Klingons

The Klingon Empire, which has its homeworld on Qo'nos, is one of the most powerful political forces in known space.  It spans many worlds, most of which are located in the Beta Quadrant, and has borders with the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire.  The Klingons have a reputation as courageous fighters and have a long history of war with their neighbors.  Over the years they have entered into a brief alliance with the Romulans and established an enduring, if occasionally uncertain, peace with the Federation.  But even in times of peace they have remained a race of formidable warriors.

Klingons are genetically suited to combat.  They are extremely strong, have an acute sense of smell which allows them to scent their enemies or prey, and most significantly, their vital organs are duplicated.  This system of redundant organs, which is known as brak'lul, allows a Klingon to continue fighting even after he or she has sustained considerable injuries.  Klingons also have a cultural bias toward fighting.  According to legend, the Klingon Empire was founded in 625 by Kahless the Unforgettable, the greatest Klingon warrior who ever lived.  Kahless united the Klingon people by defeating the tyrant Molor and his own dishonorable brother, Morath, and overcoming literally thousands of enemies.  Legends about Kahless are central to the Klingon belief system, and he is held up as an example of the perfect Klingon warrior--not only as the strongest and most skilled fighter, but also as an honorable man who established the standards for Klingon behavior.  Klingon parents use stories about Kahless to teach their children propler behavior, and almost all Klingons become warriors.  Parent begin to train their children to fight almost as soon as they are born, and they become familiar with the traditional weapons of war at a young age.

Before they are 13, Klingon children announce their intention of becoming warriors before reaching the Age of Ascension, a rite that involves lighting a kor'tova candle and being tested with traditional weapons.  The second Age of Ascension, at about 15 years of age, is a far more dangerous ceremony that involves walking between two lines of warriors who attack the initiate with painstiks.  Once he has completed this ritual, a Klingon is regarded as a true warrior.  A Klingon's adult life is marked by rituals.  For example, every year Klingons set one day aside, known as the Day of Honor, to examine their behavior and reflect on how they have distinguished themselves in the last year.

The whole concept of honor is central to Klingon society; to Klingons, honor is inextricably bound up with combat.  The greatest single honor a Klingon can hope for is to die in battle.  In contrast, dying of old age or disease is considered dishonorable, and if a warrior reaches an age where he cannot fight, other Klingons will shun him.  Society recognizes that a warrior may reach old age or be injured through no fault of his own, and there are various ways that an 'unfit' Klingon can end his life with honor.  For instance, if a warrior is permanently disabled and is unable to stand and face his enemies, he will commit a form of ritual suicide called Hegh'bat.  If circumstances have conspired to make it impossible for a Klingon to live with honor, he will perform Mauk'to-Vor, anothe form of ritualized suicide in which the person responsible for the loss of honor makes ammends by taking the offended warrior's life.

The Klingon concept of honor is not concerned simply with how a warrior dies; there is also a strict code that dictates how a warrior should live.  Honorable Klingons will not break their work or betray their allies, and certain kinds of attack are deemed unworthy; with a few rare exceptions, Klingons will not attack from behind or use poison.  Even if they are hopelessly surrounded, honorable Klingons will not surrender.  In fact, anything that might be deemed cowardly is seen as dishonorable.

Despite the importance of honor in their society, many Klingons have shown that they are quite capable of taking any courseof action that will lead to victory in battle, even if it seems dishonorable to an observer.  Klingons thus do not consider it dishonorable to use cloaked ships or lay ambushes for their enemies.  In Klingon eyes, might is right, and their society is constructed around the strongest warriors as a result.  Individual warriors prove themselves by fighting for everything, even their place at the table.  Within the Klingon military, positions of power and authority are earned by force of arms.  If the captain of a Klingon ship shows any signs of weakness, he will be challenged to personal combat by his first officer.  This often results in a fight to the death, and the victor has the right to command the ship.  This system of challenges operates throughout Klingon society and ensures that he strongest and shewdest warriors rise to positions of power, but are removed as soon as they begin to lose their edge.  Given the massive cultural pressures on them, it is not surprising that most Klingons regularly practice weapon maneuvers and fighting at close quarters.  As a rule, they believe that training has little value unless it is dangerous and will often injure one another in practice fights or 'friendly' brawls.  They also favor using brutal holodeck exercise programs with the safeties off.

