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- This article concerns the fictional race, for the language, see Klingon language.
Klingon biology
Roughly humanoid in appearance, Klingons typically sport long manes of luxuriant hair with moustaches and beards common among males. Perhaps their most prominent external feature is their ridged forehead. These intricate, bony patterns, which are also visible on their feet, vary by family line and are an evolutionary remnant of their prehistoric crustacean forms, when Klingons had a more extensive exoskeleton. "Genesis" (TNG, 1994)
In the original series they were typically portrayed with bronze skin and facial hair suggestive of North Asian peoples such as the Mongols (in fact, Gene Coon's only physical description of them in his Errand of Mercy script is "Oriental, hard-faced"). In The Motion Picture, the Klingons were "reimagined" or retconned and were depicted with ridged foreheads, new uniforms, and a distinctive language. Gene Roddenberry said the movie era Klingons are closer to his original vision, but could not be realized in a low-budget television show.
Most Klingon body functions incorporate multiple redundancies, such as redundant stomachs, lungs, livers, an eight-chambered heart, and twenty-three ribs. This characteristic, known as "brak'lul," makes Klingons incredibly resilient. Klingon ribs are arranged in a latticework; the structure might be compared to chainmail. Visual effects producer Dan Curry on the TNG DVDs The character Mr. Spock once said Klingons lack tear ducts, although Klingon myth states that Kahless once filled the ocean with his tears. The Klingon expected lifespan is at least 150 years. However, it is typical that male Klingons die young while in battle and not of natural causes.
Klingon pregnancies run 30 weeks. "Lineage" (VOY, 2001) The Process of giving birth can sometimes take days. Interbreeding is possible with Betazoids "Parallels", (TNG, 1993), humans "The Emissary", (TNG, 1989), Romulans "Birthright", (TNG, 1993), and Trill "Children of Time", (DS9, 1997). Klingon traits remain dominant over several generations.
The Undiscovered Country depicts Klingons having violet blood (based on the metal ion manganese according to some unofficial sources), but all other depictions of Klingon blood have been red, like human blood. In Star Trek universe terms, this may have resulted from a unique atmospheric gas mix on the Klingon vessel - as suggested by the renegade boarding party's need to wear environmental suits, rather than merely wearing disguises. Another widely discussed possibility is that the color change was a side-effect of the Augment Virus. (The mundane reason behind the issue is that violet blood allowed Star Trek VI to maintain a PG-13 rating rather than something more restrictive. It also facilitates discerning Klingon blood from other species' blood without the aid of a tricorder or similar means; Colonel Worf makes this distinction during the movie's dénouement.)
Human looking Klingons
From the year 2154 until sometime after the events of The Original Series about a century later, Klingons had external features resembling Humans' and wore their hair in a more conservative fashion than that seen later (and previously), which in actuality was due to the limited budget Gene Roddenberry had to work with.There appeared to be four distinct varieties of the "original" Klingons. The Evolution of Klingon Foreheads, by Bernd Schneider and Jörg Hillebrand (accessed 14 June 2006) In TOS, there appeared two "races": some who were pale with neatly groomed hair and others much darker (a greenish-brown), with thick, bifurcated eyebrows. The two never appeared together. The differences in the two phenotypes may explain, in part, Dr. McCoy's immediate lack of knowledge of Klingon anatomy when he tried to save Chancellor Gorkon in 2293.
These races were based on the various makeup forms viewed during the run of TOS, the TOS film series, and the "Next Generation" Klingons. In TOS, the Klingons shown lacked ridges on their heads, were greenish brown (a minority were of a paler complexion; see last paragraph). The second "race" were the "Mark Lenard" Klingons, shown in The Motion Picture. They were tall, thin in build, with a single crested ridge extending over their partially bald heads, to the occipital bun on the rear of the skull (Some fans refer to these Klingons as either specially bred "Battle-Class" Klingons, or derisively as "Duck's ass" Klingons, based on their haircuts). The third Klingon was represented by General Chang in The Undiscovered Country. This Klingon was only slightly ridged in the center of the forehead, lacking the "normal" side ridges. They were largely hairless except for a small wisp at the back of the skull and (in males) a small goatee. The fourth, and most common shown in Star Trek, are the triple-ridged or "Worf"-type. These Klingons have individualized or clan-based ridge patterns, ranging from the slight "webbed" ridge pattern of Colonel Worf of Star Trek VI, to the craggy triple ridges of the Emperor Kahless (clone).
The Worf-type Klingons were first portrayed by Lady Valkris and Lord Kruge in The Search for Spock. They became retconned as the main type of Klingon with The Next Generation, and in Deep Space Nine.
Worf explained the confusion of the different-seeming "races", in the Trials and Tribble-ations episode of Deep Space Nine. He stated in answer to Dr. Julian Bashir's and Chief Miles O'Brien's questions that the smooth-headed Klingons observed were not human hybrids; they were not the results of an unknown plague, and the Klingons were not geneticaly nor surgically engineered. Worf stated in an exasperated manner that the Klingon warriors seen were, in fact, real Klingons, but the reason for them lacking forehead ridges was simply something Klingons never spoke of with outsiders (non-Klingons). Bashir and O'Brien ponder possible causes, genetic engineering and mutated virus, both of which were later shown to be the cause in an episode of Enterprise.
Fan speculation
Over the decades, several non-canon novels and comic books attempted to suggest reasons for the change, including the suggestion that the humanlike Klingons were a different race. The early-1990s DC Comics graphic novel, Debt of Honor suggested that the humanlike Klingons were discommoded (a concept introduced in TNG). However, several Klingons who appeared humanlike in The Original Series made appearances on Deep Space Nine and Voyager with full ridges. It has been suggested that the character of General Chang in The Undiscovered Country, whose features are less pronounced than other Klingons, might be a remnant of the humanlike Klingons.The Star Trek RPG (FASA) published by FASA in the 1980s suggested the Klingons of the original series were actually human/Klingon "fusions" (hybrids) based on the premise that Klingons took 'know thine enemy' to its logical extreme in that incorporating human DNA and presumably human characteristics into Klingons would make them much more effective in combating them. The "movie" Klingons were "Imperial Race" Klingons, i.e. purebred.
FASA enlisted the aid of Star Trek novelist John M. Ford to depict their Klingons as being part of a paranoid society of both "human-fusion" and "Imperial" Klingons living together, complete with sophisticated nomenclatures, a Klingon Emperor, "thought admirals" and an afterlife known as the "Black Fleet". For lack of any other explanation, the FASA explanation was widely accepted in fanon until it became clearly contradicted later. Given the different canon policy of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures at the time, the explanation was assumed to be canonical, until 1988 when it was decided that all of FASAs contributions to Star Trek were non Canon (and the current canon policy was firmly established).
In the real world of Gene Roddenberry and other Star Trek story-makers, the change was said to actually be an attempt to make the Klingons more alien, as an ongoing set of characters whose race was nearly identical to humans was considered too unrealistic. This change took place, initially, during the Star Trek movies, when the new Hollywood budget first allowed a much more alien race, but talking about the reasons behind it was treated as a sort of friendly taboo by people associated with the series. Episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showed Kang and other Klingons first seen in the original series as humanlike as now being more like the later Klingons, and the issue was finally acknowledged (and evaded) in the Deep Space Nine episode Trials and Tribble-ations, when Worf, time travelling to 2268 with several others from the crew of DS9, encountered the humanlike Klingons. Worf acknowledged that they were Klingons, but Klingons do not like to talk about the issue, especially with non-Klingons.
The issue was approached in one of the final episodes of Enterprise and finally established a canonical answer to the issue, despite many fans being upset with the outcome.
