Star Trek The Next Generation
Character
Captain
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Kargan

ceremonial calm disciplined pragmatic evaluative ritualistic measured authoritative
Kargan commands the Klingon cruiser Pagh from the chair of authority, assessing loyalty and adjudicating ritual tests. He interrogates Commander Riker about his loyalties, frames Lieutenant Klag's challenge as a formal first command decision, allows the trial-by-combat to proceed under his supervision, and signals approval when Riker secures obedience and the required oath. Measured and authoritative, he leverages public, martial displays to enforce hierarchy and integrate outsiders into Klingon bonds of duty.
24 appearances
Shipboard Command (Klingon Military)
Also known as: Klingon Captain, Pagh Captain, Kargan, Captain of the Pagh, Kargan (Pagh), Captain Kargan of the Pagh

Kargan's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

24 moments
S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Kargan's Ultimatum — Riker Summoned

Commanding and contemptuous; projecting control through blunt demands and dismissal of Federation niceties.

Via the viewscreen, Captain Kargan asserts authority by demanding Riker be beamed aboard and then abruptly cuts the screen, an aggressive and theatrical move that shifts the tone from ceremonial …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Tone‑Deaf Quip and the Red Smear

Hostile and suspicious; his earlier demand raises the emotional temperature on the bridge and tightens reactions to any perceived disrespect or threat.

Captain Kargan had just finished his forceful demand on the viewscreen; his presence and harsh tone set the context for Mendon's quip and Worf's sensitive reaction, though Kargan himself remains …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Appraised and Escorted: Riker Meets Klingon Scrutiny

Not directly observable on-screen; inferred expectation that the captain will assess and adjudicate the meeting.

Referenced off-screen as the destination and ultimate authority; the captain's presence is felt through the officer's declaration of orders and the ritualized escort, though the captain does not appear.

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Bridge of Honor: Riker's Klingon Oath

Calm, testing, and quietly approving once the ritual proves satisfactory; maintains control through ritual and observation.

Remains seated in the command chair, questions Riker's loyalties formally, requests an oath, permits and watches the combat without intervening, and finally reasserts his own authority by accepting Riker's agreement …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Oath by Force — Riker's Klingon Proof

Calm and evaluative outwardly; approving and satisfied after the demonstration confirms loyalty.

Seated in the command chair, Kargan interrogates Riker's loyalties, permits the ritualized challenge, watches impassively as the fight proceeds, and signals approval when Riker prevails.

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Hull‑Eater: Discovery and Accusation

Mask of fury — ramping from suspicion to righteous indignation; his anger functions as both defense and assertion of command.

Presides on the bridge, directs the display to be shown to Riker, dismisses benign explanations, seizes the tactics report as proof of hostile intent, and issues immediate, uncompromising combat orders.

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Two‑Minute Scan: Kargan's Verdict

Openly furious and suspicious; his anger functions as both personal conviction and command performance intended to unify crew resolve.

Presides over the bridge, interrogates Riker, frames the encounter as hostile once the tactics readout is delivered, orders the ship to cloak and change course, and vocally vows to destroy …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Hull Contagion and the Turn to Battle

Guarded hostility—surface control and procedural calm masking quick anger and rising paranoia about perceived threats.

Commands the bridge decisively: asks for tactical status, orders Riker to Engineering, maintains scrutiny of the visitor, then immediately escalates to battle alert and weapons arming when the Enterprise is …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Kargan Declares Battle Alert

Angry, suspicious, and hyper‑vigilant — a leader who converts personal distrust into urgent, punitive action.

Kargan listens to tactical reports, vocalizes mistrust of Riker, pivots to anger when the Enterprise is detected, and issues immediate combat orders to arm weapons and put the ship on …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Honor's Choice on the Pagh

Angry and suspicious, but with a warrior's respect emerging when Riker accepts Klingon fate; his rage is mixed with the pragmatic execution of ritual justice.

Kargan aggressively asserts his rank, demands tactical secrets, interprets Riker's hesitation as potential treachery, and pronounces a sentence: death with the crew if Riker will not betray Starfleet — an …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
A Lifeline Offered — A War Order

Angry, suspicious, and defensive; he interprets an offer as a potential affront or stratagem and chooses force over trust.

