Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Heart of Glory (1988) User Reviews

Good story with poor attention to the details

[Nominahorn · 7/10 · 22 July 2014]

This episode is typical of the early seasons of TNG in that the episode overall is very good, but there is a chronic amount of sloppiness in the writing and the details are so poorly handled that it detracts from what is otherwise a great story.

The good:

-Great first look (for TNG, anyway) into Klingon culture and Worf's personal history

-Though it is irrelevant to the plot, the bit with Geordi's visor is a fascinating look into his character and the technology of the 24th century

-Vaughn Armstrong's character is well written and very convincingly charismatic

-First reference in TNG to the Romulans (though that leads nowhere...at least for now)

-Our first Worf-centric story--the first of many for what is probably the most well-developed character in Star Trek history

-A somewhat cool action sequence

The bad:

-Michael Dorn has not yet grown into his character fully, resulting in some poorly-delivered lines. In particular, his dialog in the climactic scene is somewhat cringe-inducing

-The action scene, though kind of cool, is also very poorly done. Starfleet officers would NOT have the phasers set to kill in that situation, and their tactics make the Jaffa from Stargate SG-1 look brilliant by comparison. Scenes like this make me think it was wise for TNG to avoid action sequences for the most part in the early seasons.

The ugly:

-Data says that this is the first time "outsiders" have witnessed the Kingon death ritual. I find this to be highly unlikely. The Federation and Klingons have been on more-or-less friendly terms for decades at this point, and the Klingons have been allies with other races at various points in the past, including with the Romulans and with the Ferengi. It's not like the Klingons are a secretive or xenophobic race. And Q knows, they are dying all the time. Just a silly line of dialog, and unnecessary too.

-Korris crashing through the glass in engineering after being shot by Worf. People walk and even run on that glass all the time. Why would they make it so flimsy? It's a silly moment that is meant to be dramatic, but just makes me chuckle instead. I'm guessing it is supposed to be a homage to the end of Undiscovered Country when the guy disguised as a Klingon gets shot by Scotty and goes crashing through the glass. The reference is neat, but poorly executed. (EDIT: I realized after writing this that Undiscovered Country didn't come out until four years after this episode so it can't be a reference to that. Which makes the silly scene even worse, unfortunately).

-Getting visual on the Klingon ship from many light years away. Data states that the ship is too far away for his sensors to even identify it (even though Klingon designs are very familiar to Starfleet), and yet seconds later they are able to get a visual that is clear enough to make that determination. The range for visual images on the 1701-D seems to be portrayed inconsistently throughout the series, but one thing is for sure, if the human eye could identify the ship, the sensors sure as hell should have been able to.

-It bears mentioning again: the Starfleet phasers being set to kill is completely nonsensical and lazy/sloppy writing.

Overall a good episode, and great tone-setter for countless future episodes involving Worf, the Klingons, and even the Romulans that will be carried all the way through the Dominion War.

7/10

Bring Out Your Klingons

[Gerardrobertson61 · 7/10 · 3 March 2020]

Finally, we get to an episode with a bit of punch and in my opinion, the best episode of S1. The introduction of the Klingon Warriors is a welcome to the series and the interaction with Worf and the other Kilngons was excellent. Love the death cry scenes and the biggest bonus, no Troi or Wesley. Great episode and one of favs.

Worf - A Klingon Romantic.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 4 March 2021]

We get our first Worf episode and it's a pretty darn good one at setting up his arc for the next decade.

Worf is a fascinating character. I view him as being a Klingon Romantic at times. This episode takes us on a little journey of conflict between his romantic version of klingon identity and the Korris's version of the Klingon's as being weak by maintaining peace. The secret sauce to Worf being a compelling character is that he is in a constant state of interal conflict. This is touched upon in this episode with Korris awakening the warriors blood within Worf during the discussion in the quarters. This is a welcomed upgrade from the TOS Klingons. They served a useful purpose in the TOS episodes but there is only so much you can do with one dimensional villains.