The cause revealed
In February 2005 a two-part storyline on Enterprise, "Affliction" and "Divergence", explained canonically why the Klingons changed their appearance.In an earlier series of episodes, the Augments, humans grown from genetically engineered embryos from the Eugenics Wars of the late 20th century, were defeated by Captain Jonathan Archer and the Enterprise NX-01 in Klingon space. The Klingon High Council feared that Starfleet was developing armies of Augments and that they would pose a serious threat to the Empire's existence. Even when they were told by the Vulcan High Command that the Augments were created without Starfleet's knowledge or consent, they remained suspicious and so decided to fight fire with fire. The Klingons gained access to the genetic material of the human Augments, and wanted to adapt this genetic engineering to augment their own species. The experiment did not work correctly; at first, subjects did gain increased strength and intelligence, but their nervous systems could not handle the strain and they died. One of the test subjects had a virulent flu, which — combined with the genetic changes wrought by the experiment — became a deadly, airborne plague that spread rampantly across the Empire, from world to world, causing the physical changes to change them into the human-looking Klingons of Kirk's day.
Dr. Phlox of the Enterprise NX-01 formulated a cure for the virus, however not before millions of Klingons were physically altered. And owing to the genetic nature of the virus, these alterations were passed to succeeding generations of offspring.
The Klingons were apparently so embarrassed by the fallout from this disaster, that they absolutely refused under any circumstances to discuss the incident with outsiders in later years. There is also evidence (illustrated by the ignorance of members of the Deep Space Nine crew who encounter humanlike Klingons during time travel into the past in Trials and Tribble-ations) that knowledge of the change might become lost over time to mankind. The Enterprise storyline also indicates that an early form of the Starfleet intelligence service Section 31 was somehow involved in the transformation of the Klingons.
Phlox indicated that "someday" the physical alterations could be reversed.
The episode "Divergence" revealed that not all Klingons were affected by the virus. No canon explanation has yet been offered to suggest why only the humanlike Klingons were seen in The Original Series, save for statements made in "Divergence" that the genetically altered version of the race would be stronger and more intelligent, suggesting they may have been desirable soldiers in later Klingon/Federation conflicts. The Klingons in The Motion Picture were the first Klingon crew that was shown to be dealing with something other than the Federation, so there is no evidence proving these particular Klingons had ever been afflicted. Other possible explanations include the idea that by the time the cure to the virus had been administered to all Klingons, every last one was infected by the virus so that they would have been changed somewhat by the virus anyway. This could also explain the "darker-skinned" Klingon observation stated above. The darker Klingons could have been descendants of Klingons that had only been in the initial stages of alteration when they were cured, so that they retained their more natural pigmentation. It is also possible that some Klingons used cosmetic surgery to restore their pre-alteration appearance.
However, the ridge-development cure must have been developed before 2293, the year of The Undiscovered Country. The Voyager episode "Flashback", which depicts events that took place in 2293, shows the Klingon Kang with ridges, though he had none in the original series episode "Day of the Dove."
It can be calculated, therefore, that the humanlike appearance of the Klingons lasted for at least 119 years, since these two episodes of Enterprise took place in 2154, and the reversal mentioned by Phlox could have happened before The Motion Picture which takes place in 2273, but had definitely happened by 2293.
In the Vanguard novel Summon the Thunder, the humanlike Klingons are called QuchHa', or the unhappy ones. They usually serve in their own units, although sometimes they are known to mix with the rest of the fleet personnel.
All attempts at retconning aside, the changes in Klingon appearance can best be explained by an inconsistent treatment of pre-existing material by the series' and movies' writers. Fans have followed several variations of both canon and non-canon sources to produce Klingons with varied fusions, mixtures and heritages. These are portrayed in fiction, fan-produced films, and in professional fiction, such as The Final Reflection and How Much for Just the Planet by John M. Ford and Kahless by Michael Jan Friedman.
Culture
History of the Klingon Empire
Prehistory
Billions of years ago, the first sentient humanoids in the Milky Way seeded their DNA across the galaxy, mixing it with local DNA"The Chase" (TNG, 1993). Klingons, therefore, developed partly from the indigenous prehistoric life on Qo'noS and partly from alien DNA.Little is known of the Klingons before the establishment of the Empire. Their religion states that the first Klingons destroyed the gods who created them. Klingon physiology with its redundancies and great strength is ideal for military operations. The combination of these characteristics suggests they have origins as a vassal race .
1st Millennium
The Klingon Empire was founded circa 900 AD on the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS by Kahless the Unforgettable when he slew the tyrant, Molor.The Empire went through several dynasties of rulers, experiencing a period between the 2nd and 3rd known as the "Dark Time", a 10-year experiment in democracy.
Around the 14th century, Qo'noS was invaded by the Hur'q, who pillaged many treasures, including the sword of Kahless.
The Klingons eventually expelled the Hur'q, which is the Klingon word for "outsider", from their homeworld. It is likely the Klingons stole the invaders' technology, including their warp drive and weapons systems, and used them to expand their empire into space. If Klingon designs were in fact stolen, and not developed on their own, this might explain why Klingon technology seems to advance so little during the ensuing centuries compared to other planets, such as Earth. It also explains how such a warlike and anti-intellectual civilization was able to develop warp drive, in that they reverse engineered it from the technology of an invading race.
By 2069 the High Council was formed, eliminating the position of Emperor until 2369.
22nd century
Around the early part of the 22nd century, the warrior class began exerting a greater influence throughout Klingon society, radically altering, notably, the justice system.In 2151, a faction in the Temporal Cold War from the 28th century attempted to alter the timeline by using the Suliban Cabal to incite unrest within the Klingon Empire. This resulted in the first contact between Klingons and Humans and sparked the first voyage of the Warp 5 vessel, Enterprise. Concurrent with this mission, Enterprise communications officer Hoshi Sato became the first known human to learn the Klingon language. Although initially positive, the relationship between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire remained on shaky ground during the first few years of contact, with Enterprise being fired upon by a Klingon battle cruiser only a few weeks after the vessel's trip to the Klingon homeworld"Unexpected" (ENT, 2001). By 2152-53, Captain Jonathan Archer had become a fugitive from Klingon justice, and at one point Enterprise destroyed a Klingon vessel carrying the then-head of the House of Duras who was pursuing the fugitive. The long-term fallout from this has yet to be revealed in canon, although the crew of Enterprise redeemed themselves somewhat in 2154 by helping the Empire stop the Augment Virus from becoming fatal.
23rd century
Around 2218, relations between the Empire and the Federation degenerated substantially, with intense hostility lasting until 2293.In 2266, war between the Federation and Klingon Empire is stopped before it can begin by the interference of the Organians. The Organian Peace Treaty forced on both sides holds each to a non-aggression pact and an establishment of a neutral zone in which each side must nonviolently compete for trade agreements with any planets. The Organian influence, frequently mentioned during the original series, completely disappears in the movies, for reasons that have yet to be explained.
In 2267 the Klingons and the Romulans forged a military alliance and the Klingons traded several D7 battlecruisers in exchange for cloaking technology"The Enterprise Incident" (TOS, 1968). The basis for this alliance was grounded in real-world economics; the script called for a Romulan ship to appear, but the original Romulan ship model was not available so rather than go to the expense of building a new one, the Klingon D7 model was substituted.
In 2293 the atmosphere of Qo'noS was contaminated when Praxis, one of its moons, and its primary mining facility, exploded. This event was a turning point in relations between the Klingons and the United Federation of Planets, as the Klingon Empire could not afford to maintain their excessive military activities and deal with this new problem (parallels with the breakdown of the Cold War, the nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl, and the relationship between the United States and the cash-strapped former Soviet Union were obvious). Thus the two entered into an alliance which was maintained for many years until it was suspended for a couple of years after 2372 because of the Cardassian invasion. The resolution to the Qo'noS atmosphere issue is yet to be explained. Though a planet Qo'noS is shown to still be inhabited and still the Empire's seat of power well into the 24th Century, differences between both appearance and distance from Earth in various incarnations of Star Trek taking place both before and after this event may indicate the capital was moved to a new planet, maintaining the old name. It is, however, unclear whether this was in fact the intended implication, or merely the result of continuity errors.
24th century
In 2344 the Klingons and Romulans began a violent war after the Romulans attacked the Klingon outpost Narendra III. The Enterprise-C cemented friendly relations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation by sacrificing itself to protect the outpost from the Romulans.In 2357, Worf (played by Michael Dorn), Son of Mogh, a survivor of the Khitomer massacre, became the first Klingon to enter Starfleet Academy and in 2363 he was assigned to the Enterprise-D as relief conn and tactical officer. (Rank: Lieutenant j.g)
In 2367 the Klingon Civil War began after Chancellor K'mpec was murdered. Before his murder, K'mpec had named Captain Jean-Luc Picard his Arbiter of Succession. Gowron was selected, but the House of Duras opposed this decision and the war began. It was later revealed that the Romulans were backing Duras and Duras quickly lost all support, ending the war and leaving Gowron as undisputed leader of the empire.
