Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 6303447767
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,271 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Star Trek: The Next Generation really hit its stride in its third season, with Sins of the Father showcasing some of the show's best qualities: swift narrative, precommercial shock revelations, and a hankering after Shakespearean line delivery (that's the kind once described by critic James Agee as "intoning down a length of sewer pipe"). The space-operatic doings begin when Klingon Kurn becomes first officer of the Enterprise as part of an exchange program. It turns out, however, that his real purpose for accepting the post is to persuade his brother Worf to challenge before the Klingon High Council recent allegations that their father, Mogh, was a traitor. He might have helped in the Romulan assault on the Khitomer Outpost that killed thousands of Klingons. Defending the family name plunges Worf, his brother, and Captain Picard into the labyrinthine world of Klingon politics.

While the whole first act serves to introduce novices to the cultural differences between Klingons and Federation people, its several revelations could have been accomplished with a phone call. Klingons have communicators, don't they? And all the friction caused by Kurn's severe methods is abandoned once we remove to the Klingon High Council. Despite the early narrative waste, and the absence of any real sense of danger, this one does offer up a tasty smattering of culture clash and alien strangeness, with the native nobility of the Klingons, those gnarly-headed nabobs, providing most of the excitement. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars In his punishment, Worf shows he is a Klingon, January 1, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 65: Sins Of The Father [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Some of the best episodes of Star Trek, independent of the series, are when we are learning details about alien cultures, and this episode is one of them. It all starts rather simply, when a Klingon officer named Kurn assumes the duties of the first officer on the Enterprise in an exchange program. He is harsh, leading to resentment on the part of the crew, being especially condescending to Worf. However, that is not the main point of the story, as it turns out that Kurn is Worf's younger brother, and his purpose is to determine if Worf is still Klingon enough to defend the family honor before the Klingon high council.
Their father has been charged with treason, and in Worf's attempt to restore the honor of his family, many nuances of the structure of Klingon society are exposed. There are many twists to the story, including Captain Picard serving as Worf's second in the coming trials. This creates problems for the Klingons, as the trial is a sham, designed to avoid the revelation of the true traitor, which would lead to a civil war in the Klingon empire. Once Picard becomes personally involved, the Federation becomes a player as well, so there is the additional political consideration of the Klingon alliance with the Federation.
It is all resolved, at least for the moment, the acting is superb and there are some moments of great tension as the dramatic final confrontation occurs. Worf accepts punishment, although not before he shows that he truly is a Klingon. A strong story that holds your interest throughout, this ranks as one of the best performances of Michael Dorn as Worf.