This is a taste of what is to come with Worf and other characters in the show. Up until this point we have had mostly moments within an episode to develop characters with moderate success. The greatest gains are made when you go all in and devote the entire episode to the character.

Vaughn Armstrong delivers probably the best guest star performance of the first season and helps to elevate this episode.

Welcome back Klingons

[russem31 · 11 April 2006]

ST:TNG:20 - "Heart Of Glory" (Stardate: 41503.7) - this is the first The Next Generation episode to deal with Worf's history and his Klingon heritage. It mentions how he came to be on the Enterprise - that of the Khitomer massacre which a child Worf was one of the survivors - he was rescued by a human who raised him along with his wife and son (his foster parents and brother will be seen in future episodes). This is also the episode that made use of Geordi's visor as a camera as he boards a ship full of Klingons - ironically it would be used by Klingons in Star Trek: Generations to view into the Enterprise. Also the peace of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the key ingredient in this episode, since these Klingons say that the peace subverted their warrior instincts. And, the Romulans are mentioned here - is a foreshadowing for the 1st season closing episode "The Neutral Zone". Trivia: a nice homage to Jerry Goldsmith's Klingon theme can be heard throughout the episode.

Art of Story

[snarky-trek-reviews · 7/10 · 5 September 2021]

The Enterprise and her crew get word of a battle in the neutral zone (which neutral zone is unclear) and are asked to check it out. Since the humans are a bunch of xenophobic jack wagons they immediately assume it's the Ferengi or worse the Romulans and start contemplating saucer separation. Turns out it's a Telarian freighter. We get some cringe inducing dialogue and a plot contrivance with Geordi's visor but once we find some surviving Klingons on board the freighter the episode starts to get interesting. The sequence that follows is legitimately tense and the subsequent interactions between the Klingons and Worf aboard the Enterprise are well written, so much so that I am willing to ignore the fact that the Klingons also cast aspersions on my people. There is lots of good Worf back story here, as well as development of the Klingons as a race. This is the first episode where Worf really feels like a character with motives and a purpose. Too bad Tasha never got an episode like this though having them both on the bridge never really works.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode is garbage. Picard really bugs me here. It still feels like the writers don't know who they want him to be. The notion that Worf might betray the Enterprise crew and join with the Klingons seem ridiculous, but the writers want us to believe that Picard is legitimately concerned about that. There is room for Troi here to make this seem more believable but the writers left her out of this one completely. In a gesture of kindness and goodwill to fans of the show the writers left Wesley out as well. Amazing how the stories hold together when boy wonder isn't shoehorned in at the center of the drama. The security officer in charge of guarding the Klingons is a dumb-bass and deserves to get shot, Tasha loses here ability to use contractions towards the end of the episode, and engineering needs to replace its glass floors with transparent aluminum. Otherwise I have no complaints.

Verdict: Watchable and at times engaging.

Heart of Glory

[Scarecrow-88 · 10/10 · 20 May 2012]

