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Aw come on, I literally just recorded a video about the Bat'leth and am still editing... Nobody is going to believe that's a coincidence. xD

We actually see a bat'leth variant in Worf's quarters with a significantly lengthened central grip. That might be onscreen evidence for a hypothetical longer "battlefield" version of the bat'leth.

Quite a bit is known about Klingon biology. The episode where Worf is paralyzed told us they have a lot of biological redundancy. Twice as many ribs and a fortified spinal cord for instance. So not only do they wear armor literally everywhere, their skeletal structure is almost a subcutaneous armor as well

Star Trek nerd here. In Next Generation and DS9 episodes we see Worf and other Klingons (and the occasional human) using the bat'leth as a draw/push cutter, chopper *and* stabber, plus hooking opponent's arms and legs. Binding with the curved front edge is extremely important. To my mind the typical bat'leth fight proceeds somewhat like a Sumo bout. There's an initial rush and clash often resulting in a bind, then some fencing roughly equivalent to grappling for a leverage advantage, then one combatant is taken off their feet. A typical finishing strike is a downward two-handed chop/stab taking advantage of the angle of the pointy ends; notice that the opposite end curves *away* from the user in that move, unlike what's seen in most fantasy weapons. As to the weapon's length, in lore it should be equal to your height when you take a knee (so that if one leg is disabled you can still fight effectively). I'm six feet tall so for me, *with my build*, that works out to almost exactly 4' 6" rather than he "official" five foot length so perhaps the average ancient Klingon was a bit taller than the average modern human or were longer in the torso. Finally, there are fan groups who practice bat'leth fighting developing various fight styles, and holding competitions at conventions, based on what's seen on screen. Pseudo-Historical Klingon Martial Arts, one might say. (A Klingon could probably pronounce PhKMA but I can't.)

Speaking on biology, you can also come down to things like metabolism and oxygen exchange. If another species tires faster, or slower, or has more explosive metabolism, that can also change how weapons are designed/ used.

It was great to see you apply historical analysis and thought processes to a fictional weapon. Hmm, now I'm wondering if I can source one to try from horseback.

Matt, you really need to look into whether or not anybody makes synthetic practice bat'leths so that you can take it to your class and see how well they actually work. Then you should have Tod make a proper one from steel and sharpened and see how well it cuts.

I hadn't considered the length difference inherent between a naval infantry weapon, intended for combat in close confines, and a infantryman's weapon intended for the open field. This would make Worf's personal weapon a sailor's cutlass version of the bat'leth ... and suddenly the triple-grip makes sense. It needs to be able to absorb the attack of the heavier landsman's weapon, and it needs to be lighter, without sacrificing strength. It's not only shorter, handier in close confines, it's also structuraly lighter, with narrower ribs and grip-points ... so it gets more ribs, and a somewhat skeletonised appearance in comparison to, say, the Sword of Kah'less. Damn ... Dan Curry was The Man! I think the main stumbling block is how it's always referred to as the "Klingon Battle Sword", based on it's unitary construction and full-length cutting edge ... Really, it combines the features and function of a defensive short polearm, one designed to break armour, and a battle-AXE, designed to maximize the destructive power of a single massive strike. All in a package designed for (relatively) easy carrying. That it can still be gripped and manipulated from any point in its frame, due to the handgrip being a separate structure behind the cutting edge, also makes switching between defensive and offensive action surprisingly swift, especially given the mass of the thing.

Have to say, I've never seen the comparison to a two-handed dueling shield, but, now that you pointed it out, I can't unsee it.

I never considered this weapon in the context of close quarters armored combat. Once you mentioned armored combat, I could suddenly see its practical usage.

Not watched it in decades, but from what I remember from TNG, the Bat'Leth was originally mostly a cultural artefact for Worf, which he embraced and tried to learn because he was an orphan brought up by humans who wanted to reconnect with his Klingon heritage. He used it to reenact historical and mythological Klingon battles and duels on the Enterprise holodeck. Originally it didn't really matter if it was a practical weapon- it was a symbol of his identity that mattered to Worf's character. But the fandom decided it was really cool so the writers created loads of extra lore for it and increasingly incorporated it into battle scenes. Which is basically just being a good writer who responds to audience feedback.

I've played with a Bat'leth before, and it's actually pretty easy to thrust with BECAUSE the outward blades are curved. When you try to thrust one-handed with it, your natural grip will have to be slightly angled, which results in the curved edge of the outward blade actually pointing straight forward.

Anyone trained in rifle and bayonet can see this could be used with effect, left parry,right parry, lunge,butt stroke,the cross check and slash. I would have no problem using in close contact.

I remember when I first saw the battleth I thought, "Looks cool, not practical." Then when they showed Worf using it, it was clear some actual thought went into it.

The biggest change I might make is dulling the central edge in front of the hands. If you're fighting another bat'leth user, odds are that area is going to smack into the enemy blade a lot. Given the design, it's really hard to not hit edge on edge, and edge on edge is likely to damage that portion quickly. Also, it's the least likely area to actually cut with. You have to get past the big vertical line of defense (the other guy's bat'leth), then strike in, then slide sideways. That's really hard. Most of the killing will happen with the pointy bits. So the central area should basically be a giant ricasso. Keep it tough and blunt to reduce damage and use that for defense, then swing the sharp and pointy bits around over/under the enemy's weapon out of a bind to stab him. And for that, the blades curving in as they do works better, as you will mostly be striking with a swing, not a linear stab. So basically, it's an anti-armor *stabbing* weapon (those look like pretty robust points), with an absolutely massive ricasso to protect your hands. You basically block with the ricasso and repost in a swing in a single move. Though I totally agree that a single-hole grip would be better, especially if doing larger swings. I do have some concerns about it being forward heavy, but that can probably be addressed mainly by how you hold it and swing it. If you hold it diagonally, close to you, it's probably not a big deal. And if you are mostly swinging in an arc, then that forward weight helps give it more penetrative power. Now please do the Mek'leth! :-)

16:46 I actually like where the points are, imagine swinging it with one hand. Much like the Falx sword, that would allow you to stab off of a swing; which makes for a very powerful penetrative attack

For fighting in confined spaces (hallways, spaceships, indoors) I think a bat'leth with multiple grip points, striking points and hand protection would be super useful. the striking points being ahead of the grip would also make generating heavy strikes without tons of room for wind ups or maneuvering a lot easier.

Love the idea that what we see in ST are basically Klingon cutlasses, because the action happens on ships.

The original batleth is a lot better than the new redesigned ones.

It is basicly a huge two handed can opener. So yeah, the armored combat weapon concept does make sense actually.

11:30 well the theory is that the in universe reason for the design is twofold. 1 Klingons Don't use shields because they find it dishonorable and bat'leth was suposed to offer some defensive capabilites. and the second was to temper the Klingon natural battle frenzy becasue it required a lot of practice to use effficiently and there is also a history it started as some kind of a farming tool (which I cna see since it always kidna reminded me to antlers (and antlers were some of the earliest human tool matherial) )

For Improving the design, I would also add side scales. Those grips are basically leather wrapped sheet metal. For human hands, I would round that out with wood, bone, or whatever, for a more secure, and comfortable grip. (In addition to what Matt said, straight side spikes, and more grip options in general.)

I read a few great internet treatises on the Bat'Leth. One thing that strikes me as interesting, is the lore behind its invention. An unskilled warrior poet/bard created the weapon under the nose of a powerful and brutal overlord. He took passionate youths, farmers, craftsmen, and trained them as a small guerrilla army to battle the much larger, more professional oppressors armies. The culture had swords, flails, spears, (We see some "historical" weapons through the show), but these were used without shields (as shields were considered cowardly, and when they were used, were discarded immediately when battle began so as to effect more power in their strikes). And "professional warriors" would rely on excessive rage to carry them through enemies with sheer brutality and force. So, by designing a slower, more defensive weapon, one that can catch powerful two handed blows and redirect them, while still allowing a reverse counter strike, would be valuable. The amateurs were forced to learn control, to redirect the much more ferocious warriors strikes and use that power against them as they over-committed and opened themselves to the back end of the weapon which could thrust upwards into ribs/arm pits. The weapon also allowed them to work as units on the battlefield, as unlike a flail or a massive two handed sword, you could stay close and attack the same opponent together, where the oppressors armies would be a mob of individual warriors attacking without finesse or defence with the biggest weapon at hand. The Bat'Leth is basically a shield, axe, and sword all rolled into one unit, a unit strong enough to absorb blows, fast enough to counter-strike, but powerful enough to crack armour and tough Klingon hides. This is why the creator taught joy, not rage like the oppressor had. Taught them to slow and to think in battle, to work in formation, to use terrain and to learn from other battles through song, and to share tactics, not hold them as family secrets. He tempered them in a way they would accept and so won out against a much larger (less organized) force that used brutality and numbers above all else to win. He out thought his opponents, out finessed them, and outlasted them until their own rage made them vulnerable and weak.

