Klingons in Starfleet in the Kelvinverse?

[Mysterion]

Was perusing the novelization of Star Trek (2009) the other day and noticed that in the scene where cadets are being assigned out to shuttles for assignment, one of the names called was familiar. And Klingon.

Korax.

This on page 81 of the trade-paperback edition, second line from the top. Apparantly Korax is being assigned to the Drake.

So. Was this just a clever in-joke courtesy of ADF, or are there larger implications here as to just how different the Kelvinverse is from the Prime trek reality?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I just assumed it was a generic alien name, rather than Klingon specifically. I doubt they'd have Klingons in Starfleet in light of how they're though of in Into Darkness. But who knows?

 

[Timo]

There's a non-Trill (afawk) Dax in the Prime Universe, too. And people named Toral in so many species that we might rather plead coincidence.

But it would be fun for Starfleet to have gotten its own pet Klingons a century early, in this timeline where Romulans are a thoroughly known quantity and a conventional political enemy the UFP is in communication with and all. Perhaps there is a different balance in the three-way animosity-alliance arrangement between the cultures here?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Turd Ferguson]

^Not to mention Soran's a popular name too... the name was used (albeit, spelled Soren) in The Outcast.

And, of course, there was Colonel Worf in Star Trek VI

Trek writers just love recycling names.

 

[Stevil2001]

Didn't Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Logs establish that during Kirk's time at the Academy there was some kind of Federation/Klingon exchange program? (I seem to recall he had a Klingon roommate...)

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I am imagining/hoping that the Kelvinverse will own its status as a reboot and eventually continue on with TNG-based shows and premises. I've said for a long time now that TNG would make a lot more sense as LITERALLY the next generation after Kirk's crew, in which case the Khitomer Massacre (and Worf's rescue and eventual entry into Starfleet) could easily be something Kirk was involved with.

That would be even more relevant today, what with the Syrian war and the refugee crisis. Suppose a Klingon-Romulan War saw a huge influx of refugees from devastated colonies that eventually found refuge in the Federation? And then we get to listen to Admiral Cartwright make his big speech about how Klingon refugees shouldn't be allowed in because they're naturally warlike and it's just a matter of time before they start rising up and attacking the very people who've taken them in.

In that context, Worf would be the personification of that entire debate: he's a Klingon who was sent tumbling out of the war zone through no fault of his own and now becomes the nexus of this huge internal debate in the Federation about the fate of the Klingons as a people. Everything he does is put under a microscope: every time he loses his temper, his peers say "Uh huh... typical Klingon" but at the same time he can't show weakness because then the OTHER Klingons in his community will kick his ass. So kinda like Spock, it becomes another example of a character caught between two cultures that are almost totally incompatible with each other and representing a reconciliation between the two that is probably LONG overdue.

 

[FormerLurker]

^Not to mention Soran's a popular name too... the name was used (albeit, spelled Soren) in The Outcast.

And, of course, there was Colonel Worf in Star Trek VI

Trek writers just love recycling names.

Colonel Worf wasn't merely a recycling of the name, though. While it was never stated onscreen (how could it be in TUC?), he was always intended to be Worf's grandfather. That was the purpose behind the stunt casting of Michael Dorn, after all.

 

[The Wormhole]

While it was never stated onscreen (how could it be in TUC?),

Maybe it wouldn't work in TUC, but they could have tried to insert some reference to it at some point in the next twelve years after the movie's release that we continued to see Worf, son of Mogh in the remaining seasons of TNG, its movies, and four seasons of DS9.

 

[DonIago]

It never seemed especially relevant to the situations Worf found himself in, though.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I would like to see Konom (I think it was spelled) from DC Comics.. i forget why, but he defected and skipped the Academy and joined as an Ensign.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I don't see any reason why the divergence in timelines would make any difference as to the presence (or lack thereof) of Klingons in Starfleet. Nero's interference would not have anything to do with this - there weren't any Klingon Starfleet officers before 2233, so why would there be any *after* it?

Most likely the name "Korax" (if that's what it was) was just used because it sounded good.

 

[Solid Snack]

Yeah, Konom was kind of cool, and sort of anticipated Worf. He was somewhat different from Worf too in that he was more of a pacifist.