"Heart of Glory" really feels like the beginning of how The Next Generation will incorporate the 24th Century Klingons into the Star Trek Universe and I couldn't think of a better way to explore and define the Worf character than with this superb episode. Three Klingon warriors are found on board a rapidly deteriorating Talarian freighter, a ship that suffered extensive damage after a major battle. After a hair-raising transportation that nearly saw away team members Riker, Data, and Geordi (testing out a new visual device which would allow Picard and the Bridge to see "through his eyes" while on missions away from the Enterprise) almost perish as the interference of emanating deutronium gas disrupted the ability of transporting them, Worf spends time with two of the Klingons (the third, in bad condition, dies from his injuries) and begins to find a connection with their warrior spirits, in turn, coming closer to understanding his heritage, not to mention, the fire that burns within. This episode really informs not only the viewer but the Enterprise crew (Picard, Riker, etc) of the Klingon way; they are the first humans to actually see the Klingon Death Oath (basically a growl to the heavens informing the dead that a Klingon warrior is about to enter). Honor, loyalty, respect, and duty are applicable Klingon traits, but Worf must confront his brothers of how they lost their sight of what it truly is to be a Klingon, when using the freighter, they tricked a Klingon ship into letting down their shields, firing upon them, destroying them. This will be an ongoing theme, Worf's uneasy relations with his Klingon brethren who have a hard time with his being a Federation officer. Considered weak and puny like the humans, Worf, time and again, must prove his meddle, often resulting in an internal struggle, torn between sides, his people and the Federation. Because of this, The Next Generation provided some great storytelling. The dialogue between Worf and Captain Korris (a formidable Vaughn Armstrong, who instills a pride and unyielding desire in his character to live, breathe, and die as his warrior ancestors once did) is the heart and soul of this emotionally stirring episode. I imagine "Heart of Glory" is a key fan favorite of those who love the Klingon character and their history as defined by Star Trek. The tension of the Klingon and Federation relations is quite visible here, such as when Picard seems almost offended by a Klingon Commander's offer to help him capture Korris, who has escaped confinement from Security and is loose on the Enterprise. One of the most memorable scenes I imagine is when Worf leaves his Bridge crew stunned at a potential acceptance of an offer by the Klingon Commander to join him once his time with the Federation is complete.

Not all Klingons like the Kittimer accords

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 25 October 2017]

Rumors of battles sends the Enterprise into the neutral zone where they find the wreckage of a freighter that's in danger of disintegration. On board are three Klingons, one of them is dying from battle wounds.

Of course they lie to Captain Picard about the account of things and a Picard learns that they are fugitives who are wanted by the Klingon High Council. But Vaughn Armstrong and David Froman playing the fugitive Klingons have a great influence on Worf and he's tempted to join them. These two do not like the Federation/Klingon alliance and want to go out and do battle with just about anyone.

This is the episode where we first learn about Michael Dorn's background and how Worf came to join Star Fleet. As this series and Deep Space Nine progressed we learned a lot about Klingon culture. They were not the one dimensional villains as in the original series.

Michael Dorn has proud ownership of this TNG episode.

Finally...a Worf episode. And, a chance for a little Klingon bromance.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 11 November 2014]

When the show begins, the Enterprise learns that some sort of battle has taken place inside the Neutral Zone. Considering that this could mean that the Romulans are running amok, the crew is naturally anxious to get there. However, what they find is not at all what they expected and it's all quite confusing. Instead of the Romulans, they find a heavily damaged freighter and three Klingons aboard this non-Klingon ship. They claim that the vessel was attacked by Ferengi. However, much of their story does not ring true and the Captain is doubtful as to who these Klingons really are and why they were in this odd location.

Eventually, they learn that the two surviving Klingons are wanted renegades and the Klingon Empire wants their return. However, during the interim, Worf becomes close with the men and they do some good old fashioned bro bonding. Because of this, he learns a bit about what it's like to be a Klingon (he was orphaned and raised among humans) and how it is to be a manly Klingon warrior. And, his loyalty is quite divided as a result.

For me, Worf was one of the better characters in this series. He was so popular, apparently, that he continued this character on "Deep Space 9". So, it's long overdue that we have an episode that explains a bit about his heritage and struggles with negotiating between the human and Klingon worlds. Well worth seeing and, finally, a chance for some good old fashioned violence--something there has so far been very, very little of in the series! And, about both I say 'it's about time'! Later Klingon episodes were exceptional--especially in what Worf learns about the true heart and spirit of the Klingons...and it ain't what Worf thinks. All in all, a very worthy first Klingon episode. Well written and a nice exploration of the species' psyche.

No Wesley! !

[Timothynorris · 7/10 · 19 August 2019]

Fairly decent episode, and no annoying Wesley. Further, no Troi, all the better .

Uncomfortable peace?