The Bat'leth is like a Klingon - it's scary, and dangerous, but not as dangerous as a lot of people claim.

Great video! Good analysis. In the various series they make a point of the "overdesign" of Klingon physiology, specifically things like 23 ribs, an eight chambered heart, and multiple internal organs. The bony protuberances on their forwards are shown to extend down their backs and other parts of their bodies are shown to have some level of perhaps vestigial internal armoring. The episode in which Worf devolved into some form of ancient Klingon showed him with a full exoskeleton. So in this sense the comments about the bat'eth being designed for armor making even more sense. The Klingon is always armored. I think this is why other Klingon weapons like the d'k tahg and kut'luch are so vicious looking is because you have to do really terrible damage to hope to kill a Klingon.

Scholagladatoria makes much more sense in the original Klingon.

I'd love to see you take look at the Mek'leth, I've loved it since I first saw it in DS9 ☺️ I'd still love to have a Bat'leth though, even if a 5 foot blade would be as big as me x

Very glad to see you bringing up Dan Curry; I remember reading about his intentions and methodology in coming up with the Bat'leth and creating an exotic but practical weapon, and I always wondered about that whenever I saw people criticising the weapon.

Another interesting observation is that the three handles can actually change the physics of cuts made with them. For example, gripping on the same handle will give you reach and spin physics with very wide chapping movements. Transition to grip the outside handle in one hand and the middle handle in the other, and suddenly you can multiply the force of chops by pulling one handle and pushing the other. This also allows you to change the position of the weapon in a fundamentally different way when compared to the first. And by gripping the outside handle, you suddenly have stupid exact control over the weapon, are poised to receive heavy blows, parry and attack in ways not possible in the above two positions. This grants the weapon a certain amount of unpredictability in that the weilder need only change grip to fundamentally alter their fighting style mid fight similar to half swording as you pointed out. I'm not a martial artist, but I do have a certain level of skill in both stick fighting and the bastard sword without any formal training. I'm more of a martial enthusiast/hobbyist. If you are a martial artist, feel free to kindly correct me where it is appropriate! Keep it up man!

As someone who's trained (not extensively) in Okinawan staff technique I've generally thought of the bat'leth in those terms. It's clearly not a sword but as a short range polearm it makes a certain amount of sense. I have a replica of Worfs mek'leth in my collection which I need to make a sparing version of at some point. I think Michael Dorn has much larger hands than I do.

If anyone could make highly educated points about the possible contexts of the Bat'leth it would be you, Matt 🤯 Thanks again for the entertaining and informative take on a subject i didn't expect to look into. Oh, also the blade design makes sense considering advanced (i presume) Klingon metallurgy.

I always thought that the weapon actually seemed most similar to various types of bulls or deer that fought to show dominance rather than specifically to kill. In my eyes I feel like Klingons had an analog to this and took inspiration as an icon of strength.

I'd seen a number of those other weapons specialists who you've mentioned, and I actually have to agree with you on the fact that they didn't dive deeply enough into the the design elements of which the Bat'Leth was based on I personally appreciate that you dove deeper into these design elements of what the Bat'Leth was based upon

I read something many years ago by a HEMA enthusiast who said that, even for humans on earth, it was a fine weapon, his biggest criticism was that it was impractical in THE WAY IT WAS USED in star trek. He described a much different way of using it involving short thrusts and hooking type maneuvers. He described it as a much more defensive style than you see on screen with it being used as a shield more. It was really fascinating and, to my untrained mind, seemed to make a lot of sense.

Every time there is a knife amnesty there is the obligatory picture of a Bat'leth on display as one of the terrifying weapons that have been handed in.

