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{{short description|Fictional species in Star Trek}} | |||
:''This page is about the race. For the language, see ].'' | |||
{{about|the fictional alien species|the language|Klingon language}} | |||
{| style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 95%;" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width="250px" | |||
{{Infobox fictional race | |||
| colspan="2" align="center" | ] | |||
| name = Klingons | |||
|- | |||
| image = KlingonInsignia.svg | |||
| '''Founded:''' || circa ] ] | |||
| caption = The Klingon insignia, designed by ]<ref>{{cite news |author=Hayward, Anthony |date=2003-08-02 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/walter-m-jefferies-548518.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514101127/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/walter-m-jefferies-548518.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 14, 2009 |title=Obituaries: Walter M. Jeffries |work=] |access-date=2008-12-13}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| series = ] | |||
| ''']:''' || ] (2375) | |||
| creator = ] | |||
|- | |||
| |
| home_world = Qo'noS (Kronos) | ||
| quadrant = Beta | |||
|- | |||
}} | |||
| ''']:''' || ], (''see: ]'') | |||
|- | |||
| ''']:''' || darsek | |||
|- | |||
| colspan="2" align="right" | {{ed|Klingon Empire infobox|}} | |||
|} | |||
'''Klingons''' ('''''tlhIngan''''' in the ]), are a race of ]s in the fictional ] universe. They were the main antagonists in '']'' and later became the uneasy allies of the ]. They were introduced in the episode '']''. | |||
The '''Klingons''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|ɪ|ŋ|(|g|)|ɒ|n}} {{Respell|KLING|(g)on}};<ref>''Star Trek'', episode 2.15, ''The Trouble with Tribbles''</ref> ]: ''tlhIngan'' {{IPA|tlh|ˈt͡ɬɪŋɑn|}}) are a humanoid species of aliens in the ] franchise '']''. | |||
Some believe that the Klingons were written to resemble what ]s of that time commonly believed the ] Empire and the ] to be like: belligerent, mannerless, and lacking finesse. Like the Japanese, the Klingons would later become cultural icons admired by Westerners and the United Federation of Planets. Others believe that the Klingons were an allegoric representation of the Soviet Union, which was aggressive and unreasonable. | |||
Developed by screenwriter ] in 1967 for the ], Klingons were humanoids characterized by prideful ruthlessness and brutality. Hailing from their homeworld ''Qo'noS'' (pronounced approximately as /kho-nosh/, but usually rendered as /kronos/ in English), Klingons practiced ] and ], with a ] ] relying on ] and reminiscent of Ancient ]. With a greatly expanded budget for makeup and effects, the Klingons were completely redesigned for '']'' (1979), acquiring ridged foreheads. In subsequent television series and in later films, the militaristic traits of the Klingons were bolstered by an increased sense of honor and a strict warrior code similar to those of '']'', and a view of the ] similar to that of the Ancient ]ns. | |||
==Klingon biology== | |||
] | |||
Roughly humanoid in appearance, Klingons typically sport long manes of luxuriant ], and for males, mustaches, and beards. Perhaps their most prominent external feature is their ridged forehead. These intricate, bony patterns vary by family line and are an evolutionary remnant of their prehistoric forms, when Klingons had a more extensive exoskeleton and a decidedly ] appearance. | |||
Klingons are recurring antagonists in the 1960s television series '']'', and have appeared in all subsequent series, along with ten of the ]. Initially intended to be antagonists for the crew of the USS ''Enterprise'', the Klingons became a close ally of humanity in '']''. In the 1990s series '']'', humans and Klingons join with the ]s to fight the ]. | |||
Most body functions incorporate multiple redundancies, such as redundant ]s, ]s, ]s, an eight-chambered ], and twenty-three ribs. This characteristic, known as "brak'lul," makes Klingons incredibly resilient. The character ] once said Klingons lack ]s, although Klingon myth states that ] once filled the ocean with his tears. '']'' depicts Klingons having violet ] (based on the metal ion ] according to some unofficial sources) similar in appearance to ], but all other depictions of Klingon blood have been red, like human blood. The Klingon lifespan is at least 150 years. Interbreeding is possible with humans (], ]) and ]s (]). | |||
Among the elements created for the revised Klingons was a complete ], developed by ] from ] suggested by actor ]. Spoken Klingon has entered popular culture, even to the extent that some of the works of ] and parts of the ] have been translated into it. A dictionary, ], and a cultural guide to the language have been published. According to the '']'', Klingon is the world's most popular fictional language as measured by number of speakers. | |||
===Human-looking Klingons=== | |||
==Design== | |||
From the year 2154 until sometime after the events of '']'' about a century later, Klingons had external features resembling ]s and wore their hair in a more conservative fashion than that seen later (and previously). There also appear to be two different "races" of the "original" Klingons, some who were pale with neatly groomed hair and others much darker with thick 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 ] in 2293. | |||
===Conception=== | |||
Over the decades, several non-] novels and comic books attempted to suggest reasons for the change, including the suggestion that the human-like Klingons were a different race. The early-1990s ] graphic novel, ''Debt of Honor'' suggested that the human-like Klingons were discommoded (a concept introduced in TNG). However, several Klingons who appeared human-like in '']'' made appearances on '']'' and '']'' with full ridges. It has been suggested that the character of General Chang in '']'', whose features are less severe than other Klingons, might be a remnant of the human-like Klingons. | |||
]'' episode "]". The bronzed skin, facial hair, lack of ridged foreheads, and simple costumes are typical of ''The Original Series''.]] | |||
The Klingons were created by screenwriter ], and first appeared in the ''Star Trek'' episode "]" (1967). They were named after Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, who served with ''Star Trek'' creator ] in the ].<ref name="STC">{{cite book|author=Alexander, David|date=1995|title=Star Trek Creator|publisher=Penguin Group|isbn=0-451-45440-5|url=https://archive.org/details/startrekcreator00davi}}</ref> In the original television series (''TOS''), Klingons were typically portrayed with bronze skin and facial hair suggestive of ]n people and possessed physical abilities similar to humans (in fact, Coon's only physical description of them in his "Errand of Mercy" script is "oriental" and "hard-faced"). The swarthy look of Klingon males was created with the application of shoe polish and long, thin moustaches; budget constraints limited creativity.<ref>{{cite book|author=Geraghty, Lincoln|date=2007|title=Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe|url=https://archive.org/details/livingwithstartr00gera|url-access=limited|publisher= I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-421-3|pages=}}</ref> The overall look of the aliens, played by white actors, suggested ], at a time when memories of Japanese actions during ] were still fresh.<ref name="scifi-130">{{cite book|author=Roberts, Adam Charles|date=2000|title=Science Fiction|url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefiction00robe|url-access=limited|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-19205-6|pages=–132}}</ref> The production crew never came to an agreement on the name "Klingon"; Coon was adamant about keeping the name, and it persisted because no one else offered up a better name.<ref name="legend">Special Features, "Klingons: Conjuring the Legend."</ref> | |||
The ''Star Trek'' ] published by FASA in the 1980s (also non-canon) 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. | |||
The Klingons took on the role of the Soviet Union with the fictional government the ] playing the role of the ].<ref name="Westmore">{{cite book | author = Westmore, Michael | author2 = Alan Sims | author3 = Bradley M. Look | author4 = William J. Birnes | url = https://archive.org/details/startrekaliensar00mich/page/208 | title = Star Trek: Aliens and Artifacts | date = 2000 | publisher = Star Trek | page = 208 | isbn = 0-671-04299-8 }}</ref> As a result, the Klingons were generally portrayed as inferior to the crew of the ''Enterprise''.<ref name="mirzoeff-207"/> While occasionally capable of honor, this depiction treated the Klingons as close to wild animals.<ref name="legend"/> Overall, they were shown without redeeming qualities—brutish, scheming, and murderous.<ref name="scifi-130"/> Klingons became the primary antagonists of the ''Enterprise'' crew, in part because the makeup necessary to make another alien race, the ]s, was too time-consuming and costly.<ref>Reeves-Stevens, 35.</ref> | |||
In the real world of ] and 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 ] 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. | |||
For the first two seasons, no Klingon ships were seen despite being frequently mentioned. This was because of budget constraints; designer ] did not have the money to create a Klingon ship until the third season. When the episodes were ], Klingon ships were digitally inserted into shots earlier than their original appearances.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rossi, Dave|author2=Michael Okuda|author3=Denise Okuda|date=2007-05-04|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32537|title=The Star Trek Remastered Team Talks About Klingons (Then And Now), Gimpy Spy Antennas, And The Coolness That Awaits Us!|publisher=]|access-date=2009-01-12}}</ref> | |||
{{spoiler}} | |||
In February 2005 a storyline explaining ] why the Klingons changed their appearance aired on ''Star Trek: Enterprise'': | |||
===Redesign=== | |||
In an earlier series of episodes, the ], humans grown from genetically engineered embryos from the ] of the late 20th century, were defeated by Captain ] and the '']'' in Klingon space. 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 among the Empire, from world to world, causing the physical changes to change them into the human-looking Klingons of Kirk's day. | |||
For '']'' (1979), the Klingons' appearance was radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Lee Cole, a production designer, used red ] and primitive shapes in the design of Klingon consoles and ship interiors, which took on a dark and moody atmosphere. The alphabet was designed as angular, with sharp edges alluding to the Klingons' militaristic focus.<ref name="legend"/> Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of ] Japanese armor.{{cn|date=February 2024}} | |||
Certain elements of Klingon culture, resembling Japanese culture with honor at the forefront, were actually first explored with the script for the planned two-part "Kitumba" episode for the unproduced 1978 '']'' series. Writer ] said, "I wanted something that we had never seen before on the series, and that's a penetration deep into enemy space. I started to think of how the Klingons lived. Obviously for the ]s we had ], and we've had different cultures modeled on those of ancient Earth, but I tried to think of what the Klingon society would be like. The Japanese came to mind, so basically that's what it was, with the ], the ] and so on."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gross|first1=Edward|title=Star Trek: 10 Unfilmed Episodes|url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-trek-10-unfilmed-episodes/#r3z-addoor|access-date=July 24, 2016|work=Empire|date=April 7, 2016}}</ref> | |||
Dr. ] of the ''Enterprise NX-01'' formulated a cure for the virus, however not before millions of Klingons were physically altered. And due to the genetic nature of the virus, these alterations were passed to succeeding generations of offspring. | |||
While no Klingon characters were seen in '']'', their appearance as the central enemy in '']'' (1984) led to minor alterations. For the third generation of Klingons, the heavy, cragged head ridges of ''The Motion Picture'' were redesigned and made less pronounced. While Fletcher was happy with the original film uniforms, more had to be created as the old costumes had been lost, destroyed, or loaned out and altered irreparably. New costumes were fabricated, retaining the air of feudal Japanese design; Fletcher thought it was an important part of the Klingon authoritarian attitude.<ref>Reeves-Stevens, 226-228.</ref> New Klingon weaponry was designed, including an energy weapon and a special knife known as a '']''. | |||
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 '']'' crew who encounter human-like Klingons during time travel into the past) that knowledge of the change might become lost over time to humankind. The ''Enterprise'' storyline also indicates that an early form of the ] intelligence service ] was somehow involved in the transformation of the Klingons. | |||
] and ] in an episode of '']'', sporting Fletcher's costumes. Worf holds a knife known as a ].<ref>{{cite news|author=Polak, Steven|date=1998-10-13|title=Fine Fighting with Feisty Foes|work=]|page=C10}}</ref>]] | |||
Phlox indicated that "someday" the physical alterations could be reversed. | |||
The release of a new television series, '']'', prompted a further revision in the depiction of Klingon culture, though Gene Roddenberry had wanted to avoid re-appearances of races from the old series.<ref>{{cite book|author=Schrager, Adam|date=1997|title=The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation Cast On Screen and Off|location=New York|publisher=Wolf Valley Books|isbn=1-888149-03-5|pages=96–97}}</ref> Set a century later than the original series, the ] featured a Klingon crewmember, ]. Makeup artist ] needed a consistent reference to base the Klingon look on, as each individual Klingon was to have distinct head ridges. He found what he was looking for in a book of dinosaurs: observing dinosaur vertebrae laid out flat, Westmore cut the designs in half and modified them to suit each Klingon. Westmore designed his Klingons' beards to be ], combining prehistoric and aristocratic elements to give audiences a feeling of depth from the appearance. Over time, Westmore and the other makeup artists designed different sizes of prosthetic headpieces which could be quickly applied and modified to save time; the amount of preparation to turn an actor into a Klingon decreased from around three hours to one. While important characters had custom headpieces, background actors used pre-made masks with minor touchup around the eyes and mouth.<ref name="legend"/> ''The Next Generation'' effects artist ] used his martial arts experience to create a flowing fighting style for the race.<ref name="encyc"/> When the episode "]" called for a special Klingon blade, Curry drew on Far East influences to develop a weapon known as the '']''. Curry, a collector of weapons, was annoyed by fictional weaponry that was designed to "look cool" but could not be handled practically. Curry combined elements of the Himalayan '']'', Chinese axes and fighting crescents to create a two-handed, curved weapon that has since been widely used in the franchise.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ford, John|author2=Gene Roddenberry|author3=Michael Jan Friedman|date=2004|title=The Hand of Kahless: The Final Reflection and Kahless|publisher=Simon and Schuster, 2004|isbn=0-7434-9659-0 |pages=xiii}}</ref> | |||
The smooth-headed Klingons were used almost exclusively in dealing with humanity and, later, the Federation. Whether this was a regional consideration because smooth-headed Klingons lived near the border, or political, giving the smooth-heads a chance to prove their honor to the high council, is unknown. What is known, however, is that many esteemed Klingons, such as the noble Kor, were afflicted. | |||
The culture of the Klingons began to resemble revised western stereotypes of civilizations such as the ], the ], the ], and various ]—as a proud, warlike and principled race.<ref name="mirzoeff-207">{{cite book|author=Mirzoeff, Nicholas|date=1999|title=An Introduction to Visual Culture|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-15876-1|pages=206–207}}</ref> Whereas the ''TOS'' Klingons served as an allegory to contemporary totalitarian regimes, ''The Next Generation'' Klingons held principles more in line with ]; actor ] stated that without the revision in Klingon culture, his character, Worf, would not have been a Starfleet officer.<ref name="legend"/> With the first Klingon-centric story in ''The Next Generation'', the first-season episode "]", the Klingons once again became an important part of the Star Trek universe,<ref>{{cite journal|author=Geraghty, Lincoln|date=December 2006|title=A Network of Support: Coping with Trauma Through Star Trek Fan Letters|journal=]|volume=39|issue=6|pages=1002–1024|doi=10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00331.x}}</ref> and by the advent of the series '']'', Klingons had become heroes rather than villains,<ref name="scifi-130"/> though often at cross purposes to the Federation. | |||
This is not to say all Klingons were afflicted, and many deeper within Klingon territory may have retained their ridges. The Klingons in '']'' 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. | |||
The final ''Star Trek'' film to feature the entire cast from the original television series, '']'' (1991), served to bridge the original series' Klingons at war with the Federation to the time of ''The Next Generation'' and presents a subtly different treatment of the race. At the time of the film's development, the Soviet Union was collapsing, and with the advent of ], the old allegory of Klingons as Russians was becoming obsolete.<ref>{{cite book|author=Anijar, Karen|date=2000|title=Teaching Toward the 24th Century: Star Trek as Social Curriculum|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9780815325239|pages=146}}</ref> The Klingons were redesigned to evoke the Nazis, with the red, white and black Klingon flag deliberately similar to that of the ]. The Klingons in the film liberally quote Shakespeare, a trait stemming from director ]'s comparison of the Empire's appropriation of Shakespeare to the ] in the 1930s. Meyer also felt it was appropriate for Shakespearean actors such as ] and ] to speak the lines.<ref name="startrekVI-commentary">{{cite video|people=]; Denny Flinn|date=2004-01-27|title=Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Special Collector's Edition: Audio Commentary|publisher=]|medium=DVD; Disc 1/2}}</ref> The breakdown of the Klingons' empire because of a ]-like incident results in a new age for the Federation and Klingons, leading to the time of ''The Next Generation'' and later series where the two governments are trade partners and occasional allies.<ref>Kraemer, et al., 51.</ref> Starfleet members are shown to be highly bigoted against Klingons, who in turn feel that their way of life will be obliterated by peace.<ref name="startrekVI-commentary"/> The Klingons were given new uniforms designed by Dodie Shepard, in part because there were not enough of Fletcher's ''The Motion Picture'' costumes to meet the demands of the film.<ref>{{cite video|people=]|date=2004-01-27|title=Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Special Collector's Edition: Text Commentary|publisher=]|medium=DVD; Disc 1/2}}</ref> | |||
However, the ridge-development cure must have been developed prior to 2293, the year of '']'." A '']'' episode, "]", depicting events taking place concurrently with the film shows original series Klingon Kang with ridges when he had none in his first appearance, the episode "Day of the Dove." | |||
Dorn described playing a Klingon as simple, joking that after hours sitting in a makeup chair, actors were highly motivated to get the dialogue right the first time.<ref name="legend"/> Repeat Klingon ] told all neophyte Klingons that the most important part of speaking was to say the lines with belief and "go all the way". When O'Reilly and Dorn's character had a confrontation, makeup artists wiped spittle off each between takes, a consequence of the harsh-sounding language.<ref name="edwards-5"/> Todd Bryant (Captain Klaa in '']'') similarly noted that if an actor was projectile-spitting on others as he spoke Klingon, he was doing a great job.<ref>{{cite video|people=''Star Trek'' cast and crew|date=2003-10-23|title=Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Special Collector's Edition: Special Features: "The Star Trek Universe ('That Klingon Couple')"|publisher=]|medium=DVD; Disc 2/2}}</ref> | |||
It can be calculated, therefore, that the human-like appearance of the Klingons lasted for at least 125 years, since ''Enterprise'' takes place approximately 110 to 115 years prior to The Original Series, and the reversal mentioned by Phlox could have happened prior to '']'' which takes place in the early 2270s, but definately happened by 2293. | |||
When filming ''The Undiscovered Country'', ] asked director ] to adapt his character's look, feeling the heavy forehead appliances looked rather fake. Instead, Plummer's character, General Chang, was made bald with subdued ridges and an eyepatch bolted to his skull. Plummer felt that the unique appearance helped "humanize" the character.<ref>Reeves-Stevens, 262–265.</ref> In contrast to white actors portraying the warriors, more recent Klingon roles have been predominantly played by black actors.<ref name="scifi-130"/> | |||
==Klingon religion== | |||
For '']'', the Klingon appearance was once again modified with more extensive facial and teeth prosthetics and elongated craniums. The new Klingons were initially bald, in contrast with the previous depictions, but this was ]ned in season 2. The lack of hair was said to have been ceremonial during the time of war with the Federation, harking back to the tale of Kahless having cut off a lock of hair to forge the first bat'leth.<ref>{{cite web|last=Whalen|first=Andrew|title=Star Trek: Discovery' Season 2 Klingon Hair Explained|url=https://www.newsweek.com/star-trek-discovery-season-2-klingons-hair-premiere-date-1160456|work=]|date=October 9, 2018|access-date=July 20, 2021}}</ref> They also have black and purple skin color variations. | |||
According to legend, Kortar, the first Klingon, along with his mate, destroyed the gods who created them and turned the heavens into ashes. This event is recounted in marriage ceremonies. | |||
===Change in appearance after ''TOS''=== | |||
Klingons value ] above all else. Those who die honorably are said to join the spirit of ] in ]. The honored dead are not mourned, but celebrated, and the body is viewed as an empty shell to be disposed of. | |||
According to the official ''Star Trek'' web site, the Klingons' varying appearance was "probably the single most popular topic of conversation among ''Star Trek'' fans".<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-12-16|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/8695.html|title=Production Report: Klingon Discrepancy Addressed in "Affliction"|work=StarTrek.com|publisher=Viacom|access-date=2009-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309012957/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/8695.html|archive-date=2009-03-09}}</ref> | |||
Dishonorable deaths hold the destiny of the underworld of ], guarded by Fek'lhr. Gre'thor is reached by passage on the Barge of the Dead, eternally piloted by Kortar, over the River of Blood. | |||
While the reason for the discrepancy between ''The Original Series'' Klingons and their feature film and later television series counterparts was a lack of budget, fans took it upon themselves to contrive an acceptable canon reason for the sudden change.<ref name="startrek.com-affliction announce">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=2004-12-16|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/8695.html|title=Production Report: Klingon Discrepancy Addressed in "Affliction"|work=StarTrek.com|publisher=]|access-date=2009-01-11|archive-date=2004-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041231043133/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/8695.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
There are parallels between Klingon beliefs and ]; such as the belief that the ] will be a warrior's paradise with daily battles, and nightly feasting, drinking and revelry. There is also a parallel to the Muslim religion - worthy deaths in battle guarantee a warrior a place in Sto-Vo-Kor. | |||
Among the fan theories, were that ''TOS'' Klingons were: | |||
==History of the Klingon Empire== | |||
===Prehistory=== | |||
Little is known of the Klingons prior to the establishment of the Empire. Klingons being a prideful race with a closed society, they are averse to sharing their secrets. Being violent, belligerent, and anti-intellectual, it is hard to imagine that the Klingons developed their high level of technology and science (including warp drive) by themselves. Klingon religion also states that the first Klingons destroyed the gods who created them. Klingon physiology with its redundancies and great strength is also ideal for military operations. Based on the available information, some have theorized that the Klingons originated as a vassal race. They were possibly bred or genetically engineered as "shock troops", and then turned on their masters. | |||
* They gradually genetically engineered their bodies to be tougher and more robust, to be better suited for head butting and for the rigors of a warfare loving existence. | |||
===1st Millenium=== | |||
* Humans raised as Klingons, similar to the Janissary of the Ottoman Empire. | |||
The '''Klingon Empire''' was founded around 900 on the Klingon homeworld of ] by ]. | |||
* Stripped of ridges via surgery for cosmetic or diplomatic reasons | |||
* Hybrids with a more human species,<ref name="startrek.com-forehead theories">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=2004-12-16|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/documentaries/article/1614.html|title=Klingon Discrepancy Theories: Where Did the Ridges Go?|work=StarTrek.com|publisher=]|access-date=2009-01-11|archive-date=2008-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231183840/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/documentaries/article/1614.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
* Some subjugated race conscripted or deployed near the Federation border. | |||
Simple theories that the different Klingons were different racial breeds were complicated by the fact that the characters of ], ], and ] appeared with smooth features in ''The Original Series'' yet had a ridged appearance in '']'' and that ] acknowledged the difference in appearances when the crew of Deep Space 9 returned to the 23rd century in the episode "]" but offered no explanation, saying merely, "We do not discuss it with outsiders."<ref name="startrek.com-affliction announce"/> | |||
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. | |||
A ] explanation for the change was given in a two-part storyline on '']'', in the episodes "]" and "]" that aired in February 2005. Attempting to replicate experiments by humans to create augmented soldiers, Klingon scientists used genetic material from human test subjects on their own people, which resulted in a viral pandemic which caused Klingons to develop human-like physical characteristics. Dr. ] of the ''Enterprise'' formulated a cure for the virus, but the physical alterations remained in the populace and were inherited by offspring. Phlox indicated that "some day" the physical alterations could be reversed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/ENT/episode/8684.html|title=Plot Summary: "Affliction"|work=StarTrek.com|publisher=]|access-date=2009-01-01|archive-date=2009-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120101522/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/ENT/episode/8684.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/ENT/episode/9204.html|title=Plot Summary: "Divergence"|work=StarTrek.com|publisher=]|access-date=2009-01-01|archive-date=2009-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120102249/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/ENT/episode/9204.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The head scientist finally mentioned he would go into cranial reconstructive surgery, another nod to "restoration" of the ridges for some Klingons.{{cn|date=February 2024}} | |||
Around the 14th century, ] was invaded by the ], who pillaged many treasures, including the sword of ]. | |||
In the non-canon '']'' (], 1982), the smooth-headed Klingons seen in ''The Original Series'' were called "fusions", in particular, "human fusions", with "Romulan fusions" also existing. They were a deliberate blending of Klingon genes with those of other races in an effort to gain an understanding of, and thus advantage over, the other races. Human fusions were chosen for service on the Federation border due to the high number of humans present in the Federation. Fusions of both types were considered inferior to pure strain "Imperial Klingons" and were segregated.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Klingons: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual|last=Fantasimulations Associates|publisher=FASA Corporation|year=1987}}</ref> | |||
The Klingons eventually expelled the Hur'q, which is the Klingon word for "outsider," from their homeworld. It is likely the Klingons stole the invader's 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. | |||
In the non-canon video game '']'', Klingons under the command of Ambassador B'vat once again attempt to fuse the DNA of other races with their own. In a chapter called "The Ultimate Klingon", the player character travels to the planet H'atoria in the Korvat System to infiltrate a secret Klingon research facility and discovers Amar Singh, a descendant of ], has merged Klingon, Augment, and ] ] to create a ferocious, mindless monstrosity the player must destroy. Singh is arrested and imprisoned at Facility 4028.{{cn|date=February 2024}} | |||
By 2069 the High Council was formed, eliminating the position of Emperor until 2369. | |||
== |
==Attributes== | ||
===Biology=== | |||
Around the early part of the 22nd century, the ] class begins exerting a greater influence throughout Klingon society, corrupting, notably, the ]. | |||
Klingons possess a robust and enduring biology as well as large and muscular statures. Klingons have been seen on multiple occasions possessing physical strength equal to or superior to that of ] and ], two other races possessing immense strength, and the half-human ] proves more than a match for a ]. Their anatomy is redundant and supernumerary; every organ has a backup, including an extra set of kidneys, an eight-chambered heart, a third lung, a secondary brain stem, as well as an extensive and hardy skeletal structure. This redundancy is evident even at the cellular level; for example, the Klingons have backup synaptic networks in their nervous systems, allowing them to grow a new spine, as was demonstrated with Worf when his spine was surgically removed and replaced with a transplanted, genetically cloned new one. Their rapid metabolism allows injured Klingons to heal quickly. All of this makes Klingons extremely hardy and difficult to kill, as necessitated by their aggressive nature, and resistant to physical trauma, environmental exposure, and illness. Klingons alone have a natural resistance to "]," which plagues the Vidiians of the Delta Quadrant. Like ]s, they avoid cold temperatures. Klingons also have a heightened sense of smell as suggested in "Birthright, Part II" in ''The Next Generation'', when Worf and a Klingon boy go hunting and can track an animal by scent. | |||
In 2151, a faction in the ] from the ] attempted to alter the timeline by using the ] ] to incite unrest within the Klingon Empire. This resulted in the first contact between Klingons and Humans. | |||
Klingon children are fierce and aggressive by nature; from as soon as they can walk, they are instructed into honing their hunting and combat skills, strengthening their physical prowess and agility. Like humans, they go through a form of puberty, which, as Picard puts it in '']'' "hardly does it justice" and includes sudden bursts of hair growth, extreme mood swings, violent tendencies, and the Klingon equivalent of acne (called 'Gorch' in Klingon). | |||
===23rd century=== | |||
Around 2218, relations between the Empire and the ] degenerated substantially, with intense hostility lasting until 2293. | |||
===Culture=== | |||
In 2266, war between the Federation and Klingon Empire is stopped before it can begin by the interference of the Organians. The ] 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 ageements with any planets. The Organian influence completely disappears by the time of the ] conference, for reasons that have yet to be explained. | |||
{{Main|Klingon culture}} | |||
In comparison to ''The Original Series'', Klingon culture is thoroughly examined in later series' episodes, part of a larger movement by ''Star Trek'' writers to deepen viewer understanding of the alien races of the franchise.<ref>Kraemer, et al., 60.</ref> The Klingons adhere to a strict code of honor, similar to feudal Mongolian or Japanese customs, although some, such as Gowron, appear to struggle to live up to their ideals. Their society is based on war and combat; ritual suicide is often preferred over living life as a crippled warrior, and may allow a warrior to die with honor. To be captured rather than killed in battle brings dishonor to not only the captive but his descendants. Death is depicted as a time for celebration, not grief.<ref name="startrek-library"/> | |||
Klingons are depicted as a spiritual people. According to their legends, Klingons slew their own gods.<ref name="encyc"/> The equivalents to heaven and hell are called Sto-Vo-Kor and Gre'Thor, respectively; in Sto-Vo-Kor, battle and feasting can be eternally won and shared, while those sent to Gre'Thor are condemned to eternal torture unless their honor is restored by living relatives. Those who do not die in battle may not enter Sto-Vo-Kor; relatives undertake quests to guarantee their deceased comrades' entry into paradise. Despite believing in an afterlife, the Klingons perform a form of last rite. This consists of spreading the eyes open, humming in anticipation of the final breath and roaring skywards when the warrior dies, warning the dead a Klingon warrior is coming (as shown in "]"). Yet Klingons have no burial rites, and dispose of corpses by the most expedient means available, considering them "empty shells".<ref name="startrek-library">{{cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/aliens/article/70638.html|title=Library (Aliens): Klingons|work=StarTrek.com|publisher=Viacom|access-date=2009-01-19|archive-date=2009-10-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002011459/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/aliens/article/70638.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
In 2267 it is believed that the Klingons and the ]s forged a military alliance and the Klingons traded several D7 battlecruisers in exchange for some cloaking devices. (''It's more likely that the Romulans – whose ships were far slower than those of the Klingons and the Federation – stole the ships from the Klingons, and the Klingon counter-stole the cloaking devices. This would support the hostility that exists between the Klingons and Romulans'') The basis for this alliance was grounded in real-world economics; the script of the episode "]" 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. | |||
The Klingons' spiritual leader is ], a messianic historical figure who established early codes of honor and was the first Klingon emperor. His fabled weapon, the Sword of Kahless, is depicted as a unique ''bat{{'}}leth'' that serves as the Klingon equivalent of the ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Erdmann, Terry|author2=Paula M. Block|date=2000|title=Deep Space Nine Companion: Deep Space Nine Companion|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=0-671-50106-2|pages=290}}</ref> In the ''TNG'' episode "]", Kahless appears in the flesh to Worf, who had doubted his Klingon faith.<ref>{{cite book|author=Porter, Jennifer|author2=Darcee McLaren|date=1999|title=Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=0-7914-4334-5|pages=24}}</ref> This Kahless is revealed to be a clone, created in an attempt to bring Klingons together, and who is chosen to lead the Klingon people as a figurehead.<ref name="encyc">{{cite book|title=]|author=Okuda, Mike|author-link=Michael Okuda|author2=Denise Okuda|author3=Debbie Mirek|name-list-style=amp|publisher=Pocket Books|isbn=0-671-53609-5|date=1999}}</ref> | |||
In 2293 the atmosphere of Qo'noS was contaminated when ], one of its moons, exploded. This event was a turning point in relations between the Klingons and the ], as the Klingon Empire couldn't afford to maintain their excessive military activities and deal with this new problem (parallels with the breakdown of the ], the ] catastrophe at ], and the relationship between the ] and the cash-strapped former ] 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 due to the issue of the ] invasion. It has yet to be explained how the alliance with the Federation saved Qo'noS, however the planet is shown to still be inhabited and still the Empire's seat of power well into the 24th Century. | |||
=== |
===Language=== | ||
{{Main|Klingon language|Klingon grammar}} | |||
In 2342 the Klingons and Romulans began a violent war after the Romulans attacked the Klingon outpost ]. The ] cemented friendly relations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation by sacrificing itself to protect the outpost from the Romulans. | |||
] is the author of several books about the Klingon language, which he developed.]] | |||
<!-- http://www.startrek.com/article/qapla-klingon-language-creator-marc-okrand-part-1 --> | |||
The Klingons have their own language that was developed for the feature films, often described as "guttural". For ''The Motion Picture'', ], the actor who portrayed ], devised the initial Klingon-language dialogue heard in the film.<ref>{{cite news|author=Roberts, Genevieve|date=2005-07-21|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/james-doohan-scotty-in-star-trek-dies-499600.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516043705/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/james-doohan-scotty-in-star-trek-dies-499600.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 16, 2009|title=James Doohan, Scotty in Star Trek, dies|work=]|access-date=2009-01-11}}</ref> For ''The Search for Spock'', ], who created the Vulcan dialogue used in the previous film, developed an actual working Klingon language based on Doohan's original made-up words.<ref>{{cite news|author=Wloszczyna, Susan|date=2001-05-24|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-05-24-atlantis-lingo.htm|title=New movie trek for wordsmith|work=]|access-date=2009-01-13}}</ref> | |||
In 2357, ] (played by ]), Son of ] became the first Klingon to enter ] and in 2364 he was assigned to the ] as relief conn and tactical officer. (Rank: Lieutenant j.g) | |||
Okrand was presented with a difficult task of contriving a language that sounded alien, while still simple enough for the actors to pronounce.<ref name="legend"/> While most ]s follow basic tenets of natural languages — for example, all languages have an "ah" sound — Okrand deliberately broke them. He chose the rarest form of sentence construction, the object-verb-subject form: the translation of the phrase "I boarded the ''Enterprise''", would be constructed as "The ''Enterprise'' boarded I."<ref>{{cite news|author=Dance, Amber|date=2007-09-02|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07245/813774-51.stm|title=Invented languages: They're not just for Klingons anymore|work=]|access-date=2009-01-09}}</ref> Okrand reasoned the language would be indicative of the culture - the Klingons' language focuses on actions and verbs, like Mongolian. Adjectives do not strictly exist; there is no word for "greedy", but there is a verb, ''qur'', which means "to be greedy".<ref name="edwards-4">Edwards, 4.</ref> The language does not contain the verb "to be", which meant Okrand had to create a workaround when director ] wanted his Klingons to quote Shakespeare and the famous line "]" in ''The Undiscovered Country''.<ref name="legend"/> Initially, Okrand came up with "to live or not live", but Plummer did not like the sound of the line. Okrand went back and revised the phrase to "''taH pagh, taHbe' ''", roughly meaning "whether to continue, or not to continue ".<ref name="legend"/> The Klingon language has a small vocabulary compared to natural languages, containing around 2,000 words after it had been created in the 1990s.<ref name="edwards-5">Edwards, 5.</ref> After its initial creation, Okrand has frequently created new words, so that the total number of words has grown up to approximately 3,000.<ref>{{cite web|author=Martin, Will|date=2005-12-15|url=http://www.kli.org/tlh/newwords.html|title=Klingon Words Not in The Klingon Dictionary|work=]|access-date=2014-01-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118015424/http://www.kli.org/tlh/newwords.html|archive-date=2012-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Litaer, Lieven|date=2013-08-20|url=http://www.qephom.de/e/newwords.html|title=New canonical klingon words|work=]|access-date=2014-01-14}}</ref> | |||
In 2367 the ] began after Chancellor K'mpec was murdered. Prior to his murder, K'mpec had named Captain ] his ]. ] was selected, but the House of ] 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. | |||
Okrand persuaded ] to publish '']'' in 1985; in it, Okrand elaborated on the Klingon language's grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. While Okrand expected the book to only sell as a novelty item, eleven years after publication it had sold 250,000 copies.<ref name="edwards-4"/> Dedicated Klingon enthusiasts, some but not all of whom were ''Star Trek'' fans, created the ], which published multiple magazines in the language. While Paramount initially tried to stop the Institute from using its copyrighted language, the company eventually relented. The Institute has since published Klingon translations of '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and has translations of some books from the Bible on its website.<ref name="edwards-5"/> The Bible proved to be difficult to translate, as Christian concepts like atonement—and words like God (until the recent addition of ''Qun'' meaning "god")—are not found in the Klingon vernacular. From time to time, Okrand has amended the "official" list of Klingon vocabulary due in part to requests from the Institute and other groups.<ref>{{cite book|author=Wells, Ken|author2=Michael Lewis|date=2003|title=Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal's Middle Column|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=0-7432-2664-X|pages=|url=https://archive.org/details/floatingoffpageb00kenw/page/102}}</ref> Other Klingon groups run blood drives, bowling teams, and a golf championship.<ref>{{cite news|author=Pilley, Kevin|date=2008-11-13|url=http://www.theage.com.au/travel/curse-of-the-klingons-20081113-621l.html?page=2|title=Curse of the Klingons|work=]|access-date=2009-11-07|archive-date=2014-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707081248/http://www.theage.com.au/travel/curse-of-the-klingons-20081113-621l.html?page=2|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
In 2369, the position of ] was reinstated, when the clone of Kahless inherited the throne with the blessing of the Chancellor and High Council. Titled ], 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. | |||
The Klingon language's prevalence is not limited to books; a three-disc video game, '']'', requires players to learn the language to advance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Gwinn, Eric|date=1996-08-04|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19960804/2342674/star-trek-klingon-the-ultimate-interactive-adventure|title=Tech Reviews: 'Star Trek Klingon: The Ultimate Interactive Adventure'|work=]|access-date=2009-01-04}}</ref> In May 2009, a joint collaboration between the KLI, Simon & Schuster, and ] launched the ''Klingon Language Suite'' for the ] concurrent with the release of the new movie. The popularity of the language meant that in 1996 it was considered the fastest-growing constructed language, ahead of other languages such as ] ] or ]. In 2018, the language learning app ] added a Klingon language course,<ref>{{cite web |date=2018-03-18 |title=Duolingo's Klingon Course is now available! |url=https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/26588778/Duolingo’s-Klingon-Course-is-now-available |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307084003/https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/26588778/Duolingo%E2%80%99s-Klingon-Course-is-now-available |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |access-date=2021-01-18 |publisher=Duolingo}}</ref> which is as of June 2022 in Beta.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2022 |title=Klingon for English Speakers |url=https://incubator.duolingo.com/courses/tlh/en/status |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425035726/https://incubator.duolingo.com/courses/tlh/en/status |archive-date=April 25, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-01 |publisher=incubator.duolingo.com }}</ref> While the language is widespread, mastery of the language is extremely uncommon. Okrand himself is not fluent, and the actors who speak the language in the ''Star Trek'' series are more concerned with its expression than the actual grammar.<ref name="edwards-4"/> According to the 2006 edition of '']'', Klingon is the most spoken fictional language by number of speakers,<ref>{{cite book|date=2005-08-15|title=]|publisher=Guinness|isbn=1-904994-02-4}}</ref> Klingon is one of many language interfaces in the ] search engine,<ref>{{cite web|author=Bass, Steve|date=2003-04-30|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/110323/maximum_google.html|title=Maximum Google|work=]|access-date=2009-01-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124225731/http://www.pcworld.com/article/110323/maximum_google.html|archive-date=2009-01-24}}</ref> and a Klingon character was included in the ]<ref>{{cite web|author=Cohen, Noam|date=2007-06-25|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/technology/25wikipedia.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all|title=Some Errors Defy Fixes: A Typo in Misplaced Pages's Logo Fractures the Sanskrit|work=]|access-date=2009-01-14}}</ref> before its May 2010 update, when it was replaced by a ] character. | |||
In 2372, 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 2373 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 mid-2373, when the Cardassians and the Dominion became allies, the Cardassians drove the Klingons from their space. Captain Sisko was able to convince Gowron to reinstate the Alliance. | |||
===Starships=== | |||
Again allies, the Klingons and Federation turned their attention to the ] and the Cardassians as war against them became inevitable. | |||
{{Main|Klingon starships}} | |||
As the Klingons are portrayed as a warrior culture, Klingon starships are usually depicted as ], heavily armed with a variety of ]ry and ]. Many Klingon ships also make use of ] to hide the vessel from view. The first Klingon ship design used in ''The Original Series'', the D7-class battlecruiser, was designed by ] to evoke a predator's shape akin to that of a ], providing a threatening and instantly recognizable form for viewers. The configuration of Jefferies' design featured a bulbous forward hull connected by a long boom to a wing-like main hull with the ] mounted on each wingtip. Later Klingon starships by other designers kept to this same overall configuration, although updated to reflect their respective time periods: ]'s designs for ''The Next Generation'' and ''Deep Space Nine'' drew on elements of Starfleet ships features to reflect the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons,<ref>Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Larry Nemecek, pp. 146-47</ref> while ]' designs for ''Enterprise'' incorporated more rugged and primitive construction to make the vessels appear consistent with the earlier time period. | |||
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 ] fleet during a final assault on ]. Despite the refusal of Sisko and Ross to drink bloodwine with Martok in the Cardassian Central Command, the two powers remained strong allies after the war. | |||
===Homeworld=== | |||
Shortly before the end of the ], in 2375, Gowron took direct control of the Klingon fleet (a position held up until that point by the successful ]) 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 usually 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 ]'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 later 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. | |||
] | |||
The Klingon homeworld has been given several names; according to Marc Okrand, the planet would have been referred to in several ways, just as Earth is referred to variously as "the world" or "Terra". Early ''Star Trek'' literature referred to the planet as Klinzhai, but ''The Next Generation'' episode "Heart of Glory" called the planet Kling. The film '']'' established the name as Kronos; Okrand later devised the Klingon transliteration "Qo'noS". | |||
In '']'', the planet's name is both spelled and spoken by Starfleet personnel as Kronos. | |||
===Possible Future=== | |||
In ]' timeline, the Klingons join the Federation by about 2554. | |||
According to the non-canon "Klingon for the Galactic Traveler", Qo'noS (said to be in the ] star system) is depicted as green when viewed from space. It includes a lone, huge ] with a vast ], a severely tilted axis that causes wild seasonal changes, a turbulent ] and extremes of both warm and frigid weather.<ref>{{cite book | title = Klingon for the Galactic Traveler | date = 1997 | first = Marc | last = Okrand | publisher = Pocket Books/Star Trek | isbn = 9780671009953}}</ref> The planet is also home to the Capital City of the Klingon Empire, which features prominently in several episodes of ''The Next Generation'' and ''Deep Space Nine''. In '']'', one province of Qo'noS is depicted as an unpopulated and abandoned post-industrial sprawl. A moon, ], about 1/4 of the diameter of Qo'noS is seen in orbit. Its destruction was a plot point in the film ''The Undiscovered Country'', the after-effects driving the plot of the film and later events in the ] series '']''. | |||
==Klingon leadership== | |||
==See also== | |||
*] | |||
{{Portal|Speculative fiction|Television}} | |||
*] (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 2nd Dynasty) | |||
* '']'' | |||
*Emperor Sompek | |||
* ] | |||
*Chancellor M'Rek (2154) | |||
*Chancellor ] (died 2293) | |||
*Chancellor ] (beginning 2293) | |||
*Chancellor Mow'ga (2nd Empire) | |||
*Chancellor ] (died 2367) | |||
*Chancellor ] (2367-2375) | |||
*Emperor ] (ceremonial ruler from 2369 coregent with chancellor) | |||
*Chancellor ] (beginning 2375) | |||
== |
==Notes== | ||
{{Reflist|30em}} | |||
(around ~2300's) | |||
==References== | |||
<font face="Arial, Helvetica"> | |||
{{refbegin}} | |||
{| border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin:4px; border:4px solid #A52A2A; font-size:80%;" | |||
* {{cite magazine|author=Edwards, Gavin|date=August 1996|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.08/es.languages.html?topic=&topic_set=|title=Dejpu'bogh Hov rur qablli!*|magazine=]|volume=4|issue=8|access-date=2009-01-11}} | |||
|- | |||
* {{cite book|author=Kraemer, Ross|author2=William Cassidy|author3=Susan L. Schwartz|date=2003|title=Religions of Star Trek|publisher=Westview Press|isbn=0-8133-4115-9}} | |||
|Klingon Rank || Translation || Equivalent ] Rank | |||
* {{cite book|last=Reeves-Stevens|first=Judith and Garfield|author-link=Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens|title=The Art of Star Trek|publisher=]|date=1995|isbn=0-671-89804-3}} | |||
|- | |||
* ''Star Trek'' cast and crew (2004). "Klingons: Conjuring the Legend" .''Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Special Collector's Edition'' Special Features. . | |||
|mangHom || Cadet || Cadet | |||
* {{cite book|author=Okrand, Marc|date=1997|title= Klingon for the Galactic Traveler |publisher= Star Trek |isbn= 0-671-00995-8}} | |||
|- | |||
{{refend}} | |||
|ne' || Yeoman || Ensign | |||
|- | |||
|lagh || Ensign || Lieutenant j.g. | |||
|- | |||
|Sogh || Lieutenant || Lieutenant | |||
|- | |||
|la' || Commander || Commander | |||
|- | |||
|HoD || Captain || Captain | |||
|- | |||
|'ech || Colonel || Commodore | |||
|- | |||
|totlh || Brigadier || Rear Admiral | |||
|- | |||
|Sa' || General || Vice Admiral | |||
|- | |||
|'aj || Admiral || Admiral | |||
|- | |||
|la'quv || Supreme Commander || Fleet Admiral | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
</font> | |||
== |
==Further reading== | ||
* {{cite journal |last=Mann |first=Douglas |date=2010 |title=The Klingons as Homeric Heroes |journal=] |volume=39 |issue=109 |pages=65–71}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Meyer |first=Uwe |editor-last=Fielitz |editor-first=Sonja |date=2008 |title=We only want to be your partners: Star Trek: Enterprise - Politisch-ideologische Dimensionen einer Fernsehserie zwischen Kaltem Krieg und war on terror |trans-title=Political-ideological dimensions of a TV series between Cold War and war on terror |series=Kulturelle Identitäten |language=German |volume=3 |publisher=] |chapter=Klingonen, Sowjets und Russen |pages=35–76 |isbn=978-3-631-56680-0}} | |||
To many Klingons, battle is sacred, and treated with much ceremony. Therefore, many advances have been made by Klingons in the field of weaponry. | |||
] | |||
*'''Disruptor Pistol''' This is the main weapon all Klingons carry. It has a ] and fires a bolt of pure energy at a target, vaporizing it. Whether sneaking into enemy territory or going to the market to buy some heart of targ, this is a tried-and-true choice. | |||
*'''Disruptor Rifle''' Disruptor rifles are used mainly by Klingon shock troops, but are also favored by weapons merchants and terrorists due to their point-and-shoot simplicity. These deadly weapons are essentially larger versions of the disruptor pistol. | |||
*'''betleH''' (''bet-LEKH - Eng: bat-LETH'') The Bat'leth symbolizes the Klingon Empire to much of the quadrant. Made of a crescent with four points, the Bat'leth is an imposing two-handed sword. This weapon has been receding from use in open battle, but is still used in "modern" times for ceremonial rites and challenges of power or authority. The first Bat'leth was said to have been made by Kahless. | |||
] | |||
*'''meqleH''' (''mek-leKH - Eng: mek-LETH'') By all accounts, the Mek'leth is similar to the Bat'leth in many ways, but it is not so much a sword as a large knife. It has a curved blade approximately 30 cm long, and is an imposing sight. Another staple of the average Klingon's weapons closet, this is a formidable blade. | |||
] | |||
*'''Daqtagh''' (''dak-TAGH'') The Klingon D'k tagh is a small knife by Klingon standards, mainly used in ceremonies, but also employed as an easily concealable weapon. It has a 20 cm blade length, with two small blades that snap out of the sides at the push of a button. It can also be thrown. | |||
] | |||
*''''oy'naQ''' (''oi-NAKKH - Eng: Painstick'') The Klingon painstick is a rod about 1 ] in length. It has a grip on one end and a port on the other end to discharge energy. It is also mainly used in ceremonies of endurance, but is sometimes used for ]. It does not incapacitate an enemy unless used repeatedly. It must be placed very close to the target (essentially touching) to work. | |||
*'''chonnaQ''' (''chon-NAKKH - Eng: chon-NAK'') Not much is known about the archaic chonnaQ. It is a hunting ] once used in the great Klingon wars; it predates the original Kahless in age. | |||
] | |||
] | |||
*'''jejtaj''' (''jedge-TAHJ'') The jejtaj is a weapon wielded like a pair of ]. However, with enough practice, one can parry bladed attacks with it and use it as a rudimentary throwing star. | |||
==Extent of the Klingon Empire== | |||
Planets and moons currently considered to be, or to have been, under Klingon jurisdiction include ], ], ], ], ], ] (jointly held with the ] Empire and the ]), ], ], ], ], and ]. 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== | |||
* ]s (a small furry alien animal) shriek in the presence of Klingons, as demonstrated in an original series episode. Conversely, Klingons are also allergic to tribbles. The Klingons went on to exterminate the popular pet throughout the galaxy and into extinction. | |||
* A ] 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 ]. See ]. | |||
* There is also a programming language based on Klingon called '']''. | |||
* Klingon and ] are also last names. Usually seen in ]. | |||
* ] is a Klingon alcoholic beverage, once called "fancy European stuff" by a character in a holodeck. | |||
* ] is also an alcoholic beverage, and is renowned for its flavor and potency. Whether it actually contains blood is unknown to Trekkers. Since some Spanish wines have "Sangre" (blood) in their names, it's possible the Blood Wine contains no blood. | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ], which lists some non-''Star Trek'' television shows which have featured or referenced Klingons. | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Commons category}} | |||
* | |||
{{Wikibooks}} | |||
* | |||
{{Memory Alpha}} | |||
* | |||
* | * , authority for the Klingon language | ||
* | |||
* {{memoryalpha}} | |||
* Germany's International broadcaster goes Klingon | |||
{{Star Trek}} | |||
] | |||
{{Klingon}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
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] | ] | ||
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Latest revision as of 02:31, 29 December 2024
Fictional species in Star Trek This article is about the fictional alien species. For the language, see Klingon language.Klingons | |
---|---|
Star Trek race | |
The Klingon insignia, designed by Matt Jefferies | |
Created by | Gene L. Coon |
In-universe information | |
Quadrant | Beta |
Home world | Qo'noS (Kronos) |
The Klingons (/ˈklɪŋ(ɡ)ɒn/ KLING-(g)on; Klingon: tlhIngan [ˈt͡ɬɪŋɑn]) are a humanoid species of aliens in the science fiction franchise Star Trek.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original Star Trek (TOS) series, Klingons were humanoids characterized by prideful ruthlessness and brutality. Hailing from their homeworld Qo'noS (pronounced approximately as /kho-nosh/, but usually rendered as /kronos/ in English), Klingons practiced feudalism and authoritarianism, with a warrior caste relying on slave labor and reminiscent of Ancient Sparta. With a greatly expanded budget for makeup and effects, the Klingons were completely redesigned for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), acquiring ridged foreheads. In subsequent television series and in later films, the militaristic traits of the Klingons were bolstered by an increased sense of honor and a strict warrior code similar to those of bushido, and a view of the afterlife similar to that of the Ancient Scandinavians.
Klingons are recurring antagonists in the 1960s television series Star Trek, and have appeared in all subsequent series, along with ten of the Star Trek feature films. Initially intended to be antagonists for the crew of the USS Enterprise, the Klingons became a close ally of humanity in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the 1990s series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, humans and Klingons join with the Romulans to fight the Dominion.
Among the elements created for the revised Klingons was a complete Klingon language, developed by Marc Okrand from gibberish suggested by actor James Doohan. Spoken Klingon has entered popular culture, even to the extent that some of the works of William Shakespeare and parts of the Bible have been translated into it. A dictionary, a book of sayings, and a cultural guide to the language have been published. According to the Guinness World Records, Klingon is the world's most popular fictional language as measured by number of speakers.
Design
Conception
The Klingons were created by screenwriter Gene L. Coon, and first appeared in the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy" (1967). They were named after Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, who served with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the Los Angeles Police Department. In the original television series (TOS), Klingons were typically portrayed with bronze skin and facial hair suggestive of Asian people and possessed physical abilities similar to humans (in fact, Coon's only physical description of them in his "Errand of Mercy" script is "oriental" and "hard-faced"). The swarthy look of Klingon males was created with the application of shoe polish and long, thin moustaches; budget constraints limited creativity. The overall look of the aliens, played by white actors, suggested orientalism, at a time when memories of Japanese actions during World War II were still fresh. The production crew never came to an agreement on the name "Klingon"; Coon was adamant about keeping the name, and it persisted because no one else offered up a better name.
The Klingons took on the role of the Soviet Union with the fictional government the United Federation of Planets playing the role of the United States. As a result, the Klingons were generally portrayed as inferior to the crew of the Enterprise. While occasionally capable of honor, this depiction treated the Klingons as close to wild animals. Overall, they were shown without redeeming qualities—brutish, scheming, and murderous. Klingons became the primary antagonists of the Enterprise crew, in part because the makeup necessary to make another alien race, the Romulans, was too time-consuming and costly.
For the first two seasons, no Klingon ships were seen despite being frequently mentioned. This was because of budget constraints; designer Matt Jefferies did not have the money to create a Klingon ship until the third season. When the episodes were remastered beginning in 2006, Klingon ships were digitally inserted into shots earlier than their original appearances.
Redesign
For Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), the Klingons' appearance was radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Lee Cole, a production designer, used red gels and primitive shapes in the design of Klingon consoles and ship interiors, which took on a dark and moody atmosphere. The alphabet was designed as angular, with sharp edges alluding to the Klingons' militaristic focus. Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of feudal Japanese armor.
Certain elements of Klingon culture, resembling Japanese culture with honor at the forefront, were actually first explored with the script for the planned two-part "Kitumba" episode for the unproduced 1978 Star Trek: Phase II series. Writer John Meredyth Lucas said, "I wanted something that we had never seen before on the series, and that's a penetration deep into enemy space. I started to think of how the Klingons lived. Obviously for the Romulans we had Romans, and we've had different cultures modeled on those of ancient Earth, but I tried to think of what the Klingon society would be like. The Japanese came to mind, so basically that's what it was, with the Sacred Emperor, the Warlord and so on."
While no Klingon characters were seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, their appearance as the central enemy in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) led to minor alterations. For the third generation of Klingons, the heavy, cragged head ridges of The Motion Picture were redesigned and made less pronounced. While Fletcher was happy with the original film uniforms, more had to be created as the old costumes had been lost, destroyed, or loaned out and altered irreparably. New costumes were fabricated, retaining the air of feudal Japanese design; Fletcher thought it was an important part of the Klingon authoritarian attitude. New Klingon weaponry was designed, including an energy weapon and a special knife known as a d'k tahg.
The release of a new television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, prompted a further revision in the depiction of Klingon culture, though Gene Roddenberry had wanted to avoid re-appearances of races from the old series. Set a century later than the original series, the USS Enterprise-D featured a Klingon crewmember, Worf. Makeup artist Michael Westmore needed a consistent reference to base the Klingon look on, as each individual Klingon was to have distinct head ridges. He found what he was looking for in a book of dinosaurs: observing dinosaur vertebrae laid out flat, Westmore cut the designs in half and modified them to suit each Klingon. Westmore designed his Klingons' beards to be Elizabethan, combining prehistoric and aristocratic elements to give audiences a feeling of depth from the appearance. Over time, Westmore and the other makeup artists designed different sizes of prosthetic headpieces which could be quickly applied and modified to save time; the amount of preparation to turn an actor into a Klingon decreased from around three hours to one. While important characters had custom headpieces, background actors used pre-made masks with minor touchup around the eyes and mouth. The Next Generation effects artist Dan Curry used his martial arts experience to create a flowing fighting style for the race. When the episode "Reunion" called for a special Klingon blade, Curry drew on Far East influences to develop a weapon known as the bat'leth. Curry, a collector of weapons, was annoyed by fictional weaponry that was designed to "look cool" but could not be handled practically. Curry combined elements of the Himalayan kukri, Chinese axes and fighting crescents to create a two-handed, curved weapon that has since been widely used in the franchise.
The culture of the Klingons began to resemble revised western stereotypes of civilizations such as the Zulu, the Spartans, the Vikings, and various Native American nations—as a proud, warlike and principled race. Whereas the TOS Klingons served as an allegory to contemporary totalitarian regimes, The Next Generation Klingons held principles more in line with Bushidō; actor Michael Dorn stated that without the revision in Klingon culture, his character, Worf, would not have been a Starfleet officer. With the first Klingon-centric story in The Next Generation, the first-season episode "Heart of Glory", the Klingons once again became an important part of the Star Trek universe, and by the advent of the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Klingons had become heroes rather than villains, though often at cross purposes to the Federation.
The final Star Trek film to feature the entire cast from the original television series, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), served to bridge the original series' Klingons at war with the Federation to the time of The Next Generation and presents a subtly different treatment of the race. At the time of the film's development, the Soviet Union was collapsing, and with the advent of glasnost, the old allegory of Klingons as Russians was becoming obsolete. The Klingons were redesigned to evoke the Nazis, with the red, white and black Klingon flag deliberately similar to that of the Nazi Party. The Klingons in the film liberally quote Shakespeare, a trait stemming from director Nicholas Meyer's comparison of the Empire's appropriation of Shakespeare to the Nazis' similar attempt in the 1930s. Meyer also felt it was appropriate for Shakespearean actors such as Christopher Plummer and David Warner to speak the lines. The breakdown of the Klingons' empire because of a Chernobyl-like incident results in a new age for the Federation and Klingons, leading to the time of The Next Generation and later series where the two governments are trade partners and occasional allies. Starfleet members are shown to be highly bigoted against Klingons, who in turn feel that their way of life will be obliterated by peace. The Klingons were given new uniforms designed by Dodie Shepard, in part because there were not enough of Fletcher's The Motion Picture costumes to meet the demands of the film.
Dorn described playing a Klingon as simple, joking that after hours sitting in a makeup chair, actors were highly motivated to get the dialogue right the first time. Repeat Klingon Robert O'Reilly told all neophyte Klingons that the most important part of speaking was to say the lines with belief and "go all the way". When O'Reilly and Dorn's character had a confrontation, makeup artists wiped spittle off each between takes, a consequence of the harsh-sounding language. Todd Bryant (Captain Klaa in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) similarly noted that if an actor was projectile-spitting on others as he spoke Klingon, he was doing a great job.
When filming The Undiscovered Country, Christopher Plummer asked director Nicholas Meyer to adapt his character's look, feeling the heavy forehead appliances looked rather fake. Instead, Plummer's character, General Chang, was made bald with subdued ridges and an eyepatch bolted to his skull. Plummer felt that the unique appearance helped "humanize" the character. In contrast to white actors portraying the warriors, more recent Klingon roles have been predominantly played by black actors.
For Star Trek: Discovery, the Klingon appearance was once again modified with more extensive facial and teeth prosthetics and elongated craniums. The new Klingons were initially bald, in contrast with the previous depictions, but this was retconned in season 2. The lack of hair was said to have been ceremonial during the time of war with the Federation, harking back to the tale of Kahless having cut off a lock of hair to forge the first bat'leth. They also have black and purple skin color variations.
Change in appearance after TOS
According to the official Star Trek web site, the Klingons' varying appearance was "probably the single most popular topic of conversation among Star Trek fans". While the reason for the discrepancy between The Original Series Klingons and their feature film and later television series counterparts was a lack of budget, fans took it upon themselves to contrive an acceptable canon reason for the sudden change.
Among the fan theories, were that TOS Klingons were:
- They gradually genetically engineered their bodies to be tougher and more robust, to be better suited for head butting and for the rigors of a warfare loving existence.
- Humans raised as Klingons, similar to the Janissary of the Ottoman Empire.
- Stripped of ridges via surgery for cosmetic or diplomatic reasons
- Hybrids with a more human species,
- Some subjugated race conscripted or deployed near the Federation border.
Simple theories that the different Klingons were different racial breeds were complicated by the fact that the characters of Kang, Koloth, and Kor appeared with smooth features in The Original Series yet had a ridged appearance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and that Worf acknowledged the difference in appearances when the crew of Deep Space 9 returned to the 23rd century in the episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" but offered no explanation, saying merely, "We do not discuss it with outsiders."
A canonical explanation for the change was given in a two-part storyline on Star Trek: Enterprise, in the episodes "Affliction" and "Divergence" that aired in February 2005. Attempting to replicate experiments by humans to create augmented soldiers, Klingon scientists used genetic material from human test subjects on their own people, which resulted in a viral pandemic which caused Klingons to develop human-like physical characteristics. Dr. Phlox of the Enterprise formulated a cure for the virus, but the physical alterations remained in the populace and were inherited by offspring. Phlox indicated that "some day" the physical alterations could be reversed. The head scientist finally mentioned he would go into cranial reconstructive surgery, another nod to "restoration" of the ridges for some Klingons.
In the non-canon Star Trek: The Role Playing Game (FASA, 1982), the smooth-headed Klingons seen in The Original Series were called "fusions", in particular, "human fusions", with "Romulan fusions" also existing. They were a deliberate blending of Klingon genes with those of other races in an effort to gain an understanding of, and thus advantage over, the other races. Human fusions were chosen for service on the Federation border due to the high number of humans present in the Federation. Fusions of both types were considered inferior to pure strain "Imperial Klingons" and were segregated.
In the non-canon video game Star Trek Online, Klingons under the command of Ambassador B'vat once again attempt to fuse the DNA of other races with their own. In a chapter called "The Ultimate Klingon", the player character travels to the planet H'atoria in the Korvat System to infiltrate a secret Klingon research facility and discovers Amar Singh, a descendant of Khan Noonien Singh, has merged Klingon, Augment, and Gorn DNA to create a ferocious, mindless monstrosity the player must destroy. Singh is arrested and imprisoned at Facility 4028.
Attributes
Biology
Klingons possess a robust and enduring biology as well as large and muscular statures. Klingons have been seen on multiple occasions possessing physical strength equal to or superior to that of Jem'Hadar and Hirogen, two other races possessing immense strength, and the half-human B'Elanna Torres proves more than a match for a Vulcan. Their anatomy is redundant and supernumerary; every organ has a backup, including an extra set of kidneys, an eight-chambered heart, a third lung, a secondary brain stem, as well as an extensive and hardy skeletal structure. This redundancy is evident even at the cellular level; for example, the Klingons have backup synaptic networks in their nervous systems, allowing them to grow a new spine, as was demonstrated with Worf when his spine was surgically removed and replaced with a transplanted, genetically cloned new one. Their rapid metabolism allows injured Klingons to heal quickly. All of this makes Klingons extremely hardy and difficult to kill, as necessitated by their aggressive nature, and resistant to physical trauma, environmental exposure, and illness. Klingons alone have a natural resistance to "the Phage," which plagues the Vidiians of the Delta Quadrant. Like Cardassians, they avoid cold temperatures. Klingons also have a heightened sense of smell as suggested in "Birthright, Part II" in The Next Generation, when Worf and a Klingon boy go hunting and can track an animal by scent.
Klingon children are fierce and aggressive by nature; from as soon as they can walk, they are instructed into honing their hunting and combat skills, strengthening their physical prowess and agility. Like humans, they go through a form of puberty, which, as Picard puts it in Star Trek: Insurrection "hardly does it justice" and includes sudden bursts of hair growth, extreme mood swings, violent tendencies, and the Klingon equivalent of acne (called 'Gorch' in Klingon).
Culture
Main article: Klingon cultureIn comparison to The Original Series, Klingon culture is thoroughly examined in later series' episodes, part of a larger movement by Star Trek writers to deepen viewer understanding of the alien races of the franchise. The Klingons adhere to a strict code of honor, similar to feudal Mongolian or Japanese customs, although some, such as Gowron, appear to struggle to live up to their ideals. Their society is based on war and combat; ritual suicide is often preferred over living life as a crippled warrior, and may allow a warrior to die with honor. To be captured rather than killed in battle brings dishonor to not only the captive but his descendants. Death is depicted as a time for celebration, not grief.
Klingons are depicted as a spiritual people. According to their legends, Klingons slew their own gods. The equivalents to heaven and hell are called Sto-Vo-Kor and Gre'Thor, respectively; in Sto-Vo-Kor, battle and feasting can be eternally won and shared, while those sent to Gre'Thor are condemned to eternal torture unless their honor is restored by living relatives. Those who do not die in battle may not enter Sto-Vo-Kor; relatives undertake quests to guarantee their deceased comrades' entry into paradise. Despite believing in an afterlife, the Klingons perform a form of last rite. This consists of spreading the eyes open, humming in anticipation of the final breath and roaring skywards when the warrior dies, warning the dead a Klingon warrior is coming (as shown in "Heart of Glory"). Yet Klingons have no burial rites, and dispose of corpses by the most expedient means available, considering them "empty shells".
The Klingons' spiritual leader is Kahless, a messianic historical figure who established early codes of honor and was the first Klingon emperor. His fabled weapon, the Sword of Kahless, is depicted as a unique bat'leth that serves as the Klingon equivalent of the Holy Grail. In the TNG episode "Rightful Heir", Kahless appears in the flesh to Worf, who had doubted his Klingon faith. This Kahless is revealed to be a clone, created in an attempt to bring Klingons together, and who is chosen to lead the Klingon people as a figurehead.
Language
Main articles: Klingon language and Klingon grammarThe Klingons have their own language that was developed for the feature films, often described as "guttural". For The Motion Picture, James Doohan, the actor who portrayed Montgomery Scott, devised the initial Klingon-language dialogue heard in the film. For The Search for Spock, Marc Okrand, who created the Vulcan dialogue used in the previous film, developed an actual working Klingon language based on Doohan's original made-up words.
Okrand was presented with a difficult task of contriving a language that sounded alien, while still simple enough for the actors to pronounce. While most constructed languages follow basic tenets of natural languages — for example, all languages have an "ah" sound — Okrand deliberately broke them. He chose the rarest form of sentence construction, the object-verb-subject form: the translation of the phrase "I boarded the Enterprise", would be constructed as "The Enterprise boarded I." Okrand reasoned the language would be indicative of the culture - the Klingons' language focuses on actions and verbs, like Mongolian. Adjectives do not strictly exist; there is no word for "greedy", but there is a verb, qur, which means "to be greedy". The language does not contain the verb "to be", which meant Okrand had to create a workaround when director Nicholas Meyer wanted his Klingons to quote Shakespeare and the famous line "to be, or not to be" in The Undiscovered Country. Initially, Okrand came up with "to live or not live", but Plummer did not like the sound of the line. Okrand went back and revised the phrase to "taH pagh, taHbe' ", roughly meaning "whether to continue, or not to continue ". The Klingon language has a small vocabulary compared to natural languages, containing around 2,000 words after it had been created in the 1990s. After its initial creation, Okrand has frequently created new words, so that the total number of words has grown up to approximately 3,000.
Okrand persuaded Pocket Books to publish The Klingon Dictionary in 1985; in it, Okrand elaborated on the Klingon language's grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. While Okrand expected the book to only sell as a novelty item, eleven years after publication it had sold 250,000 copies. Dedicated Klingon enthusiasts, some but not all of whom were Star Trek fans, created the Klingon Language Institute, which published multiple magazines in the language. While Paramount initially tried to stop the Institute from using its copyrighted language, the company eventually relented. The Institute has since published Klingon translations of Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Tao Te Ching, Gilgamesh, and has translations of some books from the Bible on its website. The Bible proved to be difficult to translate, as Christian concepts like atonement—and words like God (until the recent addition of Qun meaning "god")—are not found in the Klingon vernacular. From time to time, Okrand has amended the "official" list of Klingon vocabulary due in part to requests from the Institute and other groups. Other Klingon groups run blood drives, bowling teams, and a golf championship.
The Klingon language's prevalence is not limited to books; a three-disc video game, Star Trek: Klingon, requires players to learn the language to advance. In May 2009, a joint collaboration between the KLI, Simon & Schuster, and Ultralingua launched the Klingon Language Suite for the iPhone concurrent with the release of the new movie. The popularity of the language meant that in 1996 it was considered the fastest-growing constructed language, ahead of other languages such as Tolkien's Elvish or Esperanto. In 2018, the language learning app Duolingo added a Klingon language course, which is as of June 2022 in Beta. While the language is widespread, mastery of the language is extremely uncommon. Okrand himself is not fluent, and the actors who speak the language in the Star Trek series are more concerned with its expression than the actual grammar. According to the 2006 edition of Guinness World Records, Klingon is the most spoken fictional language by number of speakers, Klingon is one of many language interfaces in the Google search engine, and a Klingon character was included in the Misplaced Pages logo before its May 2010 update, when it was replaced by a Geʿez character.
Starships
Main article: Klingon starshipsAs the Klingons are portrayed as a warrior culture, Klingon starships are usually depicted as warships, heavily armed with a variety of particle beam weaponry and antimatter warheads. Many Klingon ships also make use of cloaking technology to hide the vessel from view. The first Klingon ship design used in The Original Series, the D7-class battlecruiser, was designed by Matt Jefferies to evoke a predator's shape akin to that of a manta ray, providing a threatening and instantly recognizable form for viewers. The configuration of Jefferies' design featured a bulbous forward hull connected by a long boom to a wing-like main hull with the engine nacelles mounted on each wingtip. Later Klingon starships by other designers kept to this same overall configuration, although updated to reflect their respective time periods: Rick Sternbach's designs for The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine drew on elements of Starfleet ships features to reflect the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons, while John Eaves' designs for Enterprise incorporated more rugged and primitive construction to make the vessels appear consistent with the earlier time period.
Homeworld
The Klingon homeworld has been given several names; according to Marc Okrand, the planet would have been referred to in several ways, just as Earth is referred to variously as "the world" or "Terra". Early Star Trek literature referred to the planet as Klinzhai, but The Next Generation episode "Heart of Glory" called the planet Kling. The film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country established the name as Kronos; Okrand later devised the Klingon transliteration "Qo'noS".
In Star Trek Into Darkness, the planet's name is both spelled and spoken by Starfleet personnel as Kronos.
According to the non-canon "Klingon for the Galactic Traveler", Qo'noS (said to be in the Omega Leonis star system) is depicted as green when viewed from space. It includes a lone, huge land mass with a vast ocean, a severely tilted axis that causes wild seasonal changes, a turbulent atmosphere and extremes of both warm and frigid weather. The planet is also home to the Capital City of the Klingon Empire, which features prominently in several episodes of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. In Star Trek Into Darkness, one province of Qo'noS is depicted as an unpopulated and abandoned post-industrial sprawl. A moon, Praxis, about 1/4 of the diameter of Qo'noS is seen in orbit. Its destruction was a plot point in the film The Undiscovered Country, the after-effects driving the plot of the film and later events in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
See also
Notes
- Hayward, Anthony (2003-08-02). "Obituaries: Walter M. Jeffries". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- Star Trek, episode 2.15, The Trouble with Tribbles
- Alexander, David (1995). Star Trek Creator. Penguin Group. ISBN 0-451-45440-5.
- Geraghty, Lincoln (2007). Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe. I.B.Tauris. pp. 51. ISBN 978-1-84511-421-3.
- ^ Roberts, Adam Charles (2000). Science Fiction. Routledge. pp. 130–132. ISBN 0-415-19205-6.
- ^ Special Features, "Klingons: Conjuring the Legend."
- Westmore, Michael; Alan Sims; Bradley M. Look; William J. Birnes (2000). Star Trek: Aliens and Artifacts. Star Trek. p. 208. ISBN 0-671-04299-8.
- ^ Mirzoeff, Nicholas (1999). An Introduction to Visual Culture. Routledge. pp. 206–207. ISBN 0-415-15876-1.
- Reeves-Stevens, 35.
- Rossi, Dave; Michael Okuda; Denise Okuda (2007-05-04). "The Star Trek Remastered Team Talks About Klingons (Then And Now), Gimpy Spy Antennas, And The Coolness That Awaits Us!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- Gross, Edward (April 7, 2016). "Star Trek: 10 Unfilmed Episodes". Empire. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- Reeves-Stevens, 226-228.
- Polak, Steven (1998-10-13). "Fine Fighting with Feisty Foes". The Australian. p. C10.
- Schrager, Adam (1997). The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation Cast On Screen and Off. New York: Wolf Valley Books. pp. 96–97. ISBN 1-888149-03-5.
- ^ Okuda, Mike; Denise Okuda & Debbie Mirek (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
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Further reading
- Mann, Douglas (2010). "The Klingons as Homeric Heroes". Foundation. 39 (109): 65–71.
- Meyer, Uwe (2008). "Klingonen, Sowjets und Russen". In Fielitz, Sonja (ed.). We only want to be your partners: Star Trek: Enterprise - Politisch-ideologische Dimensionen einer Fernsehserie zwischen Kaltem Krieg und war on terror [Political-ideological dimensions of a TV series between Cold War and war on terror]. Kulturelle Identitäten (in German). Vol. 3. Peter Lang. pp. 35–76. ISBN 978-3-631-56680-0.
External links
- Klingon at Memory Alpha
- Klingon Language Institute, authority for the Klingon language
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