[gritfrombray-1 · 9/10 · 14 August 2007]

When the Enterprise investigates a ship which had recently been in battle they find three Klingon survivors and bring them aboard and treat their injuries. We get to see through Geordi's visor for the first time too. The Klingons are somewhat surprised to see Worf aboard and we learn a lot of Worf's background too. Interestingly the Klingons are not all too comfortable with the peace with the Federation and it transpires they have battled with Klingons to make their escape, much to the disdain of Worf. They eventually try and escape and die during the attempt in which Worf is left with a showdown with the last Klingon. Worf shows some of his true colours and his training in Starfleet come to light as it will later in the series. The Klingon ship which has arrived to take them back is informed and Worf greets the Klingon Captain. This episode gave Worf a chance to shine so early into the show

Those Doggone Klingons

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 30 July 2014]

Poor Worf. At times he must feel like a Republican in the Senate. He carries around all that Klingon baggage, all the rules of the warrior, and so on. Every time a few Klingons show up, he is ridiculed for working for the man (Starfleet, that is). In this episode a trio of renegades has been rescued from a vessel which they have commandeered after causing the deaths of a Klingon vessel. The engines on this ship have been compromised and it blows up. They claim that the empire has sold them out and if they can come up with another ship with the right stuff to fight a war, they will be in business. I wonder which ship they are talking about. One of their brothers dies shortly after arrival and they plot their move. Using all that junk Klingons have hanging from their clothes, they they assemble a weapon and go on a rampage. Before this, they have counseled Worf to join them on their glorious quest and to return to his true being. When a Klingon commander demands they be turned over for execution, Worf has mixed feelings. This is an interesting episode dealing with the empire which has become part of the Federation. Well acted and crafted.

It is not a disgrace to request assistance.

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 23 May 2021]

Enterprise investigates a damaged ship just outside the neutral zone.

This is solid episode with a good focus on Lieutenant Worf and begins the franchise expansion of Klingon culture.

I mostly enjoyed the plot which has some great moments of dialogue between Worf and Korris. The situation it puts the characters in is fairly good but it's mainly a device to get some good insight into the Klingon psyche and cultural practices.

What makes 'Heart Of Glory' memorable is that it kicks off the development of Klingon race within the franchise. This is a popular part of the show and it expands further during TNG and Deep Space Nine.

I thought the visuals were great, particularly during the away-team scene and aside from one close-up shot of some obvious nose prosthetics the make-up affects were good.

All performances were solid. Michael Dorn leads the cast well, Patrick Stewart is excellent as ever, LeVar Burton is likeable, Denise Crosby has a strong presence and the guest actors playing Klingon characters are all good.

It's a 7.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

Great concept poorly presented

[smiledaydream · 6/10 · 31 January 2022]

Proof that GoPro had not been invented in 2364. It's early and if they act up, I'm saying "I told you so." Also note airport level security to check for weapons no longer exists in 2364. And patients who are dying are left in full armor. No need to see their body. The underlying premise is great. It should have been better developed and without the obvious plot holes.

TNG continues to struggle with bad writing.

[Wes54 · 4/10 · 14 October 2019]

I noticed a horrible blunder for a show claiming to be sci-fi, and not just some cardboard cutouts shouting lines at each other.

The Next Gen crew face their own Kobayashi Maru, with a badly damaged cargo vessel in the Neutral Zone, and possibly Romulans nearby. This one does not ask for help, but Picard orders the Enterprise in, anyway.

Riker, Data, and Geordi beam over to the cargo vessel. Tasha operates the transporter. Troi is nowhere to be seen, and Beverly is in Sickbay for once.

Then Picard and Worf go to Sickbay to talk to the Klingons they saved from the doomed cargo ship.

This left NO senior officers on the Bridge. While in the Neutral Zone. Possibly surrounded by cloaked Romulan vessels.

Ooof!

Klingon Glory Teaches Us of Different Cultures

[Rizar · 23 September 2009]

The Enterprise runs into a suspicious Talarian ship and sends an 'away team' to check it out, including Geordi with a special visor recorder. Picard is fascinated with Geordi's visual acuity sensor, which allows the Enterprise to receive the same signals from Geordi's visor that Geordi receives.

