The Klingon Art of War

by Keith R. A. DeCandido

  Then we have the Klingons, who have, in Kahless, a messianic figure very much like those listed in the previous paragraph. Like Surak, Kahless united his homeworld under a philosophical code. Like Jesus, he died with the promise of resurrection, and his believers await his return (though clerics did manufacture an attempt at his return, about which more in a moment). And like the Speaker of Death, he provides guidance in how his people face death.

  I’m cherry-picking, of course—the overlap among all these figures is significant—but what’s special about Kahless is that he has been imbued with divinity by the Klingons, a divinity that does not derive from another divine source the way that all those listed above, save Surak, claim to. But Surak himself is not considered divine, and what’s more, his life and times are fairly well chronicled. While it is not complete—as an example, the discovery of the coronet of Karatek revealed new information about Surak’s life—it is enough to be able to paint a decent picture of what Surak was like.

  Of Kahless, however, there is less certainty. Until comparatively recently, Klingon history was recorded primarily through oral tradition, a notoriously unreliable method for preserving facts. Add to that the reverence that Klingons hold for the personage of Kahless and it makes it difficult to filter historical fact from hagiographical storytelling.

  We do know that someone who is now called Kahless did exist at the time when Kahless the Unforgettable is alleged to have lived. For that, we have the Knife of Kirom to thank. That blade was stained with the blood of Kahless, and a clone of Kahless that looked exactly like the contemporary portraits of Kahless was a genetic match for the blood on the knife. The clerics who created the clone did not have access to the Knife of Kirom, which means they used other genetic material to create the clone. (The exact material was lost when the cloning facility on Boreth was destroyed during Morjod’s attempted coup against Chancellor Martok in 2375, right after the Dominion War ended.) This means there are (or were) at least two biological samples of the original Kahless—or of a person who looks like Kahless’s depictions.

  The written stories we have of Kahless are all of dubious historical credibility, unfortunately. Klingons value the importance of a good story over historicity, and so embellishment is generally considered an important component of the tale. As an example, I once had the honor of meeting Dahar Master Kor when he was Klingon Ambassador to Vulcan during a reception at an academic conference. He told a story of his discovery of the Delta Triangle. As it happens, I’ve read the records of that incident, which also involved a Starfleet vessel. While the broad strokes of Kor’s description were more or less the same as the details in the log entries, the two sources differed considerably. And all those differences were in service of making Kor’s role more important, his accomplishments more impressive, and of downplaying any positive accomplishments by those who opposed him (both the Starfleet captain, James Kirk, and the Elysian Council that ruled the territory within the triangle).

  Given the reverence Klingons hold for Kahless, it becomes that much harder to sift out the historical truth from the stories about him that have been told, and recorded in the sacred texts, in the Book of Honor (or paq’batlh), and in The Klingon Art of War (or qeS’a’).

  For example, the story of how Kahless forged the first bat’leth was first revealed to the general public when the clone of Kahless was unveiled. Only the clerics knew that story, meant to test Kahless when he returned, though, of course, the clone only knew it because those selfsame clerics programmed it into his memory so that he could tell the story to “prove” that he was truly Kahless. But the story is patently absurd: supposedly Kahless shoved a lock of his hair into a river of lava from a volcano and then molded it into the very first bat’leth, known today as the Sword of Kahless.

  A few years later, during the aforementioned coup by Morjod, the Sword of Kahless was recovered by Chancellor Martok, who still wields it today. However, that bat’leth, which dates back to the time of Kahless, was very obviously forged by a smith. The imperfections show that it was forged by hand rather than by machine, but there are definite indications of formal forging—and also no biological traces inside the blade to indicate its origin as a lock of hair. Furthermore, the Sword of Kahless showed no indication of being heavily used prior to Martok’s recovery of it. Only the faintest traces of blood were on it, which is odd for a weapon that Kahless supposedly used so many times in battle, particularly against Molor’s forces at Qam-Chee.

