Star Trek The Next Generation
S3E17
· Sins of the Father

Stand Alone: Kurn's Will, Worf's Sacrifice

Wounded Kurn insists on standing unassisted in the Great Hall as a public act of Klingon will; Picard walks with him and reframes Worf’s choice as a deliberate, future-facing sacrifice—Worf accepts ritual discommendation so Kurn may live with honor and work to clear their family name. The council pronounces judgment, the assembly turns its back, and the brothers exchange a quiet promise before separation. This scene functions as the emotional turning point: social death for Worf to preserve the house and avert civil war.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Kurn arrives in the Great Hall, recovering from injuries but determined to stand alone, rejecting assistance.

determination to resolve ['Great Hall']

Picard and Kurn walk together, discussing Worf’s sacrifice and the necessity of Kurn’s survival for future redemption.

despair to resolve ['Great Hall']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Kurn
Commander
 primary
Character traits
partial/favoring toward select crew authoritative abrasive ceremonially disciplined
Follow Kurn's journey
Worf
Lieutenant, Chief of Security / Tactical Officer
 primary
Character traits
duty-driven duty-bound prideful determined stoic hawkish alert controlled-anger vigilant politically vulnerable decisive martial disgraced procedural guarded combative disciplined tactical honor-bound polarizing resolute ancestrally significant absent protective
Follow Worf's journey

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 5
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS

"Worf's final insult to Duras and declaration of readiness for his fate leads directly to the council and crowd turning their backs on him in the Great Hall."

Picard's Mek'ba Gambit—Worf's Sacrifice and the Council's Shame
S3E17 · Sins of the Father
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS

"Worf's final insult to Duras and declaration of readiness for his fate leads directly to the council and crowd turning their backs on him in the Great Hall."

K'mpec's Confession — Worf's Chosen Discommendation
S3E17 · Sins of the Father
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS

"Worf's final insult to Duras and declaration of readiness for his fate leads directly to the council and crowd turning their backs on him in the Great Hall."

Honor's Sacrifice — Worf Accepts Discommendation
S3E17 · Sins of the Father
Thematic Parallel medium

"Worf's cultural alienation during the dinner scene is echoed in his ultimate discommendation, where he is socially ostracized by his own people."

Dinner of Dishonor: Cultural Rift at the Captain's Table
S3E17 · Sins of the Father
Thematic Parallel medium

"Worf's cultural alienation during the dinner scene is echoed in his ultimate discommendation, where he is socially ostracized by his own people."

Dinner Provocation — Kurn Tests Worf and Starfleet Tolerance
S3E17 · Sins of the Father

Key Dialogue

"KURN: "Enough! I will stand alone in the hall.""
"PICARD: "Worf wants you to live... the name of your father must someday be cleared. He needs you alive... with your honor intact.""
"KURN (sotto voce): "May you stand here again someday and roar over the fallen bodies of your enemies.""