A Klingon contradiction?
- Thread starter Frontis
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I'll hold onto it until your six week probation period is up.I'm handing it in!
ENT had established that, not all that long before the 2150's, Klingon culture was much different. They weren't always a barbaric, war obsessed people... they have a caste system, but it was eventually just overrun by the warriors and they took over all the power and drove Klingon society to that.
Despite that, we DO see Klingons who aren't just barbaric warriors. It's not super often, but we do see some scientists.
I don't think there's a contradiction at all.
ENT establishes that humans tend to develop faster than most other races. It took the Vulcans like, milennia to go from Warp 1 to Warp 5. Humans did it in a century... and might have done it faster if the Vulcans weren't trying to roadblock them.
ENT ALSO establishes that while the Klingons are much more advanced than Earth, the Vulcans and Andorians are roughly at the same tech level.
By the time of TOS, that's another century for humans to quickly develop, coupled with the fact that Earth is now allied with other powers who of a similar technology level to the Klingons.
That is probably my favorite maneuver in all of Trek!
I think my favourite Klingons aren't the generals and conquerors, they're the lawyers, diplomats and politicians we see from time to time. Something about all that Kahless-invoking, bat'leth-swinging warrior energy going into one of the more verbal battlefields is always a show I'm there for!!
Well, Klingons started off as brutal, totalitarian analogs of the Soviets. They were crafty, devious and clever. And the Soviets managed a few tech achievements. Their science was on par with the West in many areas. The 80s and 90s made those types of Klingons “outdated “ (TUC sort of brought them back). TNG brought in the Samurai/Viking/Biker Klingons with their songs, wine and honor. Contrast Kor in Errand of Mercy with Kor in DS9.
Well despite appearances, the Federation isn’t just Earth. I doubt the Vulcans, Tellerites and Andorians were willing to take a technological step backwards to keep the Humans happy. I think all those races were on par or even above the Klingons tech wise pre Federation. The Feds and the Klingons have always been equals.
Yes, this. Andy Weir (author of The Martian) wrote an amazing story in Project Hail Mary. Without spoiling too much, main character meets up with an alien species with a language he doesn't understand. They're both spacefaring, and both on a mission to solve the same problem, but the main character is shocked to learn that the alien and their species has no understanding of the concept of radiation. So then the question is posed, that if they're as technologically advanced as they are and able to travel to space, how come they don't have knowledge about radiation? They've never had cause to worry about it because they've never come across it for any length of time, and they're normally a resilient alien species. It's a beautiful way of showing that even as we arrive to the same goals, the road to getting there is full of different experiences.
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