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• Klingon culture

In Klingon mythology , Sto-vo-kor ( Suto'vo'qor in the Klingon language ) is the afterlife of the wanted dead, where all worthy warriors go after they die to fight an eternal battle against great enemies. ( TNG episode : " Rightful Heir ", DS9 episode : " The Sword of Kahless ")

A Klingon would be deemed to be worthy to enter sto-vo-kor by dying in battle or by performing an heroic deed. Entry into sto-vo-kor would also occur if an individual allowed themselves to be killed by another Klingon. ( DS9 episode : " Children of Time ")

Alternatively, relatives of a deceased individual may also perform a great deed in their honor to ensure their arrival in sto-vor-kor . ( DS9 episodes : " Image in the Sand ", " Shadows and Symbols " DS9 - The Left Hand of Destiny novels : Book One , Book Two )

• 2 Denizens of Sto-vo-kor
• 3.1 Connections
• 3.2 See also
• 3.3 References
• 3.4 External link

History [ ]

In the mid- 23rd century , L'Rell , Chancellor of the High Council of the Klingon Empire , entered Sto-vo-kor after her death and dwelt among the honored dead. However, she was distraught that her mate Voq had been denied entry and sent to Gre'thor because he had been denied an honorable death. L'Rell traveled to Gre'thor and struck a bargain with its lord , Fek'lhr - her soul for Voq's. Fek'lhr agreed, and Voq took his mate's place in Sto-vo-kor.

In the year 2411 , L'Rell explained that to Matriarch J'Ula of House of Mo'Kai and General Martok , who had come to Gre'thor to return the former chancellor to the realm of the living as an ally in the Klingon Civil War against Klingon Emperor J'mpok . L'Rell declined returning with J'Ula in order to keep Voq in Sto-vo-kor. Another dead chancellor, Gowron , agreed to trade his soul with L'Rell's, allowing her to return. Gowron had been stuck in Ko'th - limbo - and found Gre'thor preferable over the endless, grey void. ( STO - Klingon Civil War mission : " Leap of Faith ")

Denizens of Sto-vo-kor [ ]

• Kahless the Unforgettable [1]
• L'Rell (mid- 23rd century ) [2]
• Voq , son of none (from ca. 2259 / 2260 ) [2]

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], see also [ ].

• Black Fleet

References [ ]

• ↑ STO : Klingon Civil WarKnowledge is Power
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 STO - Klingon Civil War mission : " Leap of Faith "

External link [ ]

• Sto-vo-kor article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Lamarr class
• 2 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
• 3 Federation starship registries

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Shadows and Symbols

• Episode aired Oct 7, 1998

Ezri Dax joins Sisko and his family on his quest for the Orb of the Emissary. Colonel Kira mounts a blockade around a Bajoran moon, where the Romulan hospital is - along with thousands of Ro... Read all Ezri Dax joins Sisko and his family on his quest for the Orb of the Emissary. Colonel Kira mounts a blockade around a Bajoran moon, where the Romulan hospital is - along with thousands of Romulan missles (claimed to be defensive in purpose). Quark joins Bashir & O'Brien as they j... Read all Ezri Dax joins Sisko and his family on his quest for the Orb of the Emissary. Colonel Kira mounts a blockade around a Bajoran moon, where the Romulan hospital is - along with thousands of Romulan missles (claimed to be defensive in purpose). Quark joins Bashir & O'Brien as they join Worf, aboard a Klingon warship as they mount a dangerous mission in Jadzia Dax's name ... Read all

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Did you know

• Trivia Worf's poem to Jadzia in Klingon reads: "Open your gates, Stovokor. Welcome Jadzia to your halls. Welcome this honored warrior. Welcome her, Stovokor, for all eternity."
• Goofs During the scene between Kira and Odo, around eighteen minutes in, there are two close-up shots of Nana Visitor's character in which her trademark Bajoran nose ridges are absent. The ridges are present in the wide shots.

Ensign Ezri Dax : [on traveling to Tyree] When do we leave?

Sisko : Today.

Ensign Ezri Dax : Great. It'll be just like old times. Except, different.

• Connections Featured in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: What You Leave Behind (1999)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title (uncredited) Written by Dennis McCarthy Performed by Dennis McCarthy

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Watch: Learn about Klingon afterlife with a video on STO’VO’KOR and GRE’THOR

By chad porto | may 4, 2021.

New videos explain the Klingon afterlife of STO’VO’KOR and GRE’THOR.

Star Trek carries with it a big, bold tapestry of stories. From the characters on the screen to the hundreds of books, and probably hundreds of thousands of fan-made properties, Star Trek presents itself to those who are creative. That’s why it was such a good idea to further expand the Klingon lore beyond just being bad guys, and giving them their own religion and their own resting places of STO’VO’KOR nd GRE’THOR.

YouTuber Certifiably Ingame added a double-shot of videos recently; one breaking down the “heaven” of Klingon mythology; STO’VO’KOR and one featuring the “hell’ of Klingon mythology in GRE’THOR.

With STO’VO’KOR, many will reduce it to the Klingons’ version of Valhalla, which isn’t completely wrong. While the early version of Klingons were a cheap stand-in for the issues the United State had with the then-Soviet Union, they’ve become more akin to the Nordic Viking.

In their heaven, they battle, they party and they go on adventures with the honorable dead of Klingon’s past, both their bloodlines and legendary heroes of the Klingon people. They are celebrated and have seemingly transformed their own religious views to keep up with modern tellings of their long-departed dead.

Though it’s never once been shown on screen.

GRE’THOR on the other hand…

The Klingon hell, on the other hand, is very similar to that of the River Styx and a more traditional view of the Christian version of hell. A place where you’re taken across a river of sirens, who try to lure you in. If you survive the trip, and don’t get lost, you’ll land at the gates of GRE’THOR, which are guarded by demonic Klingons, where your memories will be altered and used against you for eternity unless someone can give you an honorable death.

That’s the hangup about the whole thing; it’s not about how you live your life, only about how you die. If you die in a way that is dishonorable or cowardly, you’re going down. If you die in battle, no matter how awful you were, you go up.

Seems like a rip-off to me.

Next. Star Trek Picard: 3 biggest fan theories surrounding the return of Q. dark

• Edit source

Sto'vo'kor was the Klingon afterlife , where all honored warriors went to fight the eternal battle against their enemies.

A Klingon could get into Sto'vo'kor by doing a heroic deed or dying with honor on the battlefield. The relative and friends of the deceased could also ensure their place in Sto'vo'kor by completing such a deed in the name of the deceased. ( DS9 : " Children of Time ", " Image in the Sand ", " Shadow and Symbols ")

See also [ ]

• Gre'thor , the Klingon underworld.

External links [ ]

• Sto-vo-kor article at Memory Alpha , the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Sto-vo-kor article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.

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What's the relationship between the black fleet and sto-vo-kor?

• Thread starter Unimatrix Q
• Start date Sep 29, 2017

Unimatrix Q

• Sep 29, 2017

The black fleet was first invented by John M. Ford as a concept for the Klingon afterlife in The Final Reflection. It was also mentioned sometimes in books of the current novelverse continuity. Now it has been canonized in the first two episodes of Star Trek Discovery by T'Kuvma talking about it, but he also mentioned Sto-vo-kor. What is the relationship between the two concepts?  

Maybe it's different names for the same thing. (Heaven, afterlife, nirvana, Zion, Elysium, Eden...) In both, warriors go there after they die to fight worthy enemies for eternity.  

Christopher

I would imagine the Black Fleet operates within Sto-Vo-Kor, for those modern Klingons whose idea of glorious eternal battle is space-based rather than hand-to-hand. Or maybe its -- gasp! -- a metaphor, so it doesn't have to fit together literally.  

Vice Admiral

Or perhaps there is more than one religion practiced amongst the Klingons.  

Fleet Captain

^ Yup, and also perhaps they're two completely differing afterlife-concepts, which would actually be a good thing in worldbuilding-terms, since Star Trek historically trends toward monoculturalism. EDIT: Ninja'd by Mysterion!  

Leto_II said: Yup, and also perhaps they're two completely differing afterlife-concepts, which would actually be a good thing in worldbuilding-terms, since Star Trek historically trends toward monoculturalism. Click to expand...

Christopher said: Theoretically, they could be, but the evidence in the episode suggests otherwise. T'Kuvma's followers practiced the exact same "death scream" ritual that Worf and his fellow Klingons followed in "Heart of Glory" -- the only difference being that they preserved the corpse instead of dismissing it as an "empty shell." That suggests that they follow a variant of the same basic religion, rather than a completely distinct one. Click to expand...

Burning Hearts of Qo'nOs

My first assumption was that the members of the Black Fleet were like, the warrior-ist of warriors; the warrior elite of the afterlife. Those glorious enough in life to be extra glorious in death.  

Saru's comment that some of the corpse covered hull was thousands of years old means the Black Fleet and this sect go back quite a long way. Kahless lived about 1,500 years ago, so the bestial houses, this fleet and their practises far outdate him and even potentially anything to do with the Hurq. The Empire is much older here than it's been shown to be before.  

• Oct 1, 2017

I seem to recall that Keith's Gorkon novels mentioned the Black Fleet as being in Sto-Vo-Kor .  

I wonder what is the philosophical and religious reason for the Klingons to preserve their dead at this point in time and what is the reason for the change in society that the body of the dead don't matter at all for reaching Sto-Vo-Kor? Or is the preservation only neccesary to become a member in the Black Fleet?  

Unimatrix Q said: I wonder what is the philosophical and religious reason for the Klingons to preserve their dead at this point in time and what is the reason for the change in society that the body of the dead don't matter at all for reaching Sto-Vo-Kor? Or is the preservation only neccesary to become a member in the Black Fleet? Click to expand...

Christopher said: Maybe it's not "the Klingons," just T'Kuvma's particular sect. Although it's possible that Spoiler: Battle at the Binary Stars Georgiou's "hide a bomb in a corpse" plan led the Klingons to decide that retrieving their war dead was a bad idea, so they adjusted their beliefs to justify discarding corpses. Click to expand...

Rear Admiral

Mr. Laser Beam

Fleet admiral, mistress of the chaotic energies.

Mr. Laser Beam said: All I can say is, does DSC have the guts to do an episode that takes place IN the Black Fleet? Click to expand...

Christopher said: I would imagine the Black Fleet operates within Sto-Vo-Kor, for those modern Klingons whose idea of glorious eternal battle is space-based rather than hand-to-hand. . Click to expand...

Unimatrix Q said: Yes, that could be a reason for this change. By the way, i would really like to read a novel series written by you or KRAD about the Klingons in the time between Enterprise and Discovery Click to expand...

The idea of the Black Fleet sounds really cool. I'd love to see what DSC could do with it. Heck, if VOY managed to do an episode about Klingon hell, I don't see why DSC couldn't do one about Klingon heaven!  

DGCatAniSiri

• Oct 2, 2017

Voyager had an advantage in B'Elanna being a part of the crew, meaning 'our heroes,' plus the episodic nature of the series. With Discovery being more serialized and centered primarily around Michael, I doubt Discovery's got the room for a high concept 'Klingon heaven' episode.  

Mage said: But really, I can't understand how fans have been complaining about the one-dimensionality of Klingons ever since TNG. And now that a new way of thinking and behaving has been introduced, those same fans are blowing a fuse because their precious canon has been adjusted..... Click to expand...

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Bat'leth of Sto'Vo'Kor

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The Bat'leth of Sto'Vo'Kor is a melee weapon granted to Klingon Recruits . This particular bat'leth comes from the sacred planet Boreth , where Klingon monks study the flow of time amidst the peculiar properties of Time Crystals native to that place. Sensor readings of this bat'leth vary greatly, and it appears to attune itself to the timestream of its user, should it retain a single owner over many battles.