Kargan reacts violently and immediately to the news of the Enterprise's offer, shouting a commanding order to arm all weapons and prepare for attack, shutting down any nascent reconciliation and …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Kargan Rejects Diplomacy — Weapons to Battle

Hostile and resolute — suspicion hardens into belligerence, masking any openness to negotiation and prioritizing martial response over potential aid.

Captain Kargan hears the amended hail and, rather than accept assistance, immediately reframes it as an affront or stratagem; he issues a brusque command to arm all weapons and prepare …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Forced to Call the Shot — Riker’s Honor vs. Klingon Fury

Suspicious and combative: convinced the Enterprise is a threat and determined to resolve perceived dishonor through force.

Kargan asserts command decisively: he orders all phasers and torpedoes armed, assigns Riker the role of calling firing distances as ritual ownership, inspects the transponder handed to him, and presses …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Flashing the Transponder — A Test of Trust

Aggressive and suspicious; a leader stoking readiness for violence while seeking justification for preemptive action.

Kargan asserts command, orders weapons armed, watches Riker's actions closely, demands the device be handed over, then seizes and scrutinizes the transponder — searching for evidence of deception or threat.

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Forty Thousand — Cloak Down, Open Fire

Sharply suspicious and combative — confident in a preemptive strike as the correct response.

Kargan hears the report and instantly issues hardline tactical orders: to raise the ship from stealth by dropping cloaking shields and to open weapons fire. He translates suspicion into kinetic …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Riker Seizes Command of the Pagh

Absent/unknown — the dematerialization precludes observable emotion, leaving only the implication of sudden incapacity or removal.

Captain Kargan dematerializes abruptly before the crew; he has no physical presence or dialogue after the action and is effectively removed from the scene and command structure.

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Transporter Pad Standoff — Kargan Accuses Riker

Righteously indignant and fearful; paranoia about betrayal overriding situational awareness.

Captain Kargan rematerializes disoriented on the pad, scans the room, crouches when he sees Worf, accuses Riker of trickery, reaches for his sidearm and attempts to aim before being hit …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Pagh's Sudden Lock-On: Diplomacy Meets Klingon Distrust

Distrustful and contemptuous — primed to interpret actions as threats and resistant to outside offers.

Kargan appears as the Klingon counterpoint on the viewscreen (or is represented through his ship's posture) and replies with blunt skepticism, dismissing Picard's olive branch and signaling distrust and potential …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Order and Defiance: Picard Reclaims Command

Angry and defiant — wounded pride drives an insistence on action rather than conciliation.

Kargan physically steps forward in visible rage and loudly demands to be beamed back to his ship; his posture and words register as a raw, emotional refusal to accept Picard's …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Picard's Tactical De‑Escalation — Riker Accepts Command Closure

Angry and humiliated; rage-driven but constrained by Klingon expectations of honor.

Kargan physically advances in anger and vocally demands to be beamed back to his vessel — an emotional, public assertion of Klingon pride and refusal to accept humiliation quietly.

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Renunciation and Restraint — Riker Defuses Klingon Fury

Humiliated and vengeful shifting to triumph; his rage masks insecurity about lost status and reasserts itself through physical dominance.

Steps onto the bridge, confronts Riker with accusation, loses composure when challenged, charges and delivers a devastating punch that sends Riker skidding into the bulkhead, then regains authority and orders …

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S2E8 · A Matter of Honor
Ordered Off the Pagh — A Respect Earned

Humiliated pride turned to furious, performative rage — seeking restoration of honor through dominance.

Kargan strides onto the bridge, recognizes his loss of status, answers Riker's insolence with a roar and a single brutal punch that floors Riker; he then regains composure and issues …

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S2E22 · Shades of Gray
Oath Under Klingon Scrutiny

Calm, authoritative appraisal; emotionally detached but invested in confirming the ship's cohesion and readiness through ritualized demonstration.

Captain Kargan sits in the command chair, queries Riker about loyalties, reframes the confrontation as a test of first command decision, and permits the fight to proceed, signaling approval at …

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S2E22 · Shades of Gray
Trial by Fist: Riker's Klingon Assertion

Disciplined and approving; maintains impassive control while privately gauging loyalty and effectiveness.

Captain Kargan sits in the command chair, evaluates Riker's responses, permits the fight as a formal test and signals approval through a grunt and head motion when Riker prevails, then …

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