star trek how strong are klingons

A Complete History of Star Trek's Klingons in The Original Series Era

The Klingons are some of Starfleet's best enemies, but the Star Trek aliens have a long history dating back before even the Federation or Starfleet.

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Star Trek has six decades of history behind the scenes, but the aliens and characters in the narrative go back millennia. Despite being created on a whim for Star Trek: The Original Series , the history of Klingons is one of the most fully realized in the universe. Even though much of it was defined after that first show, how the Klingon Empire took shape is important.

The Klingons were created by Gene L. Coon as a surrogate power for the Soviets to the Federation's United States of America. When the Cold War ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the final film with The Original Series ' cast was in production. It told the story of how the Federation made peace with its most iconic enemies. The Khitomer Accords mark a significant point of transition in what it meant to a Klingon. Even though antagonism continued into the 24th Century, the way the Empire (as created by Kahless the Unforgettable) found a way to accept the peace-loving Federation is a remarkable Star Trek story. It's made better with Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds adding new details to this part of the timeline.

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The Klingons shared genetic markers, found in Vulcans and Romulans that point to a single humanoid ancestor more than four billion years in the past. This progenitor race seeded planets with unknown technology that encouraged the evolution of creatures with a head, two arms and two legs. Klingons, however, could trace their origins back to large reptilian or insectoid predators with exoskeletons and redundant organs .

The Klingon homeworld Qo'noS was ruled by Malor in the 10th Century CE on Earth. A common warrior, Kahless led a revolution that became the founding myth for the Klingon Empire. Legends of his battles were shared among Klingons into the 24th Century. He eventually killed Malor in single combat and founded the Klingon Empire. Kahless became a god-like figure in the culture, inspiring wars and warriors for millennia . There were a number of ruling dynasties and civil wars, continuing once Klingons took to the stars.

Four hundred years after Kahless united Qo'noS, the Hur'q species from the Gamma Quadrant sacked their homeworld. This started a period of uncertainty about war as a way of life. During the Second Dynasty, General K'Trelan killed the Imperial Family, installing more democratically minded Klingons in power. They claimed to be members of the Imperial houses to gain the respect of those bloodlines, but eventually they returned to their warlike ways.

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The Klingons acquired warp drive sometime in the Earth's 20th Century, and they turned their attention on the galaxy at large. While they still warred with each other, there were new planets to conquer and people to fight. Vulcans, who also were new to warp drive, encountered Klingons who opened fire on them. Until diplomatic relations were officially opened, Vulcans would fire first on any Klingon ship, eventually called "the Vulcan Hello." Klingons traveled the stars, warring and exploring, including sending a vessel into the Delta Quadrant.

In the 2150s, a Klingon crash-landed on Earth and was shot by a farmer. Dr. Phlox, a visiting alien, saved his life, and the NX-01 Enterprise was launched taking the Klingon back to Qo'noS. Captain Archer helped this Klingon maintain his honor and relations between humans and Klingons were off to an amiable start, but this didn't last. The NX-01 Enterprise helped refugees flee the Klingons by engaging them in battle. This led to Captain Archer being wanted as an enemy of the state. He was put on trial on Qo'noS and sentenced to the Rura Penthe colony. He escaped, leading to multiple hostile encounters with them throughout the Star Trek: Enterprise series.

In 2154, tyrannical, genetically augmented humans attacked the Klingon Empire, but the Enterprise was able to avert war. However, a Klingon scientist tried to use the augment DNA to create superior Klingon warriors . Instead, a deadly virus broke out, and Dr. Phlox was kidnapped to help cure it. He was successful, but the treatment led to the Klingons losing their distinctive cranial ridges. The Klingons then withdrew from Federation territory, until the Klingon-Federation war.

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The Klingons weren't seen in what would become Federation space for much of the late 22nd and early 23rd Centuries. They had again entered into a period of infighting and civil war, as any house sought to rule. When Starfleet did encounter the Klingons, there were open hostilities. There was a raid on a planet called Doctari Alpha and a battle at a planet called Donatu V. The Klingons resorted to spiritual studies, usually based on the Kahless myth, though a sect studied time travel at the Borleth Monastery .

In 2256, T'Kuvma, a unique-looking Klingon spiritual leader , united the great houses on the ancient Sarcophagus Ship. He provoked a war with the Federation at the Battle of the Binary Stars, dying at the hands of Michael Burnham. General Kol, who originated Klingons' use of cloaking technology, took control. The war raged for a year, with the Klingons nearly defeating the Federation . When General Kol was killed and the Sarcophagus Ship destroyed, things only got worse. Eventually, Section 31 developed a plan to destroy the Klingon Homeworld, but Michael Burnham prevented it from reaching fruition. Instead, she gave control of the hydrobombs to L'Rell.

A less war-hungry acolyte of T'Kuvma she was able to continue his mission of uniting the warring factions on Qo'noS. She even allied her fleet with the Federation to stop a rogue AI that threatened all life in the Alpha Quadrant. The Timekeepers at the Borleth Monastery also helped Starfleet solve the mystery of the "Red Angel," and helped Captain Christopher Pike fix the timeline after he tried to prevent his future debilitating accident. Time itself needed James Kirk and Spock to take the helm of the Enterprise. However, the tenuous peace wouldn't last for long.

