Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #30!
A shocking new Star Trek theory suggests that Klingon society is built upon a lie. One of the Star Trek franchise’s most popular alien races, the war-like but honor-bound Klingons have been in turn friends and villains to the Federation. Much of the Klingon way of life originates with Kahless, but in Star Trek #30, some new and potentially devastating revelations about him come to light.
Star Trek #30 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Travis Mercer. In the previous issue, Sisko anointed Kahless II, the original’s clone, the new “Emissary.” Kahless II then experiences a vision: of his namesake in prehistoric times, as he forged Klingon society.
Kahless II sees that the common myth of the honorable Kahless who forged a blade in the fires of a volcano and slayed the tyrant Molor may have been a lie. Instead of a vision of glory and honor, Kahless II sees nothing but death and misery.
The Klingons Have Been Both Friend and Foe to the Federation
The Klingons Have Changed A Great Deal, in Both Culture and Appearance
The Klingons were introduced early in the original Star Trek’s run, and have gone on to become one of the franchise’s most recognizable antagonists. Originally depicted as run-of-the-mill humanoid aliens, the Klingons did not obtain their trademark forehead ridges until 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. When the Klingons first appeared, they were intended, alongside the Romulans, to be the enemy. Classic Star Trek showed the Klingons as savages, with only one goal: total conquest of the galaxy. There was little flexibility in how the Klingons were portrayed: they were evil and that was it.
Fans learned that the Klingons were now allies of the Federation, and as such, this led to a change in how they were depicted.
All of that changed with the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. The show, set several decades after the days of Kirk and Spock, introduced Worf, the first Klingon to serve in Starfleet. Fans learned that the Klingons were now allies of the Federation, and as such, this led to a change in how they were depicted. The edges the Klingons displayed in the Original Series were now smoothed over, replaced with the honor-bound warriors that fans have come to love. This shift in attitudes towards the Klingons helped set The Next Generation apart from its predecessor.
Klingon Society Was Created by One Man: Kahless the Unforgettable
Kahless Returned to Guide His People--Sort Of
As Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as Deep Space Nine, moved the Klingons away from their original portrayals, the concept of “honor” was introduced into their society. While never outright stated, it is this idea of honor that holds Klingons together. Without it, the warmongering Klingons would have destroyed each other before they ever developed warp drive. The Klingon conception of honor guides their behaviors, both in their personal lives and on the battlefield–and this idea was introduced into their society by one man: Kahless.Kahless, the founder of modern Klingon society, is highly revered by them, even thousands of years after his death. According to legend, the Klingons had been without leadership for hundreds of years, and were fighting heavily among themselves. The idea of honor, as Klingons know it, did not exist. Kahless also, according to legend, forged the first bat’leth, which he then used to slay Molor. With Molor disposed of, Kahless would go on to unite the Klingons under one banner, creating a major galactic power in the process.
Thousands of years later, Kahless returned–sort of. In the myth, Kahless promised he would return to guide his people. By the mid-24th century, a malaise had set in on the Klingons, and a group of monks hatched the plan to clone Kahless as a means of rallying the people, as seen in the sixth season The Next Generation episode “Rightful Heir”. The plan worked, and the clone became the first emperor of the Klingon Empire in centuries. This landmark event in Klingon society was never followed up on-screen, but Kahless II was destined to return.
Kahless' Clone Set the Groundwork for the Star Trek Universe's Destruction
Kahless Is Now On an Amazing Redemption Arc
The Kahless of myth was known for killing the gods, and his clone decided to fulfill his namesake’s mandate. Armed with a fantastic weapon of great power, Kahless and his fanatical Red Path cult launched a crusade of terror against the universe’s god-like beings. Kahless slaughtered Gary Mitchell, the Organians and an entire group of Crystalline Entities before Captain Sisko, Worf and their respective crews stopped him. In the aftermath, Kahless was a broken man, alone and wishing to die, which is where fans find him at the beginning of Star Trek #30.
Kahless’ ascension to the role of Emissary is one of the biggest plot twists so far in IDW’s Star Trek comics line, and issue #30 solidifies Sisko’s decision to give the Klingon the title. Yet Kahless must be purified of his sins before he can save the multiverse, and thus Sisko subjects him to the brutal vision he experiences in this issue. Sisko forces Kahless to relive his “glory” years, and while he has these memories, they are truly not his, but instead belong to a man who died thousands of years prior.
Is Klingon Society Truly Built Upon a Lie?
Kahless II's Vision Could Apply to Only Him
Kahless II’s vision also raises some fundamental questions about the nature of Klingon society, and Kahless’ role in shaping it. If the events of the vision are true, then the honorable Kahless of legend was in fact just another genocidal warlord, bent on subjugation and no different from the tyrant Molor that he killed. Kahless II sees fields of dead Klingons, all who dared to oppose the first Kahless. This is in stark contrast to the legend, which says Kahless unified the Klingons by teaching them the concept of honor. Kahless II’s vision is a blasphemy of his former self.
Teasing this idea out further, if the original Kahless was just another dictator, with no real concept of honor, then there is a possibility Klingon society is built upon a shoddy foundation.
Teasing this idea out further, if the original Kahless was just another dictator, with no real concept of honor, then there is a possibility Klingon society is built upon a shoddy foundation. He is one of the most revered figures in Klingon history, on par with a religious messiah. Kahless’ teachings have kept the peace among the Klingons for centuries, and helped them expand outward into space, where they forged a mighty empire. Yet Kahless II’s vision strongly implies that these teachings are bogus, or at least the messenger behind them was.
There is also a strong possibility that Kahless II’s vision in Star Trek #30 is internal only to him, and the historical Kahless was a good person. Kahless II is constantly compared to his namesake, and he sees himself as falling short of the legacy. This self-loathing ultimately led to his campaign against the gods, and its failure added fuel to the fire. The vision Kahless II had of his namesake may have been him purging this self-hatred, a necessary step on the way to becoming the Emissary and saving the Star Trek universe.
