| abstract
| - The House of Duras is a long-lasting family of treacherous and manipulative Klingons in the fictional Star Trek universe. The name "Duras" refers both to the family as a whole and to individual members. Several episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, including "The Expanse", include a 22nd century character named Duras who pursues a personal grudge against Captain Jonathan Archer. According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Sins of the Father", Duras' descendant Ja'rod assisted in the Romulans' 24th century attack against the Khitomer outpost, dying in the assault along with all but two of the colonists. One of those survivors was Worf, who learns of Ja'rod's betrayal and confronts Ja'rod's son, Klingon High Council member Duras, when Duras accuses Worf's father of being the traitor. Worf accepts discommendation in order to prevent the schism that would arise if Ja'rod's betrayal became public knowledge. In the episode "Reunion", Duras is one of two nominees to succeed K'mpec as chancellor. Worf kills Duras in revenge for Duras' murder of K'Ehleyr. Duras' illegitimate son, Toral, continues his father's pursuit of the chancellorship with the aid of his aunts, Lursa and B'Etor, in "Redemption, Parts I and II". The Romulans back Lursa and B'Etor in the ensuing civil war, which is ultimately thwarted in part by Starfleet intervention. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Past Prologue", Lursa and B'Etor work with a Bajoran terrorist. Although Lursa is pregnant in "Firstborn", the child's fate is unknown. In Star Trek Generations, the sisters align with Dr. Tolian Soran and are killed in a battle with the USS Enterprise-D. Toral later pursues the titular Sword of Kahless in a Deep Space Nine episode in the hopes that it will help him gain prestige in the Empire.
- A forefather in this house was Duras, son of Toral. In 2153, he died in battle with Enterprise trying to capture Jonathan Archer at the edge of the Delphic Expanse. (ENT: "Judgment", "The Expanse") In the 24th century, the House of Duras was engaged in a blood feud with Huraga's house. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior") In 2346, Ja'rod had betrayed his people to the Romulans, providing them with the codes to lower the defenses protecting the Klingon colony on Khitomer. When evidence of this surfaced in 2366, then-Chancellor K'mpec sought to protect the Empire against a possible civil war by blaming Mogh, the father of Worf. Worf challenged this, but when he learned the truth he agreed to accept discommendation, for the good of the Empire. (TNG: "Sins of the Father" ) With the death of K'mpec in 2367, Ja'rod's son, Duras, sought the leadership of the council, standing against Gowron. When Worf discovered that his mate K'Ehleyr had been murdered by Duras, he immediately transported to Duras' ship and challenged him. Duras proved to be no match for Worf, and was killed, leaving House of Duras without a leader as Duras had no legitimate heir, and Gowron free to take his place as Chancellor. (TNG: "Reunion" ) Several months later Duras' sisters Lursa and B'Etor discovered that Duras had an illegitimate son, Toral. Though only a boy, Toral was made head of House Duras and inherited his father's claim to leadership of the council. The Arbiter of Succession Jean-Luc Picard chose to reject Toral's claim, causing those council members loyal to House Duras to withdraw from the council, plunging the Empire into civil war. With this, Chancellor Gowron restored Worf's good name and his family honor. He gave Toral's life to Worf, but Worf chose to spare the boy, who had merely been used as his aunts' pawn. (TNG: "Redemption" ) Although Toral was technically its leader, effectively the House was being controlled by Lursa and B'Etor, who were in turn working in collusion with the Romulans. Picard was able to prove this and block the Romulan supply convoys aiding the Duras' forces. Support immediately fell away and Gowron's forces stood victorious. The Duras sisters continued to fight a private war against the Empire. (TNG: "Redemption II" ) Lursa and B'Etor surfaced once again on Deep Space 9 in 2369, selling bilitrium to Bajoran Kohn-Ma terrorist Tahna Los in order to fund their continuing efforts to gain control of the Empire. As they had committed no crime against the Bajorans they were allowed to go about their business and were not apprehended. (DS9: "Past Prologue") An attempt on Worf's life in 2370 was suspected to have been the work of the Duras sisters, but this proved not to be the case. At this point Lursa revealed that she was pregnant with another heir to the house Duras. (TNG: "Firstborn" ) In 2371, Lursa and B'Etor began working with El-Aurian scientist Dr. Tolian Soran, stealing trilithium from the Romulans in order to assist him in the development of a trilithium-based weapon. They captured Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge and used his VISOR to discover the modulation of the USS Enterprise-D's shields. The Enterprise was critically damaged as the Duras' weapons fire passed through its shields, unhindered. Lieutenant Commander Data was able to force the activation of the Duras' Bird-of-Prey's cloaking device. With their shields down, a single photon torpedo was enough to destroy the Duras' ship, killing them in the process. However, the Duras sisters may have gotten the last laugh as the damage they had inflicted to the Enterprise was enough to rupture the magnetic interlocks to the warp core, leading to a warp core breach which completely destroyed the stardrive section of the vessel and crippled the saucer module. (Star Trek Generations) It is not clear if Lursa's child had been born, and if so, whether he traveled with his mother and perished with her. Toral attempted to take over the Klingon Empire again in 2372, this time on his own. He met the Dahar Master Kor on Torna IV, where Kor drunkenly told him he had discovered the Shroud of the Sword and that it would lead him to the Sword of Kahless. Toral sent Soto, a Lethean, to probe Kor's mind on Deep Space 9. Using the information Soto retrieved, and believing that if Toral could wield the sword he could take over the Empire, Toral traveled to the Gamma Quadrant. However, Kor, Worf and Jadzia Dax had already discovered and retrieved the sword and managed to escape Toral and his henchmen. The sword was later jettisoned into space, thwarting another attempt of the House of Duras to conquer the Empire. (DS9: "The Sword of Kahless") It is not clear whether Worf killed Toral in the Gamma Quadrant or just knocked him out. Duras is the name of the second to last king of the ancient Kingdom of Dacia from 68 – 87 AD.
- The House of Duras was one of the Great Houses within the Klingon Empire that was active over several centuries, and influenced events both in and outside the Empire.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)