As long as they explain the change and attempt to tie it in with the look of the Klingons in TOS, I'll be okay with it, unless they have blue skin and antennae
Klingon change for season 2?
- Thread starter Roald
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One more thing that bears repeating, which many here seem to forget about the ENT Augment virus story—especially when they speak of DSC being "incompatible" with it—is that it never actually suggested that all Klingons would be affected by it, and moreover did explicitly suggest that those who were would (for a time, at least) be considered outcasts by the Empire.
-MMoM
-MMoM
the outcasts had to go all the way to K-7 for a drinkOne more thing that bears repeating, which many here seem to forget about the ENT Augment virus story—especially when they speak of DSC being "incompatible" with it—is that it never actually suggested that all Klingons would be affected by it, and moreover did explicitly suggest that those who were would (for a time, at least) be considered outcasts by the Empire.
-MMoM
And it was suggested that those who were affected would probably seek cranial reconstruction surgery so that the effects wouldn't be visible anymore.One more thing that bears repeating, which many here seem to forget about the ENT Augment virus story—especially when they speak of DSC being "incompatible" with it—is that it never actually suggested that all Klingons would be affected by it, and moreover did explicitly suggest that those who were would (for a time, at least) be considered outcasts by the Empire.
-MMoM
Kor
But, I thought the writers of DSC didn't care about such minor details of continuity?One more thing that bears repeating, which many here seem to forget about the ENT Augment virus story—especially when they speak of DSC being "incompatible" with it—is that it never actually suggested that all Klingons would be affected by it, and moreover did explicitly suggest that those who were would (for a time, at least) be considered outcasts by the Empire.
-MMoM
Some of them, anyway. (Probably those who could afford or otherwise earn it, like great Dahar masters who fought the mighty Kirk, and lived to tell the tale.
)And who was going to look into that? None other than Antaak (of House Antaak?), who further implied a prior history of Klingons disguising themselves as other species in order to infiltrate and spy on them!
-MMoM
They did say that they didn't like some things in Enterprise did.But, I thought the writers of DSC didn't care about such minor details of continuity?
Just because they dislike them doesn't necessarily mean they're ignoring them (not that you said they were). I dislike the Augment story myself. But I don't ignore it, least of all on that basis.
-MMoM
I believe Enterprise's idea was that there would always be Augment virus Klingons and normal Klingons side by side until a cure was found for Kor, Kang, Koloth and the other Augment virus Klingons sometime between TOS/TAS and DS9.
That TOS/TAS just always happened to feature Augment virus Klingons and all other shows happening to feature normal Klingons can always just be written off as a bizarre coincidence.
Literally the only thing that could break this arrangement now is if Kor, Kang, or Koloth showing up on Discovery with ridges.
That TOS/TAS just always happened to feature Augment virus Klingons and all other shows happening to feature normal Klingons can always just be written off as a bizarre coincidence.
Literally the only thing that could break this arrangement now is if Kor, Kang, or Koloth showing up on Discovery with ridges.
Sure, but equally, we needn't assume that all the humanlike Klingons we've seen are purely the result of the Augment virus alone. (Indeed, Tyler clearly isn't, and neither was Arne Darvin.) Personally, I'd prefer to have the situation back the way it was left by "Trials and Tribble-ations" (DS9), and keep it that way, with the difference explicitly acknowledged, and multiple potential explanations that aren't mutually exclusive of one another implied. Leave enough ambiguity that viewers and future writers can choose which they prefer on a case by case basis; or equally, not choose. Let it remain something we have some tantalizingly limited insight into, but can't quite pin down definitively. To me it seems they've already gone a fair ways toward this end...we'll see what their next move is soon enough. Maybe they will indeed come up with a "definitive" answer to the riddle, or maybe not. Perhaps it will be a satisfying one, or perhaps not. I have a totally open mind on the subject at this point.
In any case, I'd caution that as things stand, we might well take care not to presume too much as to what exactly is "normal" for Klingons in any particular period, if there even is such a thing, as we have somewhat...conflicting reports. But conflicting observations are not necessarily contradictory, nor are contradictory ones necessarily incompatible, so long as there are parts of the big picture that we don't have. And there's always room for those. Or ought to be, IMO.