I always thought that the Bat’leth was under-rated having also studied Chinese and Okinawan martial arts in addition to American military swordsmanship. I don’t own any fantasy weapons but if I were to choose one to own and train with, the Bat’leth would be my choice. I have seen a trend among in the Star Wars fans of training the lightsaber as a martial art. I would venture to say that if a group of dedicated Star Trek fans started a group that is dedicated to training the Bat’leth, we may learn that its potential as a martial art is greater than most people give it credit for.

As others, including yourself have said. The Bat'Leth was used on board star ships, and in tight quarters, so you would not want a long weapon. I think even a longer sword would be impractical. I've always envisioned using one in a style of the short staff or Bo Staff, as some one else pointed out. The Bat'Leth is both weapon and shield, just like a staff. Keep up the good work.

I like the way that you bring the totality of the question into consideration. A very good approach to understanding all types of situations. Fun too.

I felt that you gave a very fair and well conceived analysis of the Bat'leth. As a life log Trek fan and history geek I really enjoyed your video. You didn't poke fun and your comments were constructive. Thank you, Very entertaining!

I think that if you straighten out the outer blades you would actually make it more dangerous for thrusting. As it is, although you can't run someone all the way through with the Bat'leth, you can fully extend the weapon in front of your body without much fear of the opposite blade hooking on your person. I think that is especially true in light of your point about fighting in corridors, because you have the benefits of a longer reach but without increasing the space the weapon occupies.

I'm put in mind of some of the axe-pick hybrids that were used in primarily [i]unarmored[/i] warfare in the Phillipines and Indonesia, which nonetheless focused on concentrating force into a point at the top of the blade. This also let them hook and easily reach over shields. If you consider the Klingon rubber forehead thing to be a more developed sagittal crest, it would make them far less vulnerable to blunt force to the head and further emphasize skull/rib puncturing ability and decapitation.

I'm so happy that my two favourite (and most trusted) HEMA experts give the Bat'leth serious credibility. Thanks, Matt!

Brilliant work Matt. This is excellent. Especially for acknowledging the designers' history and combining it with the massive and excellent array of pictures and explanations

Glad to see this! As a martial artist and trekkie myself I always thought the bat’leth was a good design. Picking one up and playing around with it I found that it seems to work well with Okinawan bo technique.

Some very interesting considerations that you've brought up. As only a casual Star Trek enjoyer, my curiosity was drawn by some of the unusual and exotic weapons in the illustrations that you showed. Maybe the content of a future video? As far as the Bat'leth goes, I think another element of the design is its role (as I understand it) in ritualized combat. I would think that might cause the design to become more static, despite more practical considerations. I would like to hear more about how you think it would best be used (though that has probably been done to death by other content creators). Would it be most effective as a chopping weapon? What about thrusting or draw/push cuts? Not being a martial arts practitioner, it seems to me that the concave blade might be useful for binding other weapons and then performing push or draw cuts.

This is probably the most thoughtful bat'leth video i have seen.

You mention good improvements. I definitely think unobstructed hand movement is key, but eliminating all the segments decreases structural integrity. Compromise with two big grip-holes separated by a middle strut. Plus, this weapon seems to want to turn in the hands, so the grip needs to be well-shaped and enough mass needs to be kept in the handle to offset that tendency. Totally agree on the points needed for thrusting, but I think that can be achieved by adding spikes without altering the weapon's continuous curve. Making me smile as always, Matt! :)

So I think it makes sense to conclude that Klingon hands were unarmored, and that targeting the hands was important enough to prioritize hand protection.

The real irony here is that the Bat' Leth is a very good defensive weapon

I have NEVER heard a more concise, in- depth, discussion and, indeed a better explanation of the weapons design and potential history, in such a paleontological point of view by a martial arstist/practitioner/instructor and an expert on historical weapons design! Thank you Matt. By the way, Skal' tends to agree with you, if you were not aware.

As far as the Bat'leth's intended use, I think there's an episode of DS9 where Worf gives some history on the weapon. He says, and I'm paraphrasing, that old klingon weapons were far too agressive, and favored nothing but attack. This lead to wars where too many klingons died, because they were not focused on survival at all. So Kahless the Unforgettable designed a blade with defense in mind. The forward facing crescent was designed to catch incoming blades, parry, and counterattack much more effectively than previous klingon weapons. In addition Kahless created a new martial art to accompany the bat'leth that focused on defense, waiting for opportunities, counterattacks, and overall patience. It's also important Bat'leth translates to "sword of honor." It's seen in Klingon culture as being the most honorable weapon to use. Other weapons, like disruptors, and the mek'leth (kind of like a knife or short sword maybe) are looked down upon as being more weapons of desperation, or by cowards.

