Every Version Of The Klingon In Star Trek, Ranked

One of many cool issues about science fiction is the power to have completely different alien races inhabit your universe, and “Star Trek” is not any exception. The long-running sci-fi franchise has at all times included alien life in its storytelling, each humanoid and in any other case. Heck, the very first sequence even featured an alien first officer within the type of half-Vulcan, half-human Spock, performed by Leonard Nimoy. Through the years, the franchise has used its aliens as stand-ins for all types of issues, however one group of aliens has had probably the most attention-grabbing transformation of all: the Klingons.

Klingons have developed each visually and culturally since their first look on “Star Trek: The Authentic Sequence,” with 5 completely different sorts of Klingons which have proven up within the core “Star Trek” timeline. (There are additionally the Klingons from the failed Kelvinverse “Star Trek” films, however that is a distinct timeline altogether.) With a brand new Klingon character on the new series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” (you can read our review here!), it bought us pondering: Which Klingons are the finest Klingons? Listed below are the perfect sorts of Klingons in the primary “Star Trek” timeline, ranked from worst to most probably to actually get into Sto-vo-kor. 

The unique Klingon in “Star Trek,” Kor, was created by author Gene Coon for the episode “Errand of Mercy” and was played by actor John Colicos, who later played an important X-Men villain. As a result of the alien race was solely supposed to be round for that one “Trek” episode, the make-up was minimal, with Colicos himself recalling that he helped provide you with the look by referencing notorious Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan. Future Klingons on “Star Trek: The Authentic Sequence” had been modeled after Kor, which meant a complete lot extra brownface make-up. What makes it even worse is that the unique Klingons had been conceived as a cross between the U.S.S.R and communist China, with some fairly racist Orientalist stereotypes in make-up, costuming, and even performances. 

The Klingons of “The Authentic Sequence” not solely appeared completely different, however they’d a completely completely different tradition that prioritized the higher good over any particular person. It is fairly onerous to think about one of many unique Klingons giving a hoot about honor or glory, which is wild given how the race would sooner or later find yourself being depicted. Whereas we might by no means have gotten the wonderful Klingons that got here later with out the very first ones that appeared in “The Authentic Sequence,” they’re truthfully bizarre racist caricatures that ought to keep relegated to the previous. 

The Klingons within the far way forward for the “Star Trek” timeline on “Star Trek: Discovery” are controversial, to say the least. Some followers had been livid to find their favourite aliens had been changed into a reptilian-looking, much more bloodthirsty species on the streaming sequence, resulting in an eventual about-face that returned most Klingons to one thing like their most well-known appears to be like on exhibits like “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology” and “Star Trek: Deep Area 9.” Even the person behind probably the most well-known Klingon of all wasn’t too blissful concerning the redesign, as Michael Dorn, who plays Starfleet officer and Klingon soldier Worf, was pretty skeptical. 

Whereas the “Discovery” Klingons did lastly confirm a few funny things about Klingon anatomy, they’re in any other case type of an unlucky footnote within the lengthy and peculiar evolution of Klingons all through “Star Trek.” Their DNA is outwardly fairly malleable, going from the original exoskeleton-covered proto-Klingons to ridgeless humanoids to the Klingons most of us know and like to humanoid armadillo lizards in much less time than it took people to do the entire “proto-ape to caveman” factor. Fortunately, the parents behind “Star Trek” reversed course on the Klingon redesign and made it so solely a small subset of Klingons developed that means, whereas the remaining look about like Worf and his friends. And after the occasions of “Discovery,” it is fairly unlikely we’ll ever see the offshoot Klingons once more. Hopefully. 

In an try to elucidate the variations between the Klingons on “Star Trek: The Authentic Sequence” and the Klingons in the “Authentic Sequence” movies and exhibits like “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology,” the prequel sequence “Star Trek: Enterprise” launched the Increase Virus. The Increase Virus was by accident created by Klingon scientists who stole Increase embryos from Earth that had been left over from the Eugenics Wars and had been making an attempt to create super-Klingons. Sadly, they created a virus that eliminated their brow ridges, which led to Klingons like Antaak (pictured above) having very flat foreheads. 

The virus makes them nearer to their “Authentic Sequence” look, and since not all Klingons had been contaminated with the virus, it is solely a subset that had the dearth of ridges. As a result of they had been possible ostracized in Klingon society, fewer and fewer of them existed or had been seen by outsiders, which helps clarify their disappearance after the “Enterprise” and “Authentic Sequence” years. 

Certain, the smooth-headed Klingons look bizarre, however they are not unlucky racist stereotypes or no matter occurred on “Discovery,” in order that they’re the third finest Klingons by default. They don’t seem to be nice, however they could possibly be a lot worse. 

The Klingons of “The Authentic Sequence” movies are a lot nearer to the Klingons of “The Subsequent Technology,” which was on the air across the identical time as the films had been in theaters. The villainous Klingon commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) in “Star Trek III: The Seek for Spock” nonetheless has the Fu Manchu mustache of his predecessors, however he additionally has brow ridges that make him appear to be an precise alien and never a racist caricature. 

Whereas Kruge is a complete monster of a personality that allowed Lloyd to essentially dig into the depths of evil, there are extra complicated Klingons within the motion pictures as effectively. As a result of Kruge kills Captain Kirk’s (William Shatner) son in “The Seek for Spock,” Kirk becomes prejudiced against Klingons, resulting in his ultimately being framed for the homicide of a Klingon chancellor in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nation.” There are some actually nice Klingons from this period, from Lloyd’s Kruge to Christopher Plummer because the Shakespeare-quoting Basic Chang, although they’re nonetheless missing among the cultural depth that might come later.

When actor Michael Dorn took on the function of Worf, son of Mogh, the Klingon officer aboard the Enterprise on “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology,” he would do far more than simply play probably the most well-known Klingon. He would additionally find yourself helping to shape the entire Klingon culture, and “Star Trek” is all the higher for it. The Klingons of exhibits like “The Subsequent Technology” and “Star Trek: Deep Area 9” lived in response to a strict code of honor, and whereas they had been bloodthirsty, they had been additionally passionate and fiercely loyal. Klingons have come a good distance from being fundamental stereotypes, and a giant a part of that’s due to Dorn’s affect. 

Whereas there are tons of nice Klingons who match into this group, with their honor and brow ridges and bat’leths, the perfect Klingon of all of them will at all times be Worf. Simply because the Klingons themselves have developed over the course of the franchise, Worf has had an incredible evolution from his time on “Subsequent Technology” by way of season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard,” and he is an exemplar of what makes Klingons so nice even when he’s a relatively uncommon one. Hopefully we’ll get to see a lot of Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag following in his bootsteps on “Starfleet Academy,” honoring Kah’much less and Starfleet in equal measure. Qapla’!