A few months ago, CBS unveiled a glimpse at the Klingons from the upcoming ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and fans were thrown for a loop by their radically different appearance from previous series and movies.
Check it out below:
Compared to previous takes, the new versions are decidedly more reptilian. Showrunner, Aaron Harberts has now offered an explanation:
In the different versions of Trek, the Klingons have never been completely consistent. We will introduce several different houses with different styles. Hopefully, fans will become more invested in the characters than worried about the redesign.
What Harberts says is true. In the original series, the Klingons were just slightly less human looking than the Vulcans. They simply had darker skin with more pronounced eye brows and facial hair.
In later movies and in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, the Klingons seemed to have evolved and viewers were introduced to the more extreme look of these aliens, with their now signature ridged foreheads. The most famous example is ‘TNG”s Worf, played by Michael Dorn. In some depictions they also have decidedly mangled teeth.
The evolution was explained as being caused by genetic engineering in order to create more powerful and ruthless warriors.
But of course, ‘Discovery’, takes place ten years before the original series, so shouldn’t they revert back to the more humanoid look?
Then again, shouldn’t the producers take advantage of the advancement in visual effects and makeup?
It’s– not to muddle my franchises– somewhat akin to how everything in the ‘Star Wars’ prequels was more technologically advanced and elaborate than they were in the original films.
According to Harberts’s explanation, it seems that the various Klingon appearances and “houses” are somewhat akin to Earthlings and our various races.
On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, the Klingons will be played by Chris Obi (T’Kuvma) and Mary Chieffo (L’Rell) with Nicole Dickinson, Jonathan Whittaker, and Adam Winlove-Smith as supporting characters.
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ will debut on CBS All Access this fall on September 24.
What do you think of the Klingons’ new appearances?
Source: Cinema Blend
