A Klingon question

[OB1]

Ok, I know that the reason why the Klingons look so different in TOS from the rest of Trek is because of budget reasons, and I know that they ackowledged that there was a reason for that in DS9, but then why do they look like normal Klingons in Enterprise?

[A Black Falcon]

Because now they can afford to make Klingons look like Klingons. :)

[OB1]

Yeah but continuity-wise it doesn't make any sense, unless the Klingons lost their weird foreheads for a short period of time during TOS.

[A Black Falcon]

But Klingons are supposed to have the ridges... wasn't it just budget that kept them off in TOS? So they're correcting the record... as for continuity, oh well. Klingons look a LOT better with them. And ... uh, just pretend that they were there in TOS? I don't know, there isn't a canon answer that I know of...

[Weltall]

There was one episode, I think on DS9 where Worf was asked about it, he merely said that it's something Klingons do not discuss...

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, I remember that episode... not exactly the most enlightening response. :)

[OB1]

Right, that's what I was referring to when I said "I know that they ackowledged that there was a reason for that in DS9", but what confuses me is that if the Klingons changed their appearance after TOS, why do they look the same in Enterprise as they do in post-TOS Trek?

[Dark Jaguar]

I used to know a trekkie who had a good answer for this very question that I asked this very person of whom I speak, which I am currenlty talking about.

Trekkie told me that apparently there was some horrible disease spread among the klingons during the war that had some genetic defects like removing the arse forehead thing. And another thing, why are all Star Trek aliens just humans with weird foreheads?

[OB1]

Ah, I was thinking that it might have been just a temporary disease or something like that, but they never gave an answer in any of the shows.

And the reason why all of the Trek aliens are just humans with funny foreheads is because they couldn't afford fancy makeup back during the original series, and I guess the reason why they still look the same in the films and modern series is because they wanted to be consistent with the old show.

There is an in-universe answer to that, and it has something to do with an ancient alien race (or something like that) starting life on all of the planets in the universe with similar genetic makeup, so almost all of the aliens in the Trek universe have human shapes. I believe that was discussed in TOS.

[Weltall]

It couldn't be a genetic thing I wouldn't think, because there were three Klingon characters from TOS that re-appeared in DS9, and in DS9 they had the "ribbed for her pleasure" foreheads that they lacked in the TOS episodes they starred in.

[OB1]

Well they could have grown back...

[alien space marine]

there is no explination , other then whoops lets move on.

The DS9 episode trail and trebulation was just for fun and didnt really have canon continuity, Just as some voyager episodes were canon namely the one were it 900 years in the future and the docter is the only one left.

[OB1]

I think they wrote that part in the episode to sort of answer that question which has been bugging fans so for many years. They didn't really give a good answer but they did leave it open to be answered at a later time.

[A Black Falcon]

Its "Trials and Tribble-lations", I believe. :)

Oh, and in it the 'classic' Klingons don't have the foreheads, but as you say even classic Klingons who come back later do have them. So call it a weird temporary thing and move on... there isn't a really good answer I'd say. Genetic things wouldn't probably be temporary... some really odd disease? Who knows...

Also, about why aliens all look like humans. It is because of budget, but the canon reason is because in very ancient times a race called the ... uh, Pathfinders? or something like that... anyway, they seeded the galaxy with many races all based on their likeness, which is why almost all the races look humanoid.

[Weltall]

I'm not discussing genetics with YOU.

[A Black Falcon]

What? Its just a fact from an ep of TNG... :)

[Dark Jaguar]

From what I understand, a cure was found, and was apparently spread around.

In any case, that pathfinder race thing is something I hadn't heard before. I HAD heard from yet another trekkie friend that it was due to parallel evolution. Something along the lines of succesful patterns repeat themselves so the whole method of evolution plays out the same on similar environments. I remember a very cheesy episode of the original series that went really deep into that concept and it went so far as to have a version of America in it, with a very similar history.

[Weltall]

There was a rather interesting Next Generation episode that established that several billion years ago there was one single proto-humanoid race that left bits and pieces of their genetic structure all over the galaxy, which explains why most species have a similar design.

[A Black Falcon]

Precursor? I can't remember what they called the race... and it wasn't by accident that it happened, they 'seeded' lots of planets with their genetic structure to make most of the galaxies' intelligent races.

[Weltall]

I believe they were called the "Preservers".

[alien space marine]

The woman perserver was the same actress as the founder lady in DS9.

here is a piece of trivia which startrek movie was the first to give the new klingion look?

[OB1]

Well I don't think there are any Klingons in Trek 1 so that only leaves Wrath of Khan. Or were there any in Trek 1? Boy, I forgot. I was about to watch it tonight, though.

And ABF: That's what I was talking about.

[Weltall]

There are Klingons in every Trek except Wrath of Khan.

[OB1]

Yeah you're right.

[OB1]

Hey I just wanted to let everyone know that in an upcoming Enterprise episode they're going to explain why Klingons look the way they do in TOS. So watch it! I'll try to remind everyone again the week it airs.

[alien space marine]

[OB1]

...

I doubt it.

[alien space marine]

[OB1]

... oh.

[Darunia]

According to Worf, they "don't like to discuss it with outsiders". The only thing I can think of would be along the lines of the Romulans theory; that some kind of a bacterial or chemical war mutated them all---? Stupid plot holes, they should never have changed them from the original Klingons. Either way it'll be stupid.

[OB1]

...

You're a dork.

[A Black Falcon]

The Worf thing was just to explain it away, not to really answer the question... and of course they should have changed the Klingons! Klingons look much, much cooler with the bumpy heads. :)