Star Trek and History

by Reagin, Nancy

  In some ways, Klingon society resembles what we know about feudal Japan, or the warlords of Central Asia. In other respects, however, it resembles medieval Europe—not the nineteenth-century images of medieval knights and ladies, but the more raw and ritualized world of fealty in medieval European cultures.

  The Medieval Mirror

  A popular contemporary understanding in medieval times was that society consisted of three classes: the oratores (monks), laboratores (farmers), and bellatores (warriors). Each class had its function, but at the top of the society stood the warrior aristocracy.3 These aristocrats had a purely war-centered lifestyle. As historian Marc Bloch explains, “To put his hand to the hoe or the plough would have been an indication that he had come down in the world.”4 When they were not actually at war, the nobility amused themselves and kept in fighting shape by hunting, for which they trained dogs and birds of prey. On rare occasions they had the opportunity to gather for tournaments.

  From the twelfth century on this class developed courtesie, or the courtly way of life. These were codes of manners for the nobility, and they mark a profound shift in the more Klingon-like life of medieval European nobles before 1100. Under Charlemagne, the earlier chansons de geste sometimes featured “extraordinary coarseness of the attitude usually ascribed by the old epic poets in their relations with women, even with queens—not stopping at the grossest insults, which the lady requites with blows.”5 This is similar to how Worf characterizes Klingon courtship in the Next Generation episode “The Dauphin”:

  Wesley: Are you telling me to go yell at Salia?

  Worf: No! Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects. And claw at you.

  Wesley: What does the man do?

  Worf: He reads love poetry. He ducks a lot.

  As courtly culture developed, so did a sense that aristocratic men fought to please women with deeds of valor and with literary ability. Manners mattered. Klingons do not seem to have a courtly culture comparable to medieval Europe. Gender relations in the Klingon warrior class are still at the stage of insults and blows—perhaps a sign of the greater gender equality of their society. Their culture does have some of the same constitutive elements: warriors, specific traditional weapons like the bat’leth, families organized in Houses, and coats of arms (TNG, “Firstborn”).

  Another similarity between medieval Europeans and the Klingons is the family. The medieval noble family was led by a pater familias, Latin for “father of the family,” a family concept that had its origins in ancient Roman law and was transformed during the Middle Ages. The chief of a family could govern over all members of the familia. This familia means more than kinship; courtiers and dependents also belonged to it. In both medieval European aristocratic culture and in Klingon culture, men normally head families. Women lead families only in exceptional cases, and most of the time they stand in for an underage eldest son. He takes over the family when the pater familias dies, and he also governs over his younger brothers and sisters.

  The Klingon Houses are very similar to the medieval aristocracy. In early medieval times the clan was very important. Families included blood relations up to second cousins, and sometimes more. From the tenth or eleventh century on, this concept fell into disregard, and the dynasty became more important. Family and property were connected, and so the ancestors played a significant role. This was also the time when aristocratic family names developed, often linked to the name of the family’s main castle.6 Ancestry in late medieval times also expanded to fictive forefathers. A real high aristocratic dynasty had to descend from Charlemagne and ancient Roman senator families. Some even took Julius Caesar and the heroes of the Trojan War as their ancestors. On the other hand, it was also important to establish blood ties to biblical persons. The old Klingon families, especially those in the High Council, do the same, all claiming to be descendants of Kahless (DS9, “Once More unto the Breach”).

  Diseases and death beleaguered medieval Europeans. Many medieval people believed illness was a penalty from God, so only He could revoke it. Another popular explanation for diseases was the theory of the four humors, which had to be kept in balance. Very few people reached old age. Medieval medicine was divided into the theoretical and the practical. While in early medieval times monasteries were centers of medical knowledge, a few centuries later the practice of medicine was divided between two groups: theoretically oriented doctors from universities and surgeons who cared for wounds and performed operations.7 Medieval Europeans were more interested in medicine than Klingons are, possibly because they knew so much less about how it worked.

