Worf's relationship: A huge mistake by the writers

[VulcanGuy]

Worf says he is fiercely proud to be a Klingon and his heritage is a constant source of strength for him when he is in great peril.

If that's the case then how can he romantically link himself with Jadzia Dax? This makes no sense at all. If everyone in the Klingon empire mated with a member of another species the Klingon people would cease to exist in less than a few decades. This was a huge mistake by the writers, especially for the Klingons as they are portrayed in every Trek creation as a people who honour their heritage more than anything else.

Wouldn't Worf want to pass on his Klingon genetics do his children and in doing so do his part to ensure the continued survival of the Klingon people? By having offspring with another species he is actually doing the opposite, he is working for the genocide of his people.

We saw the problems this created for Torres in Voyager and the struggle she constantly dealt with, not knowing if she was Human or Klingon.

Why would Worf want to do this to his beloved people?

 

[Jono]

Worf's genetics would have been passed on to his children no matter who his wife was. You don't need to be "pure-blooded" in order to honour your ancestry.

 

[VulcanGuy]

Who said anything about humans?

You brought that up.

Please don't turn this into a personal thread.

 

[Jono]

^ Fair enough, I'll remove the comment

True, Klingons did have a negative view towards other species, as shown in particular by Martok's wife when she was testing Jadzia's worthiness. However, Worf was not a traditional Klingon. He was raised by humans on Earth and served in Starfleet, his views would be coloured by that of what would be the norm in the Federation, where inter-species relationships would not be as frowned upon as they might be in the Klingon Empire.

 

[JNG]

Worf says he is fiercely proud to be a Klingon and his heritage is a constant source of strength for him when he is in great peril.

If that's the case then how can he romantically link himself with Jadzia Dax? This makes no sense at all. If everyone in the Klingon empire mated with a member of another species the Klingon people would cease to exist in less than a few decades. This was a huge mistake by the writers, especially for the Klingons as they are portrayed in every Trek creation as a people who honour their heritage more than anything else.

Wouldn't Worf want to pass on his Klingon genetics do his children and in doing so do his part to ensure the continued survival of the Klingon people? By having offspring with another species he is actually doing the opposite, he is working for the genocide of his people.

We saw the problems this created for Torres in Voyager and the struggle she constantly dealt with, not knowing if she was Human or Klingon.

Why would Worf want to do this to his beloved people?

Even the Klingons are probably past the one-drop rule. Maybe some day you will catch up with them.

 

[FalTorPan]

Star Trek has confused the concepts of "species" and "race." This discussion would be quite different if Klingons and humans (Vulcans and humans, etc.) were truly distinct species -- unable to procreate.

 

[P0sitr0nic]

Star Trek has confused the concepts of "species" and "race." This discussion would be quite different if Klingons and humans (Vulcans and humans, etc.) were truly distinct species -- unable to procreate.

ANd therein lies the crux of it... Almost EVERY race in the milky way is an offshoot of the ancient race seen in TNG. That is why there is interbreeding possible, and why they all look humanoid.

 

[TheGodBen]

Nobody has the ability to choose the person they fall in love with, it just happens and typically it happens with the wrong person.

 

[Obi Wana Jones]

Besides, Worf already had a Klingon mate and a son.

 

[Marie1]

^ Thats what I was thinking when I read the first post.

And so even if having full Klingon children was vital in that culture, thats already happened. Jadzia was strong, loved him, he loved her... why not?

 

[DonIago]

Besides, Worf already had a Klingon mate and a son.

Not true, technically. K'ehlyr (apologies if I misspelled) wasn't a full Klingon.

 

[Navaros]

Jadzia even being on the show was just a huge mistake all around. Her relationship with Worf was merely a microcosm of that.

 

[Sci]

Worf says he is fiercely proud to be a Klingon and his heritage is a constant source of strength for him when he is in great peril.

If that's the case then how can he romantically link himself with Jadzia Dax? This makes no sense at all. If everyone in the Klingon empire mated with a member of another species the Klingon people would cease to exist in less than a few decades. This was a huge mistake by the writers, especially for the Klingons as they are portrayed in every Trek creation as a people who honour their heritage more than anything else.

Why on Earth would making with a non-Klingon dishonor his Klingon heritage? Besides, Worf is a guy who has spent most of his life amongst non-Klingons -- and who is also aware that Klingon political culture has become so corrupt that he could never live up to Kahless's teachings on Qo'noS.

Wouldn't Worf want to pass on his Klingon genetics do his children

His children will have his Klingon genetics so long as he doesn't adopt. At most, they'll have both his Klingon genetics AND Jadzia's Trill genetics.

and in doing so do his part to ensure the continued survival of the Klingon people? By having offspring with another species he is actually doing the opposite, he is working for the genocide of his people.

