Some might say I should've gone into more detail about the Klingon mating rituals...well, there's arguably enough material to make for an entire video. Maybe one day, after I cover their political history and technology first...lol P.S. We're almost at 10K subs as of when I'm writing this! Thank you all so much for helping me grow so quickly this year. I have something special planned to celebrate this milestone.

Best way to handle the Klingon redesign in "Trials and Tribble-ations" would have been to have Worf appear without ridges when they went back in time and *absolutely nobody mention it or notice it at all*.

This brings up one of my major quibbles with Trek. Klingons are said to have all these redundancies that enhance their warrior lifestyle. Vulcan/Romulans are said to be much stronger than many species. And yet in fights our heroes are consistently shown to be able of going toe to toe with these aliens that could take them out with no trouble. Would you want to fight a chimp or gorilla? Starfleet must have incredible combat training for humans.

The Klingon makeup had already been updated sufficiently in Star Trek Into Darkness. Why the makers of Discovery couldn't stick with that update--and allow their actors to give a better performance in the process--still eludes me.

Discovery jumped the shark with Klingons. That redesign was not welcomed.

As for the redundancies, I remember a novel briefly mentioning that Klingons had 3 testicles.

Be good to hear about non-warrior roles in Klingon society and how they’re thought of by the Klingons.

Barkley intro a spider always bothered me too. Spot being turned into an iguana almost came off as a sight gag though.

They might have more white blood cells in their blood that makes it look pink.

The three lungs makes sense to me, because there are a lot of clouds shown in the atmosphere; the air may be denser than most Class M Planets, and harder for other humanoids to breathe. Klingons seem to prefer darker, warmer climate, which explains why they would us an ice world as a prison planet.

Recently found your channel. Your deep dives like in this video are so informative and entertaining. It's amazing how much knowledge you have accumulated.

How about a video about the differences between romulans and Vulcans.

Subscribing to your channel has been an excellent decision so far. These kinds of deep dives and detailed explorations into lore are one of my favorite things.

This is easily one of the best videos I've ever seen about Klingon anatomy and physiology. I wish I'd known about som of these details before I started swimming for Klingon characters in various Star Trek settings.

The bit is Pawns and Symbols about Klingons not being able to see red, wouldn't make sense in the canon universe considering how red the light on Klingon ships is. They would be stumbling around in the dark.

It's really cool you're going over the physiologies of Star Trek's species. I was wondering if you can do the Vulcan brain?

I acquired post-illness color blindness where blue and brown are confused. Didn't even know I had it until my favorite "navy blue" leather belt was on a hook, near my wife. She stopped and told me it was brown. I somehow never surfaced until then.

It would be interesting for you to do a video on the Hur'q conquest of Quo'nos, during the Klingon's "medieval" period, Klingon enslavement and eventual Klingon uprising. Worf stated that the Klingons first ventured into space using captured Hur'q ships (as seen in Discovery's "Battle of the Binary Stars") to wage war on Hur'q colonies and wipe the Hur'q completely out. The Klingon Empire is founded on the remains of the previous Hur'q Empire.

As for star trek discovery just remember there's a reason everyone refers to it as an S.T.D. as for Klingon's strength I will have to point out the fact that captain James T. Kirk did not have any problems going Toe to Toe with an augment enhanced Klingon but came very close to having his behind handed to him by a Gorn captain.

Loved this video on Klingon physiology. The other two Star Trek races I would be interested in exploring are the Vulcans and Romulans, including the ancestral links between the two, their divergence, and the ramifications of all this. For example, when Spock is fighting Kahn in the most recent (re-booted) movies, Vulcan strength and speed is featured. While Kahn appears to be stronger and faster, Spock in his rage, is still a formidable opponent for Kahn. Given that Spock is only half Vulcan, how might a full-blooded Vulcan fair against Kahn? Also, I would be interested in physiological comparisons, based on cannon, between Klingons, Romulans and Vulcans regarding strength and speed..... Finally, the "mind meld" feature of the Vulcans would be interesting to explore. Can Romulans do this? How did this evolve? .

Maybe Klingon blood may have two different oxygen carrying blood cells? Well, this idea is consistent with the redundancy of their physiology.

