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An Introduction to Klingon History and Culture |
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The seat of the High Council on Qo'noS |
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The Klingon culture is a very ancient one, though there is no record of its roots. The Klinzhai ("Klingons" is the Earthling's name for this race) live on the planet Qo'noS, which orbits the star Klingon and is one and a half times the size of Earth.
The capital of the planet is also home of the High Council, the Klingon Empire's main governing body. The Klingons have a federalist system, consisting of different "houses." The different houses send representatives to the High Council, who then select the council's leader. A representative's influence is determined by his house's power, his reputation, his age and by his success battle.
The planet used to have one moon, Praxis. The single moon was the main energy production facility, until it dramatically exploded some years ago. The cause of the explosion remains unclear, but many speculate it was an effect of exploiting of the moon's resources and poor safety precautions. Klingons are a race of warriors. They live by a strict, and complex, code of honor. In many ways, the culture is similar to the ancient feudal Japanese cultures of Terra - comparing the Klingon warrior to that period's Japanese samurai.
Historical Background
The Klingon culture was first discovered many years ago by a Terran spaceship. Unfortunately, this "first contact" led to culture poisoning and open hostilities between the Klingon and the Terran cultures. In the following years the open hostilities turned into a state of "cold war," consisting of numerous border disputes and other confrontations but without open hostilities or a declaration of war. This changed when Qo'noS's moon, Praxis, exploded and led to a major ecological and economical crisis for the Klingons.
Unable to sustain the ongoing hostilities, the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon proposed a ceasefire with the federation that held for many years. Lately, the Klingons have been attacking neighboring races. The Federation, however, does not agree with these policies, and currently there are no diplomatic relations between the races -- just another reason for DW-WORLD's intercultural German-Klingon dialog.
Caspar Siegert (cs)
Source: Donald Burr
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