That's absurd. The Klingon species has more than enough members, and more than enough members who are only reproducing with other Klingons, for some to choose to reproduce with non-Klingons as well.

Diversity does not harm the Klingon species. If anything, and infusion of alien DNA into the Klingon gene pool could HELP the Klingons if something ever comes up and Klingon biology isn't equipted to handle it.

We saw the problems this created for Torres in Voyager and the struggle she constantly dealt with, not knowing if she was Human or Klingon.

That's an issue any time someone is raised in two cultures that try to identify themselves in antagonistic terms. A child of an Englishman and an Irishwoman might have the same problem in Britain or Ireland, but a child of an Englishman and Irishwoman raised in America probably won't have any problem at all, because English and Irish people are more antagonist in the British Isles than they are in America.

Why would Worf want to do this to his beloved people?

Do what? Have a child? How does THAT hurt the Klingon people?

If the Klingon people are harmed by the presence of one child who is not genetically fully Klingon, then that's a pretty pathetic and weak species. A truly strong species wouldn't be affected by it.

ETA:

Ultimately, of course, the simplest explanation for why Worf wanted to have a child with Jadzia is simply this:

Worf isn't a racist (or, if you will, species-ist). He believes in the glory of the Klingon Empire and does not think that the glory of another people takes away from that of the Klingons.

 

[Snaploud]

Besides, Worf already had a Klingon mate and a son.

Not true, technically. K'ehlyr (apologies if I misspelled) wasn't a full Klingon.

...which is why the decision (if it were a mistake) was made by the TNG writers. They were the ones who decided that Worf was willing to mate with a woman not fully Klingon in genetics nor culture.

Personally, I think Worf's decision to mate with a non-Klingon was very pro-Klingon Empire. He fervently believes that the Federation-Klingon Alliance is crucial to the Empire's continued existence. What better way to express such a belief than through a romantic merging of two cultures?

Interestingly enough, Worf had romantic relations with two Federation-Klingon ambassadors (if you include the Dax symbiote). He also became such an ambassador himself as well as (within literary continuity):

Spoiler: minor spoiler regarding the identity of the most recent Federation-Klingon ambassador

fathering another such ambassador

 

[Myasishchev]

You know, I figured this thread would be more about how an easy majority of the scenes between the two went over with all the aerodynamic grace of a gold brick.

Regarding the OP, I'd say the Klingon Empire was awfully generous with the lives of its people, for a society that was on the verge of demographic ruin. At any rate, given the technology of the 24th century, if they were running toward extinction, they could bang out a few million more Kahlesses any time they needed to get the roster back up.

 

[Odo's_Bucket]

Saying that every warrior in the empire should be Klingon is like saying every soldier in the Army should be white. Which is, of course, ignorant backwards thinking. It's an easy mistake to make. You have to keep in mind though that 'Klingon warrior' does not mean dark person with forehead ridges. It means proud, honorable, courageous person. It's just a coincidence that most of them happen to be Klingon.

 

[Sci]

Saying that every warrior in the empire should be Klingon is like saying every soldier in the Army should be white. Which is, of course, ignorant backwards thinking. It's an easy mistake to make. You have to keep in mind though that 'Klingon warrior' does not mean dark person with forehead ridges. It means proud, honorable, courageous person. It's just a coincidence that most of them happen to be Klingon.

Well, you know, I think the Klingon Empire probably does practice institutional speciesism, even if Worf himself does not. And even with Worf, being a Klingon warrior is probably a different sort of honor from being, say, a Human warrior or an Andorian warrior.

 

[Myasishchev]

Indeed, in fact we're discussing this hugely in a thread the general Trek forum.

It occurs to me, though, that a shrinking Klingon population, with many of its people addicted to bloodwine and contemplating suicide, fits in depressingly well with the original conception of the KE as an analogue of Russia.

 

[nx1701g]

One other important thing is that Jadzia Dax was considered - in many respects - to be Klingon because of the Dax symbiont. Dax was famous in Klingon circles as being a noble warrior and a hero of the Klingon Empire. I think Worf's relationship with Jadzia kept up with his Klingon heritage.

 

[USS Triumphant]

See, what I thought the topic was going to be referring to was how mishandled Worf's attitude toward Ezri was. Regardless of the change in hosts, Worf made an honorable oath to Jadzia Dax, the merged being, and it seemed to me that that would not have been negated by the death of just the host, anymore than it would have been negated had she lost an arm. His Klingon honor would have stood, regardless of what Trill customs had to say about the matter.

I'd have loved to see them handle it that way - and instead of Ezri, have them move the Dax symbiote into a male host! It would have been ... interesting ... to see Worf deal with that situation (as well as being in keeping with the Trek tradition of dealing with cultural and political subjects.)