Yeah, it's pretty much in line with most of this kind of makeup I've seen in movies and TV shows lately. As for the different houses explanation, I don't really have a problem with it. I don't see any reason why the Klingons can't have a bit more diversity in their appearances.
I don't think the new makeup looks cheap at all. I'm kind digging the look. Now the new Starfleet uniforms on the other hand... Those look cheap as hell. Like 90's shitty sci-fi movie cheap.
With "cheap", I mean it reminds me a lot more of the Goa'uld from Stargate SG-1, than previous klingons from e.g. The Undiscovered country, DS9 or Into Darkness. By that I mean the uniforms look rather like silver painted pads, than actual metallic armor (like they had from TMP on forward). And "hair" effects are pretty complicated and expensive, especially if they want it to look realistic. That's why a lot of cheaper sf-series, or one-off aliens in Trek, often are bald. I dig the prosthetic face mask. That looks quite good (would be even better with mongol beards). But as a whole (rest of head, costumes) they look more Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda than GR's Star Trek.
Klingon costumes were not "metallic" in that era in any respect - they were "leather" and fur get-ups with little metal bits glued on as trim, and easily recognizable as such.
I like the idea of having different races of Klingons - it shows diversity. There were 5 races of Xindi and at one point there were 6. And so far we've seen 2 races of Trill.
The Xindi were socially racial. They evolved in parallel, from different ancestors, and then had to deal with each other inventing fire and wheels at the same time.
I'm reserving my judgment until after I watch some of the show. The new look will take some time getting used to, but I'm confident that I might come around to it. As far as the new look and canon, I can think of a few different possibilities of how the new look fits within canon in this time period. I'll just have to wait to see which direction is taken.
Sorry, that's what I meant, I didn't express myself really good there... The "old" klingon costumes were always made by "real" materials. Leather with real metal bits. Even the JJverse klingon costumes - no metal at all - used "real" materials. These "new" DIS-klingon costumes are one material (foam pads), pretending to be another material (probably something metallic, with spikes of evil and shit). That's what I meant with it coming across as "cheap". Shouldn't have said "cheap", they look very expensive. But it looks fake. As in not real. Which is an attribute normaly associated with "cheaper" SF-shows.... Totally off-topic and all... Just something always wanted to tell you: I LOVE your username!
Three, really, there was the symbiont and two humanoid variants, the first appearance being in TNG's "The Host", who looked very different from what came after in DS9 and could be considered a different species that still calls themselves Trill. So yes, much diversity = much good storytelling. Forgive badly English...
These DSC Klingons have foreheads that look like TNG Klingons (ridge-wise and shape-wise, although not color-wise).
Meh? The "new" Klingons look like the ones from TMP. You can tell that makeup was tweaked from TMP to STIII. My only concern is can the actor perform under all that prostetics.
Compared to the female Klingon, Chris Obi's prosthetics give his face a bloated and swolen look. Reminds me of septic patients I had during my time working in an ICU.
You can pretty much assume they retconned the TNG trill out. The symbiont's did not look or act the same. Heck the TNG version totally overrote the host and could not use transporters.
Looks like T'Kuvma is called the "Torchbearer": http://www.startrek.com/article/exclusive-products-signings-more-set-for-sdcc
DSC continues to blow the old Klingon paradigm away. Fantastic. I thanked Neville Page for this on FB. Great guy as well as an amazing designer.
There should be a third option: "indifferent". I would prefer this option, since I am more interested in whether or not there is an "in-story" reason for the design changes, rather than whether or not I like the actual design changes (answer: "Do not care"). Other than that, I am looking forward to more Klingons during this time, though I do hope that other races, especially the Andorians and the Tellerites, are featured.