Once More Unto the Breach

[t_smitts]

I remember not being a fan of this episode when it first aired, mainly because, before even watching this episode, I was certain that It would end with the death of Kor, and I was proven right. The idea of killing off a character that originated from the Original Series didn't sit well with me (even though DS9, of course had already done this with Kang and Koloth), since Kor had survived that episode, plus another since, and what's more, he was, for all intents and purposes, the first Klingon character.

More recently, it's grown on me, however. I think it has a lot to offer. We get a great battle scene with the Birds-of-Prey attacking the base. As with the previous season's "Sons and Daughters", it's neat to see a war story that focuses exclusively on the Klingons. Perhaps if DS9 had bothered to develop any Romulan characters, we could've had an episode that focused on them too. (Oh well. Spilled milk).

I've heard this is J.G. Hertzler's favorite episode and it's not hard to see why. Martok probably has more to do in this episode than any other. We get to see him being a clever tactician, planning hit and run "cavalry raids" against Dominion targets behind the lines (It's good that, even in the Klingon Empire, you don't get to be a general by being a dummy, and indeed, for a common man to work his way up the ranks, would have to be quite a capable leader). We get to see him really hate Kor, which surprised me a lot the first time I saw the episode, and yet his reasons for doing so are completely understandable. Kor, of course, has always had a very aristocratic attitude to him. It's good seeing that Worf is bothered by this, as It would never even occur to him to judge an officer on anything other than merit.

Even Martok and his crew bullying Kor when he's down isn't as hard to watch as you think, since, in retrospect, I was more sympathetic to Martok and because in the end, Martok admits he didn't get as much satisfaction from as he thought he would.

Seeing (or rather hearing about) Kor's last stand and the Davey Crockett metaphor (i.e. "what matters is the legend") has gotten better with age. As I said, I didn't care for them killing a TOS character like that, but it's handled well. (I initially felt the same way about them killing off Gowron, a TNG character, but I'm okay with that now). It's nice that Martok salutes Kor but won't join in the singing.

A few notes:

-I always wondered why Ron Moore had Martok using a different Bird-of-Prey, the Ch'Tang, and not his usual ship, the Rotarran, which he goes back to using later.

-With all the exciting Klingon stuff going on, I really didn't care about the Ezri/Kira, Quark/Odo conversations that they occasionally cut back to. I get they gotta give the main cast, other than Worf, something to do, but this episode didn't need much of a B-story. Whenever I rewatch the episode, I can't skip past that part fast enough.

-I liked Darok, Martok's long-suffering aide. It's a pity they didn't use him again after this.

-That Galor class ship made short work of that Bird-of-Prey, didn't it? Kind of funny, since Dukat's ship was serious trouble when fighting of a few of them in "Way of the Warrior".

-This is the second time we've seen Martok and Worf take a cloaked ship to sneak behind lines and wreak havoc against Dominion targets. I have to wonder, if it's that easy, why don't Klingons do this all the time? And why hasn't the Dominion developed some sort of counter-measure to detect the cloak? (Even Starfleet basically did that with the tachyon detection grid in "Redemption, Part II")

What do you think?

 

[Terok Nor]

I don't remember liking this episode much either. I didn't really care for how DS9 handled Kor as he was written as a bumbling, self important drunken hasbeen. Blood Oath is a great episode despite this but Once More Unto The Breach didn't have the benefit of a brilliantly written Kang and a great story to excuse Kor.

The Sword Of Kahless is the closest DS9 got to recapturing TOS Kor in my opinion.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

The episode is a good meditation on heroim and ageing (which Roddenberry would not allow in TNG). Personally, my favorite line is "If they succeeded, you can drink to their courage, and if they failed, you can still drink to their courage." I think it is an excellent lesson in respect and evenhandedness.

I remember not being a fan of this episode when it first aired, mainly because, before even watching this episode, I was certain that It would end with the death of Kor, and I was proven right. The idea of killing off a character that originated from the Original Series didn't sit well with me (even though DS9, of course had already done this with Kang and Koloth), since Kor had survived that episode, plus another since, and what's more, he was, for all intents and purposes, the first Klingon character.

More recently, it's grown on me, however. I think it has a lot to offer. We get a great battle scene with the Birds-of-Prey attacking the base. As with the previous season's "Sons and Daughters", it's neat to see a war story that focuses exclusively on the Klingons. Perhaps if DS9 had bothered to develop any Romulan characters, we could've had an episode that focused on them too. (Oh well. Spilled milk).

I've heard this is J.G. Hertzler's favorite episode and it's not hard to see why. Martok probably has more to do in this episode than any other. We get to see him being a clever tactician, planning hit and run "cavalry raids" against Dominion targets behind the lines (It's good that, even in the Klingon Empire, you don't get to be a general by being a dummy, and indeed, for a common man to work his way up the ranks, would have to be quite a capable leader). We get to see him really hate Kor, which surprised me a lot the first time I saw the episode, and yet his reasons for doing so are completely understandable. Kor, of course, has always had a very aristocratic attitude to him. It's good seeing that Worf is bothered by this, as It would never even occur to him to judge an officer on anything other than merit.