  Speaking of Molor, another of the most popular stories of Kahless was, if not disproven, at the very least called into question after the destruction of Praxis. One location that suffered severe damage from the moon’s explosion was Qa’varin, the fortress from which the tyrant Molor ruled until he was defeated by Kahless.

  Molor was one of many warlords who ruled a region of Qo’noS in the time before Kahless, and he had by far the most territory. Though he is often spoken of with disdain due to his opposition of Kahless, in truth there is little evidence to support the notion that he was any worse—or any better—than any of the other warlords, only that he was more successful. Several whose cruelty to their subjects was far greater, or whose corruption at the expense of their subjects was far more lavish, are not spoken of with the same disgust, because they capitulated to Kahless or lost to him in what was deemed honorable combat.

  Kahless’s defeat of Molor was the final victory that united Qo’noS, but the story of their final battle also is one that strains credulity. Kahless supposedly came upon Molor at his citadel at Qa’varin and they fought for many days until Kahless was victorious, beheading Molor with his bat’leth. Yet Kahless’s mate, Lukara, and all his forces, not to mention Molor’s own forces, just stood around and waited for them to finish fighting?

  In the aftermath of Praxis’s explosion, Qa’varin, which had been converted to a shrine to Kahless, was badly damaged. The lower regions had been sealed off centuries ago, and exposing them released a pathogen into the air, identified as Dir rop, or “skin disease,” something that occasionally afflicts animals and Klingons alike. There was a record of such a plague among minn’hor beasts in Kahless’s time. Once the region was decontaminated, a Federation medical team examined the ruins of the castle more closely. They found that the virus had lain dormant in the sealed region of Qa’varin and then became airborne after the seal was broken. They also found absolutely no evidence of any blood being spilled anywhere inside at any time, with the sole exception of some minute blood traces upon Molor’s throne.

  Also discovered in the sealed region was a decapitated body. Famously, Kahless did decapitate Molor, but it was supposed to be after a prolonged fight all across the battlements. While it is impossible to determine whether the decapitated body was Molor’s, the body did come from that time period and was headless, and there is no record of what happened to Molor’s body. Said corpse was also ravaged by Dir rop.

  So it is possible that Kahless and Molor had no great battle. Kahless’s victories against Molor might have been achieved, not through his innate superiority, but because Molor was dying of an illness. In the end, he may well have beheaded Molor, not as the culmination of days of honorable combat, but because his enemy was unable to put up much resistance.

  Of course, I speak only in possibilities. If you tried to tell a Klingon this, they would say that the story is of far more import than the facts. Indeed, that was what the Klingons did say a century ago when these discoveries were made. And they would have an excellent point. I remember the first time I read the story of Kahless and Molor’s final battle as it was chronicled in qeS’a’. I was utterly captivated by it. I loved the exchange between the two combatants, with Molor’s refusal to surrender, despite the odds against him, because he refused to live in a world ruled by Kahless, and Kahless telling the most dishonorable figure in the sacred texts that he still had the opportunity to die with honor.

  And all that is true, and we should not strive to take the Klingons’ stories away fro
m them. But still, one wonders who this person is who has become such an integral part of Klingon life that a group of clerics saw resurrecting him as a route to power.

  On Earth, scholars attempting to learn about the historical figure of Jesus Christ (or Joshua ben Joseph, as he was more likely known to the people of the time) tend to start with texts with no allegiance to Christianity as it developed, specifically those of citizens of the Roman Empire. In a similar vein, my own studies have revealed that the most objective reports of Kahless can be found in the farthest reaches of Qo’noS, the lands that were among the last to pledge themselves to Kahless’s banner.

  For example, there are several references to Kahless in letters written by Kaprav and Vis’Ar, the citizens of the peninsula of Kalranz from whom Kahless learned klin zha. Only one letter talks about him in any depth, however, and it is from Vis’Ar to her mother and father. (In the following excerpt, “K.” refers to Kahless and “The Game” refers to klin zha.)