"... and worse, Threshold." could be the answer to virtually any Star Trek question or comparison.

I seem to remember a line in Next Gen episode "Genesis" stating that the virus contains DNA from other species and that this is what causes the changes in crew. Not necessarily that these traits were primitive versions in that species' line. This may be 100% wrong and just my head cannon.

The line from the Klingon drinking song that says that "the River Skral ran crimson red" should not be seen as an indication of the actual color of Klingon blood. This is just the English "translation" of the song. The word used in the original Klingon lyrics is "Doq" which does not simply mean "red" but covers the entire reddish colour spectrum including orange, purple and pink. The colour of the river in the song is a matter of interpretation. It can be red, but also pink or purple.

Don't forget in the TNG episode "The Chase," an alien species seeded ancient lifeforms with their own DNA. Please forgive if it was mentioned somewhere in the comments already.

Your occasional humorous asides are awesome!

I love the vast diversity of Klingons, it makes them feel more real and organic. I see your biology videos as a great addendum to Certifiably Ingame's cultural indexes. With the two combined it really pains such a beautiful and full picture.

I’m late but here! Happy for you getting to 10K

I'd like to see a topographic analysis of the klingon homeworld.

Totally enjoyed very informative and fun! Thank you!

Yes a new video!! I always look forward to your videos my dude! You are, indeed, the man!

"it gotta come out" Marsupials: "you fool"

Why not redundant blood oxygen transports? If they have multiple kinds, the pink color could be a color blend effect, and the secondary decaying rapidly could cause it turn crimson. Therefore a crimson river of blood would indicate old decaying blood, and long battles

There was another reason Klingon blood was shown as purple or pink in Undiscovered Country but it was in a cut scene: At the climax of the story, where the President of the UFP was about to be assassinated by a Klingon, Scotty bursts in the room and fires his phaser at the Klingon, causing him to fall out of the windowed loft. When everyone came to inspect the body, Dr. McCoy noticed that the blood was red, not purple, indicating this person was not a Klingon. It turned out to be another human Federation co-conspirator made to look like a Klingon to further the collapse of the treaty.

I've been waiting for you to do this one. Great video.

I actually liked the explanation of the changes of Klingons in Enterprise.

dude, im so happy i found your channel and subscribed some time in my past... Best videos on youtube!

Head canon for early Klingon appearance, Sun Tzu “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.” “Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment - that which they cannot anticipate.”

Rather than the convoluted Augment explanation for the changes in the Klingon appearance I would have gone with the fact that the Klingon Empire has several conquered races that serve the Empire identifying as being Klingon's in the sense of the Empire and not Klingon's the species.

I believe that I would like a more detailed explanation for why Worf said that the Klingons do not discuss the changes in their appearances in the "Trials And Tribble-ations" episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9.

If in a pinch and without another Klingon around, Romulan blood can be given to Klingons who need it, and vice versa. I can’t recall the TNG episode, but Dr. crusher summons Worf to medical and she ask if he’ll donate blood to help save the dying romulan she had on her operating table. Both Worf and the romulan refused to help; Worf by donating his blood, and I believe the romulan had valuable information or something that Picard needed.

i didn't expect just a solid deep dive into star trek races and some real science thrown in. GREAT VIDEOS!

I rather liked how the old Star Trek RPGs and wargames explained the forehead thing: That being that the Klingons were not a single species but infact several different species living under the same homogeneous culture. It's actually possible to stretch that to include even the Discovery Klingons . . . if one is feeling very, very generous.

Truly surprised nobody has mentioned John M. Ford's novel "The Final Reflection". While I have accepted the klingon versions of STNG, STDS9, and STVOY; always liked the concept the novel brought. The novel is one of my favorites. However, to the point at hand, pretty good video and keep up the good work. Looking forward to more.

Is it canon that Klingons have no tear ducts and, if so, what prevents their eyes from drying out?

I love these sorts of in depth lore videos, be it on physiology or politics or really any aspects of the aliens (and humans) of Trek. Thank you! Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends! :)

A true Star Trek fan does not miss pronounce the name of characters. It is pronounced mole are not mole or. note that this is not the spelling of the word, just meant to demonstrate proper pronunciation.

