Klingon: Difference between revisions

<center>'''''"Do Klingons have Gods?"'''''<br>'''''"Not any more. They were all slain by Klingon warriors a millenium ago. They were more trouble than they were worth."'''''<br>'''''~ Lieutenant Commander [[ma:Worf|Worf]], [[ma:USS_Enterprise_%28NCC-1701-D%29|USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D]]'''''</center>

origin = Qo'noS|

encountered = Encountered by the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, (Errand of Mercy, TOS). First Encounter on Earth in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, (Broken Bow, ENT).|

'''Klingons''' are a warrior people, originating on the planet Qo'noS. Proud, aggressive and with an almost religious regard for tradition and honour, Klingons have had a military orientation as far back as their historical records show, and their warlike attitude make them a power to be feared and respected on a Galactic scale.

In common with many races in this sector of the Galaxy, Klingon DNA is compatible with that of Earth [[human]]s, and crossbreeds, although are rare, are not unknown. This is due to their common origin four billion years ago when a humanoid progenitor race seeded Class-M planets with their own DNA. The Klingon forehead is a major distinguishing feature of this race, consisting of a ridged, bony pattern. This pattern is different for every Klingon, and is as distinguishing as fingerprints. A common curse heard among them is: "Hab Sosil' Quch", which means, "Your mother has a smooth forehead." Also, a bony backbone resembling that of a dinosaur runs up and down their spine. Klingons cannot cry, even if they wanted to - they have no tear ducts. Klingons have enhanced senses. Three of them, acute taste, smell, and vision, are genetic, but the third, combat reflexes, is learned from childhood, and is therefore second nature to Klingons. They are larger than Terrans with a greater percentage of their body weight being muscle.

Klingons are a warrior race who hold personal and family honor above all else. A Klingon ritual is the R'uustai, or bonding ceremony, in which two individuals join families, becoming brothers and sisters. The Klingon Empire is composed of hundreds of family lines, commonly referred to as Houses. A family line may be considered as a Major or Minor House depending on its size, wealth and political influences within the Klingon Empire. A family line is not necessarily composed entirely of blood relations; if a line is open, it will occasionally adopt new members if they have skills, contacts or material goods that will bring honour, fame or fortune to the House. While the customs for ratification vary from line to line, generally any family member can sponsor another individual for adoption into his house line. If the newcomer is ambitious, the offering of handsome gifts and bribes when requesting adoption with a line could offer many benefits in return.

Klingons have a genetic predisposition to combat. They are immensely strong, and are able to sustain serious injury yet remain functional, thanks to their unique biological structure, which incorporates duplication of all essential organs to allow for damage to vital bodily functions. This is known as brak'lul in the Klingon language, and is what makes Klingons superb warriors in close-quarters combat. Klingons are proficient in the use of ritual hand-to-hand weapons and unarmed combat, and will actually prefer to fight using these methods over beam weapons. They frequently train in off-hand weapons training in order to surprise opponents. All Klingons will train in at least the bat'telh and the d'k tahg, and many frequently train in some of the other ceremonial Klingon weapons. Some also train in Mok'bara - the Klingon martial art form.

[[Image:Swordofkahless.JPG|thumb|<center>Kor & [[ma:Worf|Worf]] find the Sword Of [[ma:Kahless|Kahless]]</center>|250px|right]]

The ecological effects of this disaster threatens to deplete the oxygen in the Homeworld's atmosphere and because of the planets importance to the Klingon Empire, contemporary Starfleet estimates conclude that the Empire can last no longer than Qo'noS itself - about fifty years. These estimates match those make within the Klingon government. With the Klingon economy now in tatters, Gorkon, the leader of the High Council, takes the historic step to sue for peace. The resulting diplomatic initiatives undertaken in light of this threat lead to a decades-long peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons, and change the balance of political power in the Galaxy.