Ethics ( episode ) After Worf is paralyzed by a freak accident , his only hope may be a visiting doctor with questionable medical ethics . Summary . Teaser . Lieutenant Worf and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge are in cargo bay three investigating strange readings . Their tricorder s are unable to detect the exact problem . Worf is preoccupied with his loss to Deanna Troi in a poker game , and no one realizes that a large , heavy container sitting on a high shelf is leaking . Another similar container is sitting on top of it . Eventually , enough of the material leaks out that the lower container begins to buckle under the weight of the upper container . The two containers fall , and the upper container hits Worf in his back . La Forge summons emergency medical assistance . Worf wakes up in sickbay to find out from Dr . Crusher that his spinal cord has been crushed , resulting in paralysis . Act One . Dr . Beverly Crusher has Dr . Toby Russell , a neurological specialist , called in . She is brought to the by the . The two doctors find themselves in uncharted territory : in Klingon medicine those who are paralyzed are allowed to die . Klingons with these injuries would often commit " Hegh ' bat " , the Klingon ritual suicide . Dr . Russell is amazed by Klingon anatomy , which has twenty - three rib s , two liver s , and an eight - chambered heart . For Klingons , this is called the " brak ' lul " , meaning every vital function has a backup system , though Russell notes that this also means there are many more ways it can go wrong . Commander Riker goes to visit his friend in sickbay . Worf asks him for a favor . When Riker tells him to name it , Worf asks Riker to help him commit ritual suicide . Riker is shocked and repulsed by what Worf is asking for – basically to hand him a knife and leave him to stab himself in the heart . Act Two . Dr . Russell proposes a new surgical procedure for Worf to Dr . Crusher . Dr . Russell believes that she can use what she calls a genetronic replicator to create an entirely new spinal column for Worf . But it would be the first time she had done this on a living being , having only conducted tests of this new procedure on holographic patients and claims the success rate is now up to thirty - seven percent . Despite Dr . Crusher ' s objections , Russell wants to continue . Meanwhile , the " Enterprise " diverts to render aid to the , after the latter struck a Cardassian gravitic mine while transporting over five hundred colonist s . Dr . Crusher sets up triage units in the shuttlebay s , and accepts Russell ' s offer for assistance . In the Obervation Lounge , Commander Riker is disturbed over what Worf said earlier and picard says that his life ended with those fallen containers and can ' t help Riker to make that decision . Alexander is upset over his father ' s accident , and even more upset that Worf will not allow Alexander to see him in his condition . Counselor Troi tries to reason with Worf over this . At first , Russell and Crusher have Worf try using devices to transmit impulses to the appropriate muscles . But when it is revealed that Worf would not have full mobility , he refuses to use the devices . Against Crusher ' s wishes , Russell proposes the genetronic procedure to Worf . Act Three . Doctor Crusher takes Russell aside and argues with her that they had already talked about and ruled out the procedure , and , furthermore , giving him that option is taking advantage of his desperation . Russell is picking up on Worf ' s frustration with his condition and is convinced he would want it . Crusher says she checked on her proposals at Starfleet Medical , seeing they were denied three times for humanoid patients . They get interrupted when Picard calls to inform her that the " Denver " survivors will soon be beaming aboard . Troi brings Alexander to see Worf , who has propped himself up to a standing position next to his bed , and is seen standing with the neurological devices strapped to his thighs . He begins to discuss the situation with Alexander , telling him there will be difficult times ahead . He loses his balance and falls . Feeling humiliated , he gruffly orders Alexander to leave . After meeting the other ship , the " Enterprise " medical staff begin treating casualties . Dr . Crusher discovers that a patient under Dr . Russell ' s care had died after Russell tried an untested , experimental treatment , borathium . Outraged by Russell ' s reckless choice of a radical approach over conventional treatment , Crusher relieves Russell of duty , and tells Russell that she will not be permitted to practice medicine any longer while on board the " Enterprise " . Act Four . Captain Picard meets with Dr . Crusher in her office after he learns that she has relieved Russell of duty . She had found that Starfleet Medical had refused permission to allow Russell to use living subjects for her procedure . Crusher says that Worf was basically healthy for the time being , but that if he went into surgery he could die . Picard tells her that she should consider allowing Russell to perform the operation . He tells her that the only way to save Worf ' s life is to do this . Even though Crusher knows Worf could have a full life even with this paralysis , Picard knows that Worf ' s Klingon upbringing says that his life was over the moment he was struck by the container . Riker has studied the Klingon death ritual in detail and finds it despicable in the way it tries to " " cloak suicide in some glorious notion of honor " " . Worf protests to Riker that each of them must die in their own time . Riker forcefully reminds him of their fellow crewmates who perished while serving with them on the " Enterprise " - Sandoval , Fang - lee , Marla Aster and Tasha Yar , to name a few . Riker then tells him that even though he strongly disagrees with the Klingon custom , he would most likely assist Worf except for one detail . He finds in his research that Worf ' s son Alexander – his only immediate family member – would need to be the one to assist in the ritual . It is not Riker ' s place to help Worf commit suicide . In light of this , Worf summons Alexander to sickbay and informs him that he has chosen not to kill himself , but instead to try the surgical procedure suggested by Dr . Russell . Act Five . Worf goes into surgery . Before going , he asks Counselor Troi if she would raise Alexander if he does not survive the operation , and she