Obtaining and upgrading [ | ]

The Bat'leth of Sto'Vo'Kor is obtained and improved via the Klingon Recruitment event. Recruits are able to improve the stats of the bat'leth not just through the regular Gear Upgrade System but also via melee kills. This eventually unlocks the bat'leth for other characters on the account to claim from their temporal agent contact (i.e. Philip Crey ).

The bat'leth scales with the player up to level 60 (Mark XII), at which point players can upgrade it further themselves to also increase the item's quality .

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Star Trek: Exploring The Klingon Philosophy Of Death 

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Of all the alien races created during the Star Trek dynasty, few are more recognizable than the Klingons. Despite their appearance going through distinct changes over the years , they remain at the heart of the shows, alongside the mighty Vulcans and somewhat questionable Ferengi . Their culture developed masterfully on screen. They went from being enemies in the Original Series to tentative friends in The Next Generation onwards, an era regarded as their golden age of television appearances.

At the heart of Klingon culture was their deeply spiritual relationship with death and the afterlife. But what exactly were their beliefs, and how were they completely under-minded during their recent additions into the franchise?

RELATED: Star Trek: Why Do Klingon Ship Bridges Look The Way They Do?

Before Discovery came along, the strong Klingon race had some brilliant fundamental beliefs about death. They pioneered a belief that there is far too much ceremony placed on the body of the deceased, and the departed soul is more important than the body. Upon dying, the soul would depart and leave for the Klingon’s version of an afterlife: Stovokor, which is based heavily on the Norse idea of Valhalla. The body, now devoid of soul and thus of any importance, is rendered an empty shell. As such little to no ceremony or effort is put into the protection or honoring of it. Often, fallen Klingon warriors are left where they fell, moved to get them out of the way rather than to honor the body itself.

This goes against many modern-day beliefs and practices, as many place more emphasis on honoring the body rather than the soul. However, this may have something to do with the drift away from heavy religious practices. The Klingons were made out to conflict with this, something the writers of TNG knew they wanted from the start. In the season 1 episode “Heart of Glory,” audiences get the first glimpse of what Klingons do when a member of their species passes away. The episode focuses on Worf and a group of Klingon pirates. While there were a lot of bad episodes in the first season , this episode stands out as one that knows exactly it wants to portray. It is ready to set a precedent for Klingon beliefs and practices.

During the episode, one of the Klingons is killed in battle, the most honorable way for a Klingon to die. Once the dust settles, the other Klingons honor his sacrifice and passing by screaming into the sky. The idea is that they are announcing his arrival in Stovokor, letting those there know that a mighty warrior is on their way. This action is repeated later when Worf ends up killing their leader. Though Worf himself caused the death and is the enemy in this situation, he too honors his passing by yelling to Stovokor alongside the other klingon pirates. After completing this one ritual, they have little regard for the body.

This belief of honoring the soul as opposed the physical ‘shell’ was something that ran throughout the show, all the way until Discovery . Many fans take issue with the Klingons' design change in this show (The creators later tried to sweep this change under the rug during season 2). However, design was just one of the many common changes made when a whole new team of producers and writers were tasked with adding to an existing universe. The bigger issue, though, was that they also changed the fundamentals of Klingon culture and religion. One such addition was potentially the most non-Klingon ship in the show: the sarcophagus ship.

This vessel's sole purpose was the retrieval of fallen Klingon bodies, despite this never having been part of their culture. While design changes can be explained away, and does not drastically change too much (unlike certain design elements in Strange New Worlds ), this change undermined the entire Klingon philosophy of death. This can be visually explained, if only tediously, as in the episode “Genesis,” one of the worst episodes of Star Trek . The crew de-evolves, and Worf gets turned into a terrifying, animalistic predecessor. Importantly, his form is shown to have an exoskeleton similar in appearance to the ship.

