• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

New or Old Klingons?

All very well, but I don't believe they ever explain why Kor, Kang and Koloth went from being one kind of Klingon to something completely different in DS9. They fucked it up royally by doing that given we'd already seen smoother headed Klingons alongside the turtleheads in TUC. So the ENT explanation just added more crap atop existing crap.

They mention reconstructive surgery in the episode's epilogue, as well as the possibility of finding a cure in the future.

The smoother Klingons in TUC were probably halfbreed children of bumpies and smoothies.
 
It seems we are straying a bit into personal insults. Let me just ask everyone nicely to stay on topic, and avoid the blanket assertions and insults.

Thanks!

:techman:
 
The original Klingons were mysterious. People love "mysterious." Had TOS run longer, the Klingons might have taken a completely different direction. Even in their appearance in TMP, they were still mysterious, mainly due to the fact that they were simply a plot device, something for V'GER to play the knockout game with to show how powerful it was.

I do like the TNG/DS9/VOY Klingons, but like most of you, I wish that more had been done to flesh them out. Yes, they were reimagined as "Space Viking" -- I think we all get that. But there was more to real Vikings than the honor/death/war thing, and I think that the TNG/DS9/VOY Klingons had more playground to romp in than they were given.
 
I was brought up on no ridges, so, visually, I guess I prefer that.

I definitely find the TOS Klingons to be menacing, crafty, cunning, and formidable vs. TNG. In TNG they always struck me as drunken college football players.
 
Different perspectives. The TOS Klingons were intended to be the enemy; Berman-era Klingons, not so much.

I don't think the original look really sold "alien" as much as I think the Klingons were intended to be, and "Affliction"/"Divergence" is a perfectly serviceable way to tie everything together while not making Worf out to be a liar.
 
With rare exception I found the TNG era Klingons to be largely one-note. Thee JJ style Klingons are not an improvement.

Do you mean to suggest that the TOS era Klingons weren't largely one-note?!?

Of course they were, but there was a reason for that. All the TOS Klingons we saw were soldiers. We only saw these Klingons in direct confrontation and contact with Starfleet/Federation officers, with whom they were battling in a cold war. This would be the same as if the only time we ever saw Soviet sailors and soldiers when they were in direct contact with NATO forces during the 60s. Of course we're only going to see their patriotic soldering military side. We were never exposed to Klingon home life (except Kang and Mara), social customs, sports, music, etc...

In contrast, TNG, DS9, VOY and, to some extent, ENT gave us civilian Klingons. We saw their home lives, heard their poetry, opera, food, music, dramas, etc... We saw more of Klingon life than just patriotic soldiers trying to outbluster their "sworn enemy."

Yet, despite all of that development, the Klingons still remained a one-note culture. All they talked about was fighting, battles, honor, etc... Even the Klingon accordion player on DS-9 had a battle-ready accordion. Everything always came down to honor, violence, fighting, blades, etc...
 
Actually, most of the Klingons seen in the Berman era were also soldiers and warriors.

Most of the non-warrior Klingons we saw in the Berman were more than just one-note (The Klingon Lawyer, K'Ehylar, the Scientists, etc).
 
I do like the TNG/DS9/VOY Klingons, but like most of you, I wish that more had been done to flesh them out. Yes, they were reimagined as "Space Viking" -- I think we all get that. But there was more to real Vikings than the honor/death/war thing, and I think that the TNG/DS9/VOY Klingons had more playground to romp in than they were given.

Agreed. :techman:
 
The original Klingons we met during TOS were mostly soldiers but we did meet others like Kras, who was probably a representative from a dirty tricks department and was definitely not a soldier or warrior! Then we meet Arne Darvin who was a spy disguised to look like a human (not too well evidently) and didn't seem to be a warrior type either! Then of course we meet Mara in the third season, Kang's wife, and science officer it has to be said and not overtly frothing at the mouth or military apart from her uniform! Well we didn't meet any civillian Klingons but at least we did meet some other types of their species too!
JB
 
It certainly cannot be said that either Kang or Mara were one-note. They were the exception in TOS, as was Kor. As much as I am a fan of Kras (a.k.a. Bob the Discount Klingon), he was very one-note.
 
Actually, most of the Klingons seen in the Berman era were also soldiers and warriors.

Most of the non-warrior Klingons we saw in the Berman were more than just one-note (The Klingon Lawyer, K'Ehylar, the Scientists, etc).

But we did get to see those warriors in other functions besides being soldiers of the empire opposing the federation. The cold war was over and Klingon were allies. We saw them engage in politics, govern planets, and so forth .
 
It certainly cannot be said that either Kang or Mara were one-note. They were the exception in TOS, as was Kor. As much as I am a fan of Kras (a.k.a. Bob the Discount Klingon), he was very one-note.

What made them stand one was the acting more than anything else.

It's like Khan. He's not really that awesome, but Ricardo Montalban's presence and charisma made him stand out more than anything the writing did for him.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top