Birthright, Part II

Worf is captured by the Romulans, and learns that the Klingons in the prison camp were captured after they were knocked unconscious by explosions during the attack on Khitomer. On finding that the Klingon government was not interested in bragaining for any prisoners, and that the prisoners did not want to be freed, the Romulan officer in charge of them, Tokath, was given an option: personally oversee the prison camp–indefinitely–or execute the prisoners and be done with them. He chose to live with them, and even took a Klingon wife.

Worf opines that a cage is still a cage, and begins teaching the younger Klingons (who were born in the camp) about their heritage. They have been told that their parents fled to this planet to escape the war, and know nothing about the universe outside their camp, or what it is to be Klingon. They begin to see that they are leading incomplete lives, and when Tokath resolves that Worf must be executed to maintain the peace, they all stand with Worf–even Tokath's daughter, Ba'el.

So Worf is allowed to leave, along with whichever of the younger Klingons who wish to go. Worf informs picard that there never was a prison camp–and that the young Klingons with him are survivors of a crash. Picard is not deceived, but accepts Worf's explanation.

It's never explained why Shrek led Worf to the prison camp–it had to be cut for length. The plan was that Shrek would turn out to have been in a prison camp himself, and so his goal was to free prisoners, since the government wasn't going to (Gross & Altman, 1995, p. 274).

Bibliography