Worf’s Journey of Blackness Part II

Worf’s allegorical journey of blackness sets the stage for most of the Star Trek: The Next Generation storylines which focus on him.

Immersion-Emersion

“I have studied and know everything about my heritage.” –Worf
In this stage, individuals immerse themselves in all aspects of their culture. Diving into Klingoness, especially liberated from his Star Fleet ideals, didn’t necessarily make him committed to his Klingon identity. Worf had an intellectual understanding of his people, though his was a perspective of the outsider even among his own.

Still, he embraced all things Klingon, going out with only Klingon women (K’Ehleryr) and studying his culture, history, rituals, religion; poetry and songs, all the things he was stripped of. Yes, he was indeed stripped of his religion, his culture, and his identity. Though benign and unintentional, his Star Fleet enculturation left him with only his zealousness to his duties as his avenue to prove himself. However, there was still a loss of self, culturally who he is.

An interesting consequence of this is that both Commander Riker and Captain Pikard choose to explore his culture, often alongside him, in order to understand and know him better.

Such over-compensating Klingon-ness still didn’t stop his internal insecurity. He lived in silent fear of judgment from the more Klingon than thou crowd, either positively living for judgments such as him acting “as a true Klingon” (“Mind’s Eye”) or in such negative pronouncements, such as having his name not being mentioned on his home world. “It is as though you never existed. Terrible burden for a warrior to bear. To be nothing. To be without honor. Without the chance for glory.” (“The Drumhead”).

Internalization

It’s only at this stage that his Klingonness starts to be defined, starts to become a part of him. It's the psychological change wherein he learns to balance his personal cultural identity against his greater cultural identity. It’s a two-pronged battle that he faces: his Starfleet training vs. Klingon nature as well as being a Klingon among Klingons.

“Is there nothing in your heart but duty?” Kern (“Redemption Part II”)

Worf has always had a Sidney Poitier type quality to him. Because he was all dignity and honor, he was the perfect Klingon representative, Klingon, but not SO Klingon as to be overly-intimidating to mainstream Star Fleet. He was the uber-Klingon required to break through: smart, handsome, and knows how to navigate the “mainstream”. From Starfleet’s perspective, his token acceptance—after all, he was the ONLY Klingon serving in all of Star Fleet—gave him a singular distinction (Look at us! We got our one. WE *ARE* DIVERSE!!!)

Integrating human ways into his Klingon code prove bumpy at best, as he let a Romulan die rather than donate some of his blood (“The Enemy”) and balancing his Klingon vs. Federation responsibilities (“Ethics”). It was always interest to see if he’d behave in a more Klingon fashion among Klingons, and turn around and act more human among his fellow Federation members.

“I know, but it is not MY way.” –Worf

The responsibilities of being Klingon weigh heavily upon him. Though he realizes he has a child from K’Ehleyr (“Reunion”) and he feels comfortable enough to choose Captain Pikard to be his Cha'DIch, his “second” during his trial, it still left his rival, Baytor, to remark that “he’s still unsure of himself” (“Sins of the Father”). By the episode “Redemption” he seemed to have learned an appreciation for what it’s like to be a Klingon. And it’s cost. Being Klingon meant he had to transcend his own individuality in the name of communal survival. He accepts discommendation for the idea of his people to prove his Klingon heart. Yet, once again he finds himself isolated from his people. Except this time, he was isolated by sacrificing for his people by his choice. And by his commitment.

Internalization-Commitment

At this stage, the idea of one’s cultural identity involves commitment to a plan of action, and individuals begin to live in accordance with the new self-image that they have developed for themselves. Worf’s Klingon-ness takes on the dimension of praxis, theory accompanied by social action, but it sprang from a place of reclaiming his internal pride. Being Klingon meant being true to who he is. All of him. Which meant Worf is able to guide Alexander through his own journey of self-discovery (“New Ground”), impressing that his sense of honor is what made him Klingon. His self-defined Klingon-ness allows him to be who he is no matter his context.

“We have forgotten ourselves. I do not know why. Our stories are not told. Our songs are not sund.” –Tok

By "Birthright II", he abandoned the paradigm of what was culturally acceptable as a Klingon value by not abandoning his father to dishonor. Thus finds himself at a camp of Klingon survivors, with a whole new generation of Klingons in search of their own Klingon identity. Not bound by any preconceived traditions, these emergent Klingons were drawn to Worf. He walked around the camp—big pimpin’, a Malcolm X to the young people, restoring their pride—and taught them their stories. The stories define them.

As successful as Worf was with the lost tribe of Klingons, the events of Birthright left Worf feeling empty. There was one part of his cultural heritage which he hadn’t explored. Again, due to benign neglect more than anything intentional, he had lost his religion, his God. So in “Rightful Heir”, Picard responds to Worf’s crisis of faith by suggesting he again immerse himself in Klingon beliefs to see if they hold any truths for him, and allows him to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Boreth, core of Klingon beliefs concerning Kahless and Sto-Vo-Kor.

A secure sense of his Klingonness allowed Worf to pursue (Deanna) and marry (Jadzia Dax,
on Deep Space Nine) outside of his race. It allowed him to make peace with his brother (“Homeward”) and it allowed him to figure out which values and traditions to pass along to Alexander. It’s a difficult task to foster an interest in one’s heritage in young children. In “First Born,” Worf wanted to take the time to involve his son in cultural rituals, to not just prevent him from being assimilated, but also allow Alexander to have the room to find his own destiny. To not be trapped by his people’s or even his father’s idea of who he should be.

Worf’s major battle was one of fighting against the passive integration which had undergirded much of his life in Star Fleet. He was given room to explore his culture, difficult as that journey and the conversations involved with it might have been. There were times when he had stern words and had to make difficult decisions. He carries the burden of his culture, but the thing is, he grew to a place to begin to relate to others within his culture and without. And his journey of self-discovery and cultural exploration never truly ends.


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