteous and important for having used A Big Word! Regardless of the fact that "cultural appropriation" isn't even the case here... no-one "appropriated" Klingon culture to sell it for gain, or pretended to be a Klingon without being one for personal gain. And funnily enough, Worf's sudden obsession with needlessly hunting and killing wild animals (as they don't need them for food) also goes against the principles of the very Federation he himself was raised in. but hey, Worf has a tendency to be a huge hypocrit (beautifully shown in the episode about Risa). What Worf is doing here to the young Klingons is basically right-wing propaganda: Tell them that someone mean had taken something away from them and that they have to feel angry and lash out in outrage. Or, from another angle, Worf is the religious fanatic who has filled the heads of a bunch of young easily impressible teenagers with talk about killing the heretics and dying for glory.
@@Renegade2786 cultural appropriation, in a nutshell is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. In this episode, we see all these important elements of Klingon culture used in a way that completely strips them of their original ritual significance because the dominant Romulan authorities don't want them practicing their actual culture. That is cultural appropriation.
Honestly, I feel like this whole idea of "Worf teaching a bunch of culturally distant Klingons what their ancestors were like" was done way better in DS9's "Children of Time", despite being- what, a C-plot in a single episode which already had a lot to juggle compared to bloated across an entire story here? It had a tighter focus and wasn't weighed down by Worf's exhaustingly overplayed hangups about Mogh and the Romulans, so it used the limited time to better effect.
Shrek is played by James Cromwell, not that you could really recognize him with all the makeup. Though Shrek appears in Part 2, he has no lines and inexplicably disappears from the plot without explanation. This was, in part, due to Cromwell breaking his leg in a riding accident in the period between filming the two parts of "Birthright", which severely curtailed his availability and entailed cutting most of his lines. A sympathetic scene in which Shrek confesses to Worf that the reason he's helping him was because he was once a prison inmate himself was lost, as was a scene in which he would have been assassinated by one of the Klingons' grown sons who was determined not to hear the truth about his father.
I thought his voice sounded familiar but had no idea why. Thanks for sharing!
How did Kahless weep if Klingons have no tear ducts?
He is that powerful of a warrior. He can do things he physically should not be capable of. He is basically Klingon Jesus.
Jesus walked on water.
Kahless wept.
It's pre.
Klingon biology is more suggestion than scientific fact.
Sometimes they have smooth heads, sometimes not. Sometimes their blood is pink, sometimes red. Sometimes their teeth are normal, sometimes jagged abominations. And so on.
It is not nice to ask from which orifice Kahless weeps.
Nicely done with the frenak clip!!
You know, Worf, you DO have a real son.
If Worf had a real son, I'd hope he'd be Klingon enough to kill him.
Alexandra: I have no father
Worf: We do not discuss it with outsiders.
Worf: I don't know what an Alexander is, but it sounds disappointing.
@@mikegates8993 Alexandra: Just like his father
Worf is so hard to please. He gets jealous of Data seeing a vision of his "father", Dr. Soong, but as a child Worf had a vision from Kahless himself telling him he'd go on to do something no other Klingon would do. As if Worf's vision was a poor consolation prize. 😅
I appreciate the extra work you had to do breaking these apart. Thanks for the reviews!
So much chuck this week I cannot contain myself.
Try.
@@GeorgeyTheApe you're rude.
"It is an obscenity!" Wow Worf, very likeable lol. I love Chuck's mocking of his attitude in a humorous "German" accent.
The Romulans in this episode are fascinating. They aren't what we usually see. The Warden gave up his entire career to save these Klingons. He loves his wife, genuinely. He has spent so long trying to protect them and keep things happy in the camp. It makes sense he would be conflicted about Worf. I can actually respect him. Unlike the A-hole who "married" Tasha Yar.
I love how into the whole Klingon thing the actor who played Toq gets. You can imagine thousands of young Klingons like Toq in the KDF.
I kind of want to play that hoop and spear hunting game.
I'm sure there's an app for that
Romulan lifes also matters, Worf !
I had always remembered this episode as a DS9 episode 😅
Trivia: Along with Patrick Stewart, another classically trained Shakespearian actor appears in Birthright 2. He does not have a British accent.
Y'know Warf talks big about being captured as a dishonor yet... gets captured 2-3 times between these two episodes?
They elaborate that Klingons don't kill themselves when captured when there is hope of escape. But that's much later in ds9. So Worf can be quite contradictory at times. Lol.
It's been forever since I watched this episode, but did Worf ever meet Dax? Might be interesting what kind of interaction he has with his future wife while he's on his way to make out with the half-Romulan.
no.
and at that point in DS9 she wasn't written as a Klingon groupie YET
I really need to stop taking a drink during your videos. The "it's a fake" is going to have me smelling Pepsi for the next hour...
Roots is it’s not historically accurate. The author of roots stated “ I wanted to give my people a myth to live by”
also, LeVar Burton’s great grandfather was a white confederate officer.
I'd be interested in hearing if your reflections on this story's allegory would change in a post George Floyd era.
Come on Worf. You have a biological son and now you going to hunt with a boy you just met? 🧐🙄
Hunt with the random Youth and Bang the Half-Klingon chick...Worf had his priorities
@@bradwolf07 honour? 😅
Word cares about Alexandra? That's a surprise
Cromwell
ITS A FAKEEEE! :D
It's REEEEEAAAALLLLL!!!
@@CaptTerrific hehehe
The Legend of Mr. McHattie.
This whole episode is basically a lesson about why cultural appropriation is bad.
Funny, I thought it's a lesson in how arrogantly pretending that one's culture is better than others (which Worf does a lot, Klingon this Klingon that) and obsessively clinging to outdated traditions (which Worf also does a lot, because he wants to prove he is more Klingon than other Klingons) is bad. 🙄And how you shouldn't tie your "identity" to stupid traditions.
But hey, I know how all the kids today _love_ to scream "cultural appropriation" because it makes them feel all righteous and important for having used A Big Word! Regardless of the fact that "cultural appropriation" isn't even the case here... no-one "appropriated" Klingon culture to sell it for gain, or pretended to be a Klingon without being one for personal gain.
And funnily enough, Worf's sudden obsession with needlessly hunting and killing wild animals (as they don't need them for food) also goes against the principles of the very Federation he himself was raised in. but hey, Worf has a tendency to be a huge hypocrit (beautifully shown in the episode about Risa).
What Worf is doing here to the young Klingons is basically right-wing propaganda: Tell them that someone mean had taken something away from them and that they have to feel angry and lash out in outrage.
Or, from another angle, Worf is the religious fanatic who has filled the heads of a bunch of young easily impressible teenagers with talk about killing the heretics and dying for glory.
@@TF2CrunchyFrog not reading all that, but I'm happy for you or sad that that happened.
Who's doing the cultural appropriation?
@@Renegade2786 cultural appropriation, in a nutshell is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. In this episode, we see all these important elements of Klingon culture used in a way that completely strips them of their original ritual significance because the dominant Romulan authorities don't want them practicing their actual culture. That is cultural appropriation.