Interesting video. Question. Were you stating that the Klingon retina can respond to the ultraviolet, stating 32,000 Å as an example of how far into the UV spectrum or were you stating that the Klingon retina is responsive from the UV spectrum on one end and up to 32,000 Å at the other? I ask as 32,000 Å (3,200 nm) is firmly in the infrared spectrum and far removed from the UV.

Good stuff! Please keep it up

Years ago, after TMP Gene Roddenberry was asked about the Klingon redesign by a young teen. His reply was "what redesign? This is how they ALWAYS have looked". He then went on the explain that when in the 60s the TV networks received the broadcasted images from whatever sector the Enterprise was in, the broadcasts lost some detail in the Klingons. No matter what anyone says about The Great Bird of the Galaxy, he was quick on his feet.

I do like the explanation from FASA (a role playing game company that at one time had the rights to produce a Star Trek role playing game). They genetically engineered some of their own to look more like humanoid species they encountered. So they had Klingon-Human fusions and Klingon-Romulan fusions. This was done to make Klingons more “acceptable” to those species. However, the Klingons, by the time of the first TOS movie, had seeded them out as it became obvious that making themselves look more “acceptable” wasn’t working the way they had intended. This at least made some sense but never made it into official canon, as far as I know.

So when Worf was 13 and killed that kid in that soccer game before they moved to Russia on Earth. You're saying he had a full grow male Klingon body? DAMN!

in so much detail I had no idea I would enjoy so much!!

in the past 2 years I watched every episode of TNG and DS9; I'll be finishing Voyager tonight. Here's to the trilogy!

Came here to broaden my understanding of Klingons. Left with an awareness that penis worms are actually a thing.

Its fun to note that the 2 reasons given by Bashir and O'Brien "Genetic mutation" or "A Virus" - turned out in Enterprise (underrated show) to be exactly what caused it... I liked those episodes...

They should have given Worf the TOS Klingon makeup. And never mentioned it at all. The "we don't discuss it with outsiders" is indeed a mildly funny Worf line. But just have Worf look like an old style Klingon, and it's never addressed would have been better, and funnier.

I believe what happened with Barclay in the de-evolved episode, I believe they said he has a type of surgery that involved another species DNA and that part was triggered separately to his human half.

Man you are smart YOUR RANGE of knowledge is vast, I do enjoy the breakdown of why things are is interesting. Thanks for sharing your information on the Klingons I would like your insight into one of my favorite races THE Jem' Hadar

Fantastic deep dive!

Happy Thanksgiving. Great video I really love the thumbnail you and I talked about Worf some time ago so seeing him made me smile. Unfortunately my work has had me going not stop for most of the year and I can't watch KZfaq as much as I want. So when I can caught up with your work you never fall to make quality videos.

Cool video! Thanks!

I never had an issue with ENT’s explanation of the Klingon’s difference. The transporter was invented because of real world limitations. The warp drive on TNG was the same drive in the TOS movies, because of a real world limitation. Star Trek, like all tv shows and movies come up with canon reasons for real world limitations. It’s all fun, no need to take it so seriously.

I actually like the way Klingons are depicted in Discovery, it gives them a unique look, I like how distinguished they look, they aren't too human-like but not too alien, they are a perfect medium, I also did some digging and found that the reason why the Klingons in discovery are bald, its a ritual they perform that they cut their hair for war, kinda like many human nations that did the same in the ancient past, especially Norsemen. I like the Grey skin they give the Klingons, it once again makes them different in a good way, also if their ancestors are insects or crustaceans then how did they become humanoid? it makes no sense because they would just evolve into a smaller crab-like creature or bug man, so perhaps their ancestors were artificially enhanced and created into a proto Klingon kinda like how humans had Homo erectus, Neanderthals, etc. I believe that may just be the case, I also wonder how did they achieve warp tech and particle weapon tech if they were primitive from the start? Either their creators gave them tech or did they steal it, if so how? maybe an invading alien force that they defeated give them the weapons? either way they have developed a very neat and fascinating society and culture, I wish they looked like Discovery version in the past recent movies so it wont look like every movie and series has different ideas on what a Klingon looks like.

Klingons are very needy lovers. They are always klinging on.

