cho' 'oDwI' "Arbiter of Succession" (n): yejquv DevwI' moj ghawran 'e' wuqta' cho' 'oDwI' Dapu'bogh janluq pIqarD HoD. Gowron... named leader of the High Council by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who was acting as Arbiter of Succession. S25 Cf. the homophonous verb cho' "succeed (to authority)": maQ 'oH HemHa'choH 'ej cho'choH moratlh The signal for Morath to lose his pride and claim a throne. PB Related vocabulary: gheS assume duties of, take on responsibilities (v) Sugh install [in office] (v) moj become(v) Son relieve(v) lu fall from power (v) Deq be erstwhile, former, prior, ex- (v) Da behave as, act in the manner of (v) ngoy' be responsible (v) woQ authority, political power (n) ngup authority, power, one in authority, one in charge (slang) nubwI' predecessor (n) [N.B. WRT nubwI' the only known verb nub means "be suspect". Some have speculated that Okrand may have mis-remembered nung "precede".]

maQ 'oH HemHa'choH 'ej cho'choH moratlh
The signal for Morath to lose his pride and claim a throne. PB

SEE ALSO:

gheS                    assume duties of, take on responsibilities (v)
Sugh                    install [in office] (v)
Son                     relieve (v)
num                     promote (v)
lu                      fall from power (v)
moj                     become (v)
Da                      behave as, act in the manner of (v)
ngoy'           be responsible (v)

cho'            succession (n)
nubwI'          predecessor (n)
woQ                     authority, political power (n)
ngup                    authority, power, one in authority, one in charge (slang) (n)
cho' 'oDwI'     Arbiter of Succession (n)

yejquv DevwI' moj ghawran 'e' wuqta' cho' 'oDwI' Dapu'bogh janluq pIqarD HoD.
Gowron... named leader of the High Council by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who was acting as Arbiter of Succession. S25

TREK TRIVIA

  A traditional role Captain Picard filled at the dying Klingon leader, K'mpec's, request. It came during a time when no Klingon could be trusted, during the dubious intrigue of the Duras-Gowron battle for power, circa stardate 44247, which itself nearly plunged the Klingons into the heart of a civil war. On stardate 44996.8, Duras was killed by Lieutenant Worf. Picard, in his role as Arbiter of Succession, then fulfilled his duty by reporting his findings to the Klingon High Council. Despite protestations, Picard told Gowron that his arbiter role did not include stepping deeper into the coming Klingon civil war to support him. (TNG "Reunion")

   The SonchIy (*Sonchi*) is a special death ritual confirming the death of a leader as part of the Rite of Succession to leadership of the High Council: the challengers (and the Arbiter of Succession?) confront the corpse and issue the ritual (no' Hol) challenge *Qab jIH nagil* "Face me if you dare" before poking it with a painstik. If there is no reaction, the Arbiter(?) replies, SonchIy (*Sonchi*, [lit. "He is dead" [STE]).  The Arbiter then listens to the qualifications of the claimants - formerly using the outmoded and long-winded ja'chuq - and chooses one as the new Leader of the High Council. (TNG "Reunion")