Synopsis: Welcoming a Klingon officer aboard the Enterprise as part of an exchange system leads to Lt. Worf going back to his home planet to defend the honor of his father.
“Sins of the Father” speaks to a concept in depth psychology of cultural complex, that in our unconscious we hold both the sins and the pain of our ancestors, and the ability to work towards stopping anguish that accompany them.
The concept of a cultural complex in depth psychology is rather new, but the idea is that if a culture as a whole can be seen as a psyche, then just as a psyche has processes by which it protects or heals itself, some of which are not pleasant, so does a society. Most of the conflicts between different groups of individuals in a society are caused by a cultural conflict being triggered by a belief held so deep that it is likely unconscious. Usually this results in the feeling of the need to protect oneself, and others that one perceives as like oneself, from the other which is feared.
In this episode, the governing powers on Lt. Worf’s world know that Worf’s father is innocent of the offenses for which he is charged. Yet to charge the individual who is actually responsible for the treason would completely undermine the society. So, a scapegoat is needed. The concept of a scapegoat goes back to ancient times when a goat was sacrificed so that the group could continue on. And much like the goat that was sacrificed in ancient Greece was thought to choose to do so voluntarily, in fact, to make the goat to be perceived as volunteer, wine or milk was poured over its head to make him shake it in consent (Bremmer, 2000, p. 280). In “Sins of the Father” Worf is in the same position as the goat. He “volunteers” to accept “discommendation,” which for him is a fate worse than death, so that his long-lost brother, Kurn, can live. Worf allows himself to be scapegoated so that his house’s honor may someday be restored through Kurn, and the entire Klingon society will not have to face the dishonor of a powerful individual, too big to fail.
Reference:
Bremmer, J. N. (2000). Scapegoat rituals in ancient Greece. In R. Buxton (Ed.), Oxford readings in Greek religion (pp. 271-293). Oxford University Press.
Original post created 11 August 2021
mydailysoultrek 