Funny thing is, in the final days of Konom's appearences in the original TOS series when it was being published around the time of TNG's premiere, they made a few jokes about it in the comic (It being written by Peter David). "Not in this generation Bones, maybe in the next" or something like that (Not sure of the context).

 

[publiusr]

That was nice. Worf being the first official representative--not a dissident.

 

[Tenacity]

Worf being the first official representative

Worf said early on that he was the only Klingon on a Human starship at that time.

I can't recall any mention of him being the first Klingon in Starfleet, or that there weren't other Klingons in Starfleet posted to non-Human starships.

Has anyone mention the Klingon Starfleet officer in the TOS comic book series ((early eighties)?

I doubt they'd have Klingons in Starfleet in light of how they're though of in Into Darkness.

During the second world war, the top American general in Europe (Eisenhower) family had originally emigrated from Germany..

a huge influx of refugees from devastated colonies that eventually found refuge in the Federation?

If they then considered the Federation their new home, sure I could see some joining Starfleet.

But I could as see under that scenario Klingon loyal to the Empire being sent into the Federation to gather intelligence, commit terrorism and be sleeper agents. Some of them to would join Starfleet too.

Need to vet those refugees.

 

[M'Sharak]

Has anyone mention the Klingon Starfleet officer in the TOS comic book series ((early eighties)?

The same one who's mentioned in Post #10, and again in Post #12?

 

[Crazy Eddie]

But I could as see under that scenario Klingon loyal to the Empire being sent into the Federation to gather intelligence, commit terrorism and be sleeper agents. Some of them to would join Starfleet too.

Need to vet those refugees.

Why in the hell would an espionage agent posing as a refugee use an identity that could be exposed with a simple background check? That's just plain asinine. The whole point of installing a sleeper agent is that this person's credentials actually DO stand up to close scrutiny and thus they are able to maintain their positions for long periods of time. If investigation would potentially reveal them to be foreign agents, they're not "sleeper" anything, they're just spies.

The Romulans demonstrated this nicely with the Ambassador T'Pel fiasco: the best sleeper agents are the ones that can actually list their references and have them turn out to be legit. In fact, the Klingons already showed themselves to be well above this kind of moronic half-assed subterfuge with the installation of Arne Darvin on K-7. They wouldn't waste their time trying to insert a refugee sleeper agent who'd be under suspicion anyway just because humans are racist like that. They'd actually get a Klingon to pose as a human and either create a whole false identity for him or steal the identity of someone who already exists.

 

[Tenacity]

Why in the hell would an espionage agent posing as a refugee use an identity that could be exposed with a simple background check?

Of course, much better not to even try.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Of course, much better not to even try.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but YES, that plan is stupid enough and has such a low probability of success that it is actually better not to even try. It's a waste of a perfectly good operative whose time is better spent doing literally ANYTHING else.

 

[FormerLurker]

Why do people keep saying Arne Darvin was assigned to K-7 when it's stated he's the personal assistant of Nils Baris, and therefore goes where he goes, be it K-7 or Earth?

 

[Timo]

Worf said early on that he was the only Klingon on a Human starship at that time. I can't recall any mention of him being the first Klingon in Starfleet, or that there weren't other Klingons in Starfleet posted to non-Human starships.

It's weird, but yes, there's a profound shortage of references to Worf actually being the first Klingon in Starfleet.

In fact, the only one I could find from the entire canon is from DS9 "Sword of Kahless", where we have this exchange:

Worf: "I ran away into the mountains. I was without food or water for three days. But there, in the caves of No'Mat, Kahless appeared to me in a vision and told me I would do something no other Klingon had ever done. After I returned to Earth, I pondered the meaning of his words and wondered what lay ahead for me. When I was old enough, I joined Starfleet."
Dax: "Something no Klingon had ever done."

Might be Starfleet had numerous Klingons aboard its ships, as observers, outside specialists and assorted hired hands, but none had "joined" before Worf did. Might be Dax interprets Worf's confession all wrong, or is being sarcastic, or jumping the gun and wondering out loud "Now what will that SnKhed be?", or whatever. But it basically boils down to this: in all of Star Trek, we have just these two lines of dialogue that, if put together the way they best seem to fit, directly confirm the concept. All the rest is ambiguous.

Timo Saloniemi