The Emissary (thing)

Special Emissary K'Ehleyr visits the Enterprise on a mission to destroy a Klingon warship returning from a 75-year mission of exploration.

Synopsis:
The Enterprise receives a class 11 emergency signal which orders them to go to specific coordinates near the Boradis system without any explanation. Enroute they are contacted by Admiral Gromek who tells the to rendezvous with a special Federation emissary. They detect the emissary who is being transported in a class-8 probe. Not diverting the Enterprise from its course to pick up the emissary saves 6.1 hours.

When the emissary is beamed aboard and freed from her casket, she turns out the be a Klingon-Human hybrid, called K'Ehleyr, who was 6 years ago involved with Worf. Troi is very interested in K'Ehleyr because they are both Human-alien hybrids.

Emissary K'Ehleyr tells Picard and his crew that Starbase 336 received a signal from the sleeper ship T'Ong that it almost reached its destination. The ship was launched 75 years ago and when the crew is revived they will still think that they are at war with the Federation and attack the colonies and outposts. The Klingon ship P'Rang is enroute, but won't reach the Boradis system for another 2 days. So it is up to the Enterprise to prevent the Klingons from attacking.

Emissary K'Ehleyr is convinced that the only way to stop the T'Ong is to destroy it. Captain Picard can't accept this and orders Worf to work with K'Ehlyr to find another solution. Worf doesn't like the idea of working with her. Their meeting turns into a personal quarrel about their relationship. K'Ehleyr walks out on Worf and returns to her quarters where she cools her aggression on a glass table. Counselor Troi suggests that she tries getting rid of her agression on the holodeck, which would he safer for her and the ship.

On the holodeck K'Ehley selects Worf's Klingon calisthenics program. Worf goes looking for her and he finds her on the holodeck where they together play level 2 of the program, after which they become involved. In the morning Worf asks K'Ehleyr to take the Klingon marriage oath, but she doesn't want to risk her career.

When the have to work together again Worf asks Data to accompany him, and K'Ehleyr immediately concludes that Data is their as chaperone. Worf and K'Ehleyr continue their discussion. Data who has no idea what this is about observes. After their argument K'Ehleyr asks Data which race is stranger Humans or Klingons. Data responds by saying that after what he just saw the choice is a difficult one.

Worf and K'Ehleyr still haven't got an alternative to destroying the T'Ong when they find it. Its crew appears to be still dormant, but when they approach they are fired upon indicating that the Klingon crew is very much awake. Captain Picard doesn't order the destruction of the T'Ong and the ships cloaks.

Picard, who still wants to resolve this without destroying the Klingons, asks Data for a way to track the T'Ong. Data suggests that the T'Ong's cloaking device leaks gamma radiation, which enables the Enterprise to find it. When they find the ship again, Worf comes up with a plan for him and K'Ehlyr to act as captain and second-on-command convincing the Klingons that the war is over.

Worf has to threaten to destroy the T'Ong but finally his plan works and K'Ehleyr beams over to prepare the crew on their return to normal society in the 24th century. The T'Ong sets a course to rendezvous with the P'Rang.

Worf escorts K'Ehleyr to the transporter room were she tells him that he means a lot to her, but that she doesn't want to risk her career.

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