Star Trek Fan Collective - Klingon

The Klingon Empire was founded some time in the 9th century by Kahless the Unforgettable, who performed many heroic feats including the unification of the Klingon people when he killed the tyrant Molor. Kahless came to be revered in Klingon society to the point of near-deification, and many aspects of Klingon culture came to revolve around an emulation of Kahless' life. (TNG: "Rightful Heir").

According to an early draft of "Rightful Heir", Data gave the exact date of Kahless's death as 1,547 years ago (from 2369), or AD 822. Also according to DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire", that the Earth calendar year of 2373 coincides with the year of Kahless 999.

The warrior ethos had been an important aspect of Klingon society since the time of Kahless, but the warrior aspects became much more dominant beginning in the early 22nd century. Previously, Klingon society was regarded as socially balanced, but over time the warrior caste gained greater prominence, to the point where the Klingons widely came to be regarded as a "warrior race." (ENT: "Broken Bow", "Judgment")

Because of their aggressive outlook, the Klingons generally had poor relations with other races after they began to move out into space. Because the worlds of the Klingon Empire were resource-poor, the Klingons developed an intense belief in the need for expansion and conquest in order to survive. The Klingons' relationship with Humans and the Federation was rocky at best. Following the disastrous First Contact between Klingons and Humans, tense rivalries and unavoidable conflicts often developed between the two races. (TNG: "First Contact"),

Klingon society was extremely complex. Before its decline in the mid 22nd century and again in late 23rd century Klingon society was based on a feudal system organized around traditional Great Houses of noble lineage, to which various parts of the population owed fealty.

The Great Houses are traditionally represented in the Klingon High Council, which is led by a Chancellor.

Males traditionally dominated public life in the Empire, assuming the leading roles in politics and the military with only rare exceptions. Klingon society functioned through a system of family reputation and honor.

Ritual was a very important element in Klingon society. While the Klingons were not a religious people as such, they did believe that deities existed at one time. Once a Klingon died, the spirit was considered to have exited the body, leaving behind a worthless shell to be disposed of. In the Klingon death ritual, it was traditional for those on hand to howl into the sky as a warning to the afterlife that a Klingon warrior was about to arrive. In some cases a funeral dirge was sung in memory of the deceased, or friends sat with the body to protect it from predators, a practice known as ak'voh.

Furthermore, a Klingon who was unable to fight, and hence is unable to live as a warrior anymore, had the traditional obligation of committing the hegh'bat, which was the Klingon ritual suicide. Tradition dictated that the eldest son or a close personal friend must assist. That person's role was to hand the dying Klingon a knife so that he can plunge it into his heart, remove it, and then wipe the blood on his own sleeve.

The Klingon afterlife was supposedly divided into two branches. The dishonored were taken to Gre'thor aboard the Barge of the Dead, a vessel captained by Kortar, the first Klingon. Kortar was supposedly the one who had originally killed the gods who created him and was condemned to ferry the dishonored to Gre'thor as a punishment.

Those who die honorably supposedly went to Sto-vo-kor, where Kahless was said to await them. However, should a noble warrior die in a manner that might not merit a place in Sto-vo-kor, such as being assassinated in a surprise attack, he may still earn a place if others dedicate a great battle to his name, thus showing that he has earned respect among the living.

Klingons were introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series, and first appeared in the episode "Errand of Mercy". At the time, they appeared as fairly ordinary Humans with heavy makeup and mustaches (although their appearance changed even within the original series, with dark makeup and heavy eyebrows being the norm, but the Klingons of "The Trouble with Tribbles" being much lighter-skinned and Human-like in appearance). Beginning with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, improved makeup techniques and bigger budgets led to their present elaborate forehead designs.

Star Trek Fans voted online for their favorite Klingon episodes form the Star Trek television series, which resulted in Star Trek: Fan Collective - Klingon This is an excellent collection covering Trek lore about the Klingons from "Enterprise" through to "Voyager".

What is great about this set is that the most important episodes are united in a way that is easy to access. Here, in a quick longitudinal way, the viewer can witness the evolution of the crucial parts of the Klingon evolution from the original series through TNG and other series.

One of the greatest things that TNG did was to transform Klingons from simple evil enemies into a highly complex culture that is at a watershed: evolve and become part of the intergalactic community, or simply fall into the old patterns of fighting. These themes are wonderful and deep, played by truly excellent actors and quite spell-binding in their drama. This is the best that I have ever seen on TV.

What is great about this set is that the most important episodes are united in a way that is easy to access. Here, in a quick longitudinal way, the viewer can witness the evolution of the crucial parts of the Klingon evolution from the original series through TNG and other series.

Enterprise: Broken Bow. Captain Archer and the new crew of Enterprise are charged with returning a Klingon with information that could avert a war. The Sooliban an alien speices involved with a temporal war has been charged with stopping Archer and killing the Klingon.

Star Trek The Original Series: Errand of Mercy.
Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are trapped on an alien world of pacificist by invading Klingons where they were trying to convince the aliens to join the Federation. Kirk and Spock use terrorist tactics to try and create a revolt among the aliens not knowing that they have their own agenda.

The Trouble with Tribbles: Klingons show up at a space station where the Enterprise is protecting a grain shipment. The Klingons and the Enterprise crew come into conflict on the station while Kirk has to figure out how to best protect the important grain shipment.

A Matter of Honor. Commander Riker serves on a Klingon ship as part of an officer exchange program. When the captain of the Pagh suspects that the Enterprise deliberately infected his ship with a corrosive bacteria he decides to attack Enterprise.

Sins of the Father: Enterprise receives a Klingon exchange officer who claims to be Worf's brother. He tells Worf that their name is about to shamed and that their deceased father is to be labeled a traitor for the massacre at Khitomer. Worf must turn to Captain Picard to be his advocate with the Klingon High Counsel to save his honor.

Redemption Parts 1 & 2: Two the best Next Gen episodes featuring the Klingons, this two part episode serves as sequels to "Sins of the Father". Worf's family was discommendated by the Klingon High Counsel. When the new emperor Gowron insists on Federation involvement Picard turns him down he refuses to help restore Worf's family name. Civil War breaks out among the Klingons and Worf elects to serve with Gowron and battle the faction trying to take down Gowron.

"The Way of the Warrior","The Sword of Kahless", "Trials and Tribble-ations".

Three strong episodes from DS9 the last one is a whimsical visit to "Star Trek: The Original Series" where the crew of the Defiant must travel back in time to stop a Klingon saboteur from changing history in the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles".