Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 39: Blood Oath [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Three of the Greatest Klingons since Kahless himself reprise their roles from the original series. Kang (Michael Ansara), Koloth (William Campbell) and Kor (John Colicus) reunite with their old frind Dax to forfil there Bload Oath of 84 years to take vengence for the murders of their first born sons.

A trully great episode... I would have given it 5 stars, but I did not like the fact that they did not give Kang and Koloth a chance to come back in further episodes. But still it was great none the less.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's second season, we see this wonderful series really begin to grow and mature. This is exemplified by the episode "Blood Oath".

Three Klingons, each of whom first appeared in The Original Series, return to Star Trek! Kor (from the TOS episode "Errand of Mercy"), Koloth (from "The Trouble with Tribbles") and Kang ("Day of the Dove") all meet up with Dax on DS9 to fulfill a Blood Oath the four of them took over 80 years ago. It seems a renegade Klingon swore revenge on Kor, Koloth and Kang and succeeded in fulfilling that promise by killing each of the threesome's eldest sons. Curzon Dax, who was negotiating peace treaties with the Klingon Empire at the time and had become close to Kang, took a Blood Oath with Kang and company to one day find the renegade and kill him. Only problem is that the Oath was made with Dax's previous host, Curzon and not Jadzia, Dax's current incarnation (you're familiar with the Trill, right?). Kor doesn't have a problem with this but Kang and Koloth only see a young woman with little experience and their mission of vengeance seems ill-suited for her. Eventually, Dax convinces them to let her come along, not fully realizing how violent it will be and what it means to take a life.

This is a powerful episode and the violence that marks Jadzia's coming of age is not glorified: It is violent, bloody and tragic. Jadzia grows here but it is a maturation process that she could have done without. Klingons claim that killing in a just cause is glorious but all we see is death and destruction. A coming of age indeed but one that Jadzia realizes she could have skipped.

This is the best episode of DS9's first two seasons. It is a good Klingon episode and, perhaps, the best Dax episode.

This is not a review. I just did not know where to write to.

The Start Trek video information is very, very poor. I really did not expect this from Amazon. There are more than one video manufacturer and episodes numbers vary. How can we choose something without a summary of the story ?????? Also the "quotes&trivia" session's text is the same for all episodes. For trivia info, fine, but quotes !!! The headline says quotes from episode XXX and they are all the same - a shame, really.

This episode probably ranks in the top ten DS9 episodes, not only for it's guest stars but for going much deeper into Dax's past and getting a good look at some of the friends Curzon used to hang with. Also one of the best Klingon episodes in a long time!

Excellent episode featuring three of the most famous Klingons (Kang, Koloth, and Kor) from the original series. The Klingons and Dax band together to avenge the death of their sons. The will have their revenge or die trying!

Usually I don't enjoy those episodes of the later Star Trek incarnations that draw on past shows from the original series. But this is one of those rare exceptions where I don't adhere too strongly to that belief. Reuniting the familiar Kor, Koloth & Kang was a minor stroke of genius by the creative staff and the storyline is first-rate but not executed without flaws. Some great humor, a heinous and hateful villain plus the dilemma Dax experiences because of her current standing as a Starfleet officer and her recent past as Curzon Dax makes this one of the better DS9 episodes.

Discovering the Klingon that Odo has incarcerated is an old friend named Kor, Dax asks to have him released into her custody. Soon the two of them meet up with another pair of Klingons, Koloth and Kang, on the DS9 promenade. The three Klingons have gathered together at the station looking for Curzon Dax so the four of them could carry out a blood oath against a nemesis, the Albino, who killed the three Klingons first-born as an act of vengeance. Kang has received information from a traitor concerning the whereabouts of their common enemy and is eager to exact revenge. Both Kang and Koloth refuse to let Jadzia Dax participate because she is both no longer Curzon Dax and a man. She proves herself to them in a bat'leth battle on the holosuite and soon they depart DS9 for the Albino's fortress on a nearby planet. Dax realizes that something is wrong with their mission and confronts Kang who confesses he has been in contact with the Albino who wants to meet his enemies in battle and a chance for each of them to die with honor. Because the Albino has too favorable an edge Dax figures a strategy to even the odds, disabling the weaponry at the fortress and allowing the four of them to do hand-to-hand combat with their enemy and his forces. The fight soon ensues and ends with both victory and tragedy for the quartet.