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A new war broke out between the Federation and the Klingons in 2257, but it was short-lived. When the USS Enterprise and General Kor's fleet arrived at Organia, the powerful beings that lived there forced them to negotiate an end to hostilities. The Treaty of Organia ended the war, but there were still clashes and battles throughout the sector. Klingons armed pre-warp species, as did Kirk and the Enterprise crew, albeit reluctantly. A Klingon who went by the name Arne Darvin was surgically altered to look human, and almost carried out a terrorist bombing on a starbase.

After a little more than a decade of relative peace, a rogue Klingon commander named Kruge took a Bird of Prey to the newly-created Genesis planet. There he destroyed the Starfleet science vessel studying it and killed David Marcus, the son of James Kirk. He defeated the Klingons, killing all but one of them, and stole the Bird of Prey. Another rogue Klingon Captain named Klaa tried to battle Kirk and the Enterprise, but Klingon Ambassador Korrd ordered Klaa to save him from the God of Sha Ka'Ree. With the destruction of the moon Praxis in 2293, the Klingon homeworld was threatened and peace finally had a real chance.

Chancellor Gorkon knew the Klingon Empire wouldn't survive unless it made peace and accepted help from the Federation. A conspiracy of Starfleet officers, Romulans and Klingons (including General Chang) assassinated Gorkon and framed Captain Kirk for it. He was sent to Rura Penthe, escaping with the help of Spock and the Enterprise. They arrived at the peace summit just in time to save the Federation president. Captain Kirk's heroics led to the signing of the Khitomer Accords and all-but the end to open hostility between the Klingons and the Federation . While not completely allies with the Federation, the Klingons and Starfleet were no longer at war.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

Star Trek: Exploring The Secrets Behind Klingon Strength 

What myths shroud the mighty power of a Klingon warrior?

The iconic Klingons of the Star Trek franchise are some of the most instantly recognizable pillars of the science fiction genre, which is especially remarkable considering they have gone through various makeovers over the years . They have gone from main antagonists in The Original Series to unlikely allies throughout the proceeding shows. They are characterized by their pursuit of honor, as well as their superior strength, but it might come as a surprise to fans that there is a strange aspect of Klingons: physically speaking, they are no stronger than humans.

This might, at first, seem like a complete contradiction to everything known about the Klingon race, a species prone to violence and desire to tackle every situation with a macho display of aggression. They are shown repeatedly to be throwing around others, punching their way through various adversaries with ease, and taking multiple punches without being affected. They are, however, no stronger proportionately to humans. Not only have Commander Riker and the questionably moral captain Sisko knocked out Klingon opponents with a punch, but Captain Picard (in The Next Generation ) has done so as well, the less built figure of the three. Klingons inherently have the same strength of a human the same size as them, although it is true that they are statistically slightly taller, but this discrepancy is only minor with all things considered.

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In terms of raw strength, Klingons and humans are on par with each other, biologically speaking. However, if one were to examine their stats through an RPG score lens, then one might say that the Klingons have +2 to endurance, as they are able to take a lot more damage than humans can. This may appear to be contradicted various times throughout the franchise , with Klingons seemingly possessing much greater strength, (this has actually become its own TV trope called “The Worf Effect”). However, ths is most likely to be a result of their culture rather than biology.

It’s accurate to say that Klingons do not possess any more natural strength than humans, but that on average they are stronger. The Klingon way of life teaches and instills a priority towards fighting, and a warrior's spirit. They are, from an early age, driven towards violence, or at least encouraged to be able to do what a Klingon deems is best: to battle. Because of this, most Klingons have trained for most of their life. The average Klingon is a more seasoned warrior than the average human.

This doesn’t make them any stronger than trained humans, however. Riker is a great example, as he too has had extensive training and is a powerful fighter, being on equal footing with Worf in terms of strength ( best leave out both their relationships with Dianna Troi ). Imagine Worf and Riker back to back, facing off against an endless horde of foes. They would both have equal strength, able to fight off their adversaries with similar volition, both packing similar punches. Worf would last longer however, not because he is stronger, but because he can withstand much more damage. Riker would not only sustain more injuries despite being hit the same amount, but would also succumbing to them much faster — damage pretty much any organ on a human, and they will likely die if not treated quickly, where a Klingon would just shake it off.

The Klingon endurance is what sets them aside from humans, making them much more effective warriors and able to defeat more foes before being beaten. They are durable tanks, who, after years and years of warrior culture , have evolved the durability to withstand a considerable amount of damage. This includes their skulls, which are far hardier than their brittle human counterparts, as well as the extensive ridges that run down from their foreheads all the way down their back, suggesting a much thicker and heavy-duty set of bones. Their nerves system and organs are also built to withstand a lot more too, having multiple redundancies throughout; this means they can withstand multiple organ failure before succumbing to their wounds. This also explains why, despite aging at a similar rate to humans, the Klingons seem to live for much longer, with much less reliance on vital organs to keep them going.

While Klingons are normally shown to be the strongest of all species within the Star Trek franchise, they are surprisingly weak when compared to the Vulcans. This is another perfect example of how Star Trek subverts expectations, hoping time and time again that raw power is not what gives a person power. Vulcans are suggested to be x3 times stronger than a human (and consequently a Klingon) but they are a race that, mostly, avoids all forms of physical violence, due to their dark and murky past , favoring intelligence and logic over warfare. The big secret behind a Klingons strength is that they are not actually overly strong at all; rather, they are near impenetrable tanks of thick bones and skin.

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