However, this does not change the newfound importance in the Klingon’s fallen body. The only explanation is that the Klingons shown in Discovery, the T’Kuvma followers, are fundamentalist zealots. They are fairly far removed from mainstream Klingon culture, so it might stand to reason that they would hold different traditions and beliefs. Either way, it is a change that left a sour taste in many long-standing fans of the show. It stripped away something that many viewers enjoyed and found fascinating about the Klingons. It removed an aspect of their culture that the show's writers had meticulously set up over many years of development.

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Kahless the Unforgettable

Kahless the Unforgettable ( Klingonese : qeylIS ) was a legendary mytho - historical Klingon figure. He was the first Warrior King and Emperor of the Klingon Empire , known as the "greatest warrior of them all".

Kahless was the last Klingon to unite all tribes until the Federation-Klingon War of 2256 , which was started with that purpose by a Klingon called T'Kuvma , who was concerned that his race had begun to "forget the Unforgettable". ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")

Time crystals were a symbol of Kahless. ( DIS : " Through the Valley of Shadows ") Kahless' battle cry, " Today is a good day to die ", continued to be a popular Klingon utterance into the 24th century , including in the simpler form " It is a good day to die. " ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth "; DS9 : " Blood Oath ", " The Way of the Warrior ")

• 2.1 Artifacts
• 2.2 See also
• 2.3 Quotations
• 2.4 The Rightful Heir
• 3.1 Further references
• 3.2.1 Kahless' lifetime
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External link

History [ ]

Sometime in the 9th century , Kahless defeated his enemies, including Molor and the Fek'Ihri , on the field of battle and founded the mighty Klingon Empire, uniting the Klingon people and giving them the laws of honor . Upon his death , Kahless promised he would return one day and lead the Empire again. After his death, it was said that Kahless awaited all Klingons in Sto-vo-kor : the life which lies beyond this life. His teachings of honor and tradition formed the basis of modern Klingon philosophy and culture . As of 2374 , Kahless was still revered as a near-divine figure by the Klingons. ( VOY : " Day of Honor ")

Although Kahless was not high-born, those who descended from him and his wife, the Lady Lukara , were said to reside within the Klingon Imperial Court . Those members of the Court, including Dahar master Kor , were considered "of the blood ," and were regarded throughout the Empire to have been born to rule by the divine will of Kahless. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ", " Once More Unto the Breach ")

In 2256 , the zealot T'Kuvma proclaimed that the Great Houses of the Klingon Empire would " stand as one under Kahless, reborn in me, T'Kuvma. " ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ")

Excalbian's recreation of Kahless

In 2269 , an image of Kahless was created by the Excalbians in a plot devised to better understand the concepts of " good " and " evil ". The image was considerably flawed from the original Kahless, with such notable discrepancies as being infected with the Klingon augment virus and wearing a 23rd century Imperial Klingon Fleet uniform. The Excalbian version of Kahless appeared and acted quite differently from the original, since the image had been created from reading the minds of Humans who, at that point in Starfleet history , saw Kahless as a ruthless tyrant, and had had far more contact with Augment Klingons (or their descendants) than with standard Klingons. The Excalbian version of Kahless also had a talent for mimicking voices. ( TOS : " The Savage Curtain ")

In an early draft of TNG : " Rightful Heir ", Data gave the exact date of Kahless' death as 1,547 years ago (from 2369 ), or AD 822. According to DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ", the Earth calendar year of 2373 coincided with the year of Kahless 999.

The stories of Kahless were the stories of the Klingon people. Passed down from generation to generation, these stories reminded the Klingons about who they were and where they had come from. Klingons studied these stories for all of their lives; Worf said he found new truths in them on each reading. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part II ") Many of these stories were held within the sacred texts, a few exclusively. Nevertheless, they remained an integral part of Klingon lore.

