The Klingon neutral zone?

[johnnybear]

Klingons are much better known as Star Trek villains than The Romulans too!
JB

 

[Timo]

...which would have invalidated Kirk's statement if he'd said "Romulans take no prisoners."

And that might actually have worked even better than the version we got. After all, Kirk is speaking out of his ass, and probably deliberately so. He himself has been prisoner to Klingons! (And to Romulans, for that matter.) But quoting a silly stereotype that everybody present recognizes for what it is can lighten the mood just right and yank the cadets and trainees out of their simulation haze.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[f14peter]

The ovoid shape in WOK didn't make too much sense, since it's too small to contain the Klingon Empire's space. So maybe it's just one disputed system or something and was just part of a series of "off-limits" systems that comprised the Klingon Zone.

I've always interpreted the shape of the TWOK "zone" on the tactical display to represent the three-dimensionality and vastness of space ... Imagine it as a huge ball in a fog-filled room, a ball so big it goes from floor to ceiling. As you near the balloon you'll be able to see a small part of it's surface, which will probably appear to "hover in midair" as it's the part of the orb nearest to you. But as you move closer you'd be able to see more of the balloon spreading out above, below, to the sides.

 

[Dukhat]

...which would have invalidated Kirk's statement if he'd said "Romulans take no prisoners."

And that might actually have worked even better than the version we got. After all, Kirk is speaking out of his ass, and probably deliberately so. He himself has been prisoner to Klingons! (And to Romulans, for that matter.) But quoting a silly stereotype that everybody present recognizes for what it is can lighten the mood just right and yank the cadets and trainees out of their simulation haze.

True. I've always hated ST's generalizations towards alien species (the Romulans take no prisoners; the Cardassians hate the cold, etc.) Imagine if a Klingon said "Humans hate fighting," how silly that would sound to us.

 

[Anwar]

...which would have invalidated Kirk's statement if he'd said "Romulans take no prisoners."

And that might actually have worked even better than the version we got. After all, Kirk is speaking out of his ass, and probably deliberately so. He himself has been prisoner to Klingons! (And to Romulans, for that matter.) But quoting a silly stereotype that everybody present recognizes for what it is can lighten the mood just right and yank the cadets and trainees out of their simulation haze.

True. I've always hated ST's generalizations towards alien species (the Romulans take no prisoners; the Cardassians hate the cold, etc.) Imagine if a Klingon said "Humans hate fighting," how silly that would sound to us.

That wouldn't be so bad, it would show that the generalization really WERE just blind generalizations and everyone thought the same of the others.

 

[Mark 2000]

All Klingons are violent. All Ferengi love money. All Vulcans are good at computers. All Medusans are great navigators. All Benzites look alike.

 

[Shawnster]

Back when Star Trek II was made, there was scant few reference material out there for Star Trek. One of the more popular technical manuals at the time was Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual.

The production staff of Star Trek used Franz Joseph's material for computer displays on the Enterprise bridge. A modified version of FJ's UFP logo was seen in Star Trek: TMP.

With that in mind, perhaps the writers used Franz Joseph's manual for more than just background images. Notice what the publication says in the section about the Organian Peace Treaty:

Condition 2:
HENCEFORTH FROM THIS TIME, WITHIN A ZONE SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY PARSECS IN WIDTH BETWEEN THE ADJACENT TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES OF BOTH PARTIES, NO ARMED HOSTILITIES MAY TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE KLINGON EMPIRE AND THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS;

Condition 3:
AT ANY TIME, SHOULD A PERSON OR UNIT OF EITHER PARTY ATTEMPT OT USE WEAPONRY IN A HOSTILE MANNER AGAINST THE PERSON OR A UNIT OF THE OTHER PARTY WITHIN THIS ZONE, THAT PERSON OR UNIT, AND THAT WEAPONRY, SHALL BE RENDERED IMMEDIATELY HARMLESS.

So, as far back as 1975, the idea was floated that there was a neutral zone between the Klingons and the Federation.

 

[johnnybear]

The Organian peace treaty only works if The Organians are still around! (Spock must die anyone?) Plus apart from Trouble with Tribbles, The Organians haven't been mentioned since! Where were they during the events of The Undiscovered Country for instance?
JB