I am glad you make me think about different sides of “weapons ideas” I usually think the made up crap from sci-fi shows are useless nerd ideas and have no call to be in the conversation but you sir have always given me such great points of view here I am ... and agreed as usual... I love this show man. I want to buy you an ale some day

The problem I have with a Bat'Leth is edge alignment (or well, more like point algnment). The leverage of the blade in front of the hand makes it rather unwieldy I think.

I had a customer once ask for a bath'leth. I explained him that I don't have access to baakonite composite (which is the special metal used in them). Nevertheless, I cut one out of 3mm steel and found it to be very very unwieldy. Then I cut one out of aluminium to mimic the props used on the set, and lo and behold, it's actually not a bad weapon. It's meant for a mobile person in active combat, it's not a static-swinging weapon. but you essentially have a shield in front of you; with spikes on either end to jab with. It struggles with spears; but it excells als closer range, and it allows you to close in much quicker then you expect. It would be better being straighter (2 horizontal spikes and 2 vertical spikes) and longer, but this would look less fancy ;-)

Dear Matt. I've been waiting for YEARS for you to make this movie. Thank you! Merry christmas, and a happy new year, from a big great klingon-nerd!

From what I’ve seen of it’s use, the Bat’leth was designed to overcome a foe armed with a… bat’leth. 😁

Finally, someone who sees the value in the BAT'LETH

many years ago at a convention I watched attendees cosplaying the Duras sisters do a short kata with the Bat'leth before their main skit. As I remember it they used a lot of very close circular movements around and across the body. To me they most reminded me of the kind of cuts one would make to dissuade someone trying to get into grappling range and wrestling you. So next up for completeness we need an episode on the Vulcan Lirpa, which has me thinking, especially the Amok Time version, of a very much shortened Monk's spade.

In the context of a boarding weapon, it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the fantastic video!

Hello Matt, would be interesting, if you could make a video about how to use the Bat'Leth. Defensive seems to be very easy with it, but how to attack seems to be quite difficult.

Good points all around. Personally, I've always loved the Bat'leth in principle, but had issues with it's execution. Most of the issues I see are the same ones I have with film/video game design in general and just took as artifacts of the exaggeration and haste inherent in that context. Weapons in media are almost always grossly out of proportion and crudely executed so they "read" better on screen and can be easily fabricated en masse, ergonomics be damned (there are exceptions). However, with some thought and nuance applied to the principle in profile, cross section, and balance, it would be glorious to wield. Probably a minor nightmare to produce, but that's an entirely different matter. Always wanted a nice pattern-welded one...

Haven't had a chance to watch it yet but as much as I spent years saying the Bat'leth sucks, it is actually viable in the right hands (and not used anything like the way we see in the show). Give it to someone who's really good at *tai chi*, and ask them to use it - it suddenly works quite well(though it could do with being a little less spikey) - you hold it in close and use it defensively in lots of circular motions as you get right up in there in grappling range, with the option for a couple of longer strikes if needed. It's basically one of those high end exotic martial arts weapons, like a two handed version of sun and moon / deer antler knives / whatever you call them. The sort of thing that IF you're really good martial arts already you can switch over to and do really well with (but a poor battlefield weapon and terrible for giving newbies)

I am so appreciative of this video. I am a big Klingon enthusiast, and I got beat up in the comments section of Shadiversity's video about the batleH making many of the same arguments. I'm actually surprised that I haven't heard anyone comment on how the demonstrated usage on the show depicts it being used in a similar fashion as a shield, implying even more versatility. Shad even did a video about shields being used offensively. IDK. Just ... this is refreshing. Also, of all videos I've seen on KZfaq about the batleH, this one consistently demonstrated the best pronunciation of the word; better than the actors on the show, IMO. I have studied the language, attended the annual qep'a' (large meeting of the Klingon Language Institute) when it was held in the Chicgoland area, and appreciate this con-lang.

If you watch TNG you can clearly see it requires specific training to be proficient with it.

In E.E. "Doc" Smith's space opera series "Lensmen" he wrote of a space marine role that was armed to fight boarding actions in space that included in their arms a boarding axe resembling a short halberd or bec de corbin.

From the look of it in use, I kind of see it being similar to a short, bladed, quarterstaff.

You just got a pretty solid reply from Shad on this. Cant wait for the reply!

I'm convinced the bat'leth evolved from a farming tool, and that the concave blade would have made it better suited for harvesting their version of wheat or whatever.

Never really heard Matt talk about Star Trek before, and yet… I’ve always known he was a Trekkie. 😏

What an excellent, erudite video! No idea how this ended up on my recommended list, but very glad it did. You've won another subscriber with it. :)

A couple of points - First up it's always seemed to me that the Bat'Leth is optimized for defense. The hand are very well protected as you mention, and the weapon is held in front of the body, with projections on each side that can easily defend attacks coming from either direction. Not that easy to get through. It's offensive possibilities seem more limited to me, although I might change my mind on that if I ever get to handle one. Second point, it's certainly not a side-arm! You couldn't really wear one while fighting with a spear or fire-arm as your main weapon, and there's no easy way to sheath a Bat'Leth. So I think of it as a specialized dueling weapon, meant for settling affairs of honor rather than being used on the battlefield or carried for self defense.

Since it's mostly shown in dueling and the fact that Klingons love to get close enough to bite your face off, I think it's not impractical. Question: Pugil sticks are very similar in handling (length/offending ends) to a Bat'leth. I wonder if you're able to get anyone in your school who has knowledge sparring with Pugil Sticks to try and spar with practice Bat'leths? I would be interested in seeing if the skills carry over.

16:00 regarding the restricted grip. I have often seen in other engineering contexts that devices will be designed in such a way that it becomes harder to use it badly (or moreover hard to make certain rookie mistakes, or very serious mistakes) even if that also cuts down on the flexibility of the device, particularly for experts who would be unlikely to make those mistakes. I'm curious if there's any history of militaries making that kind of design compromise to have weapons that can be more easily trained on and trusted to less experienced soldiers to basically allow them to equip more soldiers with it. Hard to say if that feels in character for the Klingons or not, but just a thought.

Hello there. I don't often comment on these kind of videos, even though I was an Enlisted Weapons Instructor in the USMC back in 1978 through 1980. I almost started typing frantically early on in the video, but by the end you had addressed my incipient comments topic. That the four foot version of the weapon is probably an 'indoors' and 'confined battlefield' type weapon. I also agree with the idea of straightening out the outer blades for better thrusting use. In addition, I agree that if one were to use this in an open battlefield, that one would do far better with a weapon of at least 5 feet, and probably more... like 6+ feet (I could easily see a strong Warrior wielding a 7 food Bat'Leth on foot and overpowering his foes with the mass of his weapon and utilizing it's better 'reach' to his opponent. Straightening the outer points would also turn this into a pretty good shortish pole arm for thrusting purposes. Even though the resulting weapon would be larger and heavier, it would do better damage to an armored opponent, in the hands of a trained Warrior. I still feel though, that Klingons would have had more 'normal' swords... probably something like an over sized Broadsword as a secondary weapon in case their Bat'Leth was somehow removed from their grasp. Having to fall back to just a knife seems a bit 'silly' to me culturally, even though the Klingons use such knives as an 'honor' weapon... probably to finish off a wounded foe... thus granting them a Warrior's Death and passage to the Warriors Paradise.

I'm in the "specialized dueling weapon" camp. The name actually MEANS "honor sword", and you can see that while Worf has an elaborate flowy martial-art for it, other Klingons simply swing it like an axe and block like it's a hockey stick. This suggests that most don't bother to learn the old dueling/exercise style Worf picked up (Worf seems like basically the Matt Easton of Klingons, anyway), but simply keep it around out of tradition. If it was a practical weapon anymore, I'd expect to see more skillful use -- some of the comments here suggest what that use would look like. So it probably HAD a use (important enough to be tied to the great hero Kahless, anyway), but was soon replaced with other weapons, and spent centuries being a sport/performance, with the techniques slowly turning into the over-stylized kata that Worf likes, while actual skill in combat basically vanished as warriors spent their time with crossbows, firearms, disruptors, etc. The shape would have changed to suit the duelists and performers -- think of the old-style rifles used by military drill teams, because they happen to handle better in the fancy performances than the issued fighting rifles.

