10,160
edits
Star Trek: Klingon Empire: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
Line 16:
* ''Family Matters'', from the [[Mirror Universe]] anthology ''Shards and Shadows''.
{{tropelist}}▼
▲{{tropelist}}
* [[A Father to His Men]]: Klag, insofar as Klingon values and regulations permit, is extremely proud of his crew and does his best to encourage and uplift their efforts to succeed. Conversely, he also had no problem with [[You Have Failed Me|killing anyone who proves incompetent]] per Klingon regulations, and he reacts to attempts to usurp his authority ''very'' harshly.▼
* [[The Alcoholic]]: Kurak. At one point, she refuses to believe that she has alcohol poisoning, because as far as she's concerned alcohol is only a poison to "weak" races such as humans. Usually Klingon physiology fights off the negative effects of alcohol, but she'd consumed so much that even Klingon biology couldn't cope.
* [[Anvilicious]]: About the time that an Elabrej separatist bemoans to the Klingons that the wealth of their planet is concentrated in "less than one percent of the population" (and the Klingons are actually horrified by this), it becomes pretty clear that [[Author Tract|the writer had a bat'leth to grind]].
Line 37 ⟶ 35:
* [[Bizarre Alien Biology]]: The Elabrej, although in the scenes from their point of view they evaluate the humanoid Klingons along these terms. The Elabrej oligarchs are shocked to hear that Klingons can only see what is in front of them (or to the immediate side), due to having only two small organs on the front with which to experience vision.
* [[Cain and Abel]]: Dorrek and Klag.
* [[Call Forward]]: In ''A Burning House'', Klingon Imperial Intelligence reports that Neral's reign in the Romulan Star Empire is becoming increasingly unstable, and that he'll probably be replaced or deposed within the year. This is a [[Call Forward]] to ''[[Star Trek:
* [[Call to Agriculture]]: H'Ta, one of the elderly members of the ''Order of the Bat'leth''. Now a farmer, he much prefers fertilizer to blood and has no desire to leave when he receives Captain Klag's summons to battle.
* [[Combat by Champion]]: This is how the San-Tarah conflict will be resolved, as the final of five tasks which determine who gains control of the planet, the natives or the Klingon Empire. Captain Klag faces Me-Larr, pack leader of the dominant San-Tarah tribe, in the ritual circle.
* [[Combat Medic]]: B'Oraq. Technically all Klingon doctors, but she's more or less the only one who remembers the "medic" part is supposed to take priority.
** To be specific, Klingon medicine isn't totally useless, but as far it usually goes, they just stitch up any wounds, give you a stimulant to get you back on your feet, and anything else they just give you a [[Mercy Kill]] for. B'Oraq is trying to change this because she is a proud a Klingon as anyone else, but [[Only Sane Man|realizes actual medical technique being more common than the barest of basics would allow the Klingons to keep more warriors ready for battle]]. By the fourth book, though, she does finally get to make some headway on this.
* [[Continuity Nod]]: As ever in the modern [[Star Trek Expanded Universe]], many. In particular, the series often references events from the [[Star Trek Deep Space Nine Relaunch]], which is set in the same timeframe.
** Sometimes done with a bit of a sly nod. The description of the [[Special Effects Failure|badly-done]] Andorian in ''Battlecruiser Vengeance'' closely matches an Andorian shown in an early-season episode of ''The Next Generation''.
* [[Contrived Coincidence]]: The series of events and sheer impossible odds that lead to {{spoiler|Wol killing her long-lost son on San-Tarah}} are borderline ridiculous. What makes it even moreso is that it's [[Angst? What Angst?|breezed over without
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Leskit, building on his characterization in an episode of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. He's possibly the most sarcastic Klingon in the galaxy.
** B'Oraq has Deadpan Snarker tendencies, too:
Line 53 ⟶ 52:
* [[Dying Town]]: Krennla.
* [[Even Evil Has Standards|Even Klingons Have Standards]]: Klingons have no qualms decrying any reliance on most creature comforts, they have only semi-decent medical care (though that is changing), and their standard policy is to conquer worlds violently instead of using diplomacy, which doesn't make them all that nice, especially if you're a pacifist of any sort. On the other hand, even they were sickened and horrified beyond belief when they realized just how bad off the Elabrej people were, to the point that even with all the above stated...the Klingons running things at their most assholish would've been ''a massive improvement!''
** Of course, considering {{spoiler|they ultimately decide that bringing the Elabrej into the Empire would be too much trouble and instead leave them to their shattered society}}, their standards aren't that high. And to be fair, even if they wanted to fix the place, the Elabrej screwed up their own world so hard the Klingons wouldn't even have the expertise to fix said world even if they cared to try.