  “We met today again with K., who spoke again of his admiration for The Game. He was an apt student, learning The Game faster than anyone Kaprav and I have ever seen. He had booked passage on a wind boat home, but cancelled it so he could spend more time with us playing The Game. I must confess that K. has found more in The Game than we ever have, and his enthusiasm has, in turn, brought more joy to us in playing it. K. also joined us in watching a tik’leth demonstration. At one point, the instructor asked for volunteers from the crowd. We encouraged K. to respond to the call. He refused at first, saying he was only an observer, but when we finally talked him into it, he proved a poor hand with the sword. The instructor’s techniques proved too complex for him, and he demurred, letting another volunteer take his place. After that, we dined at an eatery on the water and spoke all through the night of combat and honor and The Game. It was a great day with a man whose presence has deeply honored our lives.”

  Quite a far cry from the person held to be the greatest warrior in Klingon history. (Recall that it was the clone’s defeat in combat with Chancellor Gowron that led to its exposure as a clone and not the true second coming of Kahless.) But this letter—which I only happened to find on a trip to the archives on Kalranz—as well as the lack of battle damage to the first bat’leth, indicates that the clone may have been a more accurate rendering of Kahless than was believed possible.

  Kahless and his brother Morath supposedly fought for twelve days and twelve nights because Morath had dishonored his name by lying, or so we’re told. Indeed, it’s one of the great cautionary tales among Klingons, the story parents always tell their children when they want to remind them that to lie is to bring about dishonor.

  Yet the story itself is almost certainly a lie. The Bazho River where the battle supposedly took place is now a calm body of water, due to the artificial creation of a branch in order to service a town suffering a drought about two centuries ago. As a result, most modern Klingons think of the Bazho River as a good place for a battle between two brothers, but in fact a prolonged battle at the location given in the story would have been impossible. The tides of the river were brutal, and there are many records of people (often trying to go to the location where Kahless and Morath fought before the river was split) carried away if they stood too close. It is possible that the battle between the two took them close by, but it could not have been close to the river for longer than a few seconds, or else both participants would have been carried away by the river. Certainly, no one could have fought there for twelve days and nights. If the location of the battle is suspect, so too is the rest of the story.

  On top of that, there are occasional mentions of Morath in documents that post-date the battle, including a report made by one of Kahless’s generals about the final battle against Molor being led not by Kahless and Lukara, but by Kahless and Morath. There are other references as well, including one from Kalavat, a minor soldier in Kahless’s army who eventually became a general. Kalavat said the last time he saw Kahless was right before his ascension to Sto-Vo-Kor, when he said goodbye to his brother, who should have been dead for several years.

  Every quote attributed to Kahless, whether or not he actually said the words, revolves around honor and glory and duty and combat. Of those, skill in the last is the only thing that comes close to being measurable. We know that Kahless’s teachings on the subject of the first three were very effective, so it is assumed that he was as skilled in the fourth. But who’s to say he was? After all, what made Kahless great wasn’t his ability to physically defeat his enemies. Molor did that, and he was reviled. Indeed, many of the most despised figures in Klingon history are warriors who were strong fighters with many victories to their names: Chang, Qorvak, Gamnaq, and so many others. No, what made Kahless stand out from other Klingons was that his words carried meaning, that they still do.

  And ultimately, that’s what matters. No matter who he might have really been.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First off, thanks to Dayton Ward, who put me together with Ben Grossblatt of becker&mayer! in the first place, and who also added his own magnificent contribution to this volume.

  Secondly, thanks to Ben himself. This was my first time working with the good Mr. Grossblatt, and he is a fine and noble editor with whom it was a joy to work. I must also thank Ed Schlesinger at Simon & Schuster and John Van Citters at CBS—it was far from my first time working with either of them, and their feedback was, as always, truly excellent. And of course, my wonderful agent, Lucienne Diver, who keeps the paperwork flowing freely.

