Klingon Sash

Why don't we see any other Klingons wearing sashes like Worf to denote their houses?

For example in Soldiers of the Empire none of the Klingons aboard the Klingon ship are wearing sashes. Why? The writers even go out of their way to explain why Worf isn't going to wear his sash at the beginning of the episode (because the house of mogh doesn't exist anymore so it would be pointless in front of klingons) but that doesn't explain why we don't see any other sashes.

Correct me if I'm wrong, perhaps I'm forgetting something, but I don't remember any other sashes on klingons in ds9. Except maybe Gowron once or twice.

 

He wore it in Redemption over his Klingon uniform.

 

Worf is a Klingon nobleman. It's quite likely that the sash is one of the signs of nobility. Martok became a nobleman, so that's why he'd wear a sash on occasion. However, the bulk of the Klingon forces would be "commoners."

Plus, on a ship, you have the clear chain of command, and family rank wouldn't matter inside the crew (your visitors might still want to show off, though).

 

Martok wore a baldric after he became chancellor, though it's a little tricky to see with all his other armor.

Typically, I think the baldric was just a clothing choice often used to hold the seal of one's house, though not symbolic in an of itself. (I suppose like certain military and scouting organizations)

I seem to recall Martok keeping the seal of his house on his arm prior to becoming chancellor, Sirella kept hers on her neck, and when Grilka arrived on the station, Worf said he didn't recognize which house she was from by her crest, though she wasn't wearing a baldric in the scene. (Her dress and sort of a sash element toward the top, but no seal was visible.)

I imagine in Worf's case, allowing the sash to sport the seal of his house was one of those cultural allowances authorized by one's commanding officer, like headskirts for Ferengi, earrings for Bajorans, or cleavage for Betazoids.

 

I agree. I've always hoped that if a Romulan character became a series regular that he or she would be allowed to wear an honor blade with the Starfleet uniform, or at least keep it displayed in crew quarters as Worf did his bat'leth. Come to think of it, has anyone ever seen an honor blade? I've only read about them, but have never seen one on screen.

 

This noncanon concept is cool enough, but alas, it seems that no sword prop was ever used in TOS or TNG as part of the Romulan sets or worn by the Romulan characters...

Of course, this is largely due to there being so few Romulan sets and characters, compared with Klingon ones; there simply was very little demand for Romulan props of any sort. Perhaps Commander Tomalak did have a blade, carried under his hideously ill-fitting jacket or displayed in his very private cabin?

It's difficult to see where the female Romulan commander from "The Enterprise Incident" could have hidden a blade, though.

Timo Saloniemi

 

Worf was someone who grew up outside the empire - he thought it was normal to wear the sash but looked like a redneck throwback to other Klingons.

 

I know only that the honor blade may be worn as part of the Romulan dress uniform. Commander Donatra is seen brandishing her weapon in the Titan novel Taking Wing. No discription of the weapon is provided, however, so I have no idea what it looks like.

That hasn't stopped me from thinking about it. Perhaps the blade has a microscopic cloaking device attached to it to conceal its presence.

--Sran

 

She probably keeps it in her thigh highs.

 

Not sure if they're big enough.

--Sran

 

Her thighs?

 

Perhaps it isn't the sash that's important but the family emblem on it, and the other Klingons were simply wearing their emblems somewhere other than a sash.

 

Is that Jem'hadar solider playing a banjo in the background?

 

--Sran

 

He was told that he wouldn't receive his next ration of white until he memorized the tune of Green Acres.

--Sran

 

An honor blade cannot wound if it's cloaked.

--Sran

 

Dueling bat'leths.