Even Martok and his crew bullying Kor when he's down isn't as hard to watch as you think, since, in retrospect, I was more sympathetic to Martok and because in the end, Martok admits he didn't get as much satisfaction from as he thought he would.

Seeing (or rather hearing about) Kor's last stand and the Davey Crockett metaphor (i.e. "what matters is the legend") has gotten better with age. As I said, I didn't care for them killing a TOS character like that, but it's handled well. (I initially felt the same way about them killing off Gowron, a TNG character, but I'm okay with that now). It's nice that Martok salutes Kor but won't join in the singing.

A few notes:

-I always wondered why Ron Moore had Martok using a different Bird-of-Prey, the Ch'Tang, and not his usual ship, the Rotarran, which he goes back to using later.

-With all the exciting Klingon stuff going on, I really didn't care about the Ezri/Kira, Quark/Odo conversations that they occasionally cut back to. I get they gotta give the main cast, other than Worf, something to do, but this episode didn't need much of a B-story. Whenever I rewatch the episode, I can't skip past that part fast enough.

-I liked Darok, Martok's long-suffering aide. It's a pity they didn't use him again after this.

-That Galor class ship made short work of that Bird-of-Prey, didn't it? Kind of funny, since Dukat's ship was serious trouble when fighting of a few of them in "Way of the Warrior".

-This is the second time we've seen Martok and Worf take a cloaked ship to sneak behind lines and wreak havoc against Dominion targets. I have to wonder, if it's that easy, why don't Klingons do this all the time? And why hasn't the Dominion developed some sort of counter-measure to detect the cloak? (Even Starfleet basically did that with the tachyon detection grid in "Redemption, Part II")

What do you think?

 

[kkt]

I liked this episode. Kor was written as a bumbling, self important, drunken hasbeen. But he got to redeem himself. We've heard characters say that Klingons would rather die young, fighting, but in this episode we get to see how Klingons treat their hasbeens, no matter how great their careers were. Well done, and redeeming himself with heroism is a fitting end for TOS Kor.

 

[Jedman67]

A few thoughts; from a non TOS fan (too young, sorry!).
Kor was well past his prime; for all intents and purposes he was the great hero of Q'onos 60 years later suffering from Alzheimers and lost in his past days of glory. The Klingons have gotten "soft" compared to their TOS days; where politics is more deadly than the battlefield. For all intents and purposes, their warrior culture is suffering from the curse of peace. And then the Dominion War erupts and they find their calling again, they wake up their old masters and generals.....who are now suffering from dementia. The old aristocracy is in shambles, so commoners who were once excluded from the exalted ranks have the opportunity to finally make it to the upper echelons. And General Martok, who earned his rank and power the hard way now finds himself torn by a more personal war; one "friend", jealous of his glory, is now attempting to send him to his death in failure, and former war hero now seems to be stuck in his own past. On top of that, the one person who he can truly call a friend, the one who stood by him during his darkest days and saved his life and honor is pushing him to the brink in the other direction.

Enter the battle of Once More Unto The Breach, and he begrudgingly accepts a mission which will end - at best - in a phyrric victory, until the famed da'har masters senile ramblings gives him an idea which just might beat the odds, but will inevitably require his sacrifice or one of his officers to pull it off. At this point Kor finally realizes that his own survival is pointless, and chooses to make the sacrifice to save the rest of the convoy.
Martok comes to the realization that despite his flaws, Kor was truly a hero as he was able to step up to the plate and make the ultimate sacrifice for "king and country".
Yet, that recognition by Martok was flawed as well as he had suffered too much at Kor's hands, he was unable to bring himself to truly celebrate Kor's glorious death.

 

[Griffeytrek]

Kor lived longer and survived more than any of his peers. and it his fall showed how Klingons reward such. But in the end he got to die with honor, with glory. he died not simply well but magnificently. I can't think of a better send off for the first and the last of the TOS Klingons.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

It's a good episode, even though Trek had already addressed the theme of growing old and unable to function while still having something to offer in, for example, TWOK and "Relics."

 

[Griffeytrek]

It's a good episode, even though Trek had already addressed the theme of growing old and unable to function while still having something to offer in, for example, TWOK and "Relics."

i kind of like to think of Once More Into the Breach and Relics as almost bookends. Similar tales in different Trek Universe cultures. How the Federation handles growing old and bsolecense. How the Empire does. The last of the old Cold Warriors finding the world had moved on. A pity that nobody ever thought to pair Scotty and Kor before the end.

oh and don't forget, while Kang is technically already dead on DS9, we do get to see him in all his glory once more over on Voyager.