Even then, we could always say they tried one "cure" and it didn't stick, so later they tried another that did. Or invent another scenario entirely. Continuity is far more bendable and far less breakable than many fear. (Or hope, for that matter, if that's one's thing instead.)
-MMoM
The same way they explain the many different looking humans....iow they don't need to. Why humanity has to be only diverse race in the universe?
In all fairness, the phenotypic diversity of Klingons shown is far, far greater than between human "races." It's not like some humans have talons instead of fingernails, for example. Or craniums which bulge out to an absurd degree in back.
DIS Klingons look even less like Berman-era Klingons than Neandertals look like modern humans.
Hmm... the Klingons have retractable talons? And in all other shows they were always retracted. :P
And the bigger heads compared to smaller heads could be like how some humans have big noses and other humans have small noses. It's just another strange coincidence how everyone on Discovery have the head bulges, similar to how everyone on TOS just happen to be Augment Klingons.
Don't know about the pointed ears though. A key element of a TNG episode is that Worf found out his Klingon girlfriend was half Romulan by her pointed ears. But if some Klingons have pointed ears by Discovery, that TNG episode makes no sense.
^Maybe Worf was just prejudiced. Ever watch an old movie Imitation of Life where the white guy dumps his 'white' girlfriend when he finds out she has a black mother? Some folks cannot get pass genetics.
It wasn't so much Worf's prejudices so much as pointed ears on Ba'el in TNG: Birthright wouldn't indicate to him that she was Romulan if a large subset of Klingons naturally had pointed ears per Discovery.
Maybe Romulan pointed ears have a distinctive shape different from Discovery Klingon pointed ears, and only keen Klingon eyesight like Worf's can tell Romulan pointed ears from Klingon pointed ears. :P
DIS Klingon ears don't look very pointed to me. The most notable thing is they're attached to the head - basically just a series of ridges around the earhole rather than a fleshy protuberance. Which would seem to suggest they're not modified from large flap-like external ears like our own. This is less true with Kol than the others - he almost has, for lack of a better way to describe, it "real" ears.
Regardless, just because the ridges come to more of an angle than a round top it doesn't make it a point. It can't be a point when it's plastered right on the head and not detached.
Regardless, just because the ridges come to more of an angle than a round top it doesn't make it a point. It can't be a point when it's plastered right on the head and not detached.
Wellhumans have different noses, to an alien all human noses might look the same lol
Broadly, I do agree that Trek needs to do a better job in showing a diverse phenotype when it comes to races. I hated how during the Berman era, for example, every single Romulan, Vulcan, and Cardassian had medium brown to black hair. Klingons were actually more "diverse" than the other races, in that there were two clear phenotypes (the "black" Klingons and the swarthy ones played by white actors). Though it was funny in that one episode where the DS9 cast had to go undercover as Klingons, and they did it with O'Brien, who became the only blond(ish) Klingon in canon - yet no one blinked an eye.
It's interesting as I can't even remember if there were any 'African' Vulcans before Tuvok (and now Terral on Discovery).
One would think that Romulans would also have various races, but how come we haven't seen them? Or did intermarriage in Romulan culture widely eliminate racial distinctions?
Some of them, anyway. (Probably those who could afford or otherwise earn it, like great Dahar masters who fought the mighty Kirk, and lived to tell the tale.
And who was going to look into that? None other than Antaak (of House Antaak?), who further implied a prior history of Klingons disguising themselves as other species in order to infiltrate and spy on them!
-MMoM
I would think that the draconian Klingon Empire of TOS would summarily execute any commanders who didn't succeed against the Federation. "Organian meddling? Excuses, excuses." Of course, later Trek showed that wasn't the case.
Before Tuvok, 'African' Vulcans did appear in TOS movies and an episode of TNG. And at least one 'African' Romulan appeared in ST09; the one who got vaporized by the big plasma flame on the mining platform. The was also Commander Sirol in TNG "The Pegasus."
Kor
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