‘NEW GROUND’ (TNG)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is a Worf episode in the ‘TNG’ series. It has him reunited with his son Alexander and begins a new story arc where Worf parents his son aboard the Enterprise. This was intriguing to see Worf as a father.
Alexander was the son Worf had from K’Ehleyr, his romantic flame. The little Klingon boy made his first appearance in ‘Reunion’ in Season 4 of ‘TNG’. He is now played by Brian Bonsall in the ‘TNG’ show.
Before we get to Worf and his son Alexander, I found that first scene funny where Geordi is in engineering with Data and Worf. Gerodi is pretty excited about the Enterprise helping with this brand new project.
The Enterprise is assisting in the first trail run of soliton wave transportation technology. Data and Worf don’t seem to be excited as Geordi is. He’s clearly ‘talking to the wrong crowd’. It’s funny to watch.
Worf then receives a communication from his human mother, Georgia Brown as Helena Rozhenko, who previously appeared in ‘Family’ in Season 4 of ‘TNG’. She asks to visit him on board the Enterprise.
Worf’s mother also brings Alexander with her. Worf greets them both in the transporter room as they arrive. It then gets revealed that Alexander won’t be going back with Worf’s mother. Worf is shocked.
In Ten Forward, Worf asks his mother why Alexander is staying with him aboard the Enterprise. Worf’s mother informs him Alexander’s become too much of a burden for her and his human father on Earth.
Worf’s mother feels that Alexander should be with his father more aboard the Enterprise. Worf isn’t very comfortable with the idea, but after some persuasion from his mother, he very soon agrees to it.
I do feel that a lot of ‘TNG’ episode have this soap opera quality to them compared to the action-packed plots of ‘The Original Series’. Maybe it’s why a lot of Trekkies prefer ‘The Original Series’ more.
That corridor scene where Worf and his son Alexander are on their way to enroll at school is very inspired. Worf struggles to get a conversation out of Alexander. It must be the same for a lot of fathers.
Worf manages to get his son enrolled at school aboard the Enterprise. But as it turns out, Worf finds it a hard struggle to being a parent especially when Alexander lies and steals during a school field trip.
I like that scene where Worf is with Alexander in his quarters and he tries to teach him how important it is not to lie and dishonour the Klingon’s ‘honour’ in their family. Alexander promises not to lie again.
Worf accepts Alexander’s word that he won’t lie and steal again. But as Deanna Troi tells Worf, it’s not that so straightforward. When Worf sees the teacher at school on Alexander’s progress, it is not good.
The teacher tells Worf that Alexander continues to cause problems in school such as lying, bullying and stealing. Worf is disheartened by this, especially when Alexander lies regarding something he said.
Worf eventually looks for his son and he happens to be in one of the holodecks. The holodeck program that is being run is one of Worf’s fighting programs. That was shown in a few Season 2 ‘TNG’ episodes.
In the holodeck, Worf sees Alexander fighting a monster with his bat’leth. Worf is impressed when Alexander manages to beat the monster, but berates him over stealing his bat’leth and lying at school.
Alexander becomes defiant against his father as he feels being rejected. Worf considers sending Alexander to a Klingon school, believing it to be for the best. Alexander feels being abandoned by him.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise’s wave transportation experiment has its hiccups. The ship gets damaged in a distortion whilst the text ship explodes. The wave increases in power, about to destroy Lemma II.
In the process of dissipating the wave with photon torpedoes, the Enterprise gets damaged and a field trip room gets burned with fire with Alexander inside. I liked it when Worf and Riker go to rescue him.
Thankfully Alexander is saved and he’s looked after in sick bay by Beverly Crusher. I liked it when Worf allows Alexander to stay on board the Enterprise and the two have this understanding with each other.
‘New Ground’ is a pretty character-driven episode where Worf becomes a father for Alexander. It’s not exactly a favourite of mine, but I liked how this episode begins the story arc of Worf in parenthood.
‘New Ground’ (TNG) rating – 7/10
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