Spoilers The Klingon Empire in Star Trek: Discovery

[Tuskin38]

And the novel isn't canon. Yes he had connections with the production staff, but they've even said they'll ignore the book if there is something better. The show comes first.

The Connie will probably show up, and it will more then likely have the same shape, but it will fit the aesthetics we've already seen.

 

[Tallguy]

Well, tonight's episode used the Klingon word "kuve" for servant. There are definitely some Ford fans on board.

 

[Brainsucker]

I feel that the new Klingon are more a nomad type Civilization in here.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

We don't really have enough examples of alien ships in Star Trek, to speculate on design history. But just for fun, I thought I would post some of the unofficial designs from the video games.

Star Trek: Klingon Academy (23rd century), and Star Trek: Birth of the Federation (24th century) are beloved by fans - and although their designs were quite blocky by modern standards due to the polygon limitations or the era, the actual "shape" of the ships were quite interesting.

Ships are seemingly much rarer in Star Trek (with it's small Federation), than in say, Star Wars or Warhammer 40,000 (with their million-planet empires), with some classes probably only numbering a dozen - so that might serve as some explanation for their lack of visibility in different eras:

The 22nd Century

Raptor class scout/corvette

D4 class battlecruiser

D5 class battlecruiser

D6 class battlecruiser

D7 class battlecruiser

22nd century bird-of-prey scout/destroyer

The Early 23rd Century (?)

Elasi Pirates storm-class frigate (old Klingon design)

Klingon warbird

D4 class bird-of-prey patrol/picket ship

Veqlargh class warship

23rd century bird-of-prey corvette/destroyer

Qugh class destroyer

Refit D7 class battlecruiser

The Late 23rd Century (?)

Refit D7 class battlecruiser

B'rel/D12 class bird-of-prey scout/destroyer

Emperor class battlecruiser

Warrior's anger class battlecruiser

Suspicious class frigate/S.W.A.C.S. picket ship

Insurrection class bid-of-prey destroyer/cruiser

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

The 24th Century

Vor'cha class attack cruiser

Fek'lhr class medium cruiser

SuQ'Jagh class assault cruiser

Negh'var class battleship

Refit b'rel class bird-of-prey corvette/destroyer

 

[Saul]

Didn't I read somewhere that Michael Dorn was offered the part of a Klingon in Discovery? Does that mean he would be in the same make-up as the rest of those klingons?

 

[fireproof78]

Didn't I read somewhere that Michael Dorn was offered the part of a Klingon in Discovery? Does that mean he would be in the same make-up as the rest of those klingons?

Nah. He'll have no makeup

 

[cooleddie74]

I'd RATHER he not wear any makeup if the only other option is that tire fire of overkill the other DSC Klingon actors have to wear.

 

[INACTIVERedDwarf]

Apparently the production team were given a figure of 1300 meter for one of the main ships at the Battle of the Binary Stars, which makes it about as big as a Romulan Warbird:

More food for thought when thinking about Klingon starships and general design lineage. Perhaps lending more argument to the idea that in TOS there were ships of this time all along that were as big as TNG era ships, only they were all dreadnought weight all along. Either that or a general re-appraisal of the size of TOS/DSC ships is needed, making the original connie more like 400 meters, as some have recently considered due to the appearance of the apparently 350 meter big connie in DSC.

This cool chart posted by Tai would make the TOS connie and TOS D7 more like 400 meters, which perhaps also fits some visual evidence better too. To be honest, at this point, resizing the official sizes may be for the best.

Here are some excerpts from the interesting article on the Season Two changes for Klingon makeup:

TrekMovie: STLV18: Designer Promises New Klingon Look For ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 2, Hints At Hair

On Sunday at Star Trek Las Vegas, Star Trek: Discovery makeup designer and lifelong Star Trek fan Glenn Hetrick held a short panel mostly about the process he and his team went through in the show’s first season, with much of the conversation about creating the look for the Klingons. His talk was accompanied by a slideshow of images of work from the first season, which are mostly taken from a gallery on his AlchemyFX website.

Hetrick also talked about the Klingons in the second season of Discovery, promisingna new look. He dug into some deep stuff about Klingon lore, rituals, and hair.

"As we move into season two, it has been while since we have been with our characters. It has been a while since we have seen our Klingon friends. So, everything keeps evolving. The story has evolved. And I can guarantee you this, you are going to be blown away that they have a completely new look, yet again, going into season two."
​

Differed Houses Vary By Genetics Too

To throw another angle on this, Hetrick said that some of the houses actually have genetic differences. He pointed out that a Klingon from the first season from House Antaak had a “cranial ridge extension that goes down on to his chin.” Hetrick added, “Only that house has that genetic signature. Their chins have ridges too.”

And if you want to go further down the rabbit hole, Antaak was the doctor from Star Trek: Enterprise who inadvertently created ridgeless Klingons through genetic engineering, and was last seen as a victim of his own science.

"In season two, you are going to see much different designs. You are going to see different houses you haven’t seen before. One of the most important things to us was that at this point in canon, as we head towards the current version of unification, the houses really each grow up on different planets. It is an Empire, it is not just Qo’noS… We have seen six of the great houses in close up in season one. As we move forward into the next season, I promise that we will continue exploring and unpacking and unfolding that infinitely interesting story of what the Klingon culture looks like on a wider level."
​

Putting it all together, Hetrick seems to be saying that in season two, the Klingons we see may not be as different as the ones we are used to. It’s possible that hair removal was a ritual, practiced by some of the Houses, or possibly a genetic trait that varies by House.

Regardless, Hetrick seems to be asking for patience, promising there is more to come.
​

They are hinting at a lot of things we have talked about on this forum, including the possibility ("House Antaak") that the Klingons have been engaging in some form of eugenics or interbreeding with other humanoids on their occupied planets, creating genetic differences between houses.