The Emissary is an ELITE Star Trek Episode

Star Trek at it's best!!

I'm not sure how I feel that she thought the holodeck program was too easy, and then "Computer, level 2". So is the difference between level 1 and 2 so great? I guess it was hard enough to get them both hot and bothered. When Worf and Riker did it, it was so intense that Worf was gonna kill Riker and had to be snapped out of it. At least those two endings weren't reversed.

To answer Josh's question, I guess filler was the wrong term. What I felt more is that many of the scenes in the episode were way longer than I felt they needed to be. I found myself getting bored frequently throughout the episode. I wouldn't even dignify the Klingon-sicle story as a b-plot given that it was nothing more than an excuse to get K'Ehleyr together with Worf. The problem was that I was (and still am) super interested in that concept. Why did the Klingon Empire do this? Did someone in the empire see that it might be failing 75 years ago? How many more of these ships were/are there? I felt pretty seriously let down by there being zero examination of this in the episode. I don't know if it quite hit the bait-and-switch level for me but, it comes pretty damn close. I will also take back my Amok Time comparison as I now see, thanks to your observations, that the marriage reference was for what happened on the holodeck as opposed to Worf and K'Ehleyr's first meeting (which was my interpretation from both my recent and original viewing of the episode back when it first aired).

No spoilers, but if you guys are digging the development of Klingon culture now, you've got some treats in store, both as you move through TNG and in one other upcoming series in particular. Can't wait!

Michael Dorn's deadpan delivery makes Worf's funny lines even funnier.

No one thought that any viewer would be able to see the “Okudagrams” such as the display on the entrance to the holodeck. Michael Okuda usually made them just to amuse the cast and crew.