| rdfs:comment | - Klingon history is a long and glorious one. One need only listen to the epic poems and operas about the deeds of their heroes to get a feel for the richness and depth of Klingon lore. The Klingons revere their history, or at least the history they have been taught. Klingons often prefer their cultural myths and legends to the dry (and sometimes embarrassing) details of factual history. There are many details about Klingon history that remain unknown, obscured by the mists of time and legend, but the history we do know tells us a great deal about the Klingons as a people.
- Earliest Klingon history consisted of legends and stories that dominated later generations. However, elements of these ancient myths had an element of truth in them not known to many. Whilst legends spoke of the gods of the Klingon race, the actual account was that their homeworld was once visited by an advanced alien race. Considered deities by the Klingon forebears, this alien race took control and abused their subject. They later were suspected in engaging in an experimental program or even interspecies breeding that introduced alien traits within the Klingon genome. Just as in the legend, however, these alien gods were defeated and slain though their legacy remained in Klingon biology which was hidden for the centuries that followed. (VOY novel: Full Circle) Like Humans and Vulcans, th
- A "Garden of Eden"-like place known as Qui'Tu played a role in Klingon creation myths. Kortar, the first Klingon, along with his mate, were created by gods whom they subsequently destroyed. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited"; VOY: "Barge of the Dead") The furthest back Klingons were known to exist was "thousands of years" before 2256. Caskets with corpses dating back that far were incorporated in the ceremonial armor of the Sarcophagus. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello")
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| abstract | - Klingon history is a long and glorious one. One need only listen to the epic poems and operas about the deeds of their heroes to get a feel for the richness and depth of Klingon lore. The Klingons revere their history, or at least the history they have been taught. Klingons often prefer their cultural myths and legends to the dry (and sometimes embarrassing) details of factual history. There are many details about Klingon history that remain unknown, obscured by the mists of time and legend, but the history we do know tells us a great deal about the Klingons as a people.
- Earliest Klingon history consisted of legends and stories that dominated later generations. However, elements of these ancient myths had an element of truth in them not known to many. Whilst legends spoke of the gods of the Klingon race, the actual account was that their homeworld was once visited by an advanced alien race. Considered deities by the Klingon forebears, this alien race took control and abused their subject. They later were suspected in engaging in an experimental program or even interspecies breeding that introduced alien traits within the Klingon genome. Just as in the legend, however, these alien gods were defeated and slain though their legacy remained in Klingon biology which was hidden for the centuries that followed. (VOY novel: Full Circle) Like Humans and Vulcans, the early Klingons were dominated by the ancient Furies for an unknown number of years. (ST novels: First Strike, The Soldiers of Fear, Time's Enemy) The Klingons of the Zanxthkolt Dynasty practiced mummification. (TOS movie: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) According to one source, the Klingons had fought each other for ten thousand years before achieving planetary unity (circa 9100 BC). (TOS novel: Spock Must Die!) Worf once stated that the Klingon concept of honor was ten thousand years old (circa 7630 BC). (TNG novel: Dragon's Honor) The origins of the Klingon Empire began in around 854 AD, the so-called "Heroic Age of Qo'noS", when Kahless the Unforgettable united the many warring tribes of Qo'noS. Under Kahless's leadership, the Klingons began to expand their empire across the planet and out into the galaxy following the development of warp drive in 922 AD. (TNG episode: "Rightful Heir"; TNG novel: Kahless; ST reference: Star Charts) However, the First Klingon Empire fell in around 972 AD after the Hur'q, a race from the Gamma Quadrant, invaded Qo'noS and pillaged many of the Empires treasures, including the Sword of Kahless. However, the will of the Klingons soon resulted in the Hur'q withdrawing from Qo'noS in around the 1300s. The Hur'q left Qo'noS resource-poor, and many departed the Klingon system to establish other colonies using seven great starships constructed on the order of Ch'gran. (DS9 episode: "The Sword of Kahless"; TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible; ST reference: The Klingon Art of War: Ancient Principles of Ruthless Honor) Later, in 2041 the Empire was engaged in several skirmishes with the Romulan Star Empire which lasted for the next twenty eight years. (Decipher RPG module: Player's Guide) This continued till the year 2069 when the Empire was devastated by the death of Emperor Koth. In order to not appear weak to their Romulan foes, the Klingon High Council decided to take control of the Klingon Empire when the imperial throne itself went vacant. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds) This led to a brief civil war amongst the Klingons which saw the rise in prominence in the High Council and thus began the age of the Second Klingon Empire. (Last Unicorn RPG module: All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook) In the age of the Second Empire, Chancellor Mow'ga sent a fleet into Breen space to conquer the alien species. The fleet was never heard from again. (DS9 episode: "'Til Death Do Us Part")
- A "Garden of Eden"-like place known as Qui'Tu played a role in Klingon creation myths. Kortar, the first Klingon, along with his mate, were created by gods whom they subsequently destroyed. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited"; VOY: "Barge of the Dead") In 2369, evidence was discovered that suggested that many of the galaxy's humanoid races were descended from a single humanoid race, the originators of the basic anatomy. Around 4.5 billion years ago, they had seeded many worlds with a DNA code to guide evolution to a form resembling their own. Klingons displayed evidence of these DNA sequences. (TNG: "The Chase" ) The furthest back Klingons were known to exist was "thousands of years" before 2256. Caskets with corpses dating back that far were incorporated in the ceremonial armor of the Sarcophagus. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello")
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