Sons and Daughters (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Benjamin Sisko and his crew have been rescued from the uncharted planet in Dominion space upon which they were marooned in the previous episode, and they are dropped off at Starbase 375 by General Martok's ship, the Rotarran, which still includes Worf as first officer. The Rotarran then picks up some new recruits, including Alexander, Worf's estranged son, who has joined the Klingon Defense Force without his father's knowledge.

Worf and Alexander argue about Alexander's motivation for joining the military, and Worf tells his son that he does not have the heart of a warrior. Worf had accepted this, and he is now confused by seeing Alexander's determination to fight. Later, another member of the crew taunts Alexander about not being a true Klingon, as Alexander was raised by humans, and a fight breaks out. Worf breaks up the combat, afraid that Alexander will be injured or killed, a choice of which General Martok is highly critical. Alexander humiliates himself further on the command deck when he mistakes a simulation program for an attack on the ship.

Worf attempts to train his son in personal combat, but the training session quickly breaks down into an argument between father and son. Alexander asks if his father will send him away, as he did the last time that they were together, and says that Worf will be glad when he is dead. In an attempt to quash the tension between Worf and Alexander, Martok reassigns Alexander to a transport ship, which provokes another confrontation. This is interrupted by an attack on the ship by Jem'Hadar fighters.

Alexander distinguishes himself in the ensuing battle by stopping a plasma leak, though he somehow gets himself locked in a room and needs to be rescued. Worf gains a new respect for his son, as well as an understanding that, as an adult, he must choose his own path, and asks if they may start over, saying that he will try to be a better father. The episode ends with Alexander joining the House of Martok, as Worf had done.

Meanwhile, on Deep Space Nine, Kira Nerys and Odo attempt to get their new resistance movement off the ground. Gul Dukat brings his daughter Ziyal on board, hoping to use Kira's affection for Ziyal to bring her closer to him. When Ziyal's art is accepted into a prestigious exhibition, Dukat invites Kira to a party to celebrate, sending her a beautiful dress as a gift. Kira is briefly tempted by Dukat's offer, having had conflicted feelings about him for some time, but finds that she cannot face herself in the dress and angrily returns it to him.

This episode established the brevity of Klingon childhood. Alexander Rozhenko had been conceived nine years prior in the Star Trek: The Next Generation second episode, “The Emissary”, and first appeared as a young child in season 4's “Reunion”. Alexander was still a school-aged child when the series ended, but appears as an adult in this episode, four seasons later.

A 2015 binge-watching guide for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine by W.I.R.E.D. recommended not skipping this essential episode.[1]

This episode was noted for a surprising guest acting role by TV Guide, which notes that Gabrielle Union guest stars the alien N'Garen in this 1997 Star Trek episode.[2] The actress later being noted for her role in the year 2000 film, Bring it On.[3]

In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the Bajoran character Kira Nerys.[4] They recommend it as part of sequence of seven episodes including a "Call to Arms," "A Time to Stand," "Rocks and Shoals," "Sons and Daughters," "Behind the Lines," "Favor the Bold," and "Sacrifice of Angels"; this includes from the season finale of season 5 and the first six episodes of season 6 of the show.[4]

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• Sons and Daughters on IMDb
• "Sons and Daughters" at TV.com

• Sons and Daughters at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

• Sons and Daughters at StarTrek.com