In 2369, the position of Emperor was reinstated, when the clone of Kahless inherited the throne with the blessing of the Chancellor and High Council. Titled Kahless II, the emperor became titular ruler of the empire at a time when the empire needed a figurehead. The bulk of power, however, remained in the hands of the High Council.
In 2371, relations between the Klingons and the Federation soured over the issue of the Klingon invasion of Cardassia. When the Federation refused to support the Klingon invasion, Chancellor Gowron withdrew from the Khitomer Accords. For the next year, relations between the two powers were hostile. In 2372 fighting broke out between the two powers. However when the Federation and Klingons discovered that they were being manipulated by the Dominion, an uneasy cease-fire was declared. In late 2372, the Cardassians formally announced they had joined the Dominion, and the Jem'Hadar rapidly forced the Klingons to retreat from Cardassian space, inflicting heavy damage on them. Captain Sisko was able to convince Gowron to reinstate the Alliance.
Again allies, the Klingons and Federation turned their attention to the Dominion and the Cardassians as war against them became inevitable.
When the war began, both the Federation and Klingons fought side-by-side against the Dominion, even though the odds were against them. However, once the Romulans joined them the tide eventually turned against the Dominion. In 2375 the Federation-Romulan-Klingon fleet defeated the Dominion with the assistance of the Cardassian fleet during a final assault on Cardassia Prime. Despite the refusal of Sisko and Ross to drink blood wine with Martok in the Cardassian Central Command, the two powers remained strong allies after the war.
Shortly before the end of the Dominion War, in 2375, Gowron took direct control of the Klingon fleet (a position held up until that point by the successful General Martok) because he was concerned that Martok was becoming too popular among both the troops and the civilian population from his wartime success. Since new Chancellors can ascend to that position by killing the former Chancellor, Gowron feared that Martok would challenge him for his position. Since Gowron was much more of a politician than a general, the Klingon fleet began to take unnecessary losses that Gowron manipulated to appear to be the fault of Martok. Commander Worf, disgusted with Gowron for using bad tactics in the war simply to hurt Martok's political position, challenged the Chancellor in a meeting to ritual combat and defeated him (killing Gowron in the process). By the traditions of the Empire, Worf had the right to become the next Chancellor if he wished, but instead granted the role to Martok, having no desire for a political position himself, although Martok would shortly thereafter have Worf become the UFP's ambassador to the Klingon Empire. Ironically, Martok never had any designs on Gowron or his position, even accepting the unpopular position in which Gowron had placed him without questioning his orders.
Possible Future
The Klingons will not recover from the losses they suffered during the Dominion War until 2385, according to a 2375 estimate by Section 31.In Crewman Daniels' timeline, the Klingons join the Federation by about 2554, but it is possible it wouldn´t eventually happen in the real timeline.
One point of curiosity is the fate of the Emperor, or rather the position itself. There had not been an Emperor for centuries until the Kahless clone assumed that role. What occurs after his death is unclear. As the position has no real political power as such, and no series has ever mentioned a Klingon aspiring to that position, it is unclear who would become the next emperor, or if the position would simply cease to exist as it did before the events of Rightful Heir. It is possible that the position would remain intact due to Klingon devotion towards tradition and history even though some members of the High Council may feel threatened by the existence of an Emperor.
Alternate Timelines
A few episodes featuring alternate timelines have shown a variety of developments in Klingon history and politics.- In the future timeline of "All Good Things", relations between the Federation and the Empire have degraded, as Geordi states that current relations are "not too cozy". In this timeline, the Klingons have also taken control of the Romulan Star Empire.
- The Deep Space Nine episode The Visitor gives an alternate history for the events after the beginning of season 4 of that series, where the Klingons occupied Deep Space Nine, and the Federation-Dominion conflict never occurred. The episode takes places over a number of decades, and the political climate of the Empire seems to change several times.