Great points all around Matt! Loved you showcasing all of the Chinese weapons which it parallels. While it looks like Dan Curry probably did use the Deer horn knives ( 鹿角刀; Lùjiǎodāo) as the primary inspiration, I'd also mention that there is a Wushu weapon which is probably the closest real-world analog in the Cicada Wing dao (蝉翅刀​/Chanchidao) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sLtjgdaUtrOYoHU.html History is often even more wild than fiction!

I remember they said in TNG that Klingons have multiple redundant organs, would their weapons need to do wider damage to the body as for example piercing their heart might not immediately kill them? Also, if you think the sword has potential, how about the choreography they used in the shows?

On Deep Space 9. Jadzia Dax gives us measurements for a Batleth in "warriors configuration" Kor's words. It is as follows "A "warrior's configuration" for a bat'leth was "tip to tip 116 centimeters, weight five point three kilos with an exterior handgripping diameter of five centimeters "

Awsome vid Mat. You sold me. I thought it was a little ridiculous but I am not to arrogant to admit I did not properly consider all the points you put forward.

I’ve always thought of it more as an axe you could parry with.

Too many people tear down this weapon, good to see it done more justice. Its actually a good weapon, quite interesting too.

I agree with pretty much everything you said here. The evolution of any given weapons that has so many things involved, local resources, what you're fighting against, and of course the biology of the Klingon species itself amongst others. As a bit of a Star Trek buff I do know they have a lot of backup biological systems and they are very Hardy in general so a puncturing, crushing weapon makes a fair bit of sense.

Get Tod to make some and do some bat'leth sparring! With the old school Star Trek fight music playing!

I think Da'mon Stith would agree, I believe he's made some synthetics ones and played around with them (Purpleheart Armory has some too, I think?)

Two things regarding bat'leths (their design in-universe and Klingon biology): If I recall the lore correctly, the first bat'leth, the Sword of Kahless, was created and wielded by Kahless the Unforgettable (who would have guessed with a name like that?) when he dipped a lock of his own hair into an active volcano and later cooled the lock in a lake to form the shape of the blade. This is the widely accepted explanation, though it might just be Klingon folklore. An alternate telling of the tale, though it isn't official canon, the videogame Star Trek Online posits that the first bat'leth was instead constructed out of the carapace of a species known as the Hur'q (think of the "bugs" in Starship Troopers, but with wings, devastating sonic screams, a massive warfleet, and suffering from a crippling Ketracel-White withdrawal). This is quite badass, since the Hur'q destroyed everything they ran into (in STO, they nearly curb-stomped the Dominion at least twice) until they reached Qo'noS, where they were counter-curb-stomped by the Klingons (who were still waving swords and distinctly lacked any significant firearms around the time). The Hur'q are stated to be the threat that came closest to driving the Klingon people extinct, so when a legendary warrior decides to turn the bodies of your worst historical enemy into a kickass sword to (presumably) slay said enemies with, one does not simply object. However, the folktale of Kahless making the sword from a lock of hair in an active volcano stands as fairly well established lore (in beta canon novels and videogame canon, at least; I don't own a streaming service so I can't actually watch my favorite sci-fi and therefore lack fundamental knowledge on the current state of Star Trek "canon"). Klingon biology is also more robust than human biology. I seem to recall from reading the wiki (recall that I can't actually watch the episodes to confirm), in one episode of TNG, Worf suffers extreme injuries and eventual organ failure, being completely beyond Doctor Crusher's abilities to save, only for a set of redundant organs to kick into action immediately and render him perfectly healthy and instantly fit for duty. So while they might not be at Mass Effect Krogan-levels of redundancy, I'd say that Klingons on average can survive much worse injuries than humans. Who would have guessed, from a species that quite literally KILLED ITS OWN GODS before they could figure out how to build a bicycle? Also, you were spot-on about the East Asian influence on the bat'leth, but in more ways than you think. Worf's fighting style actually draws heavily from several martial arts, including (I may be recalling wrong) taekwondo, which is primarily a Korean martial art (some historians would place its origins in China, but it undoubtedly matured, became popularized, and took modern form in Korea).

