Summary
The Klingon Empire is one ofStar Trek’s weirdest alien civilizations, if only because its characterizationhas changed so drasticallyover the years.The Original Seriesdepicted the Klingons as scheming and duplicitous, while later shows likeStar Trek: The Next Generationtransformed the Empire into an honor-bound society of warriors. However, the prequel seriesStar Trek: Enterpriseattempted to explain this discrepancy with a plot about genetic engineering, suggesting that mutations had caused the Klingons' appearances and mindsets to change.
Whatever the case, the Klingons are, for the most part, one ofStar Trek’s more honorable species. Nonetheless, despite their rigid beliefs, there are times when the old duplicity of the Klingons resurfaces — often with dramatic results.
While many fans discountStar Trek: The Animated Series, the show has its moments. In “The Time Trap”, theEnterprisebecomes stranded in a Bermuda Triangle-like region of space, and Kirk must ally with a Klingon ship in order to escape.
However, the Klingons plan to betray their Federation allies, and plant a bomb aboard the USSEnterprise. While this behavior isstandard for Klingons of the era, it is particularly underhand because it is an act of betrayal—neither Kirk nor the Klingons can escape without the other’s help, and the Klingons appear willing to risk their own safety to deliver a sneaky backstab.
Star Trek Generationsis notable for bringing back several members ofThe Original Series' cast, with a particular emphasis onWilliam Shatner’s James T. Kirk. It also draws onThe Next Generationby integrating the characters of the Duras Sisters, recurring villains in the series. The sisters use a bug planted in Geordi’s visor to learn theEnterprise-D’s vulnerabilities, allowing them to launch a sneak attack on the ship.
The destruction of theGalaxy-class starship is a significant blow both to the crew and the Federation as a whole, and the lack of warning or a formal declaration of hostilities makes the ambush distinctly dishonorable behavior. However, given the actions of House Duras throughoutThe Next Generation, the sisters' actions are hardly surprising.
While the Romulan attack on the Klingon colony of Khitomer is never shown duringThe Next Generation, the massacre forms the backdrop to several key events and character arcs.Worf is one of the few survivorsof the massacre, and his father is blamed for betraying the Empire by allowing the Romulans to attack. It is eventually determined that Worf’s father is not to blame, but the Empire decides to continue the lie in order to avoid exposing the powerful House Duras.
The Khitomer Massacre displays Klingon dishonor on several levels: House Duras' initial collaboration to the detriment of the Klingon Empire is an act of dishonorable trickery, while the wider Empire’s willingness to cover up the truth for the sake of political expediency demonstrates how the Klingons are complicit in their own debasement.
Deep Space 9’s Dominion War arc sawthe forces of the Federation Alliance(the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans) attempting to halt the ceaseless advance of the Dominion and its allies, such as the Breen and Cardassians. Many Klingons recognized the potential of the conflict as a way to earn honorable reputations, but this became a burden for General Martok, whose success against the Dominion caused the Empire’s leader, Chancellor Gowron, to resent him.
Gowron feared that Martok would become more popular than him and, thus, emerge as a leadership rival. He ordered Martok to undertake several suicide missions in the hope that the tide of public opinion would turn against Martok when he inevitably failed. This ploy not only threatened the Federation Alliace’s victory, but exposed the corruption at the highest levels of Klingon culture.
WhileStar Trek: Discoveryremains a divisive series among fans, it does demonstrate a clear example of Klingon dishonor in its opening episodes.The Klingon T’Kuvmahopes to unify the disparate houses of the Klingon Empire by engineering a war with the Federation, and resorts to sabotaging a relay satellite in order to provoke a Starfleet response.
T’Kuvma’s plan is a success, albeit one which results in his death, and the Klingon Empire unifies to wage war against the Federation. However, the manipulative nature of T’Kuvma’s scheme can hardly be described as honorable: rather than parlay with the Federation to reach a compromise, he used underhand tactics to trigger a devastating conflict that claimed the lives of millions.
3The Klingon–Cardassian War
Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Deep Space 9may be best known for featuring the Dominion War, but this major conflict is preceded by the Klingon–Cardassian War, a conflictpartly engineered by the Dominionin order to weaken the Alpha and Beta Quadrants prior to their own invasion. However, while the Founders must take some blame for the war, Klingon greed also played a major role in the conflict’s genesis.
Worf admits that the Klingons are tired of peace and are looking for an excuse to fight. After all, they are a race of warriors and must be allowed to demonstrate this. The Klingon–Cardassain War exposes the paradox at the heart of Klingon culture: its warriors are often forced to commit unethical and dishonorable actions, such as an unprovoked attack on the Cardassian Union, in order to achieve the honor they prize above everything else.
2The Romulan–Duras Alliance
Star Trek: The Next Generation
House Duras is, without a doubt, the Klingon Empire’s most devious family. Perhaps their most sneaky scheme occurs in “Redemption”, in whichthey forge an alliance with the Romulansin an attempt to overthrow the Klingon Chancellor, Gowron. This alliance plunges the Klingon Empire into a civil war until an investigation by the Federation determines that the Duras faction is being supported by the Romulans, the Klingons' enemies.
The Duras are willing to sell out their own people to their worst enemies to improve their own positions within the Empire. Indeed, despite the Klingon Empire’s focus on honorable actions, the schemes of House Duras show just how far its citizens are willing to bend the rules for personal gain.
There are times when the Klingons' dishonorable tendencies undermine their own success. Followingthe destruction of the vital moon PraxisinStar Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country, the Empire turns to the Federation for support. However, not everyone in the Klingon Empire supports this course of action, and several Klingons are involved in a conspiracy to destroy the peace talks.
The backstabbing General Chang orchestrates the assassination of the Federation-friendly Chancellor Gorkon and blames the crime on Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy. This lie is not only dishonorable but threatens the survival of the entire Klingon Empire.
