S01E04. The Sword of Kahless
Let this moment be remembered! Gregory brings “The Sword of Kahless,” the ninth episode of the fourth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, written by Hans Beimler and Richard Danus and directed by LeVar Burton. Like the Discovery premiere, this episode is concerned with the legacy of the Klingon cultural figure Kahless. We discuss ancient fallen societies, philosophical skepticism, and the fantasy genre. We also chat about naivete, destiny, honor, Commander Sisko, cave sets, and runabouts.
(The transcript for this episode is in progress and will be added to this post when it’s ready.)
For images discussed in this episode, visit the episode page on our website.
Please let us know what you think about the show! Hail us at onscreen@beforethefuture.space, contact us on social media, or comment on our website at beforethefuture.space.
Connections:
- Kor previously appears in The Original Series S01E27, “Errand of Mercy”; The Animated Series S01E12, “The Time Trap”; and Deep Space Nine S02E19, “Blood Oath.” He makes his final appearance in Deep Space Nine S07E07, “Once More Unto the Breach.”
- Toral, son of Duras, previously appears in the two-part episode of The Next Generation S04E26-7, “Redemption.”
- The “ancient humanoids” are explored in The Next Generation S06E20, “The Chase.”
- Iconian gateways appear in The Next Generation S02E11, “Contagion,” and Deep Space Nine S04E23, “To the Death.”
- The Guardian of Forever appears in The Original Series S01E28, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” and the two-part episode of Discovery S03E09-10, “Terra Firma.”
- The Tkon Empire is introduced in The Next Generation S01E05, “The Last Outpost.”
- An ancient Dyson sphere appears in The Next Generation S06E04, “Relics.”
- The Hur’q are mentioned again in Enterprise S04E15, “Affliction” and are featured in the video games Star Trek: Invasion and Star Trek Online.
- The USS Discovery travels forward in time 930 years between seasons two and three of Star Trek: Discovery.
- The future history of the Vulcan and Romulan cultures and the christening of Ni’Var are revealed in Discovery S03E07, “Unification III.”
- The story “Those Who Walk Away from Omelas” is heavily alluded to in Strange New Worlds S01E06, “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach.”
- B’Etor and Lursa, the Duras sisters, first appear in the two-part episode of The Next Generation S04E26-7, “Redemption.”
- The cloned Kahless II first appears in The Next Generation S06E23, “Rightful Heir.”
- We learn that the Klingons killed their gods because they “brought more trouble than it was worth” in Deep Space Nine S04E11, “Homefront.”
- Worf’s vision during the Rite of MajQa is also discussed in The Next Generation S06E16, “Birthright, Part I” and S06E23, “Rightful Heir.”
- The Timekeepers, Klingon monks who secretly guard time crystals, are featured in Discovery S02E12, “Through the Valley of Shadows.”
Works cited:
- David, P. (1993). Worf’s First Adventure. Pocket Books.
- Glassner, J., Wright, B., Cooper, R., Mallozzi, J., Mullie, P., Anderson, R. D., & Greenburg, M. (Executive producers). (1997-2007). Stargate SG-1 [TV Series]. MGM Television, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Sony Pictures Television, Showtime Networks, & Sci-Fi Originals.
- Kunzelman, C. & Lutz, M. (Hosts). (2021-2023). Homestuck made this world [Audio podcast]. Ranged Touch. https://rangedtouch.com/homestuck-made-this-world/ [For discussion of “deflationary moves.”]
- Le Guin, U. K. (1973). The ones who walk away from Omelas. In Silverberg, R. (Ed.), New dimensions 3. Nelson Doubleday/SFBC.
- Lucas, G. (1977). Star wars [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.
- McCourt, D., Liggett, T., Burton, L., & Buttino, T. (Executive producers). (1983-2006). Reading rainbow [TV series]. Lancit Media Productions, RCN Entertainment, On Screen Entertainment, WNED-TV.
- Reeves-Stevens, J. & Reeves-Stevens, G. (1995). Federation. Pocket Books.
- Shakespeare, W. (c. 1597). Henry IV, part 1. [First appearance of Sir John Falstaff.]
Our next episode will cover The Next Generation S03E23: “Sarek,” written by Peter S. Beagle, Marc Cushman, & Jake Jacobs and directed by Les Landau.
Before the Future Came is edited by Lucy Arnold, transcribed by Melissa Avery-Weir, and webmavened by Gregory Avery-Weir.
Our theme is “Let’s Pretend” by Josh Woodward, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.