Next week's Enterprise explains why Klingons looked different in TOS

[wyldwolf]

I always accepted the general explanation that Roddenberry didn't have the budget to do the Klingons in full make-up in the original series, and that we should all pretend the Klingons looked like the TNG Klingons in TOS...

...but then the DS9 EP ruined that theory!

So, tonight's EP explains is all...

SPOILER SPACE...

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SUPERSPOILER! The start of a two-parter that closes out February sweeps. We learn that the Klingons of Kirk’s era all look like Rich Vos because they’ve started injecting each other with Arik Soong’s Augment DNA!

[phantom power]

1. They really shouldn't have gone there.

To my knowledge, nobody was clamoring for a "resolution" to this discrepancy, seeing as how most people are capable of just accepting the obvious effects-tech reasons for the difference.

One sign that an SF universe has gone to seed. People start giving in to the temptation of "explaining" minor discrepancies. Nobody wins.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

2. According to Star Trek's website:

Fans were "clamoring" for the reason. Worf's terse yet hillarious comment in DS9 was enough for me: "They are Klingons. And we don't discuss it."

Startrek.com is probably biased, but I do know a few people who wondered at the real reason. (I wasn't one of them.)

And I agree with your last statement completely. It's like the technicalities matter much more than the story, or the characters itself.

[YankeyMCC]

3. Agreed

that's really a shame that they had to mess with that.

[Orsino]

4. I saw that coming...

...in the first episode of the Arik Soong trilogy, when a pair of augmented humans took out a small Klingon crew. Of course the Klingons would experiment with that technology, if they thought it could make them better warriors.

Judging by TOS, however, Klingon augmentation was as likely to produce a wussy Koloth as an ultra-cool Kor or Kang. I think it might be neat to see a pre-Kirk-era Klingon ship of ridge-faced warriors led by a more humanoid "elite."

[Beetwasher]

5. I'll Withhold Judgement Until I See The Episodes HOWEVER

I had come up with my own (sort of similar?) theory to explain it WAAAAY back! ;-)

Although mine was along the lines of that some Klingon's purposely had their appearance altered at some point in order to possibly infiltrate the Federation easier. :shrug:

[Streetdoc270]

6. My theory was,

There was a ruling class(CT) and a warrior class(All others) The warrior class being the Klingons that they are and tired of being subservient rose up aginst the ruling class and killed/enslaved them all. This also gives a good explination as to why the Klingons are more vicious than the ones in Classic Trek.

[semillama]

7. Keep an eye out for Seth McFarlane

He's supposed to be playing an engineer on the Columbia...