I have talked to actual Klingons. And there is something that is always missed, the ridges are in more than one place. I used to have a Klingon girlfriend, YOU figure it out. And for the Klingons in STD. The Narn from Babylon 5 would like to talk to about that.

I wonder if Klingon organ redundancy is not all it's chocked up to be. They may have evolved redundancy as an alternative strategy to evolving durability. Three lungs, but each lung has less capacity to human lungs. Two livers, but each liver is less effective at filtering or regrowing. By distributing their physiological needs across additional organs, they would be able to compensate for inferior-functioning organs They're depicted as bulkier and able to take a lot of punishment but are not necessarily stronger, since they're defeated in melee combat by Starfleet et al all the time

The first time a like and subscribe ask worked for me. Thanks for the great info!

wow I never knew that supposedly a K type star has a better chance for life then our own star that is something I never expected to hear. Well if Barclay can become a spider so can Worf.

Am I the only one who really likes that there is a canon explanation for the smooth forehead Klingons?

Id like to see the dynamic of the kligon houses broken down in depth… and its broader political ramifications. Good video as always.

Dude!🤩 I just found ur channel& as both a biologist& a Trekkie I must say this was awesome& extremely well done. I really enjoyed this 1& the 1 on Vulcans as well! Bravo, thanks,& look forward to watching more.🖖🏻❤️🧿🛡️

Not only do klingons have two stomachs they have two duodenums and two intestinal tracts.

I wouldn't mind learning about their political economy. I get the impression that the Klingons have some sort of feudal system. In DS9 Warf and other Klingon characters often talk about their family's "lands". Also it's revealed in DS9 that the Klingon Empire is not in any way democratic. And what about the reason why the Klingon empire is an empire? Does it have something to do with their native economy? What would happen to Klingon civilization if their Empire did not continue to expand?

I'd like to see a video on Klingon history, especially the pre-warp eras and the invasion of the Herk.

Correct me if I’m wrong and I can’t remember where I had seen it but wasn’t there a canonical source once stating the ancestors of Klingons were a type of crustacean? I swore it was an explanation to their ridges.

My personal head cannon is that Klingons start out in utero as twins or multiple zygotes before merging and this lends itself to why they have so many extra/redundant organs.

ive always wondered how the skull ridges of klingons are so different, even between family, is there anything like that in real nature, or maybe something from the extended universe?

Cover that one DS9 episode where Quark accidentally became a Klingon

Klingons being red-black colorblind makes the choice of red light on their bridges and in their flag... interesting. Also makes the "crimson river" absolute gobbledegook

Thanks Tyler

I think the TNG era style of Klingons is better, both in terms of physical appearance and cultural development. But it also always annoyed me that there was no cannon explanation for the difference in physical appearance between TOS and TNG. Something that big should have an in-universe explanation. When I was a kid, there was one theory that the TOS Klingons were genetically engineered to resemble humans more closely so that infiltration would be easier. I think this came from some Star Trek novels which I can't remember the names of. Another possibility was that there were more than one race of Klingons, and during the TOS era a different group was dominant. But the problem with that was that Kor, Kang, and Koloth all ended up with TNG era physiology when they appeared on DS9. Enterprise actually did a really good job resolving the issue, which was a natural outgrowth of what was already established in the universe. The time period of Enterprise is closer to the eugenics wars, and it would make sense for the Klingons to be threatened by that. It would also make sense for them to try to make their own augments and botch it up because their medical science is less precise.

Yeah... I think rather than having done the Enterprise augment virus storyline, if they really HAD to make cannon consistant, they could have maybe used CG when they redid TOS to add forhead ridges or something... I didn't really like the augment virus thing. Especially at the end when the doctor says that he might get in to cranial ridge reconstruction. Like if this is all in universe... Then why did nobles like Kor and Kang have flat brows in TOS? Would their families (especially given their noble bloodlines) have not had such a proceedure. Just none of it actually makes sense.

I’ve always thought that Klingon culture must have developed from tree-cutters who used bow saws to fight off predators and burn cultural fires. Maybe lived mostly outside and didn’t build, priding themselves on clearing spaces, having bonfires visible from afar and protecting their and other families from larger and larger beasts

I definitely think the Disco klingons belong in the 19th century because by then the mighty House ships are long since obsolete in 23rd century terms.