* [[Expy]]: Dr. B'Oraq in the first three novels is essentially Beverly Crusher wearing Klingon makeup. It's not until ''A Burning House'' that she actually starts displaying more typical Klingon traits and breaking away from this mold. She's even a protege of Crusher, just to make this more clear.
* [[Extra Eyes]]: The Elabrej apparently have eyes, or equivalent, all over.
** It seems more like their entire epidermis functions as a sensory organ. When examining the Klingons, they seem shocked by the very concept of grouping all of the ocular nerves together in one place to form an eye.
* [[Face Heel Turn]]: {{spoiler|Rodek}}. To be fair, he does regret the whole thing, which was originally kicked off by [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]] failing at the worst possible time coupled with being fed disinformation by a [[Manipulative Bastard]], but the final result was {{spoiler|that Klag ordered him off the Gorkon for damned near trying to kill him.}}
* [[Fantastic Caste System]]: The Elabrej have a vertically stratified caste system. There
** Klingons aren't immune to this either, especially considering how the rules of Klingon society (and the reality of the preestablished cliques that resent any power shift) lead to a lot of stagnation and hostility to anyone not a part of them. This is part of why B'Oraq finds her efforts to improve Klingon medicine to be absurdly difficult at best.
*** Notably, Houseless Klingons can usually only hope for menial/low-ranking positions, and would have to work ''very'' hard and get very lucky to be able to climb to the level of officers and finally earn the right to establish their own House (as Martok did). Which is still better than Klingons who have a House but have been cast out of it... those Klingons are essentially pariahs
▲* [[A Father to His Men]]: Klag, insofar as Klingon values and regulations permit, is extremely proud of his crew and does his best to encourage and uplift their efforts to succeed. Conversely, he also had no problem with [[You Have Failed Me...|killing anyone who proves incompetent]] per Klingon regulations, and he reacts to attempts to usurp his authority ''very'' harshly.
* [[Feuding Families]]: Well, this is the Klingon Empire we're talking about, so yes, plenty. Some families are too powerful to be feuded with, though. The House of K'Tal, for example, is so prosperous and powerful that challenging a member will bring an assassin down upon you in no short order.
* [[Fictional Holiday]]: ''Yobta’ Yupma’'', the harvest festival. It’s mostly observed by farmers and natives of farming worlds, and isn’t widely known or celebrated by the rest of the Klingon Empire.
Line 69:
* [[Gentle Giant]]: Goran, as long as we keep in mind this is gentle by Klingon standards.
* [[Great White Hunter]]: Toq, sort of. {{spoiler|He was raised without Klingon values at first, so in a cultural sense he's overcompensating for not being raised as a Klingon, which makes him seem like a parodic exaggeration of a Klingon who enjoys hunting.}}
* [[Hates Everyone Equally]]: Kurak. She despises her fellow officers
* [[Have I Mentioned I Am a Dwarf Today?]]: A great many characters are somewhat obsessed with "being Klingon", and make a point of it routinely. It's relatively justified, in that Klingon society has recently undergone tremendous upheaval and is now trying to reaffirm a sense of what being Klingon ''means''. Reminding themselves - and one another - of their status as Klingons is thus reasonably common, as characters evaluate their own
* [[Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?]]: Amusingly inverted in the fourth book where an opera written about the San-Tarah campaign stars Tereth as Klag's lover, and G'joth points out that she was a lesbian. In fact, it seems that Klingon culture seems to have little problem with homosexuality, and thus unless a character makes their sexual preference clear via this trope, an implied [[Bi the Way]] seems to be considered a societal norm.
* [[Heaven]]: Klag seemed to think "Those Who Run With The Dead" in San-Tarah culture were in heaven. Apparently, this is not so, and he may have (slightly) offended them instead.
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Done multiple times by Klingons, {{spoiler|Tereth being an excellent example.}} In the third book, one of the good guy Elabrej performs one of these, and considering up until then most of the Klingons thought they had no stomach for real sacrifice, no less than Toq is deeply impressed.
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: These are Klingons, so yes. Reason is often so far behind it might never arrive at all. That said, through sheer persistence, Klag and most of the other characters manage to trump or at least compromise reason and honor to the point they agree ''somewhat'' at times.
