Klingons
Player Race: Yes
Relation to UFP: Allied
ACTDNoteworthy:
- Lots of great
player characters of this race in ACTD.
Description
Humanoid warrior
civilization (Errand of Mercy -TOS), originally from the planet Qo'noS; a proud,
tradition-bound people who value honor. The aggressive Klingon culture has made them
an interstellar military power to be respected and feared. There is no equivalent of
the devil in Klingon mythology (Day of the Dove -TOS), although a beast known as Fek'lhr
is believed to guard the underworld of Gre-thor (Devil's Due -TNG). According to
myth, ancient Klingon warriors slew their gods a millenium ago. They apparently were
more trouble than they were worth (Homefront -DS9). In Klingon society, the death of
a warrior who has died honorably in battle is not mourned. In such cases, the
survivors celebrate the freeing of the spirit (The Bonding -TNG). Klingons believe
in an after-life but there is no burial ceremony. They dispose of the body in the
most efficient means possible (Emanations -VGR), confident that the warrior's spirit has
now joined Kahless the Unforgettable in Sto-Vo-Kor (Rightful Heir -TNG). Klingon
tradition holds that 'the son of a Klingon is a man the day he can first hold a blade'
(Ethics -TNG). Another Klingon ritual is the R'uustai, or bonding ceremy, in which
two individuals join families, becoming brothers and sisters (The Bonding -TNG).
Klingons believe that they have the instintive ability to look an opponent in the ey and
see the intent to kill. Klingon tradition holds that a Klingon who dies by their own
hand will not travel across the River of Blood to enter Sto-Vo-Kor (Sons of Mogh
-DS9). If a Klingon warrior strikes another with the back of his hand, it is
interpreted as a challenge to the death. Klingon warriors speak proudly to each
other; they do not whisper or keep their distance. Standing far away or whispering
are considered incults in Klingon society (Apocalype Rising -DS9).
The Klingon body incorporates multiple redundancies for nearly all
vital bodily functions. This characteristic, known as brak'lul, gives Klingon
warriors enormous resiliency in battle. Despite the considerable sophistication of
Klingon technology, significant caps exist in Klingon medical science, in part due to
multural biases that injured warriors should be left to die or to carry out the Hegh-bat
(Ethics -TNG). Klingons have redundant stomachs (Macrocosm -VGR). Klingons
have no tear ducts. klingon blood is a lavender-coloured fluid (Star Trek VI: The
Undiscovered Country).
Star Trek: The
Encyclopedia (1999 edition).
Spacefaring civilization
originating on planet Qo'noS. The social and military heirarchy of a Klingon
spacecraft is very strict. A subordinate can challenge his superior only under
extreme circumstances such as dereliction of duty, dishonorable conduct or
cowardice. It is traditional among Klingon warriors to sing songs of dedication and
courage when going into battle (Soldiers of the Empire -DS9). Klingon tradition also
calls for an important event or battle to be commemorated by composing a poem (One Little
Ship -DS9). Klingons are sensitive to extreme cold (Change of Heart -DS9, Displaced
-VGR). The Klingon people used incense, an ancient remedy believed to expel
demons. They also used another kind of incense as a mental relaxant (Nothing Human
-VGR).
Star Trek: The Encyclopedia
(1999 edition) -Supplement