In fact, almost every aspect of Klingon society involves violence.  Warriors will often greet one another by butting heads, and fights erupt in drinking halls over what seem like the most trivial disagreements.  Even lovemaking involves drawing blood and an alarming degree of violence.  Despite their devotion to combat, Klingons are not simply brutal killing machines.  On the contrary, they take great pleasure in life.  They love opera and poetry; it is quite common for warriors to sing as they enter battle, and laughter often fills the corridors on Klingon ships.  Drinking is vital to Klingon culture and is often seen as a test of manhood.  Warriors who receive the prized Order of the Bat'leth spend the hours before the ceremony drinking bloodwine; surviving the kind of 'ritual' is a test in itself.  Although the Klingon way of life is violent, it is not as chaotic as it can appear to outsiders.  Challenges can only be made under specific circumstances--for example, if a leader is heading for defeat or has shown cowardice.  Crucially, few Klingons are forced to stand alone in the struggle to maintain or improve their status--almost all warriors belong to a noble house to which they owe absolute allegiance.  Membership of a house brings certain duties with it, but also offers protection to each individual.  If one member of a house is killed or harmed by a rival, the entire house will stand by him or her and attempt to exact vengeance.  This often leads to blood feuds between the houses, but also provides an important check in the system, preventing ill-considered challenges and dishonorable attacks.

Each house is led by an individual and carries his or her name.  The leaders of the most powerful houses sit on the Klingon High Council, which has governed the empire since the 21st century.  The council, which has about two dozen members, normally meets in the Great Hall of the First City on Qo'Nos, and is led by the high chancellow.  Women are currently banned from sitting on the council and hold a politically inferior position in Klingon society.  Council members earn their place by military strength; Kurn gained his position on the Council because he was able to pledge three squadrons of ships to Chancellor Gowron's side during the cival war.

Although the chancellor is advised by the council, he is effectively an absolute ruler.  He is the commander-in-chief and the highest judge in the empre, wtih the power to to strip a warrior of his lands and titles or to grant special dispensations.  The position of chancellor is extremely dangerous--any sign of weakness is almost certain to result in a challenge.  Chancellors are rarely long-lived; the longest-serving holder of the office was K'mpec.  This canny warrior was famous for ruling with an iron fist, but was eventually murdered in 2367.  Despite the chancellors's enormous powers, it is almost impossible for him to govern without the support of the council.  As a consequence of this, he is often forced to form political coalitions with the most powerful houses, even if they have traditionally been his enemies.

If a house becomes too powerful, the chancellor may not be able to govern without its support.  K'mpec was an expert at manipulating the council, but in the 2360's he became dependent on the House of Duras.  Even when he learned that the family had links to the Romulans and were acountable for the Khitomer massacre decades before, he was unable to move against them.  Political pressures normally force Klingon chancellors to pursue aggressive expansionist policies.  The opportunity to fight a common enemy satisfies the Klingon need for honor and glory and prevents fighting between the various houses.

During the 23rd century, the Klingons were in a state of constant conflict with the Federation, but following the accidental destruction of the vital energy source on the Klingon moon Praxis, the empire was forced to enter peace negotiations.  As the Klingons realized that the Federation had its own sense of honor, relations began to improve.  Under K'mpec's leadership, the empire forged a lasting alliance with the Federation and entered a period of relative peace and stability.

However, by the time Gowron came to power, the pressure for war had built to the point where it was almost impossible to maintain peace.  When the Dominion began to interfere in the Alpha Quadrant, the Klingons tookthe opportunity to declare war on the Cardassians.  This led to a short-lived conflict with the Federation; as soon as Cardassia joined the Dominion, however, the Klinons reestablished their alliance with the Federation.  Since then, the Klingons have been in the front line of the war with the Dominion.  Their losses have been extremely heavy, but they see the war as a honorable endeavor that will bring glory to the empire.