  Many writers have contributed to making the Klingons the nifty creatures they are today, primary among them Gene L. Coon, who created them for “Errand of Mercy” on the original series, John M. Ford, who developed the culture in the seminal novel The Final Reflection, and Ronald D. Moore, who did so much work with the species on three spinoffs. I also have done quite a bit with the Klingons over the years. But credit must also go to the following writers and artists who did honor to the Klingons onscreen and in prose and comics form, and whose work was a huge influence on this volume: Ira Steven Behr, Jerome Bixby, Brannon Braga, Rene Echevarria, Denny Martin Flinn, Michael Jan Friedman (especially his novel Kahless), David Gerrold, David A. Goodman, David Messina, Nicholas Meyer, Peter Pachoumis, Melinda M. Snodgrass (who gave us K’Ratak in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Measure of a Man”), Scott & David Tipton, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and JK Woodward. I must also give thanks and praise to Dan Curry, the visual effects supervisor on The Next Generation (among others) who created the bat’leth and developed mok’bara. And the actors who’ve played Klingons over the years, in particular Michael Ansara (Kang), James Avery (K’Vagh), William Campbell (Koloth), John Colicos (Kor), Charles Cooper (Koord and K’mpec), Roxann Dawson (B’Elanna Torres), Michael Dorn (Worf), David Graf (Leskit), J. G. Hertzler (Martok and Kolos), Susan Howard (Mara), Barbara March (Lursa), Patrick Massett (Duras), Robert O’Reilly (Gowron), Suzie Plakson (K’Ehleyr), Christopher Plummer (Chang), Ned Romero (Krell), John Schuck (the Klingon Ambassador), Brian Thompson (Klag), Tony Todd (Kurn), John Vickery (Orak), and Gwynyth Walsh (B’Etor).

  I also owe a massive debt to two dear friends, Marc Okrand, the creator of the Klingon language for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Dr. Lawrence Schoen, the head of the Klingon Language Institute, an organization that has done much to build on Marc’s work. Various reference works were also of great use, notably the Memory Alpha and Memory Beta wikis online and Star Charts by Geoffrey Mandel.

  Thanks also to GraceAnne Andreassi DeCandido (a.k.a. The Mom), Wrenn Simms, Tina Randleman, David Mack, and Dale Mazur, for various and sundry bits of assistance. And thanks to all the animals in my life, who have helped me out by laying around and looking cute: Scooter, Belle, Sterling, Rhiannon, and the late, lamented Newcastle.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Keith R. A. DeCandido has written dozens of works of Star Trek fiction focusing on the Klingons, including the novels Diplomatic Implausibility, A Good D
ay to Die, Honor Bound, Enemy Territory, A Burning House, and The Art of the Impossible; the short stories “loDnI’pu’ vavpu’ je” in Tales from the Captain’s Table, “Family Matters” in Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows, and “The Unhappy Ones” in Seven Deadly Sins; and the comic book Alien Spotlight: Klingons. That’s just a part of his ledger of Trek fiction, which also includes stories based on each of the five TV series, a couple of political novels, some alternate universe tales, and much more, including the USA Today best-selling The Next Generation novel A Time for War, a Time for Peace, which told the story of the events leading up to the final TNG movie Nemesis. Currently, he’s doing a Rewatch of Deep Space Nine on Tor.com, having completed a similar Rewatch of TNG from 2011-2013 on the site.

  Keith has also written in more than a dozen other media universes, ranging from TV shows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Leverage, Supernatural, and more) to games (Command and Conquer, Dungeons & Dragons, StarCraft, World of Warcraft) to movies (Cars, Kung Fu Panda, Resident Evil, Serenity) and to comic books (the Hulk, the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, the X-Men). In 2009, he was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, which means he never needs to achieve anything ever again.

  In addition, Keith has several of his own universes floating around, including a series of fantasy police procedurals: the acclaimed novels Dragon Precinct, Unicorn Precinct, Goblin Precinct, Gryphon Precinct, Mermaid Precinct, and the short story collection Tales from Dragon Precinct. Other recent and upcoming work ranges from Leverage: The Zoo Job to “The Ballad of Big Charlie” in Jonathan Maberry’s V-Wars to the SCPD series of cop novels set in a city filled with superheroes to Ragnarok and Roll: Tales of Cassie Zukav, to Weirdness Magnet, a collection of urban fantasy stories set in Key West.