* [[I Gave My Word]]: Klag promises on his honor to leave the San-Tarah alone after they defeat his crew in a series of challenges - and Me-Larr defeats him in honorable combat. General Talak, on the other hand, orders Klag to conquer San-Tarah anyway. Klag refuses
* [[Insufferable Genius]]: Kurak is one up until towards the end of book three
* [[In the Original Klingon]]: Played with. In an amusing [[Shout-Out]] to ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country|The Undiscovered Country]]'', B'Oraq claims Shakespeare is best appreciated in the original English.
* [[Klingon Promotion]]: Naturally, the trope is explored, but an important part of Klag's backstory involves his frustration at being unable to take command in this way. As first officer of the IKS ''Pagh'' under incompetent Captain Kargan, Klag had every right, and responsibility, to pull off a (literal) [[Klingon Promotion]], but Kargan was a part of the powerful House of K'Tal, and if Klag killed him he'd have an assassin sent after him for sure. The only reason Kargan remained a captain was by blaming Klag for his own screw-ups. After Kargan died in a crash-landing, Klag finally got his own command.
Line 86:
* [[Love Dodecahedron]]: In one of the short stories, Captain Klag mentions reading an erotic novel in which an Andorian (four sexes) and a Damiani (three sexes) become caught up in a dangerous love septangle...
* [[Lower Deck Episode]]: The exploits of the ''Gorkon's'' Fifteenth Squad are covered in detail throughout the series proper (and some of its members are introduced in the prequel novels).
* [[Murder Is the Best Solution]]: So very much. However, there are exceptions, as politics interferes with the warrior [[ethos]] of the Klingon people. Killing a member of the influential House of K'Tal, even in legal challenge, is not a wise move at all. Everyone knows they'll send an assassin after you.
* [[Narm Charm]]: [[Invoked Trope|An internal example]]. The old animated show ''Battlecruiser Vengeance'' is this for many Klingons (and it's a nice wink to actual fans of [[Star Trek: The Original Series|Original Series]] ''[[Star Trek]]'' too). One particular episode presents the Klingon hero repelling a Federation boarding party. The episode was produced during the height of tensions between the empire and the Federation, and the party consists of ridiculous, inaccurate computer-generated images of Federation member races. Specifically, the Andorian is more green than blue and has overlong antennae, the Vulcan's ears are too pointed, the Tellarite looks more like an actual boar, the Betazoid has fully blacked-out eyes instead of simple dark irises, the Human has eyes too large and a mouth too small, the Trill has spots covering her entire body, and the Denobulan has misplaced ridges. In the minds of many "modern" fans, the inaccuracy just adds to the joy of it.
* [[Offing the Offspring]]: {{spoiler|Wol accidentally kills her son on San-Tarah, during the heat of battle}}. More in keeping with the usual trope, Lorgh has made it reasonably clear that he will kill his adopted son Toq should it ever become necessary as part of his work at Imperial Intelligence.
* [[Once an Episode]]: Not in the novels themselves, but there's a good example in "Battlecruiser Vengeance", the popular animated show enjoyed by the Klingons in-universe. Every episode ends with the same line: "I am Koth, Koth of the Vengeance. And this ship is my prize". Also, pretty much every episode has an [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|Orion slave girl]] in it, though how she keeps showing up is a mystery to viewers...
** One thing that is in the novels is how Klag cannot seem to hold onto a decent first officer. Most who tend to be really good at the job tend to also be [[Killed Off for Real]].
* [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane Woman]]: B'Oraq, who is very reasonable for a Klingon and frustrated by the rest of her people. A doctor, her particular agenda in life is to get the rest of the empire to accept the use of modern medicine. She faces fierce resistance, as the [[Honor Before Reason]] Klingon culture tends to view medical care as a low priority, and pandering to weakness.
* [[Planet of Hats]]: Averted. The fourth novel in particular (''A Burning House'') is largely dedicated to showcasing the diversity of Klingon culture. First, the Klingon farmers are explored in some depth (one notably shrugs off the "good day to die" warrior ethos as not something she is particularly concerned with). These farmers also have a far friendlier relationship with the various subject races, like Phebens. The laborers and workmen of the cities are also explored (in both the capital and another, less fortunate, city where industry has packed up and left, leaving many out of work). We are also shown Klingon opera singers, lawyers, policemen, etc. Earlier books in the series, which focus on the warriors, also make a point of portraying them with much diversity, including an elderly Klingon who was previously a warrior but has since moved into farming and now "prefers fertilizer to blood".
* [[Proud Warrior Race]]: The Klingons, of course. The San-Tarah
* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: Chancellor Martok.
