The Klingons

[Warped9]

The only defense I can offer for ENT's solution is that any often repeated solutions already out there from 1979 to when they made that stupid episode couldn't be used for them to get credit for it. So all of the much MUCH better explanations couldn't be used, they had to come up with something batshit crazy for them to call it an original idea and get paid for it. Otherwise, they'd have to pay John M. Ford or someone else who came up with those better reasons.

They simply should have paid him.

 

[LFT11501]

"Some sort of viral mutation?" - Dr. Bashir (DS9/TOS crossover episode)

 

[Jedi Marso]

They simply should have paid him.

Amen.

John M. Ford should have become a writer and consultant on whatever they did later on with Trek having to do with the Klingons. The culture and belief set he created for the Klingons was really quite unique, comparable to NOTHING we've ever had on Earth, and it perfectly explained their actions and motivations. I think it was pure genius. To this day, The Final Reflection is my favorite Trek novel of all time, even though it takes place twenty years before TOS and the regular cast only get cameos at the bookends of the story.

 

[retroenzo]

I remember a suggestion before Enterprise arrived on the scene that Praxis had been leaking radiation for decades before its eventual destruction in Star Trek VI and caused mutations in the Klingon gene. That would also explain Koloth, Kang and Kor's altered features in DS9 as they could have been living on Q'onos at the time.

Now what I want to know is why Romulans gained the forehead ridges in TNG after just looking like Vulcans in the original series.

 

[uniderth]

Now what I want to know is why Romulans gained the forehead ridges in TNG after just looking like Vulcans in the original series.

For the same reason we have humans with different looking features. Perhaps the ridged Vulcanoids were the Homo sapiens neanderthalensis to the non ridged Vulcanoid Homo spaiens sapiens. Since the Mintakans have ridges we could surmise that Sargon's people who colonized Vulcanis also had Romulan type ridges. Thus the non-ridged Vulcanians are a more recent variety.

 

[Kor]

Within the context of J.M. Ford's novel "The Final Reflection," the whole Klingon setting and background was presented as part of a speculative historical novel written by a human. That leaves room for lots of potential inaccuracy, unless the human author had somehow managed to spend lots of time undercover in Klingon society or obtained information from reliable sources.

Kor

 

[johnnybear]

I like that reasoning about Praxis, retroenzo and welcome to the forums too!
JB

 

[retroenzo]

I like that reasoning about Praxis, retroenzo and welcome to the forums too!
JB

Thanks!

...and thanks!

 

[johnnybear]

No probs my friend!
JB

 

[Nerys Myk]

Isn't the "Ford" explanation and the ENT explanation essentially the same? Artificially created Human-Klingon hybrids.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Isn't the "Ford" explanation and the ENT explanation essentially the same? Artificially created Human-Klingon hybrids.

Essentially, but in the Ford-verse it is done deliberately, rather than accidentally due to tampering with the Augment genes. Plus, in the Ford version, there are Klingon-Romulan fusions (presumably never seen on screen) as well as the Human-Klingon fusions. The Imperial Klingon race have the head ridges.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Within the context of J.M. Ford's novel "The Final Reflection," the whole Klingon setting and background was presented as part of a speculative historical novel written by a human. That leaves room for lots of potential inaccuracy, unless the human author had somehow managed to spend lots of time undercover in Klingon society or obtained information from reliable sources.

Kor

Though not considered canon, the Klingon supplement for the FASA RPG was written by Ford and was the same as seen in the novel, so the assumption for a long time back in the day was that even though the novel was speculative historical fiction, it had the Klngons and their culture 'right.'

 

[C57D]

Though not considered canon, the Klingon supplement for the FASA RPG was written by Ford and was the same as seen in the novel, so the assumption for a long time back in the day was that even though the novel was speculative historical fiction, it had the Klngons and their culture 'right.'

Having run a FASA/JMF Klingon campaign I can report that not only is JMF's Final Reflection the best ST book ever and the most evocative presentation of Klingons too, but it also made for some exciting, intuitive roleplaying. I always considered being able to write and run games in JMF's sandbox a real privilege, and soooo much fun!

A great tragedy for ST that JMF's Klingons were shelved into the land of non-canon and we got left with the "my dad's bigger than your dad" samurai biker vikings !!

I am still holding out for "Star Trek - Battlecruiser Vengeance" lol

 

[Jedi Marso]

I am still holding out for "Star Trek - Battlecruiser Vengeance" lol

With 'Undefeated' as the title song!

 

[johnnybear]

Since I don't own the ENT series in any form I'm going with The Praxis theory from now on in!
JB

 

[C57D]

With 'Undefeated' as the title song!

Kai kassai Klingon!

 

[TalonCard]

I remember a suggestion before Enterprise arrived on the scene that Praxis had been leaking radiation for decades before its eventual destruction in Star Trek VI and caused mutations in the Klingon gene. That would also explain Koloth, Kang and Kor's altered features in DS9 as they could have been living on Q'onos at the time.

I heard a version of this from my dad, except that the ridge mutations were caused by the explosion of Praxis, as seen in Undiscovered Country. It drove me nuts because it made no sense. The idea that Praxis was leaking radiation beforehand makes a lot more sense--now I can stop wondering where the idea came from and why anyone (again, pre-Enterprise) would buy it!

TC

 

[johnnybear]

It only affected Klingon DNA and as we saw in Trouble With Tribbles they are sufficiently different to humans to explain that as to why it was only them that changed during the radioactive bombardment!
JB

 

[Spock's Barber]

Wasn't it Shatner who said that the new Klingons looked like they had an breakfast omelette on their foreheads?

 

[Kor]

I can't remember if somebody posted this already or not... there was an old joke that Kirk had kicked the Klingons' butts so much that their spines got pushed up over their heads.

Kor