Feared throughout the galaxy due to being fearless warriors who thrive on battle and bloodshed, the Klingon’s are one of Star Trek’s most iconic races and yet, with all their history, perhaps the most misunderstood. Starting off in the original series as authoritarian and distrustful antagonist, they were written as a parallel to Russia with the Klingon Empire in a cold war with the Federation following a long conflict.
The Klingons would have a bit of reinvention in the movies thanks to higher budgets giving the producers a chance for a more alien look, while their culture and history would get a little more depth on The Next Generation thanks to the inclusion of Worf, the first Klingon member of Starfleet. But Worf’s views on the Klingon culture weren’t quite spot on. From a noble house, Worf was displaced and raised by humans after his parents were killed, giving him a disconnected and romanticised view of his people. Through the years the idea of Klingons being honourable warriors would slowly peel away the public facade of the Empire.
As Academy lets us see through the eyes of a pacifist healer, we thought it’d time to look back at five of the Klingons that showed us another side of the fabled warrior myth.
THE DURAS FAMILY
One of the more prolific houses up until the late 24th century, the house of Hduras was one of the most important and influential houses within the Empire. Their influence was so strong that, following the death of Chancellor K’mpec, leader of the house, Duras himself, would make a bid for the position. Problem was the House of Duras might have had influence and power, but they werte politicians, not honourable warriors and after playing a political hand that resulted in Duras killing Ambassador K’Ehleyr. Worf killed Duras right back.
Founded by their ancestor in the 22nd, the original Duras, the house would fall into chaos with no legitimate heir but would be ledf unofficially by his daughters Lursa and B’Etor who may not have been able to officially lead the house due to Klingon laws, but carried on the tradition of putting politics and power ahead of honour, including a secret alliance with the Romulans whilst bringing civil war to the Empire.
ANTAAK
In the mid-22nd century (in Earth’s calendars, anyway) there was a notable shift in Klingon society. Traditionally the bulk of Klingon society operated as a caste-like system, but things went a little bit wrong. The influence of the warrior caste became a little too strong and a little too romanticised and by the time Starfleet was up and running,
Antaak, named for the founder of his house, was of the warrior caste. But it wasn’t his path. More interested in science than warfare, Antaak would even go to the lengths of disguising himself as anything but Klingon to be welcomed in cross-species medical conferences and learn more about how to become a better healer. Though he’d serve in the Imperial Fleet, he wouldn’t represent his house. With the way of the warrior caste becoming the dominant force, and their superiority complex over the other segments of Klingon society, Antaak’s father would banish him from their house despite Antaak’s service and great achievements in saving the Klingon race from dying out over a virus the warriors spread throughout the Empire.
ALEXANDER
Having a slightly different start than most, Alexander Rozhenko was the son of Word and K’Ehleyr. K’Ehleyr was a half Klingon and an ambassador who rejected the warrior way of life. Worf, raised by Klingons, embraced the legends of the warrior caste and romanticised them due to being disconnected. In the middle was Alexander, a child with no interest in being a warrior who, after his mother was murdered, was to be raised by his father who’s idea of being Klingon was like someone thinking they were Scottish by watching Brigadoon. There was no one in that family who were a ‘true;’ Klingon in reality, but Worf’s push to become one would leave it’s mark on his son.
An alternate future saw Alexander become a diplomat like his mother and become too weak to prevent Worf’s death in combat. Travelling back in time to try and force Worf’s hand to training Alexander to become a warrior, Worf realised his own conflict was harming his sons view of both of them and opted to let Alexander stay with human foster parents. Though Alexander, still aiming to impress his father, would enlist in the Imperial Fleet regardless.
Feeling ashamed and living with the feeling of being a disappointment to Worf, Alexander only began to feel accepted when his peers on board the ship began to accept his courage and skill in helping his crewmates. Despite being a far cry from the warrior Worf had always hoped for, Alexander found honour and value in being more true to himself than what he saw as the Klingon ideal.
KOLOS
At the turns of the 22nd century, Kolos began working as an advocate in the Klingon legal system, beginning a long career that would see him serve on Narandra III and fifty years later, defend a Starfleet officer – Jonathon Archer – against the Duras family in the name of honour. When Kolos began his career, the Klingon empire was a stable mix of all trades taking each step of their lives with honourable conduct. But slowly he watched the warrior caste’#s influence grow beyond the great houses and felt like his profession was slowly becoming a tool to spread their message and turning honour into something everyone could attain, to something only attained through their view of the world; war and bloodshed.
Inspired by Archer, Kolos would try and restore honour to the system and fight for justice, not just the interests of the warrior caste. Unfortunately he’d be punished for his efforts and sent to the infamous Rura Penthe labour camp. Other advocates and lawyers would try and follow his path, such as Worf – grandfather of another , more famous Worf – who’d unwittingly take part in a conspiracy by doing the opposite of Kolos and manufacturing a case against Captain Kirk…
GORKON
Not much of known about Gorkon. His background and motivations were intentionally kept vague on screen to give a little bit of mystique to his character. What we do know came from who he was based on; Russian leader Mikhail Gobachev, who was largely known as a charismatic and idealist leader compared to his predecessors (and successors), driven towards peace and reform with his efforts in ending the Cold War and his role in reunifying Germany leading to a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 before the collaspe of the Soviet Union a year later.
Hardly a candidate for basing a warrior on. And that’s what made Gorkon so fascinating compared to the other Klingon leaders we’ve seen on screen. Even with the more politicised Gowron or Duras, there was always ann undercurrent of aggression and need for glorious battle to the point that, as Chancellor, Gowron put himself front and centre of several conflicts to the detriment of his people for political gain. Gorkon, whatever his background, didn’t seem to have the same lust for battle. Instead, despite surrounding himself with soldiers like General Chang, all he was interested in was peace. Taking lead from one of his predecessors, Chancelor L’Rell, Gorkon took the bold step of using a Klingon disaster to forge the peaceful landscape he wanted. No more war, no more conflict.
Eventually the peace process he started would happen. Unfortunately he didn’t live to see what he’d inspire as the need for war and hatred was so strong that his people, including Chang, would conspire together with Starfleet Admirals leading to Gorkon’s assassination in an effort to escalate the conflict and keep the status quo.
The villains of Star Trek were often based around simple concepts that served only to create stereotypes. Throughout the Next Generation into Deep Space Nine we got to see the warrior ethos built and deconstructed through the political gameplay of the Empire at it’s highest levels, and through Worf’s slow realisation that his image of his people wasn’t quite as rosey as it seems.
Being a warrior is something Klingons take pride in. But it’s far from the only path we’ve seen, from civilians living in slums, to keen restaurateurs taking pride in their knifework in the kitchen over the battlefield, to laid back gamers who just like a bit of a drink, to medics and scientists who’s glory is the work. But even Martok, a ‘low born’ from simple farming land was stuck on the idea of being a warrior and a soldier.
Jay-Den joins Academy as an unconventional Klingon in how he see’s himself. In reality, he’s just another oddball in a long line of people who, whether they led the Empire to peace or just liked to serve the bloodwine, found honour and glory in their own purpose.
About the author
[Treknology] The Holodeck
An immersive experience in itself, the Holodeck is one of the many creature comforts that help bring comfort and entertainment within the life of a starship years from home that not only acts in creating a live action gaming environment, but as a useful tool for educational simulations, experiments and the occasional Hirogen nightmare! The holodeck is a complex device. Essentially a simulated environment generator, the holodeck is usually a vast room that used a combination of forcefields, matter replication and visually manipulative holographic systems to create an immersive environment that one or multiple people can use to not only see and hear, but physically interact with. Able to replicate anything from historical settings to an entirely original landscape, the holodeck ios Knightmare in ultra high resolution without a headset or guide, but a physical interaction with a created world […]
A Fistful of Sisko
In the past few years, Star Trek has made several nods to it's past. But while The NExt Generation and Voyager had their continuations, Deep Space Nine continued to 'black sheep' of the family with it's history and name drops being few and far between. Until Academy when we had an entire episode based around the legend of Starfleet's most complex captains. Starting his show as a widower and single parent, Benjamin Sisko started his time in Star Trek as a reluctant hero turned religious icon who's become a prime figure in Bajoran history, the Federation-Dominion war and much more. If you missed his series, first of.... why?! And also, if you want a quick intro - here's our Sisko top five to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBkvzPoofQ IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT Season 6, Episode 13 Lets […]
Starfleet Academy to with with Season 2
Announced first by Variety, it's been announced that Starfleet Academy will end with Season 2. Having just launches in January with the first season finale receiving positive reactions, and it's second season now in post-production following the completion of filming, the announcement comes at an unsurprising time with Paramount undergoing new ownership under Skydance and more business shenanigans with further consolidation in the works with plans to absorb Warner Brothers into the mix. Set in the 32nd century and using Discovery's season 3 'Burn' storyline as a reset point, Starfleet Academy was focused on new original characters who had signed up to be the new stewards of Starfleet's future to rebuild the strength and vision of the Federation. Opening strong, Academy improved throughout it's first season and used it's setting to help strengthen the hopeful vision of the future and […]
[Retro Review] The Trouble With Tribbles
Space adventures, time travelling madness and the occasional God was standard fare for the original series. But every now and then it dived into a mission of the mundane. Kirk's mission in The Trouble With Tribbles is as dull as it could be and he's hugely aware of it. The Klingon's have popped up again and the people of resupply station K7 want some help guarding a huge shipment of grain. As the Klingons ask for shore leave, they share the station with the Enterprise crew while Kirk tries to keep his cool... For decades now this is one of those episodes that jumped out and added one of the weirdest parts to the Star Trek lore. Tribbles. Introduced by trader Cyrano Jones, the inoffensive little balls of fur catch the attention of Uhura who buys one instantly and takes […]
Inside Trek/Outside Trek: Robert Picardo
The Doctor was a character designed as a stop-gap, a temporary solution in a crisis who would end up developing beyond his limited programming to serve as the only doctor on board the USS Voyager for it's seven years lost in the Delta Quadrant. It seems fitting that the man behind the emitter, Robert Picardo, has since become a larger part of the Star Trek Universe than he ever thought he'd be. Now starring as a main feature on Starfleet Academy, his second live action role, Picardo's Doctor was also a prominent part of both seasons of Star Trek Prodigy and has even man aged to squeeze in appearances as another EMH on board the Enterprise E in First Contact, and as holographic engineer Lewis Zimmerman in Deep Space Nine as well as bringing the character to expanded media including […]
Catch Mir If You Can; ‘300th Night’, Starfleet Academy S1E9
As a viewer, it's been just over two months. For the cadets, it's been 300 days. With time jumps between episodes already mentioned, episode nine ends with the conclusion of the first year at the Academy. Celebrations are being had on campus, friendships solidified and fleeting romances are being revisited. But in the grand scale of the universe, the merlu' is about to hit the fan. Writers: Kirsten Beyer & Kenneth Lin Director: Jonathan Frakes Looking back at the context of the first eight episodes, it's been an oddly even season. Which is quite a rarity in the Star Trek Universe. Journeys have been had. Paths have been walked. Lessons have been learned. And even if it's just been eight episodes to us, it's been a year for the cadets and with how far each has come, it doesn't […]
Related
A Fistful of Sisko
In the past few years, Star Trek has made several nods to it's past. But while The NExt Generation and Voyager had their continuations, Deep Space Nine continued to 'black sheep' of the family with it's history and name drops being few and far between. Until Academy when we had an entire episode based around the legend of Starfleet's most complex captains. Starting his show as a widower and single parent, Benjamin Sisko started his time in Star Trek as a reluctant hero turned religious icon who's become a prime figure in Bajoran history, the Federation-Dominion war and much more. If you missed his series, first of.... why?! And also, if you want a quick intro - here's our Sisko top five to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBkvzPoofQ IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT Season 6, Episode 13 Lets […]
A Fistful of Familiar Surroundings
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. President Forward During the Next Generation multiple set pieces were re-used and recycled from the set pieces built for the film franchise. From the obvious re-use of internal corridors, to smaller pieces such as Dr Crushers office being McCoy's, it's hard for a keen eye to ignore how much the productions shared between them. But as The Next Generation became the dominant forcer with ongoing production and full standing sets, eventually the turn tabled and by the final original cast instalment, it was the TNG stages that became the obvious redress solution. The most jarring of the films set re-uses was the office of the president. As Kirk and McCoy were charged with assassination, a political poop show begins and the Federation […]
A Fistful of New Beginnings
The coming of a new year always comes with a feeling of new beginnings. Whether it's hearing the bells at midnight or planning a list of new years resolutions to forget about by February, the changing of numbers and another year ahead can bring us a sense of starting over. To commemorate another year passing, and the beginning of a new Star Trek milestone, we're kicking off with our usual list looking at five times Star Trek itself was able to give itself a fresh start. GROWING THE BEARD Between the first and second seasons of The Next Generation, things changed. A lot. A lot of the Next Generation was just carrying over from the abandoned Phase II and Roddenberry's constant rewrites led to a very inconsistent start for the show. By the second season things has calmed down a […]
A Fistful of Forgotten Technology
Travelling the stars is a lot more fun when you have engineers who can turn rocks into replicators and scientists who come up with some crazy ideas on a whim and bring some brand new tech into creation to solve this weeks problem. But sometimes you have to wonder what happens to the inventions that didn't last the week.... Borg Again Once upon a time, Neelix died. Then Seven came along, casually unstuffed some Borg probes in him and suddenly he's back to life again. Mortal Coil is an episode that focuses on Neelix's belief and psychological after effects of being dead, even if just briefly, only to experience nothing but his revival. It's a common story throughout all genre's of TV. It's just this time there were nanoprobes to speed up the 'coming back to life' part. Seven's nanoprobes […]
A Fistful of Next Generations
When Paramount was up for sale, everything was on pause., Now things are a little different with new owners, a shake up and a new future ahead. Since the merger everyone with a keyboard has had their idea of what could come next in the Star Trek Universe to tempt Skydance into the next part of the legacy. So we figured.... why not look at a list of ideas too? The Archers Someone's getting their PR out there along with their pitch as the Archer idea seems to have been picked up everywhere with fans who once decried Enterprise clamouring for more Archer! Though Archer's story ended on Enterprise with the formal formation of the Federation, the history of the shows that came after confirmed the 'beta canon' of his next adventures as President of the Federation. With Enterprise ending […]
A Fistful of Sci Fi
Over the past few years we've been spoiled with a dazzling amount of Star Trek on our screens, but with shows coming to an end, the close of Season 3 of Strange New Worlds leaves us impatiently waiting for more! With a bit of time to go until we see season four, and the next live action show Starfleet Academy coming next year, we need some geeky joys to fill the gap! Taking a look around at recent sci fi releases, we've picked the top five from the year to keep us engaged before our return to the Star Trek Universe in 2026. Murderbot Based on the series of books by Martha Wells, Murderbot is stars Alexander Skarsgård as a refurbished security unit who's hacked his safety protocols to gain free will and horrible at hiding that fact. Assigned to […]