But Geordi doesn't experience the same perceptive world we experience. Geordi is accustomed to filtering the flux and bombardment of his cluttered information while we experience a jumble of nonsense. (Never mind that Geordi has similar experiential networks in his mind as us and that his mind never evolved to interpret such information better than us.)

In any case, most of "Heart of Glory" (Season 1, Episode 19, Air Date 03/21/88, Star-date 41503.7) introduces Worf's cultural history and his interaction with two Klingons found in the Talarian ship. It's mainly an episode about anthropology and the Klingon ethos. It introduces the theme of a warrior ethos: the Klingon code of honor and glory.

The Klingon ethos reminds me of some of the values of heroes in ancient Greek epic poems, such as Achilles in Homer's "Iliad". Klingons are fierce fighters and believe glory is won on the battlefield (but the Greek heroes were more emotional and quick to fall into tears, which went out of style in our modern view of masculinity).

We learn some of the Klingon superstitions and their ethics. They will not take little girls hostage (since there is no honor in such an act). Times have changed and the two Klingons burn for traditional Klingon virtues. But Worf tries to teach his fellow Klingons that glory includes internal discipline, loyalty, and duty, not just courage on the battlefield.

This episode showcases the very thing the new "Star Trek" (2009) movie absolutely lacks in every way. It introduces a new species and then contrasts them with our own values, as a way to show that different races may have very different values and still be technologically and scientifically advanced. It doesn't humanize the Klingons and turn them into cuddly emotional human mirrors (like "star Trek" does to the Vulcans); it forces us to tolerate different values, different cultures, and different races or face the genealogy of our ugly prejudices (and their ugly history).

Once Were Warriors

[anarchistica · 6/10 · 20 March 2020]

This is an okay episode. Not bad, but nothing special. It's nice to see Worf shoot down Korris' quasi-fascist babbling about "it's in your blood" and "peace makes us weak". I fear some viewers actually found that rhetoric appealing.

Getting to Know Worf

[Samuel-Shovel · 8/10 · 28 June 2019]

In "Heart of Glory" the Enterprise comes across the aftermath of a space battle between an unknown space craft and a Talarian freighter. Puzzlingly, the only survivors are a trio of Klingon warriors. They explain that they were only catching a ride on the freighter but there story doesn't exactly add up. They soon form a bond with Worf. One of them dies from wounds from the battle and we witness a Klingon death ritual.

It turns out their story was a lie. The Klingons had stolen the freighter and actually destroyed a Klingon vessel to escape prosecution. Unhappy with the peace treaty with the Federation, the group had hijacked the ship to go on the warpath. A Klingon Bird of Prey shows up to apprehend them and take them to their eventual execution. Worf is torn by his duty to the Federation and his sense of brotherhood with these men. Before Picard can hand them over, the two remaining Klingons escape and kill a pair of security personnel. One is killed in a fire fight.

The remaining Klingon heads to the engine room and threatens to blow them all sky high. Worf shows up to talk him off the ledge and eventually kills his fellow Klingon with a phaser. He reports this to the Klingon ship captain who tells the Enterprise to dispose of the bodies as they see fit.

I'm glad Worf finally got some screentime and backstory. He is really good here and it's interesting how the writers decided to characterize him as a Klingon outsider with ties to humanity and the Federation but that animalistic urge present in Klingons. He reminds me a lot of Spock in the sense that he's torn between two cultures and must suppress emotions (obviously to a different degree than a Vulcan).

I think this is the tightest and best script we've seen on TNG this far and definitely the best episode. All those shots aboard the wrecked freighter are super cool. Most of the characters get a fair amount of scenes (except for Troi) and time to develop their character further. And we get a fun thought experiment on nature versus nurture. Worf is a Klingon and has Klingon tendencies but wasn't raised as such. He has a constant internal struggle on which path to take. Here his human side wins out but he's still able to pay homage to his Klingon side.