The following stories are portions and excerpts of song and lore surrounding the life of Kahless:

• Long ago, a storm was heading for the city of Quin'lat . Everyone took protection within the walls except one man who remained outside. Kahless went to him and asked what he was doing. " I am not afraid, " the man said. " I will not hide my face behind stone and mortar. I will stand before the wind and make it respect me. " Kahless honored his choice and went back inside. The next day, the storm came, and the man was killed. Kahless replied, " The wind does not respect a fool ". ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

Kahless and Morath fight

• …Kahless was determined to teach his brother a lesson for having told a lie, because it made him look like a coward, but Morath refused to fight his brother, and instead ran away. Kahless pursued him across valleys and over mountains , all the way to the edge of the sea . And there on the shore, they fought for twelve days and twelve nights because Morath had broken his word and brought shame and dishonor to his family. ( TNG : " New Ground ", " Firstborn ")

Kor and Worf find the Sword of Kahless

The Shroud of the Sword

The Knife of Kirom stained with the blood of Kahless

• …Kahless held his father's lifeless body in his arms. He could not believe what his brother had done. Then, his brother threw their father's sword into the sea, saying that, if he could not possess it, neither would Kahless. That was the last time the brothers would speak. Kahless looked into the ocean and wept, for the sword was all he had left of his father and the sea filled with his tears and flooded beyond the shore. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part II ")
• Kahless single-handedly fought off an entire army at Three Turn Bridge . ( DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")
• …The tyrant Molor was so strong that no one could stand against him. Kahless would rather die than live under Molor's tyranny… ( TNG : " Firstborn ")
• Kahless went into the mountains, all the way to the Kri'stak Volcano . He cut off a lock of his hair and thrust it into the river of molten rock, which poured from the summit. The hair began to burn, but then he plunged it into the Lake of Lusor and twisted it into a sword. ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

From the "drinking song":

• …and sticky-continuous and surrounded-continuous (by) blood, and the River Skral ran crimson red. On the day above all days. When Kahless slew evil Molor dead…! And after he used it to kill the tyrant Molor he gave it a name: bat'leth , "the sword of honor". ( TNG : " Rightful Heir "; DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

A small shrine with a statue of Kahless

The story of the sword was known only by the Klingon High Clerics , because it was never written down in the sacred texts. This was so that, if Kahless was ever to return, they could be sure it was him. ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ") When the Shroud of the Sword of Kahless was discovered, it was determined that the Sword of Kahless dated back at least 1,400 years. ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

• With the Sword, Kahless slew Molor, conquered the Fek'Ihri, and forged the first Empire. Kahless also used the Sword to skin the Serpent of Xol , to harvest his father's field, and to carve a statue for his beloved Lukara. ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

Molor's defeat was celebrated annually with the observance of the Kot'baval Festival . ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

• A thousand years ago, at the dawn of the Empire, five hundred warriors stormed the Great Hall at Qam-Chee . The city garrison fled before them. Only the Emperor Kahless and the Lady Lukara stood their ground. It was here that they began the greatest romance in Klingon history. ( DS9 : " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places ")
• Kahless and Lukara were nearly killed, moments after they were married, by Molor's troops. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

The wielding of Ma'Staka s, used to re-enact Kahless' and Lukara's battle at Qam-Chee, at the conclusion of a Klingon wedding was a continued tradition in Klingon culture.

In "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places", which takes place in 2373 , Worf enthusiastically mentions the events in Qam-Chee to have happened "a thousand years ago." However, this statement contradicts TNG : " Rightful Heir " and TNG : " Firstborn ", which both state that Lukara and Kahless lived five hundred years earlier.

