Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek: Defiant#22!
Star Trekhas gone a long way to providing a balanced look at Klingon society, and a new reveal helped change the way I see their culture, and their concept of honor. The various shows and movies have made one thing clear: Klingons value honor above all else.Losing honor is tantamount to death in Klingon society, butStar Trek: Defiant#22 introduces a way to reclaim it.
Star Trek: Defiant#22 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. Alexander, who lost his honor duringDay of Blood’sclimax, is undergoing the ‘Quvritual to restore it. This ritual is divided into three intense parts, defined in the table below.
A Breakdown of the Klingon ‘QuvRitual
Notes
Errand of Punishment
Alexander must fight those he has disgraced–but he can only defend, not attack.
Errand of Valor
Alexander must commit a selfless act, even if it costs his life.
Errand of Vengeance
Alexander must seek out and kill a Klingon who has forsaken their honor
The rite is brutal, and Alexander’s success is not guaranteed.However, if he is successful, then he will regain his honor–and it will be a hard-fought victory. In the first part of the rite, Alexander must fight two of his extended family members–to the death.
The Klingons,Star Trek’s Honor-Bound Warriors, Explained
The Klingons Have Been Friends and Enemies to the Federation
The Klingons have come a long way in theStar Trekuniverse. Introduced in the show’s first season, in the episode “Errand of Mercy,” the Klingons were intended to be one of the primary antagonistsof the peaceful and benevolent Federation. They were said to be bloodthirsty tyrants, who lived to conquer and kill. The Federation and the Klingons fought at least one big war, as depicted in the first season ofStar Trek: Discovery, and relations were tense for decades afterward. The two nearly went to war again, but the intervention of the Organians prevented them from doing so.
Fans tuning into the pilot episode, “Encounter at Farpoint,” were stunned to see a Klingon, Worf, serving on the bridge of theEnterprise, and one that was proud to declare himself a “Starfleet officer.”
Yet by the 24th century, whenStar Trek: The Next Generationwas set, the Federation and the Klingons had become uneasy allies. Fans tuning into the pilot episode, “Encounter at Farpoint,” were stunned to see a Klingon, Worf, serving on the bridge of theEnterprise, and one that was proud to declare himself a “Starfleet officer.” The galaxy had changed since the days of Kirk and Spock, and Worf represented this new era in the franchise. Worf’s presence was a clear signal thatStar Trek: The Next Generationwas not going to be a rehash of its predecessor.
Worf Was a Gift toStar TrekWriters
Worf’s Family Drama AllowedStar TrekTo Really Explore Klingon Culture
Worf also allowedStar Trek: The Next Generation’swriters to further explore Klingon culture, giving them depth and making them more than cartoonish villains.Ronald Moore, a staff writer forThe Next Generation, added layers of nuance to the Klingons, framing their culture around the concept of “honor.” To a Klingon, there is nothing more important than their honor, and losing it is a massive shame, to both the individual and their house as well. Worf actually lost his honor in the third season episode “Sins of the Father,” and would spend the next decade attempting to restore it.
Ronald Moore would later go on to help create the mid-2000s reboot ofBattlestar Galactica.
Intertwined with the saga of Worf’s honor was his family drama, namely the relationship with his son Alexander.After Alexander proved too much for Worf’s adopted human parents, the boy comes to live with his father on theEnterprise.Worf tried to be a good father, and instilled in his son the concept of honor. Worf tells Alexander the story of Kahless, the founder of modern Klingon society, as a way of instilling the values of warrior in the boy. However, Worf fell short in his paternal duties, and Alexander became even more alienated.
This alienation took Alexander right to Kahless, or at least his evil clone.
This alienation took Alexander right to Kahless, or at least his evil clone. Kahless II declared war on the galaxy’s gods, recruiting a fanatical army from across the quadrant to join him, and Alexander was one of them. Worf is forced to fight his son in combat, and watches as Kahless kills him. While Alexander was restored to life, his honor was gone. Kahless’ attempts at a Klingon insurrection were thwarted, and Alexander was left to pick up the pieces. Worf, trying to do right by his son, is helping him get his honor back.
The ‘QuvRitual Adds Another Layer to Klingon Culture
The’QuvShows Klingon Society Believes in Mercy
Honor is paramount in Klingon society, and losing it can seem to be the end of a warrior’s life. Fans watched as Worf fought tooth and nail to restore his, gaining it back a few years later. He would lose it one more time, before having it restored permanently by General Martok. While this made for compelling TV, it was gut-wrenching for Worf, and his family was not left untouched, as his brother Kurn shared in his shame. Kurn’s memories of Worf were wiped, and the two brothers never saw each other again.
Did Star Trek Already Forget About the Best Gift It Gave Worf’s Family?
Sons of Star Trek ended with Worf’s son Alexander embarking on an epic new path, but has the franchise forgotten about this development already?
It can be tempting to dismiss Klingon culture as too fatalistic. Honor is easily lost in the Klingon Empire, and to gain it back is seemingly impossible. Yet this is where the‘Quvritual adds further layers of nuance to Klingon society: by showing that while honor can be lost, it can also be regained. The ‘Quvritual is a lifeline for Klingons, albeit a brutal one, and the mere fact of its existence shows theseStar Trekicons also believe in the concepts of mercy and forgiveness.
