Spotlight On: Klingons

by Charlie Plaine, Chairman

22nd June 2008

"A Klingon's honor means more to him than his life!" - Kurn

Story

A warrior race from the planet Qo'noS, the Klingons are a proud, traditional people that are one of the major powers in the galaxy. Aggressive, expansionist, and technologically advanced, the Klingon Empire was an interstellar military power to be respected and feared.

The Klingon Empire was founded in or around the 9th Century by Kahless the Unforgettable, a global and epic hero responsible for the unification of the Klingon people with the death of the tyrant Molor. Kahless would become revered in Klingon society - almost being a deity in his own right, and most aspects of Klingon culture evolved around the emulation of Kahless's life.

While the warrior code (and the lust for battle) has always been a pivotal aspect of Klingon society, during the 22nd century this aspect of Klingon society became significantly more dominant. This increase in aggression led to conflict with most of the nearby powers, including both the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets.

In 2154, the Klingons took the genetic material of Human Augments (genetically enhanced humans) and attempted to develop their own genetically enhanced warriors. Initially, the project was successful in creating faster, stronger, and more cunning warriors, with the only side effects being the loss of cranial ridges. However, the process resulted in the subjects eventual death. Unfortunately, one of the test subjects was infected with a flu virus that mutated and spread like a plague. Though the virus was cured, billions of Klingons were left without cranial ridges - a deformity that would last for generations and become taboo in Klingon culture.

In 2245, open warfare erupted between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, but the war was short lived. An advanced species, the Organians, imposed a peace treaty on the two powers after only four days of fighting. This peace was only occasionally broken over the next several decades, usually as a result of brief and/or fierce skirmishes. Finally, in 2293, a lasting peace was declared as a result of the Khitomer Accords, mostly thanks to the efforts of Chancellor Gorkon and James T. Kirk.

Since then, with the exception of a brief war in 2372 (as a result of Dominion infiltration), the Federation and the Klingons have remained allies, with their partnership increasing in light of the Dominion's aggression in the 2370's.

Episodes

The first adversary race introduced in the original Star Trek, the Klingons have been a fundamental presence in all of the television shows and many of the movies. In The Next Generation, a Klingon - Worf - was made a regular on the series, who would then appear on Deep Space Nine as well. A half-Klingon - B'Elanna Torres - was a regular on Voyager as well, and the Klingons returned to their adversarial role in Star Trek: Enterprise.

Great Klingon Episodes:

• TOS's "Errand of Mercy"
• TOS's "Day of the Dove"
• TNG's "Sins of the Father"
• TNG's "Rightful Heir"
• DS9's "Way of the Warrior"
• DS9's "Apocalypse Rising"
• VOY's "Prophecy"
• ENT's "Affliction" / "Divergence"

In-Game

The Klingon made their debut in Second Edition as one of the six original affiliations. Klingons gained their greatest leader, Kahless, and his followers, in Energize, and had another huge boost in These Are the Voyages with the TOS-era Klingons. Almost every set contains something for the Klingon player.

Head over to our forum and discuss your favorite Klingon episodes, vote in our Klingon polls, and talk about your favorite Klingon decks and strategies. Stay tuned this week for lots more Klingon content!