S1E20 · Heart of Glory

The Enterprise enters the neutral zone, to investigate the distress call of a Talarian freighter. The freighter is badly damaged and three life forms are detected aboard. An away team beams over and finds three Klingons: Korris (Vaughn Armstrong), Konmel (Charles Hyman), and Kunivas (Robert Bauer), the latter found wounded. The away team returns with them to the Enterprise before the freighter explodes. Kunivas is taken to sickbay, and Korris meets with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The Klingon explains that they were passengers when the freighter was attacked by a Ferengi ship; the Klingons took over the freighter to fend off and destroy the Ferengi ship but the damage sustained left the freighter adrift and faltering. As Korris and Konmel are shown to quarters, they are surprised to hear about a fellow Klingon, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), who is serving within Starfleet.

Kunivas' condition worsens; Korris, Konmel and Worf are present when he dies. The three let out a fierce roar as per Klingon custom (a warning to the dead that a Klingon warrior is about to arrive). As they return to the Klingons' quarters, Konmel is disappointed that Kunivas was not killed by an enemy, leading Worf to question the nature of the attack on the freighter; Korris and Konmel quickly change the subject. Worf forces Korris to reveal the truth: the three had commandeered the freighter, to seek out a place they could live as true Klingons and the damage to the freighter was a result of a battle with a Klingon ship. When the two are seen near the ship's battle bridge, hoping to steal the drive section and escape, they are placed in the brig.

The Enterprise is soon met by a Klingon battlecruiser, captained by Commander K'Nera (David Froman), who demands the return of the fugitive Klingons. Knowing that Korris and Konmel will be tried and executed if they are returned, Worf argues instead for their exile to a hostile planet but K'Nera refuses. Korris and Konmel use parts secreted on their uniforms to assemble a disruptor pistol and escape from the brig; Konmel is killed as Korris takes over the Engineering deck. Picard and Worf race to Engineering and Worf tries to reason with Korris who is threatening to destroy the warp core and take the Enterprise with him.

Korris attempts to persuade Worf to come with him and conquer the galaxy as a true Klingon, but Worf retorts that a true Klingon fights out of honor and loyalty and that Korris has demonstrated neither. Korris is enraged and Worf takes the opportunity to shoot him dead. K'Nera is told of the deaths of the fugitives and Worf declares that they "died well", when asked of their manner of death. Worf agrees to consider an offer to serve aboard the Klingon battlecruiser after his service aboard the Enterprise is complete, but when communications with K'Nera are broken off, he assures the bridge crew he was just being polite.