MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: Discovery (2017) Discussion > Why do the Klingons keep getting reboote...

Why do the Klingons keep getting rebooted?


Have you noticed that they are the only ones that are rebooted in every new franchise? I was just thinking how everyone would freak if the Vulcans were rebooted.

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But isn't this idea that Vulcans fire first a reboot? Previously when Vulcans detected any sign of conflict they would just go away. Compared to Earth they're very isolationist.

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If I recall. Even if they're isolationists, they kept losing to conflict vs Klingons even if they tried avoiding them. I guess after aforementioned loses they decided not to be the victim anymore and attack first whenever they see them which put the Klingons in their place. I think that would be logical in their view after losing so many times against them being all passive and shit like that.

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But this has never been the case in any previous Trek show or novel in the past 50 years, only introduced for this show.

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Ah, didn't know that. So you're saying they never engaged Klingons, period, or did they just kept losing to them and did nothing?

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Can't think of a case where Vulcans engaged Klingons, though maybe forgot one in Enterprise...

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I don't recall a case of them firing on anyone first (though I may have forgotten), but the Enterprise-era Vulcans were definitely a lot less noble than Vulcans became later on. They routinely looked down on others, misled people (including fellow Vulcans), and contributed to corruption that led to mass suffering.

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This is only their second reboot. What other reboots other then the 1979 ridge head klingons. And of course this one.

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1. The original series had them basically human with a swarthy complexion.
2. TNG gave them all the ridges, but Worf changed a couple of times before they gave him his final look.
3. Enterprise made them look more like the final version of Worf, then explained how they changed into TOS Klingons.

I disagree with the OP saying they kept getting rebooted, they did not. Enterprise tied the changes up into a very nice story line that explained why they changed. This new Star Trek atrocity completely mucked it up. They should look like TOS Klingons.

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I thought worfs head was bigger earlier in the series but I alway assumed that was because he had longer hair in the later shows which hid his bulbus head size..

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1. TOS - the original Klingon with dark face paint.
2. TNG - Klingon with ridges, I assume that this was Roddenberrys original idea for a Klingon.
3 . ENT - Very little change, still basically looks like a TNG Klingon.
4. DS9 - No change to the Klingons.
5. VOY - No change to the Klingons.
6. Discovery(otherwise known as STD) :) Complete reboot of the Klingons.
7. ST 2013 - Complete reboot of the Klingons.
8. ST 1 - 6 - Different from the TOS and TNG. But closer to the TNG version.

So thats 5 different versions of the Klingons. Since changes were made to the Klingons while Roddenberry was alive, it is acceptable.

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Star trek 2009 is a reboot that hasn't even shown us klingons. And alot of the "change" points you mention are not considered klingon reboots as the klingons haven't really changed much. Most people agree the only rebooted klingons stemmed from the 1979 addition of ridges on the head. The klingons from Discovery would be mistaken for a completly different species had the plot not mentioned they were klingons. The same can't be said of the other changes with the exception of 1979.

Also worth noting is the Bird of prey became a klingon ship despite its origin as a romulan ship. I always though the klingon battle crusiser just got more detailed but their two different ships. that are retconned to be klingon.

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I meant 2013, thats still a lot of rebooted Klingons.

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I'll have to watch 2013 star trek again. I only saw it once and didn't notice any klingons or just forgot about them. I woulden't be suprised though as I didn't like the romulan reboot (I consider the romulans to be a reboot as they lost their ridges). I think the 2009 reboot is fun but I'm having a hard time considering it to be in the main canonical star trek.

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I've always hated the whole idea of Klingons. Their social order is incoherent and murdering each other as they showed would never have led to a spacefaring civilization. This was pure propaganda nonsense about the Cold War calling the Russians inhuman.

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They have not "rebooted in every franchise". They changed from TOS to TNG, then Enterprise came along and gave us a nice story line that explained it.

The creator of this new Star Trek wannabe wanted to put his own spin on things and completely screwed it up. Purely ego on his part.

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yea now we got aquatic looking orcs for a few clingon tribes. I wonder if the show intends to kill off all but the ridge headed tribe to maintain canon to future episodes. ut then we only saw the ridge heads in enterprise which takes place before this series.

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The Klingon social order I think was based on lion prides, since the Klingons are descended from an apex predator species. They're aggressive by nature but there are rules governing that aggression. If you challenge a superior's authority there's a single combat to the death and you either die or take their place. To their minds this is a good thing. It always makes sure the strongest are in charge and fools who are too ambitious for their ability are weeded out. What a civilization like this wouldn't be good at is advancing science and technology. From what they've said there was a race called the Hur'q who invaded their homeworld and ended up taking some of their cultural treasures when they left (including the Sword of Kahless). It was from them that the Klingons acquired space travel. Warp drive, energy weapons and shields, etc.

I'm pretty sure this is an alternate timeline. There may be a time travel arc at some point where the past is changed, and Klingon genetics with it, producing the "Prime" timeline we're familiar with. There are just too many inconsistencies for this to be the same world that leads to TOS.

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The humans should be rebooted. They should look uglier and more interesting.

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