Just like the Bird of Prey's captain says at the end, the Klingon world could learn a lot from Word and vice versa.

A worf divided.

[amusinghandle · 8/10 · 30 December 2023]

Worf ---- easily the funniest character in star trek history and a contender for best performed character gets focus this episode.

With this episode specifically, I enjoyed how the Klingons are presented as a primal species yet they communicate with lofty poetic romantic language about the joyful act of going to war and killing or getting killed.

There is a well executed layer of conflict within Worf's boyscout starfleet side and his Klingon side. In the end, it's Worf's personal code that wins out over the blood fever of conquest portrayed by the Klingon survivors.

I prefer the politically compromised honor guided Klingon's of TNG to the fascist Klingons of TNG. They just have more depth and storytelling opportunities to work with here.

Probably the best episode so far for S1 of TNG.

"What magnificent battles we could have at the helm of this ship!"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 17 September 2023]

Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) takes center stage in this story featuring Klingon renegades who try to subvert his loyalty to the Enterprise and the Federation. Appropriately, we also learn a bit of Worf's background and how he came to be associated with humans and Star Fleet. I never had a moment's doubt that Worf would do the right thing by his comrades, so all of that dialog with Klingons Korris (Vaughn Armstrong) and Konmel (Charles Hyman) served more as a distraction than a convincing argument to sway him to their side. Although the pair did get a rise out of Worf to the point where he declared - "What burns in their eyes fires my soul". A revealing mistake occurred in the story when the away team first encountered Korris on the damaged Talerian vessel Batris; he stated that he was the only Klingon who survived an attack on the ship. But immediately after when all beamed aboard the Enterprise, Korris was accompanied by the uninjured Konmel while carrying the dying Klingon. I had to wonder why the filmmakers didn't correct that bit of dialog, it would have been easy enough. Either way, I thought this was a pretty good episode and a treat to see Klingons once again since the conclusion of the original series. I always thought they were a pretty formidable adversary for the Federation with interesting warriors for characters. And that Klingon howl at the death of a fellow warrior was a unique insight into their customs and traditions.

A Senior Trekker writes...............

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 26 December 2021]

Writing in 2021, it is great to see that I am not the only person taking a retrospective look at Star Trek, the Next Generation. When this series was first released in 1987, a little less than twenty years after the end of the Original Series, many people thought that, without Captain Kirk and his crew, it couldn't really be Star Trek. However, original creator Gene Roddenberry, was fully invested in the casting, writing and overall look of the new series, so let's see how it shaped up:

BRING IT ON! One of the best Klingon episodes EVER and we are still only part way through the first season. On re-viewing, the success of this episode depends a lot upon the excellent performance of Vaughn Armstrong as Cdr Korris as the Klingon renegade committed to the old values of conquest and honour, and unable to get to grips with all this newfangled, modern diplomacy.

This guest actor is such a favourite with Star Trek aficionados that it is wonderful to be reminded of his first encounter with full-on, alien make-up. That he has the gravitas and range to carry it off is born out by his multiple appearances in further series, depicting a whole range of alien characters. He once stated he was pleased to frequently go unrecognised in Star Trek casting circles because it meant that, not only would it allow him to be re-cast in another role, but he had done such a good job of inhabiting his last one.

Three o'clock in the morning set-calls and all that gunk smeared on their faces: the actors who perform in prosthetics deserve all our recognition. Even more so those cast regulars like Michael Dorn who turned up day after day, week after week, to don the greasepaint and latex EVERY time they stepped in front of the camera. Senior Trekker gets the heebie-jeebies from just subjecting to a dental mould.

Paradoxically: it was watching this episode fully restored and on a big screen that reminded me just how hard cast and crew have worked to entertain while suspending our disbelief. It was precisely because I could now, at last, see the joins that I understood the professionalism required to maintain the illusion for all those years.

(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)