The Sonchi ceremony is a Klingon ceremony that is part of the Rite of Succession.
history and specifics[]
The word Sonchi is translated as He is dead in Federation Standard. This ceremony is held to verify the death of the Chancellor of the High Council of the Klingon Empire.
In this ceremony, the main challengers for the office of Chancellor, and the Arbiter of Succession each shock the deceased chancellor with painsticks, while telling the corpse, qab jIH ngIl, or Face me if you dare. The pain caused by a device is intense enough to provoke a reaction from even stronger Klingons. A lack of reaction to the painsticks is enough to verify that the chancellor is indeed dead, and the pronouncement Sonchi is then given. (TNG episode: "Reunion"; TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible)
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External link[]
- Sonchi ceremony article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.