Another story that mentions Kahless entering the afterlife said that he was there to rescue his brother from the Barge of the Dead and deliver him to Sto-Vo-Kor . According to the Eleventh Tome of Klavek , Kahless returned from the dead still bearing a wound from the afterlife. ( VOY : " Barge of the Dead ")

The Story of the Promise was Kahless' swan song, " When Kahless united the people and gave them the laws of honor, he saw that his work was done. So one night he gathered his belongings and went to the edge of the city to say goodbye. The people wept, as they did not want him to go. And Kahless said, " You are Klingons. You need no one but yourselves. I will go now, to Sto-Vo-Kor . But I promise one day I will return. " Then Kahless pointed to a star in the sky and said, " Look for me there, on that point of light. "

In an early draft of "Rightful Heir", Data gave the exact date of Kahless' death, in 2369 , as 1,547 years ago or AD 822 . According to "Soldiers of the Empire", the Earth calendar year of 2373 coincided with the year of Kahless 999.

The story of "The Promise" indicated that Kahless was to reappear in the lava caves on the planet of Boreth . The Followers of Kahless , or Guardians , waited there for his return. To Klingons, there was no more sacred place. For over 1,500 years, Klingons came to Boreth to ask questions. According to the clerics, the only way a Klingon warrior could find the answers they sought was to " Open your heart to Kahless, ask him your questions, let him speak to you with your mind unclouded by doubt or hesitation. Only then can you find what you are looking for. " ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

Artifacts [ ]

• Beacon of Kahless
• Emperor's Crown
• Fornication Helmet
• Grail of Kahless
• Knife of Kirom
• Shroud of Kahless
• Shroud of the Sword

See also [ ]

• Order of Kahless
• Spirit of Kahless
• Star of Kahless

Quotations [ ]

• " Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory. And ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat. " ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")
• " There is no victory without combat. " ( ENT : " Divergence ")
• " Great men do not seek power; they have power thrust upon them. " ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")
• " Today is a good day to die. " ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ")

The second last quote is a variation on a line from Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night : "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." This parallel may explain Chang 's claim that the Bard was originally written in Klingon.

In a deleted scene from "Tacking Into the Wind", Ezri Dax quoted Kahless as saying, " A leader is judged not by the length of his reign but by the decisions he makes. " [1]

The Rightful Heir [ ]

A clone of Kahless

See: Kahless (clone)

Appendices [ ]

Further references [ ].

• ENT : " Divergence "
• " The Vulcan Hello "
• " Battle at the Binary Stars "
• " Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum "
• " Despite Yourself "
• " The Wolf Inside "
• " Vaulting Ambition "
• " The War Without, The War Within "
• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Point of Light "
• DS9 : " When It Rains... "

Background information [ ]

The "real" Kahless never appeared on Star Trek , outside a painting of his depiction as portrayed by Kevin Conway , who also appeared in " Rightful Heir " as Kahless' clone . The original depiction, and introduction of Kahless, appeared as an Excalbian recreation in " The Savage Curtain ", who was portrayed by Robert Herron .

The name "Kahless" has been pronounced in various ways throughout Star Trek , such as the commonly used "Kay-less" and "Kaw-less" by Worf in " New Ground ". The Okrandian Klingon language spelling of his name was qeylIS . ( The Klingon Dictionary 2nd ed., p. 58)

Among the inspirations for Kahless as portrayed in TNG were King Arthur , Jesus Christ , and Viking lore. ( AOL chat , 1998 )

The original script for " Birthright, Part II " included a number of additional tales about Kahless that were not included in the final version of the episode (some of these unaired tales were later contradicted by other episodes):

• …Kahless held his father's lifeless body in his arms. He could not believe what his brother had done. Then, his brother threw their father's sword into the sea, saying that, if he could not possess it, neither would Kahless. That was the last time the brothers would speak. Kahless looked into the ocean and wept, for the sword was all he had left of his father and the sea filled with his tears and flooded beyond the shore. The people begged Kahless to stop his weeping, and he did and walked into the water to find the lost sword. He searched and searched the murky ocean bottom, holding his breath for three days and three nights when he would eventually find his father's sword.
• Kahless later invented the forms of what would become the Mok'bara when he went to the Underworld in search of his father. Kahless showed him the forms, and his father was able to remember his body and return to the world of the living.
• Kahless was condemned to die by the tyrant Molor, who was angered that Kahless had incited the people against him. The night before his execution, Kahless asked that he be allowed to go out into the night and say farewell to the moon and the stars, for he knew that, in the Netherworld, he would not see them again. Kahless gave his word that he would come back, and Molor let him go. Kahless had given his word and Molor understood what that meant. The next day at dawn, Kahless returned and was put to death (this story is contradicted by "The Promise").

