Season 2 Klingons

Discussion in 'Star Trek - The Original & Animated Series' started by Carl West, Apr 9, 2012.

  1. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    It wasn't just a matter of appearance. The characterization of the Season 2 Klingons was...less than inspired.

    Oh, hell, they stank. Despite the popularity of "The Trouble With Tribbles" I think William Campbell made for a shitty Klingon. There was no menace or edge to him whatsoever. I can only say in his defence that the other Klingons of Season 2 were even worse.

    Seriously the only good Klingons in TOS were Kor and Kang. The rest supporting them were sufficient window dressing, but Season 2's just stank.
     
  2. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    All caucasian humans look alike to him. ;)
     
  3. Yevetha

    Yevetha Commodore

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    Did we ever see an albino klingon in any Trek work?

    I think it would be awesome.
     
  4. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    "the Albino" from DS9 might have been an albino Klingon.
     
  5. Yevetha

    Yevetha Commodore

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    Yes, but he was not really a white klingon.
     
  6. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Albinos don't have to be white, simply "without melanin", meaning that a human albino, who has red blood, will seemingly have pink eyes; the lack of melanin colouring in his irises will allow the colour of the red blood cells to show through. Same with finger nails and toenails. The red blood will provide some colour to the pale complexion. Similarly, the hair will usually be white. Theoretically, an albino Vulcan would have pale green eyes. An albino Andorian probably pale blue (although the very pale blue Aenar sub-species had white, sightless eyes).

    DS9's "The Albino" was extremely pale for a Klingon. We don't know what colour his blood was.

    The first run of DC comics also featured Moron, later called Bernie, and he was described as a dwarf albino Klingon/human halfbreed. He later become known as Ambassador Kobry in the TNG novel, "Strike Zone", although his image on the novel's cover wasn't as pale as he hasd been in the comics.
     
  7. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    We don't know what he was, but he shared many Klingon characteristics.

    Anyway, just imagine a Klingon with pale blonde/white hair and pale skin. Not sure how "awesome" that would be or why. My sister is an albino, it doesn't make her awesome, though she is awesome for other reasons. (Though,given her eyesight problems she'd make a horrible assassin. ;) )
     
  8. BoredShipCapt'n

    BoredShipCapt'n Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    At least he wasn't a white Comanche.

    [​IMG]

    Death to the pale-eyes!
     
  9. Wingsley

    Wingsley Commodore Commodore

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    I thought about this, and it made me consider some points:

    1: The Federation and the Klingon Empire, particularly the planet Earth and the Klingons, were rival powers. The Organians preempted a war. From that point on, there were schemes and counter-schemes, but the conflicting parties were more rivals with a grudging respect for each other than "I'm out to destroy you" enemies. The rivalry seemed to take the form of only occasional ship-to-ship pitch battles; it was more like espionage. (Witness "Elaan of Troyus". The Klingon attack ship tried to provoke the Enterprise into blowing herself up before engaging in direct attack.) Even Kor, when it seemed like war was imminent, said "I respect you, Captain, but, this is war."

    2: What's wrong with the Klingon Empire being a multi-racial society, with some Klingons being light-skinned, some being dark, and some having the tire-tread heads? What's wrong with that? When I saw the winter-truck-tire heads in TMP, I was only mildly impressed. (I admit, I'm probably in the minority on this point.) After all, the Empire must encompass multiple worlds, right? Maybe not all Klingons came from the same planet. I actually think the Berman & Co. idea that the Klingons became human-like as the result of a human genetic mutation virus was far cheesier than anything else in TOS or since. Berman & Co. "corrected" a "problem" that need not be remediated.


    3: Witness Tuvok and Commander Sirol. If the Vulcans and Romulans can have multiple races within a single species, why can't the Klingons?

    4: William Campbell's Koloth and Michael Pataki's Korax were characters that appeared in a comical context. The story shapes our view of Koloth and Korax. If John Colicos had appeared as Kor in place of Campbell, Kor would have been part of a comical story. (Making him a menace would never have worked... why would Kirk have allowed him shore leave if he were a threat?) Had Kor appeared on K-7, fans might see the character in a different light now. (Can you imagine Koloth's lines coming out of Kor?)

    5: The only problem I see with Tige Andrews as Kras in "Friday's Child" was that the beard with no mustache makes him look like an Amishman. That and maybe someone who gets a Capellan kligat in the chest probably isn't going to be able to cry out before dying. Other than that, Kras comes across as a credible Klingon in a story about rival interstellar powers each trying to "win" Capella for its minerals. Under the Organian Peace Treaty, that's all they can be.
     
  10. Wingsley

    Wingsley Commodore Commodore

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    6: Oh, and let's not forget Krell, the Klingon agent in "A Private Little War". Krell definitely did not fit the unflattering description of TOS Year #2 Klingons mentioned in this thread. The only thing unflattering about Krell was that awful Conway Twitty hair. :)
     
  11. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    They still stank. They had no presence whatsoever. They were just ciphers, cardboard cut-outs.
     
  12. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    Bah! You haven't really heard Conway Twitty, unless you've heard him in the original Klingon.
     
  13. BoredShipCapt'n

    BoredShipCapt'n Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That's why I prefer to think the Klingons were originally human-like and then interbred with some type of crustaceans.
     
  14. Wingsley

    Wingsley Commodore Commodore

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    Despite ENT's virus approach, I prefer to think that the Klingon Empire evolved from a military association of multiple worlds, populated by different hominid species.

    I prefer to set aside the Klingon archetype that evolved from TMP forward. To me, it resembled a vague caricature of General Urko from the PLANET OF THE APES TV series. Way too cheesy. (Which is why I regard the disparaging sentiments in this thread to be ironic.)
     
  15. Ryan Thomas Riddle

    Ryan Thomas Riddle Vice Admiral Admiral

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    What Bob Justman had to say on the subject is something fan films should take to heart. There's a tendency in fan films toward "small universe" mentality. Particularly, STAR TREK: PHASE II. It's stretching credulity by having Kirk continuously running into the same Klingon commander, Karagh, in their episodes.
     
  16. YARN

    YARN Fleet Captain

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    I'll take TOS Klingons over "modern" Klingons any day of the week.

    TOS Klingons were cruel, cunning, manipulative, and cold. TMP Klingons are infighting buffoons.
     
  17. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    :techman:
     
  18. Hartzilla2007

    Hartzilla2007 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, but its nice to have a recurring antogonist.
     
  19. BoredShipCapt'n

    BoredShipCapt'n Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    And yet Kirk and Koloth seemed to have met before Tribbles. It may not have been explicit, but they seemed to greet each other like old adversaries.
     
  20. Maurice

    Maurice Snagglepussed Admiral

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    I don't like recurring antagonists in this context. It's small universe thinking.