I loved to see the switch worf went with as time went on and he began to favout the mek'leth over the bat'leth for it's greater control indicating in a ds9 episode that although the bat'leth has superior range most get overconfiedent with it. Supporting exactly what you have stated that the bat'leth is indeed a ranged pole arm (ish) style weapon and the point that size and shape varies is a great parell with the saber. The final point i enjoyed was the fact that klingons are almost always heavily armoured and would add that for a heavily based fight culture having a main weapon that can be used quite easily in non death causing ways (injury still likely) as long as you dont stab with the pointy parts fully was a great option. I think it is the probally one of the most successful pop culture alien weapons to survive in peoples minds and i love how so many other cultures still have nothing like this in star trek...prehaps because most of them do not focus on armour (as you stated in your video) due to the ranged alternatives...even the later introduced jem'hadar also a very martial race also wore armour and also had a simular concept in terms of a bladed weapon.

according to that episode where dax goes on a suicide mission with the kang, kor, and koloth, a 116cm bat'leth is '5.3 kilos'. i chalk this up to the writers judging weapon weights by the dimensions of overbuilt stage props (similar to the way people used to believe medieval "broadswords" were 10-20 pounds)

Regarding the three holes instead of the one, could it be like short hilted swords where its meant to promote/force "proper grip"?

The naval sabre/cutlass analogy works well... a lot of Klingon melee combat is likely to be in ship-to-ship boarding actions - narrow corridors and live equipment all around.

I literally agree with everything that you've said in this video. I've been trying to sing the praises of the bat'leth, or "Sword of Honor" for many years now, and it's been an uphill battle. Not only, as you say, are people making harsh judgments about some seriously unknown variables, but it's also an ALIEN weapon, that was designed literally to confound the humans that looked at it. I agree completely that having the blade set forward, which offers a lot of hand protection, is a distinct advantage, and I also agree that having one large hand hole, as with the Sword of Kahless, is a lot more maneuverable, and useful than the standard design, and have said so many times. I've always wanted to see a well choreographed fight scene with one opponent, likely a Klingon, using a bat'leth, while the other, likely a human, uses a typical (or perhaps even esoteric, earth weapon. Great video!

A double-ended Falx perhaps? Were the Klingons Dacian? Great video Matt, possibly one of the longest Star Trek related videos I've ever sat through with any real interest. BTW, agree with the hand-hold comments, that's the first thing I thought of once seeing the weapon.

Full agreement on pretty well everything that wasn't a paid sponsor. As I studied Okinawan kobudo I've come to love the Bat'leth as I understand better how to use something like it. You're right about the hand holds, and I would if I were into speculative fiction, would be inclined to suggest that the three hole design came in as a more 'modern' invention as Klingon combat became more formalized as firearms or the Klingon equivalent replaced the close combat weapons. Considering the Klingons culture, they could have even made a choice to make it more difficult.

Furthermore, on the subject of weight, we'd need to at least allow for exotic space metals in the construction. Certainly with one of the primary methods of use is to use the blade to absorb impacts. I'd think you would really need to have some new metal for this.

I expect a HEMA video soon of you bat'lething vs different swords

This is a great and interesting video. I like hearing you breakdown fantasy/sci-fi weapons.

Don't forget that the batleth is used in combination with a disruptor

Qapla' Folks! I find that Humans trying to demonstrate the effectiveness of a Bat'leth whether for or against, is going to inevitably not be as accurate to the weapons potenrial. It is a Klingon Weapon Built for Klingons made for Klingons to weild. Us puny human d'blok just don't get it. Basically I agree.

Worf hands Data a bat'leth. "Hey, Commander, some things in here don't react well to bat'leth strokes."

Great video and all i ever wanted to hear about the bat'leth! I always thought it was a weapon well suited for a klingon warrior. It is essentially a sharp and pointy barrier between you and your opponent which is great in close combat. That, along with its heaviness and "clumsiness" fits the klingon fighting style i imagine perfectly. It is also very intuitive to use and has multiple ways to be used which might be good when a klingon is too angry for precise fencing. I actually thought about straightening the points as well but then you would have to rotate the weapon so much it would lose much of its defensive potential at that moment. The other point could also be used against the wearer.