* [[Serious Business]]: Wind-boat racing, as far as Kurak is concerned. She's infuriated when her team loses a contest on San-Tarah, insisting that they've [[Ruined FOREVER|ruined the sport for her]].
Line 101 ⟶ 102:
* [[Supreme Chef]]: Tabona. Try her candied ''racht'' in particular.
* [[Surrounded by Idiots]]: Though not evil, merely very unpleasant, Kurak likes to make this complaint a lot.
* [[That Man Is Dead]]: Wol's previous identity was Eral, a
* [[Thicker Than Water]]: Klingons place family incredibly highly. Kurak's House made a vow to always serve the Empire, and it is the duty of any and all members to fight in uniform if called to do so. Now that all the other adult members are dead, Kurak has to serve in the Defense Force, despite hating it there. If she doesn't, she'll be legally cast from the family by the House ''gin'tak'' (like a senior servant but with legal power). Her life, like that of so many Klingons, revolves around family ties.
** In fact, the novels seem to showcase a lot more of the ''negative'' aspects of familial association than the positive. At one point it reminds us of the fact that if someone is convicted of treason against the Empire, their family line bears the shame of it for ''ten'' generations.
* [[To Be Lawful or Good|To Follow Orders Or Conscience]]: As far as Klag is concerned, he will do his best to follow the former, but if they are a direct insult to his own morality, he will always follow his own beliefs on what is honorable.
* [[Token Evil Teammate]]: Lokor, full stop. Of all the Klingons who consistently follow Klag's authority and have yet to pull a [[Face Heel Turn]], Lokor is basically the one guy who has the fewest scruples in screwing people over to get them to toe the line and not buck the system, and most of his methods are horrifying in their effectiveness. On the other hand, he's also unbelievably useful and indispensable to the point that Klag trusts him implicitly.
** Of course, "evil" is probably relative considering that we're talking about Klingons. Lokor does seem to be just as dedicated to honor and doing what's right for the Empire as Klag is (he seems to be offended by the mutineers far more for their dishonoring themselves and Klag, not simply out of pragmatic reasons)... but where Klag wields the bat'leth and disruptor, Lokor wields fear, intimidation, and rumors. Though it's definitely true that even for a Klingon his tastes seem to run to the sadomasochistic side.
* [[Very Loosely Based on a True Story]]: G'Joth is asked to provide notes for an opera celebrating the Battle of San-Tarah, having been there at the actual conflict. He is constantly frustrated by the production team's bending of the truth, and their rewriting of details to make the performance look better. One particular point of irritation is the way in which the villain of the piece Talak was scaled down to a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]].
* [[Villain Protagonist]]: Arguably. While the series takes place during a period of peace and cooperation between the Empire and Federation, making the Klingons not specifically villains in the setting, the first three-fourths of the series do feature the characters out to forcibly conquer other worlds to add them into the Empire and make near-slaves out of their populations.
* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: G'Joth and Davok, of the "equally insulting" variant.
* [[Weapon of Choice]]: For Davok, it's the ''qutluch,'' the signature dagger of an assassin, which he throws with fantastic accuracy even in close-quarters combat. He claims that he took it
** Klag's is the ''mek'leth'', the one-handed weapon that Worf himself prefers. It's not as versatile as the ''bat'leth'', which is what causes Klag to decide to get a new arm, but several characters note that he's so good with it that if he'd used it instead of a ''bat'leth'' in one fight, he almost certainly would have won.
** Wol becomes quite fond of the energy rifle she takes off of a dead Elabrej.
* [[What an Idiot!]]: While discussing the nature of the Klingon aristocracy, one ''Bekk'' declares that Martok is "highborn in all but birth". One of the other Klingons quickly points out the oxymoronic nature of that statement.
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: The San-Tarah are a [[Worthy Opponent]] to the Klingons, sharing their warrior ethic. Klag, Leskit and the crew are delighted to hear that the San-Tarah cannot even translate the word "peace" into their language.
* [[You Have Failed Me...]]: General Kriz behaves like this towards the captains under his command. He is happy to shoot dead any captain who makes a fool of himself, or who fails to conquer new worlds for the empire. This is not unusual behavior; Klingon officers in general can put subordinates to death for failure at any time, although of course all but the most unhinged practice restraint.
** As Toq demonstrates in ''Diplomatic Implausibility'' (a prior novel featuring most of the ''Gorkon'' characters), it's not just superiors who can do this to inferiors. Toq declares that the second officer has failed Klag too many times and challenges him for the position.
{{reflist}}
{{Star Trek Franchise}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Star Trek Novel Verse]]
| |||