STAR TREK DISCOVERY: AFTERMATH #1: Peace, maybe?

[starwolf_oakley]

The 4 issue miniseries STAR TREK DISCOVERY AFTERMATH takes place during the final episode of "Discovery" season 2, "Such Sweet Sorrow." After Discovery disappears but before Spock shaves his beard and returns to the Enterprise.
Pike and L'Rell discuss peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. L'Rell has her doubts.










"The Federation is going to destroy our culture." A Klingon mentioned that in "The Undiscovered Country."
This was also T'Kuvma's fear in the first 2 episodes of Discovery, especially the prologue.

Kor from "Errand of Mercy" appears in this story, looking like a younger John Colicos.

If the Klingons want to be left alone, why doesn't the Federation just leave them alone?

Comments

[mastermahan]

Because the Klingons don't want to be left alone. They just want the Federation to stop offering them peace like it's a good thing. To a warrior culture, it's not.

Kor's a good illustration of that. He was the first named Klingon, and he despised the Organians for their pacifism. Kirk, who actively resisted him, he respected.

The ultimate key to the peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingons came when the Enterprise-C fought to the death defending Klingon civilians from a Romulan attack. I'd argue the Klingons saw the relationship not as peace, but as a military alliance with fellow warriors against a common enemy. Or tried to convince themselves it was.

(Though honestly, I'm just speculating. The Klingons in Discovery are a bit of a mess)

[jeyl]

What about the Khitomer Accords?

[cricharddavies]

An extension of the 'only a fool fights in a burning house' philosophy.

[mastermahan]

The Khitomer Accords were more that the Klingons couldn't keep fighting after Chernoby... Praxis exploded. "Yesterday's Enterprise" showed that the Klingons would returned to fighting without the Enterprise-C's sacrifice.

[cricharddavies]

Because the Klingons believe in two kinds of states -- the one that is growing, and the one that is dying. And the Federation is definitely growing.

(Loosely inspired by The Final Reflection, by John M. Ford.)

[gnarll]

Khomrex ka and khomrex za?

[cricharddavies]

Those were the words, I believe.

[jeyl]

Do they ever explain exactly 'how' the Federation would destroy their culture? If they're all about keeping the Klingon species pure and free of outside influence, why the heck are they so inclusive of other races on their own home world? Romulans, Trill and even Humans to boot! It makes no sense.

[lonewolf23k]

That's Xenophobia in a nutshell. They believe that any external influence "degrades" their culture. Learning about other cultures and embracing their ideas isn't enrichment, it's losing your own. At least in their mindset.

[mazway_75]

Just look at how some Christians go nuts on how letting LGBT folks have equal rights means "soon straight marriage will be banned and we'll be thrown into camps!"

That many LGBT folks are Christians and the rest could care less what they do in their personal lives doesn't enter their minds.

[dcbanacek]

Then there's this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdNGjPmPyKk

[jeyl]

Kruge was neither pro-Empire or pro-Klingon purity. He was just pro-killing. That scene was less a case of legitimate fear of being assimilated into the Federation culture and more of a dig at his officer for looking at the Genesis project for what it actually is. A marvelous creation that can actually do some good.

[starwolf_oakley]

In the DS9 novel "Left Hand of Destiny," Ezri Dax thinks the Hur'q invasion was why the Klingons became fierce warriors and xenophobic. The Hur'q nearly destroyed them, so the Klingons were suspicious of all non-Klingons for a while.


https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Left_Hand_Of_Destiny_Book_Two/bSD89FYgB40C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=hur%27q

[nyadnar17]

To be fair DS9 seemed to present the Federation as a kinda of cultural Borg.

The more you interact and integrate with them the more "Federation Values" enter your culture until one day you are suddenly a full fledged member of the Federation.

[jeyl]

Not always. Bajor was 'this' close to becoming a member of the Federation before changing their minds when The Sisko got super visions.

I miss DS9. If this was any ordinary Star Trek show, this episode would be another instance of the glorified 'Reset Switch' trope. But no, this actually mattered!

[mazway_75]

Hell, Eddington used that point blank: "You're worse than the Borg. At least they tell you point blank they're going to assimilate you. You're more insidious, you do it without them knowing it."

Of course, his argument falls a bit flat when he's making this line to a man who lost his ship, most of his crew and his wife to the Borg.

[shadur]

It's the difference between forced assimilation and gradual osmosis.

Or, at the risk of being crude, the difference between consensual sex and rape.

[arilou_skiff]

The klingons are a warrior culture. Isnt just a neccessary evil but a positive good, allowing warriors to show off thier best qualities. (and weeds out those who are weak or incompetent) the Federation is clearly not a fan of that. Sooner or later they are going to try to interfere with the klingon´s warfighting (if only becuase they start fighting with someone the federation is buddies with)

It might not be a problem now, and they can be temporary allies against common enemies, but the Federation is ideologically opposed to the very basis of klingong culture: The Way of the Warrior.

[mastermahan]

Exactly. The Klingons and the Federation have only ever gotten along when allied against someone, and it's usually a strained relationship. In TNG, it was the Romulans. In DS9, Gowron broke with the Khitomer Accords when the Federation wouldn't support their war with Cardassia, and returned when Cardassia joined the Dominion and they needed allies again.

[jeyl]

"Weeds out those who are weak or incompetent."

Let's put that to the test. Take the original torch bearer from the first episode of Star Trek Discovery for example. He's clearly heavily armored and is carrying around a bat'leth.

Result of a fight with Michael? The torch bearer is killed by his own bat'leth against someone who was unarmed. That definitely follows my idea of weak and incompetent, but the Klingons don't think so.

T'KUVMA: Witness our brother, our Torchbearer, killed by the Federation interloper on our sacred beacon. I see you, as you see the end. Our Torchbearer honours us. First to die in our crusade for self-preservation.

How did these idiots even get around to intergalactic travel, let alone develop cloaking technology on their own?

[arilou_skiff]

They stole it from the Hur'q. (how they managed to beat a space-capable civilization is another question)

[donnblake]

I think there's an episode of Enterprise where a Klingon lawyer remarks that while honor has long been a big part of Klingon culture, the idea of honor being based first, last, and only in killing and dying in combat is a relative recent cultural development- and one he regrets.

[scorntx]

So all that stuff about the Klingons being a warrior culture...

Do the Klingon botanists get a say in that? Klingon lawyers? Klingon teachers? Restaurateurs?
What about them? We only ever see the Klingon soldiers and politicians (and there are a lot of times where those two overlap).
Never hear the word of K'evn, Klingon Working Stiff, and how they feel every time they hear the old chancellor's died and the new chancellor is saying "right, fight time!"

(Hate the Planet of Hats approach. Good for easy writing, but it's also fucking stupid.)

[starwolf_oakley]

I've speculated the Klingons we see on Star Trek episodes are the warriors and politicians. The Klingons who just know combat basics and live ordinary lives for the glory of the Empire just aren't seen.


Here is something from the ENT episode "Judgement" about how Klingon culture started becoming a Planet of Hats.

Kolos: My father was a teacher. My mother, a biologist at the university. They encouraged me to take up the law. Now all young people want to do is take up weapons as soon as they can hold them. They're told there's honour in victory, any victory. What honour is there in a victory over a weaker opponent? Had Duras destroyed that ship he would have been lauded as a hero of the Empire for murdering helpless refugees. We were a great society not so long ago, when honour was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed.