Of all the alien species thatStar Trekcreated in its nearly 60-year history, theKlingons have been redefinedthe most frequently. In the Klingons' first appearance inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 26, “Errand of Mercy”, Klingon leader Kor (John Colicos) was a military strategist hungry for a “glorious” war, and a narrative foil to Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) more diplomatic approach.Colicos' portrayal of Kor set the standard for the Klingons inStar Trek: The Original Seriesas tyrannical, warmongering adversaries without honor, compared to the integrity of Starfleet officers.
Starfleet’s narrow view of their Klingon enemies seemed to contradictStar Trek’s message of inclusivity and understanding all life, especially those different from us, butStar Trek: The Original Seriesneeded an ongoing adversary. The Klingons' simpler makeup (at the time) was more cost-effective than outfitting every Romulan with their own set of pointy ears, so furtherKlingon appearances inStar Trek: The Original Seriesmade Klingons a franchise staple.AsStar Trekevolved, so did the Klingons, as they gained a signature look and a more developed culture.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) & Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek’s TOS Movies Hinted At Future Klingon Changes
The first major change toStar Trek’s Klingons came inStar Trek: The Motion Picture, whenadvanced makeup technology and a bigger budget gave Klingons the alien appearance they were always meant to have.Star Trek:The Motion Picturealso gave us the first lines ofdialogue spoken in the Klingon language, which would eventually evolve into the fully-fledged constructed language it is today.
Star Trek’s 10 Greatest Klingons
Star Trek has many great Klingon characters from Kor to Worf and Kruge to Torres. But who are the best Klingon warriors that Qo’noS has to offer?
Starfleet’s ongoing encounters withStar Trek: The Original Series’Klingons were a thinly-veiled allegory for the United States' Cold War with the Soviet Union. Nowhere was that more apparent than inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, released in 1991, whenwarming relations between the USA and Russia were reflected in the Federation’s treaty with the Klingon Empire.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
Michael Dorn’s Lt. Commander Worf Provides An Insider Look At Klingons
Star Trek: The Next Generationpromised a different take on Klingons right from the start, with the simple addition of Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) as the firstKlingon in Starfleet.Through Worf’s eyes, audiences get their first glimpses of Klingon culture from an insider’s perspective— with a caveat. Raised on Earth by human parents, Worf’s rigid, academic take on his own people sometimes failed to account for just how nuanced the complicated politics of the Klingon Empire’s great Houses can be.
Legendary Klingon hero Kahless the Unforgettable (Robert Herron), first seen as a tyrant inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 3, episode 22 “The Savage Curtain”, was given a messianic backstory more in line with the 1980s treatment of Klingons inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 6, episode 23, “Rightful Heir”, when a clone of Kahless (Kevin Conway) was made Emperor.
Star Trek VI’s Khitomer Accords opened the door forStar Trek: The Next Generation’s Klingons being depicted as people with a different moral imperative, instead of an inscrutable enemy to be feared. WriterRonald D. Moore’sStar Trekepisodesestablished important cornerstones of Klingon culture that have carried through modernStar Trekshows, from the first look at the Klingon homeworld, Qo’noS, to fleshing out the concept of Klingons being honor-bound warriors, eager to die in battle and receive their rewards in Sto-vo-kor.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
Klingon Culture Is More Than Just War
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineheld a critical lens to the new version of Klingon culture thatStar Trek: The Next Generationestablished, withdeep dives that reflected a Klingon society rich with legends, history, and customs. Prior toWorf’s addition toDS9’s castin season 4, the station’s link to Klingon culture was Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), who inherited Curzon Dax’s interest in Klingon culture. Worf and Dax’s relationship revealed much more about Klingon romantic customs, from their courtship to their traditional Klingon wedding.
WhenStar Trek: Deep Space Ninetraveled back in time toStar Trek: The Original Series, Worf’s “we do not speak of it with outsiders” served as a perfectly sufficient explanation for the change in Klingons' appearance. The fact that threeStar Trek: The Original SeriesKlingons appeared inStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewith cranial ridges also seemed to imply they were always supposed to look like that.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Klingons had breadth as well as depth, likeGeneral Martok (J.G. Hertzler)rising from humble origins to become Chancellor of the Empire, and evoking the heroes of legend by representing the best of Klingon ideals. Non-warrior Klingons appeared, like the Promenade’s Klingon restaurateur. Lawyer Ch’Pok (Ron Canada) approached his case like a battle inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 4, episode 18, “Rules of Engagement”, and Grilka (Mary Kay Adams) revealed inequalities in Klingon customs. Even John Colicos returned as Kor, aTOSrelic given surprising depth inStar Trek’s new age.
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)
First Contact & The Klingon Augment Virus
Star Trek: EnterpriseestablishedEarth’s disastrous First Contact with Klingonsin its premiere episode, “Broken Bow”, when Klingon courier Klaang (Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Jr.) crash-landed on Earth. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) volunteered the NX-01 Enterprise to deliver Klaang back to Qo’noS alive, not understanding that doing so dishonored Klaang and insulted the Empire, according to Klingon custom.The misunderstandings that arose from cultural differences between Klingons and humans resulted in decades of war, previously established inStar Trek: The Original Series.
The Klingon Augment Virus became an epidemic that resulted in smooth-headed Klingons.
In its later seasons,Star Trek: Enterprisesought to explain discrepancies betweenStar Trek: The Original Seriesand everything that came afterward, including why the Klingons looked so different.Star Trek: Enterpriseseason 4, episode 15, “Affliction”, and episode 16, “Divergence”, explained thatKlingon scientists had tried to create their own versions of genetically-enhanced Augmentsbased on the DNA of human Augments. When the Augment DNA merged with the Levodian flu, the Klingon Augment Virus became an epidemic that resulted in smooth-headed Klingons.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Meaner, Nastier Klingons
Taking place in an alternate timeline meant thatStar Trek’s Kelvin Timeline movieswere necessarily different from the 23rd century that had been previously established. The more militant Federation inStar Trek Into Darknessand the fact that the Klingons were still Federation enemies meant thatthe Kelvin Timeline’s Klingons were more secretive than those we’d come to know in the Prime Timeline.
Zoe Saldaña’s Nyota Uhura is instrumental in the Enterprise’s mission to Qo’noS for her knowledge of the Klingon language, marking a positive change from the Prime Timeline, since Nichelle Nichols' Uhura struggled with Klingon inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Just asStar Trek: The Motion Picture’s better budget and makeup enhancedTOS' Klingons,Star Trek Into Darknessfurther pushed the design of Klingons from what they’d been in theTNGera. The Kelvin Timeline Klingons' sharper cranial ridges, bulkier frames, and hairlessness would go on to inspire the controversial Klingon redesign inStar Trek: Discovery.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)
Star Trek Rewrites Klingon Culture
With the dawn of a new era forStar Trekcame another huge change for Klingons. Taking place at a time when hostilities erupted into all-out war,Star Trek: Discoveryseason 1’s Klingon storylines focused on war and political machinations within a broken Klingon Empire, as Klingon priestess L’Rell (Mary Chieffo) sought to control and unite the Klingon Empire through prophesied torchbearer Voq (Shazad Latif). Other castes of Klingon society, including non-warrior Houses, were given representation in the council.
Star Trek: Discovery Actor Explains Controversial Klingons Were “An Ancient Sect Of Outcasts”
Mary Chieffo played Chancellor L’Rell on Star Trek: Discovery, and she explains why Discovery’s Klingons looked different from previous versions.
Of course,Star Trek: Discovery’s biggest change to the Klingonswas the redesign. After countless hours with Worf andTNG-style Klingons,fans weren’t pleased with the direction thatDiscovery’s makeup team took in reimagining Klingons. Returning Klingon characters sported longer hairstyles inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, making them closer to more familiar Klingons, butStar Trek: Discoveryavoided Klingons altogether after that.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–Present)
All Three Klingon Variants Exist Simultaneously
Without any explanation,Star Trek: Strange New Worldswent back to theStar Trek: The Next Generationversion of Klingon makeup, suggesting that thesemore familiar Klingons were a variant that existed alongsideStar Trek: Discovery’s uber-Klingons as well asStar Trek: The Original Series' Augment Klingons.Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 8, “Under the Cloak of War”, shows just how brutal the Federation’s Klingon War was, and explains why anti-Klingon sentiment lingered so long among humans.
Why Star Trek’s First Musical Picked K-Pop Over Klingon Opera Explained By Songwriters
The songwriters for Strange New Worlds' musical episode explain why their Klingon opera scene was cut in favor of an “audacious” k-pop version.
The Klingons are undoubtedly one of the most memorable alien species inStar Trek, and for good reason. The redefinition of Klingon characters and culture throughoutStar Trek’s history shows a society that becomes more understandable the more it’s explored.Star Trek’s Klingons aren’t hateful by nature, but deeply passionate,with a rich culture that was keenly misunderstood inStar Trek: The Original Seriesbecause it was viewed through a human lens. The evolution of the Klingons teaches that greatStar Treklesson, to approach others with curiosity instead of hostility, in hopes of reaching understanding.
