3.05 The Bonding

Rating: 2.5

Lt Aster, a female geologist and mother of young Jeremy, is killed by an explosion on an away mission headed by Lt Worf. While Worf looks for ways to compensate for the tragedy within his Klingon culture, a mysterious entity from the planet also tries to make amends in its own way.

Comments

Although it is mostly unbelievable that Jeremy could so quickly go from hating Worf to accepting him (it takes him five seconds, even though we just heard that it took Wesley a long time to stop hating Picard under similar circumstances), I still have to say that every episode Worf touches turns to gold. I still got emotionally involved in the bonding, and loved the rituals of the R'uustai ceremony at the end.

Nits

How could the entity have done such a wonderful impression of Lt Aster after having only observed her for a brief period when she was on the away team?

Memorable Moments

•    In the transporter room, O’Brien ducks to avoid the energy being. His head disappears at the bottom of the frame. The shot changes to Worf on the bridge, and Picard’s head bobs up from the bottom of the frame.

•    The R'uustai ceremony is great.

Quotable Quotes

"Jeremy, on the Starship Enterprise, no one is alone. No one."
– Picard (sounding ominously like Big Brother J)

Data: But should not the feeling run just as deep regardless of who has died?
Riker: Maybe they should, Data. Maybe if we felt any loss as keenly as we felt the death of one close to us, human history would be a lot less bloody.

"Let’s just hope it doesn’t blow us to Kingdom Come while it is figuring out how to blow us to Kingdom Come." – Geordi commenting on the energy being (and an interesting ‘religious’ comment after having belief in god bashed in the previous episode Who Watches the Watchers)

Worf: Sos che batla so!
Jeremy: What does that mean?
Worf: It honors the memory of our mothers. We have bonded, and our families are stronger.
Jeremy: Sos che batla so!
(Worf’s subtle smile at the end is priceless).