accepts . Russell and Crusher remove the old spinal cord . They use the gentronic scanner to try to scan Worf ' s spinal cord , but the main scanner has trouble reading the cord . Russell scans the remainder of the cord herself . Once that ' s done , they begin generating a new spinal cord . Everything seems to go right until the end of the operation , when suddenly Worf crashes . Nurse Ogawa can read no vital signs from Worf and he has died on the operating table . Crusher goes to sickbay to tell Alexander that Worf has died . Alexander demands to see his father . When they come back they find that Worf ' s synaptic function s have reactivated ; his brain also apparently had a backup system . This allowed him to survive the operation . Soon his body begins functioning again . While thrilled that Worf will recover , Crusher is disturbed by Russell ' s attitude of " the ends justify the means . " Crusher tells Russell that real research is a slow and painstaking process , and that she cannot abide Russell ' s shortcuts . After the operation , Worf begins the process of physical therapy . The process is slow as it takes time for Worf ' s body to adjust to the new spinal cord ; Worf stumbles while he re - learns to walk . Watching his father stumbling , Alexander starts to move to him , but Deanna reminds him of the Klingon stoicism about which she ' s spoken to him . Surprisingly , Worf asks for Alexander ' s help , and tells him that they will struggle together . Within a few weeks , Worf heals completely , regains full mobility , and returns to his duties . Memorable quotes . " " No question about it : she was bluffing , Worf . " " " " Bluffing is not one of Counselor Troi ' s strong suits . . . It would have been unwise to call . Yes , my hand was not strong enough ! " " " " You had Jacks and eights ; she bluffed you with a pair of sixes ! " " " " How did " you " know what I had ? " " " " Let ' s just say I had a special ' insight ' into the cards . . . " " ( points to his VISOR ) " " Maybe next time you should bring a deck that ' s not transparent to infrared light . " " " " I ' ve done dozens of holo - simulations . The success rate is up to 37 percent . " " " " Even a holographic patient would balk at those odds . " " " " He ' s been injured and he ' s embarrassed . And to have anyone see him now would make him feel worse . Even if it were you . " " " " This is part of that Klingon stuff , isn ' t it ? My mother always said Klingons had a lot of dumb ideas about honor . " " " " That Klingon stuff is very important to your father . " " " " Do you remember Sandoval ? Hit with a disruptor blast two years ago . She lived for about a week . Fang - lee , Marla Aster , " Tasha Yar " ! How many men and women , how many " friends " have we watched die ? I ' ve lost count . Every one of them , " every single one " , fought for life until the very end . " " " " Will you or will you not help me with the " hegh ' Bat " ? " " " " You are my friend . And in spite of everything I ' ve said , if it were my place , I would probably help you . But I ' ve been studying Klingon ritual and Klingon law , and I ' ve discovered that it ' s not my place to fill that role . According to tradition , that honor falls to a family member . Preferably the oldest son . " " " " That is impossible ! He is a child ! " " " " ' The son of a Klingon is a man the day he can first hold a blade . ' True ? " " " " Alexander is not fully Klingon ! He is part Human ! " " " " That ' s an excuse . What you really mean , is that it would be too hard to look at your son and tell him to bring you the knife , watch you stab it into your heart , then pull the knife out of your chest and wipe your blood on his sleeve . " " " " There is much to discuss . There will be difficult times ahead . You must be strong . " " " " You want " me " to raise Alexander ? " " " " I have come to have a great respect for you , Deanna . You have been most helpful in guiding me since Alexander ' s arrival . I can ' t imagine anyone who would be a better parent to my son . " " " " Ok , 25 cc cordrazine . " " " " That ' ll kill him . " " " " Looks like we ' ve done a pretty good job of that already , doctor . " " " " I am delighted that Worf is going to recover . You gambled . He won . Not all of your patients are so lucky . You scare me , doctor . You risk your patients ' lives , and justify it in the name of research . " Genuine " research takes " time " . Sometimes a lifetime of painstaking , detailed work in order to get any results . Not for you . You take short cuts . Right through living tissue . You put your research ahead of your patients ' lives . And as far as I ' m concerned , that ' s a violation of our most sacred trust . I ' m sure your work will be hailed as a stunning breakthrough . Enjoy your laurels , doctor . I ' m not sure I could . " " " " We will work together . " " " " Yes , sir . " " Links and references . References . active duty ; Adelman Neurological Institute ; alkysine ; ; Beloti sector ; biobed ; BP ; Borathium ; " brak ' lul " ; Cardassian war ; cargo bay ; cauterization ; cc ; cerebral cortex ; cervical vertebra ; chlorinide ; chloromydride ; cordrazine ; cortical spinal tract ; cortical stimulator ; CPK enzymatic therapy ; cybernetics ; cybernetic regeneration ; ; detronal scanner ; disability ; drechtal beam ; Duras , son of Ja ' rod ; dynoscanner ; Earth ; empirical knowledge ; exoscalpel ; Fang - lee ; genetronic replicator ; gravitic mine ; " Hegh ' bat " ; inaprovaline ; incurable disease ; isocortex ; K ' Ehleyr ; Klingon ; Klingon Civil War ; Klingon database ; Klingon Empire ; Klingon law ; Klingon Medical Division ; Klingon ritual ; laser scalpel ; leporazine ; medical ethics ; Mericor system ; morathial series ; motor assist band ; multiplication ; neural metaphasic shock ; neural transducer ; neurogenetics ; Neuro - specialist ; Number one ; parallel bars ; patient ; pia mater ; poker ; polyadrenaline ; ; rejection ; restraining field ; Romulan ; ; ; ribosome infusion ; rybotherapy ; Sandoval ; Sector 37628 ; shock ; shuttlebay ; sickbay ; spinal cord ; spinal tract ; spine root ; Starfleet Medical ; steri - field ; stress simulation routine ; suicide ; surgical support frame ; synaptic response ; terminal illness ; thalamic booster ; torso , lower ; training device ; tricorder ; " VeK ' tal " response ; vertebra ; VISOR ; warp coil ; Unreferenced production material . Kelnaria region ; Mylaira system ; Starbase 27