As the newest iteration of CBS’ long-running franchise rockets toward its premiere date, it’s no secret to say that ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ has taken a bit of heat from fans who seem to be confused by many aspects of the show’s aesthetic. Purporting to be a “prequel” to the original “classic” Trek series that premiered in 1966, the show features a much more modern look – and markedly different visual presentation to the Klingons, the classic villainous warrior race that has antagonized the “good guys” of the franchise since the get-go.
Now, thanks to a new interview, we’re getting some more info that helps to shed light on why these particular Klingons may look so different. Let’s start with their ship, which is described thusly by writer Ian Berriman from a visit to the ‘Discovery’ set:
“[The] Klingon ‘sarcophagus ship’ — an enormous vessel (three times the size of its Federation counterparts — [belongs] to a 25th Klingon house that we hadn’t previously heard of. Its stepped control deck [is] devoid of the usual consoles, because these Klingons interface with their computers directly via ornate silver masks.”
‘Discovery’ Executive Producer Ted Sullivan goes on to elaborate on more details about the Klingons that we’ll be seeing in the show:
“It’s a 200-year-old ship. This is a group of Klingons who’ve gone back to a puritan way of life. They look very different: they wear armor that’s 200 years old and they don’t have any hair.
Their commander [T’Kuvma, played by Chris Obi] runs his Klingon house – the house of T’Kuvma – by the rules of Kahless, the Klingon messiah. And he calls himself the second coming of the Klingon messiah.
In the past, Klingons have not really cared about their dead – they’re not like marines. But these Klingons are. The outside of the ship is covered in thousands of coffins. Some are 300 years old, some are just two days old.
Downstairs is the death room, where they prepare their dead; then the coffins get raised up and put on the outside.”
What do you think, Trek fans: is this an intriguing way to revisit a “lost” aspect of this classic species or just a cheap workaround to do something new and shoehorn it into canon? Sound off in the comments below!
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ premieres on September 24, 2017, on CBS.