- While not an alternate timeline exactly, the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribbleations" features the disgraced Klingon outcast Darvin attempting to change history, and make himself a Klingon hero. His attempts are thwarted, and it seems that almost no changes were made to the timeline as a result of his actions - other than that Tribbles were no longer extinct!
Klingon leadership
- Molor
- Kahless the Unforgettable (Founds Empire c. 900)
- Emperor Reclaw (last of the 2nd Dynasty)
- "Dark Time" (10-year democratic period between 2nd & 3rd dynasties)
- Emperor Reclaw * (last of the 3rd Dynasty)
- Emperor Sompek (Despotic ruler who wage genocidal wars against his enemies).
- Chancellor M'Rek (2154)
- Chancellor Gorkon (died 2293)
- Chancellor Azetbur (beginning 2293)
- Chancellor Mow'ga (2nd Empire)
- Chancellor K'mpec (died 2366)
- Chancellor Gowron (2366-2375)
- Emperor Kahless II (ceremonial ruler from 2369 coregent with chancellor)
- Worf, son of Mogh, (2375, for about 20 seconds after killing Gowron, gave up leadership to Martok)
- Chancellor Martok (beginning 2375)
Extent of the Klingon Empire
Planets and moons currently considered to be, or to have been, under Klingon jurisdiction include Elas, Khitomer, Morska, Narendra III, Neural, Nimbus III (jointly held with the Romulan Empire and the United Federation of Planets), Praxis, Qo'noS, Rura Penthe, Ty'Gokor, and Troyius. Little is known about much of the Empire's holdings, but it is believed to extend almost as far as that of the Federation.
Trivia
- Tribbles (a small furry alien animal) shriek in the presence of Klingons, as demonstrated in the season two original series episode, "The Trouble With Tribbles". Conversely, Klingons despise the Tribbles as an "ecological menace". (Odo's statement that Worf was "allergic to Tribbles" was probably just a tactful way of smoothing over the situation or could explain the ridges present for klingons with no tribble contact.) The Klingons went on to exterminate the popular pet throughout the galaxy and into extinction.
- A fanon name for the Klingon homeworld Qo'noS is 'Klinzhai'.
- The larger, ridged forehead Klingons (of the movie era and after) are sometimes unofficially referred to as Imperial Klingons.
- Klingon (tlhIngan Hol) is also the language spoken by the Klingons, created by Marc Okrand. Inasmuch as the Universal Translator frequently fails to translate Klingon phrases, it appears that the Klingons regularly utilize two languages. When Commander William T. Riker briefly served on a Klingon vessel, the Klingon captain demanded that the crew "speak their * language"; since it seems extremely improbable that the entire crew of the ship had gone to the trouble of learning a human language, this implies that the Klingons have designated one language as strictly for offworlders ("theirs"), which the Universal Translator can handle, and another for Klingons alone (implicitly, "ours"), which it cannot (or which it has possibly been programmed to ignore in deference to Klingon demands).
- There is also a programming language based on Klingon called var'aq.
- Klingon and Klingonsmith are also last names. Usually seen in Utah.
- In the language Esperanto, the word "klingo" means "blade". When used in a sentence in Esperanto, "klingo" can take the -n (denoting accusative) at the end and become "Klingon", like in the following example: "I am contemplating the blade because of its beauty", which in Esperanto is "Mi kontemplas la klingon pro ties beleco".
- "Klingon" has been used as an unofficial nickname for a microorganism found in Lake Vostok in Antarctica.
- In the TV show Frasier, the radio employee character who is attracted to Ros speaks of writing a Klingon to English dictionary.
References
See also
- Klingon starships
- References to Star Trek, including Klingon references
- The Klingon Empire in the Star Fleet Universe
External links
Klingons | Star Trek races | Villain races | Fictional warrior races
Klingoni | Klingonid | Klingon | Klingono | Klingon | Klingon | קלינגונים (מסע בין כוכבים) | Klingon (Star Trek ras) | クリンゴン人 | Klingoni | Klingon | Klingonit | Klingon
"Klingon"