A favorite among fans since it was first seen the credit for the reunion of Classic Trek Klingons goes to series co-producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe. According to the book 'The DS9 Companion' upon reading writer Peter Allan Fields's story Wolfe suggested to the writer that he use the three Klingons from the original series. It was a real coup for the show and fans alike that the same three actors were still available and able to recreate their old characters. Although each of them give fine performances John Calicos as Kor is the most enjoyable and received all the humorous lines of dialogue. It's a shame he didn't make a return to the station in a later episode. But as significant as the gathering of these three is the episode still clearly remains focused on the character of Dax.

Dax experiences another identity crisis and she is set on participating in the blood oath because her principals allow her to see such a violent act as honorable and means that justice will be exacted under Klingon laws. Sisko reminds her that she is a Starfleet officer, "What about the laws of the Federation, are you just going to ignore them?" When he pushes her further by asking if she'll be ready to suffer the consequences of her actions under Federation law she leaves the station telling Sisko she'll find out if he bring the charges against her. It is an effective moment but all the same quite a silly one. Any commanding officer would have placed a subordinate officer under arrest and been done with it. And when she does return all he does is stare her down. Only in the movies! Another small quibble I had with this episode was the absence of the Klingon death howl. In the ST: TNG episode 'Heart Of Glory' the Klingon death ritual was shown as holding the deceased one's eyes open while the living looked upward and howled, in essence warning the dead that a warrior is about to enter their realm. Instead one of the Klingons sings. Maybe there has to be more than one Klingon present for this ritual? And since when do tetryon particles cause phasers and weaponry to malfunction? This is the one and only reference to this tactic in the entire Star Trek canon which is amazing since it is so effective when used here!

On the other hand there are other more quietly effective and less unerring moments such as Dax coldly asking Kira about how it felt to her to kill Cardassians during the war. The bat'leth fight between Kang and Dax on the holosuite is done very well. The final fight sequence at the Albino's fortress has both a great gothic and operatic feel to it; and Dax has a great closing line as her friends lay slain. But the best line of the show comes in the opening when Quark gets Odo's help in disposing of an unruly Klingon holosuite customer. It seems the individual refuses to leave and has threatened to kill him if he turns the power off. At the entrance Odo tells Quark to turn the power off to which the Ferengi exclaims, "I can't or the Klingon will kill us". Odo quickly and correctly points out, "No. He said he'd kill you." Yet another great and memorable exchange between the two 'friendly' adversaries of DS9.

Worth noting: Michael Ansara who plays Kang here would return for the fourth season episode 'The Muse' as the alien Jeyal.

Three veterans from the original Trek return in older versions of their earlier selves and a new part entirely. John Colicos and Michael Ansara reprise their roles as Klingon warriors and William Campbell, memorable in the classic "Squire of Gothos" episode, also dons the garb of a member of the warrior race.

What I liked most about this series is its use of skilled character actors and this episode is no exception. The three thespians relish their roles and play them with much gusto. The storyline allows each to bring his distinctive interpretation of a Klingon officer. They balance perfectly and play well with the younger Terry Ferrell in the role of the popular "Dax".

This is indeed one of the best in Trek history.

Dax is one of the finest characters to ever come out of Star Trek and here we see some history about her. And what a history! Added with excellent performances by stellar guest stars, this is a must have.

It had some famous guest stars from Star Trek: TOS but the episode was not a good one.