Batshit insane? I’m a bit mystified by all this. To be perfectly honest, I always felt the Kruge typified the 23rd century Klingon, and he has always been one of my favorite antagonists from the entire franchise. He was arrogant, yet cunning, bold to the point of recklessness, brave, and ambitious. Kruge took a gamble by pursuing the Genesis secret, to be sure, but isn’t that the type of courage in the face of overwhelming odds that Klingon society rewards? The captain of a single scout ship heading alone into Federation space to steal the secret of their new superweapon out from under their noses. Accomplish a mission like that, and Kruge would have been hailed a hero of the empire, becoming the subject of stories, songs, and legends.
Kruge attempted to capture the
Grissom, only to have bad luck (or a poor gunner) foul up his initial plans. Failing that, he ambushed the
Enterprise, only realizing too late he’d unwittingly pounced on an elite crew wily enough to perceive his presence through their cloak. Far from admitting defeat, however, Kruge proved smart enough to see through Kirk’s bluff, and utilized the last card he had in his deck, the hostages on the planet.
When it became clear that he’d killed Kirk’s son, Kruge was honorable enough to give Kirk extra time to grieve and (in Kruge's mind) to save face in front of his crew, time that Kirk then used to turn the tables. After Kruge’s boarding party was killed by the
Enterprise’s destruction, he opted to beam down to the planet to take Kirk on face-to-face. Again, honorable by Klingon standards, and in actuality, probably the only way to redeem himself after the loss of most of his crew.
I never perceived any of Kruge’s actions as being irrational or against the grain of established Klingon behavior. Maybe it’s just me?
