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In The Next Generation episode "Sins of the Father", Duras says to Worf,

"Yet you come here in a child's uniform and you bring outsiders to our great halls."

What was Worf wearing that Duras called a child's uniform?

  • Something he wore as a child at Khitomer? According to Memory Alpha, Worf was 6 years old at the time of the Khitomer massacre. How would an adult Worf be able to wear such a child-sized item?

  • His baldric? Worf wears it throughout two series, and it is an adult size. (It does, however, change color between TNG seasons 1 and 2.)

  • His Starfleet uniform? In that case, wouldn't Klingons disparage all Starfleet uniforms as a child's uniform?

  • The sleeveless Klingon cloak he wears over his Starfleet uniform? Unlikely, as other members of the High Council and Duras also wear the same garment (see picture below).

Worf before the High Council

Question regarding a later episode: When did Worf get a Klingon uniform?

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2 Answers 2

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I believe it's the third option you listed -- that the Starfleet uniform is a child's uniform. The logic is that from the Klingon point of view the ideals of Starfleet and the Federation are childish. If Duras does not call it a "child's uniform" when worn by other Starfleet officers, it's because he doesn't have any expectations that they would be real warriors like he would of a Klingon.

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    Might also be that the uniform is similar to what Klingon children wear before they grow into the whole leather and metal thing the adults are into - but since we only see a couple of Klingon children in the whole ST universe (and not within an actual Klingon community from what I recall) it's hard to say.
    – HorusKol
    Jan 16, 2019 at 7:28
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    But mostly, the point is simply to insult Worf as not being a true Klingon warrior
    – HorusKol
    Jan 16, 2019 at 7:28
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    It's an insult, not a literal observation. Rather in the price-range of human culture where a man wearing a formal tuxedo is wearing a "penguin suit" or a "monkey suit".
    – Blaze
    Jan 16, 2019 at 14:12
  • He should just be thankful it wasn't Season 1, with the stretchy one-piece pyjama uniforms!
    – Chronocidal
    Jan 23, 2019 at 9:06
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It was a disparaging remark. Earlier in the episode, Kern makes insulting remarks about Worf's quarters being comfortable and how the Enterprise is "not the ship for a warrior, not the ship for a Klingon."

TNG has several more references of Klingon's making derogatory comments to Wolf and others in Star Fleet. The first instance probably being in season one's Heart of Glory, when the two Klingons mock Worf a little for serving on a Starfleet vessel.

To Klingon's, serving in Star Fleet is child's play. Humans are thought of as weak, like a child.

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    Wonder if they saw and knew of Earth's history during the times of human warriors (Sparta, Troy, Rome, etc.) if they would think the same
    – MissouriSpartan
    Jan 16, 2019 at 20:39
  • @MissouriSpartan What's the Klingon for "What happened, dude? You used to be cool..." xD
    – Chronocidal
    Jan 23, 2019 at 9:07

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