Klingons

Klingons (tlhIngan in the Klingon language) are a race of humanoids in the fictional Star Trek universe. They were recurring antagonists in Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) and later became the uneasy allies of the United Federation of Planets. more...

They were introduced in the episode Errand of Mercy. Klingons were created by Gene Coon. According to David Alexander in Star Trek Creator, a biography of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, they were named for Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, who served with Roddenberry in the Los Angeles Police Department. They speak the Klingon language which is heard as English through the Universal Translator.

In the original series the conflict between the Federation and Klingon Empire was modelled on the Cold War between the Western countries and the Soviet Union . TOS Klingons were not given many cultural traits, either original or Soviet-like, beyond a generic need for domination and tyranny. However, they were typically portrayed with bronze skin and facial hair suggestive of North Asian peoples such as the Mongols (in fact, Gene Coon's only physical description of them in his Errand of Mercy script is "Oriental, hard-faced"). In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Klingons were "reimagined" or retconned and were depicted with ridged foreheads, new uniforms, and a distinctive language. Gene Roddenberry said the movie era Klingons are closer to his original vision, but could not be realized in a low-budget television show.

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