ST:SNW - "Under the cloak of War" and Dak'Rah

[CharlesPhipps]

I think this is easily the best episode of SNW in terms of drama and storytelling. I look forward to when Chuck analyzes it. The premise if you remember is that Dak'rah is a klingon war criminal who claims to have killed his subordinates for slaughtering defenseless civilians then defected to the Federation. He's then reinvented himself as a man of peace and diplomat for the Federation.

Now, Rah is a genocidal mass murderer which is worst for Human perspective, and he's a Klingon with no honor which is worst for Klingon perspective. Klingons hate when you massacre unarmed innocents ("House of Quark") but they're happy to have people lie about it as we see with Duras ("Ent"). Kor certainly committed many crimes and was a Dahar Master but the Klingons NEVER tolerate failure and Rah was an utter failure on J'Gal.

Rah is lying about his past, earning a big influence potential. Should we expect that he is an liar when it comes to his past but honest when it comes to his current actions? He claims he wants to establish peace and is really thick on the "Klingons suck, go peace." Could it be a seeking for redemption? What is his motivation, if not? Just material comfort and survival since he had only execution waiting for him back on the homeworld?

Also, there's the question of how much damage that M'Benga did to the cause of Federation/Klingon peace. He's apparently a successful diplomat who has negotiated several peace treaties since the end of the war but everything we know about the Klingons would make this guy seem like a dishonorable monster to their values (and that's the peaceful version). He's a traitor, a defector, and a killer of his own men. Indeed, I can't help but think Klingon/Federation relations would suffer while this guy was alive even with L'Rell in charge.

[stryke]

I do wonder. I don't think he's entirely self serving as if he was he wouldn't have pushed the war veterans he was meeting on the ship so hard for reconciliation. If he was only playing the part for selfish reasons I think he'd have been a bit more 'ah well, can't blame a klingon for trying' after making a token attempt at building bridges.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

His current actions would be considered honest, but that's inconsequential to his account of dishonesty.

I thought he was despised by the Klingons so I don't think many of them would care that he died under Federation watch.

[CharlesPhipps]

I do wonder. I don't think he's entirely self serving as if he was he wouldn't have pushed the war veterans he was meeting on the ship so hard for reconciliation. If he was only playing the part for selfish reasons I think he'd have been a bit more 'ah well, can't blame a klingon for trying' after making a token attempt at building bridges.

An alternate interpretation is that Dah'Rak recognizes that he's won over people not involved in the war like Pike and Uhura but the people like Ortegas utterly despise him. He's basically walking around like Eichmann as far as they're concerned. So the idea of getting an endorsement from J'Gal veterans like M'Benga would go a long way to rehabilitating his image.

However, he's SEVERELY underestimated how "primitive" humans can still be in the 23rd century.