But in this case, it doesn't make sense to have Worf using it against Duras.
Duras' sword
- Thread starter t_smitts
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Why not? Worf is using it to defend both his own honor, and K'Ehleyr's. Only a coward would not defend or avenge his mate.
But following your idea, Worf wouldn't soil the precious weapon of his father with the blood of the Romulans puppet....
It works both way (so it doesn't work at all). Worf's so obsessed with honor and strongly convinced that Duras doesn't have one, so he would be crazy to use a weapon made to fight worthy opponent against a petaq.
It works both way (so it doesn't work at all). Worf's so obsessed with honor and strongly convinced that Duras doesn't have one, so he would be crazy to use a weapon made to fight worthy opponent against a petaq.
He would be fighting the man who'd family took Worf's family's honor. Also it would probably have an effect on others who heard of this, since Duras was a respected member of the High Council. It would make an impression to have one of the High Council killed with an honor blade by a man who is an outcast to Klingon society.
The humans, on the other hand, were just not respected at all by the Klingons, nor would killing one with a blade of honor impress anyone in Klingon society. Only when a few Starfleet captains start to become worthy foes would it seem likely the Klingons would thing it worthy to kill them with a honor blade. But, having see the primary one (Kirk) fight, I doubt they would be willing to give him that honor, because he'd probably use it to his advantage....Kirk does that sort of thing, from a Klingon point of view. He is a devil after all.
The humans, on the other hand, were just not respected at all by the Klingons, nor would killing one with a blade of honor impress anyone in Klingon society. Only when a few Starfleet captains start to become worthy foes would it seem likely the Klingons would thing it worthy to kill them with a honor blade. But, having see the primary one (Kirk) fight, I doubt they would be willing to give him that honor, because he'd probably use it to his advantage....Kirk does that sort of thing, from a Klingon point of view. He is a devil after all.
Yes, Duras was respected by the Klingons and yet he was a scoundrel and a coward. Isn't that telling?
Kirk does own his own bat'leth. You can see it on the wall of his cabin in Generations.
Worf is the one who's the most concerned about Klingon symbolism. It plays a big role in his complicated relationship with K'Ehleyr. So, Worf would be the first one to care about the symbolic implications of using a bat'leth against a man without honor. Duras was so unconcerned he tried to make Worf stop the fight.
Duras' choice was not symbolical, it was pragmatical. He took the weapon which was in the room (conference room? senior officer mess?), but:
1- It was his ship, so he was the one to chose what kind of weapon would be on the wall.
2- Duras would have been suicidal to take a weapon he didn't master well or wasn't really good against a bat'leth. Why Duras, the cheater, would have chose the most difficult and risky solution?
So, Duras took an "ordinary" sword because it was his kind of weapon. The symbolism is a Worf thing.
Duras' choice was not symbolical, it was pragmatical. He took the weapon which was in the room (conference room? senior officer mess?), but:
1- It was his ship, so he was the one to chose what kind of weapon would be on the wall.
2- Duras would have been suicidal to take a weapon he didn't master well or wasn't really good against a bat'leth. Why Duras, the cheater, would have chose the most difficult and risky solution?
So, Duras took an "ordinary" sword because it was his kind of weapon. The symbolism is a Worf thing.
Duras would be for modern life. Tradition is, at best, something to be used for his gain.
Worf, being one who is trying to find his roots as a Klingon, is a traditionalist. He tries to do things in the old ways when he can, or at least put a modern spin on older traditions within his human/Federation influenced sense of right and wrong/morality.
Using the sword on a man without honor may not overpower the need to regain one's honor by being disgraced by this man without honor as well as upholding the honor of his mate, murdered by this man without honor.
The other option is that Worf might be more skilled with the Bat'leth than any of his other weapons. Using a phaser would probably be disrespectful to K'Ehleyr, plus the other Klingons would not respect his request for vengeance against Duras if all he has was a phaser. The Bat'leth might be used to provide the means for Worf to be allowed by the other Klingons, uninhibited access to Duras for the fight. Otherwise they might just turn their backs to him and either have him killed, or just beamed back to the Enterprise like a lost puppy.
Worf, being one who is trying to find his roots as a Klingon, is a traditionalist. He tries to do things in the old ways when he can, or at least put a modern spin on older traditions within his human/Federation influenced sense of right and wrong/morality.
Using the sword on a man without honor may not overpower the need to regain one's honor by being disgraced by this man without honor as well as upholding the honor of his mate, murdered by this man without honor.
The other option is that Worf might be more skilled with the Bat'leth than any of his other weapons. Using a phaser would probably be disrespectful to K'Ehleyr, plus the other Klingons would not respect his request for vengeance against Duras if all he has was a phaser. The Bat'leth might be used to provide the means for Worf to be allowed by the other Klingons, uninhibited access to Duras for the fight. Otherwise they might just turn their backs to him and either have him killed, or just beamed back to the Enterprise like a lost puppy.
Well, Klingons never use swords against the Federation in any episode other than "Way of the Warrior". They do use daggers, which are easily carried.
Why do they use swords aboard DS9 in that episode? Well, they only use them for the fight at Ops (even if other fighting groups are seen carrying them, too), and even then, only some of them do. I guess they might be good for close-quarters fighting when you don't want to blow up anything important. Although this doesn't make all that much sense.
They do have a two-handed fighting mode that actually has very limited reach, which might be good in tight corridors and the like where one can't swing a broadsword or give a less massive pointed weapon enough momentum for thrusts. But they are awkward to carry compared with simpler blades, and fare really badly against all modes of Federation fighting in the episode.
That they are used is obvious "out-universe" (they are Klingons, duh!), but "in-universe" we must assign some sort of symbolism to them, as otherwise the Klingons would choose pragmatism and thus another type of bladed weapon.
Heck, for all we know, the first wave of attackers consisted solely of convicts and outcasts with a theoretical chance to regain their honor. Giving them "real" weapons might allow them to turn against their real enemies, the Klingons who sent them to the battle; giving them honor blades would give the upper hand to the men flanking the transporter operator, each armed with a disruptor rifle.
Timo Saloniemi
In this case, Duras wouldn't have so much gain to use tradition. What he needed was a weapon who could make him win, not a weapon to humiliate Worf. So, Duras was surely more skilled with the "common" sword than the Bat'leth.
Keeping the Bat'leth for honrable ennemies would be excessively restrictive...it would be onlys use against a senile Captain, a bigshot from the other camp during a civil war or a formidable alien ennemy (like Kirk).
Not only for the honorable enemies, just not for those you hold in total contempt. Those that are below even treating in a honorable fashion. Basically the humans in and after Archer's time up to when the Federation became an actual threat to the Empire. Then the Klingons might consider them worthy to fight with any sort of honor. Prior to that, they'd just shoot them with as much disrespect as possible.
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