I liked the way Kahn is linked to the lack of ridges by a kind a twisty route.
TOS Klingons explained?
- Thread starter Saganistheman
- Start date
Having Enterprise explain the forehead changes didn't detract things for me- in fact it made what seemed to be a mistake for me. Fans had retconned the differences as different subspecies- Imperial Klingons had the ridges, ones without were stationed closest to Federation space mislead. It also fits well with Worf's "we do not discuss it with outsiders" line since the cause of it would not be considered one of the finer moments in Klingon history.
And did it far better that Chang.
Yeah screw GR, after all he was only the creatorYeah, screw Roddenberry - what did that guy ever do for me?
Yes, what ENT did was fill in the discrepancy with a fascinating new bit of world-building. Developing and expanding on the Trek universe is (supposedly) one of the things the fans like about the franchise, after all.
I feel the same about the Vulcan factionalism in ENT and the Remans in NEM. In both cases, what had seemed to be fairly monolithic and unchanging cultures gained complexity and history, which made them more realistic, and more interesting to analyse.
Yes. The explanation is a bit "small universe", but on the other hand once the connection is made it seems obvious, even inevitable.
Has any of the writers of the "Affliction" and "Divergence" episodes ever explained (at a ST convention, in a ST magazine, or wherever) why they felt a need to explain away the TOS Klingons?
Was it due to fan pressure?
In the DS9 ep "Trials and Tribble-ations", the writers were coy about it. I often wonder why the writers ever did an episode that had anything to do with "The Trouble with Tribbles". Once you put a ridged Klingon (Worf) on the same screen and scene as smooth headed TOS Klingons, then you cannot avoid the discrepancy any more. The discrepancy was there for everyone to see. Why go there if it is going to bring up the Klingon forehead controversy?
Had the writers, at that time, already came up with the virus explanation (at least in their own minds) but decided not to explain it to the audience?
If I remember correctly, Bashir asked if a viral mutation had something to do with the smooth foreheads. Instead they toyed with the audience by having Worf say, "We do not discuss it with outsiders". Did the writers write it the way that they did, in order to poke fun at this controversy?
Was it due to fan pressure?
In the DS9 ep "Trials and Tribble-ations", the writers were coy about it. I often wonder why the writers ever did an episode that had anything to do with "The Trouble with Tribbles". Once you put a ridged Klingon (Worf) on the same screen and scene as smooth headed TOS Klingons, then you cannot avoid the discrepancy any more. The discrepancy was there for everyone to see. Why go there if it is going to bring up the Klingon forehead controversy?
Had the writers, at that time, already came up with the virus explanation (at least in their own minds) but decided not to explain it to the audience?
If I remember correctly, Bashir asked if a viral mutation had something to do with the smooth foreheads. Instead they toyed with the audience by having Worf say, "We do not discuss it with outsiders". Did the writers write it the way that they did, in order to poke fun at this controversy?
I don't think they felt a "need" to explain anything. They just thought it would be interesting and entertaining.
You answered your own question. They thought it would be amusing to point out the discrepancy, and have Worf be defensive about it. I don't think they had a specific explanation in mind. You could explain it in a number of ways, but that would undermine the joke, and distract from the plot of the episode.
I recall reading something where Burman says he turned down several Klingon forehead stories in ENT's early seasons before relenting when Manny Coto took over as showrunner in S4.
That's interesting. I guess that kind of story is something you can't really do near the beginning of the series? OTOH, it would have helped bring ENT closer to TOS in appearance.
It was indeed interesting and entertaining.
Nevertheless, I still wonder why the writers felt a need to explain the discrepancy between the TOS Klingons and the subsequent ridged Klingons. I continue to suspect that they "felt a need" to explain away the Klingon forehead matter. I have no insight about this matter other than my own speculation.
The timing of the eps "Affliction" and "Divergence" made me suspect that the showrunners "felt a need" to unequivocally explain the foreheads. Time was running out. The ENT series was near an end. Who knows if there will be another TOS prequel series coming on air any time soon where the forehead matter could be addressed. The forehead discrepancy was a loose end. Could the showrunners really just let such an enormous controversial loose end go on being a loose end?.
In "Trials and Tribble-ations", the writers apparently didn't feel obligated to explain the discrepancy. Ironically, they created an amusing episode partly by not explaining the foreheads. They had fun with it.
Did the ENT writers considered not doing the "Affliction" and "Divergence" stories, in other words, not addressing the discrepancy at all, and just leaving it up to the audience's imagination? "Trials and Tribble-ations" left it up to the viewers' imaginations.
Don't get me wrong. I have found the forehead controversy interesting. I think the augment virus explanation is creative.
Are there any Trek publications or documentaries where the ENT showrunners talk about why they decided to resolve the Klingon forehead controversy?
Similar threads