Ok except that Worf's mate was half human, or Spock, and I don't know how it could be possible. Why was it that important to have "hybrid" characters?

human gestation is 40 weeks. klingon gestation would therefore be closer to 2 1/2 months longer than humans, not 1 1/2, unless you mean alien months

I have said this before about DIS, they still could have made slight alterations and added diversity to Klingons without totally alienating existing fans. What they did was rewriting a lot of the backstory to fit in the narrative that they wanted to tell. Thus some things got quite silly.

Only change i liked to the klingons in discovery was the 4 nostrils definately made sense for an evolving predator in a hostile world. If i remember right a book said something about sensory organs in the ridges to sense atmospheric pressure changes of an impending storm.

For anyone confused by the Solar Scale, the easiest way to remember this is (From highest temperature to lowest) is - Wilma Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me Now Sweetheart (BTW W, N and S class stars are extremely rare stars). BTW Klingons are NOT Chinese. The Chinese ones are, I think are the Romulsns)

i adored their explanation in enterprise.

In ST: Into Darkness, there is only one bald Klingon. If you look, you can see the hair sticking out from under the helmets of the other Klingons.

What is the plaque with he ships on it in your background and where would I be able to buy one?

They should've kept to the TNG version of Klingons. Disco Klingons are soulless monstrosities.

The only thing I think bothers me about the Discovery Klingons is that all that makeup made the actors sound like they had peanut butter in their mouth. In the past, when the actors had trouble speaking through their false teeth, sometimes they would record the lines again and dub it over. They didn't do that in Star Trek Discovery. I actually had to read the subtitles.

On the blood. I have a personal explanation/head canon that it is something in the atmosphere that reacts to something unique in their blood. Either something naturally occurring in the Qo'nos atmosphere, or a common industrial byproduct that is produced by technology of the era and usually filtered out by proper environmental filters. Klingons just do not usually prioritize for cleaning this byproduct out of the atmosphere or filtering them from the byproducts of their technology. Klingon ships tend to have a lot less creature comforts, as does their society as a whole. In scenes where we purple blood, this impurity has not been filtered out and is present in the atmosphere. It may even be present in air used in their space suits if they do not see it as something to worry about. It may even be more or less common in certain areas of Qo'nos. It could even be a byproduct of the augment virus or treatment for it. A piece of Trek history that really did not need to happen to explain anything...but does. Those closer to the time of the augment virus may be more likely to have purple blood. There also could be something related to diet; some food, additive, beverage, or pharmaceutical intoxicant which causes those who use it to have the color of their blood change. For the most part, I'm completely fine with how modern Trek has updated how different species look. It has kind of become a staple of the franchise. The stereotypical "nose ridges" has been a budget minded solution to creating aliens in Trek, so it makes sense as itt becomes easier to make better looking aliens that we do just that. Diversity is an important part of the franchise, and having that diversity stand out more is really important. But there is taking changes a bit to far. Discovery Klingons added way to many changes at once. Both in makeup design and in the look of their costumes and technology. There was no way to look at anything and be reminded of a Klingon or a Klingon ship or costume. The change between TOS and TMP was pretty drastic; but recognizable.

If the Klingon sun was a K star, it would be cooler and dimmer than ours and have a habitable zone that was both narrower and closer in. Thus Qo'nos would be subject to greater radiation of the kind that is less conducive for life, not more. Solar flares for instance would be more intense and damaging.

I am curious to hear your problems with the ST:V episode “Distant Origin”.

I wish someone would do a KZfaq series specifically on the climate and geography of the planets in trek. I had a book in 1990 that was great.. worlds of the federation. It's allies. Neutral planets and enemies. It's the only thing I've see that gives detailed descriptions.of the topography of the planets themselves and how it effected the races from there.. for instance.. the klingon home world was very rocky with small forests scrabble forests.. but had very little fresh water.. just a few very salty seas. Because of lack of potable water, very few plants grew which meant almost no herbivores.. so every animal in the planet , including klinhons,, were derived from carnivorous hunters.. everything there hunted each other.. and this is why the klingons have such a warrior bearing naturally.

You should do a video like this for Kryptonian biology