In the first draft script of DS9 : " When It Rains... ", Kahless was said to have stood before his warriors, cut his own hand with a knife so that blood dripped out of his palm, and instructed those present, " Do this… in memory of me. "

Kahless' lifetime [ ]

The exact time period in which Kahless lived has repeatedly been described with differing numbers. In "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places", taking place in 2373 , Worf enthusiastically mentions Kahless' battle against Molor's troops to have happened "a thousand years ago." This would appear to be somewhat of a contradiction, as TNG : " Rightful Heir " states that the monks on Boreth have been awaiting Kahless' return for fifteen centuries , i.e. five hundred years longer. Either Worf "rounded" the number of years in his enthusiasm, or Molor and Kahless were at least five hundred years old, which, while the maximum life span for Klingons has never been clearly defined, seems to be without precedent. Another solution would be that Worf counted in Klingon years, as DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire " established 2373 to correspond to the Year of Kahless 999. This would also be in accord with the Sword of Kahless being dated to an age of 1,400 years in "The Sword of Kahless". Furthermore, a scene cut from "Rightful Heir" had Data specify Kahless' death as 1,547 years prior, which would place it in 822 AD.

Apocrypha [ ]

The novel Kahless showed a different take on the legend. The novel asserted that Kahless, son of Kanjis was a soldier within Molor's army who refused to burn down a village and who was forced to slay Molor's eldest son. This turned Kahless and his band into outlaws, but their goal was not to topple Molor but to simply hide. Rumors spread, however, that they planned to overthrow Molor's tyrannical empire. After the death of his love, a woman known as Kellein, Kahless despaired and fled the group, but was followed by his loyal friend Morath, son of Ondagh, who wrestled with Kahless for six days and nights. After this wrestling match, Kahless yielded to Morath and dedicated his life to destroying Molor. The novel also mentioned the Mok'bara ; in the novel, Kahless had never heard of the practice. The book also suggested that the blood used to create the clone of Kahless was not Kahless' blood but rather Morath's.

The comic book Star Trek: Klingons also uses the name Kahless, son of Kanjis but is otherwise much more true to the legend of Kahless as a messianic figure. The story begins with Kahless slaying his brother Morath and continues with Kahless defeating the armies of the three warlords of Three Turn Bridge and freeing the people from their tyranny. In this story, Molor is implied to be an alien rather than an actual Klingon, since he had a spaceship and was worshiped by some Klingons as a deity.

In the FASA role-playing game, Kahless lived during a time when Klingons had already invented warp drive and died fighting against the Romulans. His full name was Kahless epetai-Riskadh.

In the DC Comics line, a descendant of Kahless, Kahless IV, served as emperor during the movie era. This conflicted not only the details of "Rightful Heir", but also a statement that the Klingons had not had an emperor in three hundred years.

In Star Trek Online , the clone of Kahless seen in TNG and DS9 appeared prominently in early missions available to Klingon players, and fought alongside them battling Fek'Ihri forces intent on conquering the Klingon Empire. He later was killed in single combat against an Iconian named T'Ket during The Iconian War.

In the miniseries Star Trek: Prey , a group of con artists fake the public execution of the Kahless clone with the goal of studying him so that they can attempt to fake the return of the true Kahless, but Kahless is able to outsmart them and escape captivity, and the plan is brought to a halt when the gang betrays each other before they can put it into practice.

External link [ ]

• Kahless the Unforgettable at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
• 3 PRO Season 2

Star Trek Channel

A continuing journey..

Gates of Sto’vo’kor

34. The Pirate Guild Awards http://www.gatesofstovokor.com/episodes/gos34PirateGuildAwards.mp3

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