Fabula
Object
Object

Gleaming Razor-Edged Swords (Holodeck, simulated)

A matched pair of gleaming, razor-edged melee swords used by simulated alien combatants in a holodeck ambush; medium-length hilts permit one-handed use, blades show nicks from heavy use, and two swords rest on a nearby rock before K'Ehleyr and Worf seize them and later discard them in the exhausted aftermath.
2 appearances

Purpose

Close-combat melee weapons used by simulated alien warriors in a holodeck battle scenario to attack, defend, and train combatants.

Significance

Function as the spark for a pivotal turn: martial violence morphs into a bonded Klingon ritual. The swords physically enable Worf and K'Ehleyr's shared violence and later serve as discarded tokens of their reclaimed warrior identities and the intimate pact that follows.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments
S2E20 · The Emissary
Level Two: Ritualized Combat and Contact

Two gleaming, razor-edged swords sit on a rock and are seized by Worf and K'Ehleyr to meet the Level Two attackers; they become the instruments of swift, brutal victory and later are intentionally discarded or forced from the combatants' hands to enact the post-battle ritual.

Before: Resting on a nearby rock, unused and gleaming as part of the holodeck props.
After: Temporarily wielded during combat, then tossed or dropped — bloodied/grimed from the fight and lying discarded as the participants transition to ritual contact.
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S2E20 · The Emissary
Ritual of Blades: From Combat to Bond

A pair of gleaming razor-edged swords sit on a nearby rock, are seized by Worf and K'Ehleyr and become the principal instruments of the simulated battle. The blades flash and clang, one slices an alien in half, and both swords are later discarded or dropped as the pair abandon weapons for the ritual that follows, symbolizing the shift from instrumental violence to intimate claim.

Before: Pristine, gleaming swords resting on a nearby rock as part of the holodeck program's armory.
After: Blood- and grime-marked from combat; one or both swords have been deliberately tossed or dropped and lie near the combatants, their functional role ended as ritual takes over.
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