  Like the Klingons, people in medieval Europe also faced death every day, but a sudden death, even an honorable one, was not desirable for these Europeans. People wanted to die well prepared. They prayed for a good death, one after the dying person had resolved his or her problems and had received last rites. This principle also held for warriors when they went into battle.8 Christianity had a strong effect on the ethics of medieval soldiers.

  The pagan culture of early Scandinavia was closer to that of the Klingons, which also emphasized heroic death in battle. Honorable warriors could ascend to Valhalla where Odin lives. There the heroes fight all day and drink all night.9 The Klingon Sto’Vo’Kor is similar. Klingons in battle resemble the Norse berserkers in part because death in battle is a desirable end for both. The Klingon hell Gre’thor resembles the ancient Greek Hades. Instead of crossing the Greek river Styx, the Klingons travel a river of blood. Although Worf claims, “Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennium ago. They were . . . more trouble than they were worth” (DS9, “Homefront”), Klingon beliefs about death and the afterlife seem to partake of European paganism.

  Klingon politics have a lot in common with the politics of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages. Politics was very complex because of the divergent interests of various factions. The Roman sovereign ruled over a huge territory and claimed to be the emperor of the west in ancient Roman tradition, but very often he had not much more power than that over his own real estate.

  The Holy Roman Empire was not an explicitly hereditary monarchy. In the early medieval period, a family member designated the sovereign, and the warriors of the tribes applauded. In the eleventh century a free election for a ruler was established, and this primarily came into play in cases in which the son was seen as dishonorable. Gradually it became customary for the princes of the empire to be chosen through elections by a limited group of leading men. In the fourteenth century, Charles IV reduced the number of the voters to seven prince-electors (Kurfürsten) in the Golden Bull of 1356. Despite all of the regulations, it could happen that the voters would not agree and would elect two sovereigns. It was often very difficult to find a solution. In a political process, every candidate tried to make an agreement with other factions but also sought to resolve elections on the battlefield.10 The famous Battle of Bouvines in 1214 resolved a stalemate in German politics (and coincidentally, forced King John to sign the Magna Carta) even though it was a battle between Flanders and France over control of Normandy and Brittany.11

  The election of the new emperor, which usually took place in Frankfurt, was not the end of the process. Afterward the sovereign normally traveled to Aachen for his coronation. This was a series of rites beginning with a parade into the city and a public acclamation. There was a mass, an anointing, an oath on a bible, a fitting with royal clothes, and the handover of the Imperial Regalia. Afterward a feast was usual.12 Then the sovereign was called rex (king). To also gain the title of Roman Emperor, it was necessary to be crowned by the pope in Rome.

  The Klingons had their own versions of these rules and rites. The Great Hall of the Klingon High Council in the First City on Kronos reminds the viewer of a medieval castle. The main building of such a castle normally has a hall for political purposes. As in a royal palace, the Klingon High Council is assembled to counsel the king, but the members are also after their own interests. On the front e
nd of the Hall is a higher seat reserved for the chancellor, while the other men have to stand around. That’s the place for Klingon politics, and Gowron was appointed there to become chancellor. This ceremony includes a ceremony of investiture, literally fitting with a cloak, similar to the medieval investiture of the Holy Roman Emperor (TNG, “Redemption”).

  Another cultural similarity between the Klingons and medieval Europeans is the use of confiscation as a political tool. Because Worf condemned the Klingon invasion of Cardassia, he and his family lost his title and all his property (DS9, “Sons of Mogh”). There are many examples of political expropriation in the Middle Ages. An early example is the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III from the House of the Agilolfings. In 788, Charlemagne accused Tassilo of perjury and conspiracy with Charlemagne’s enemies. Tassilo was sentenced to death, but it was changed to a life sentence. Tassilo and his family lost all of their possessions, and they were imprisoned in monasteries. Another famous example is Duke Henry the Lion from the Welf dynasty. He was a glamorous person who gradually accumulated the power of a king. Henry was involved in many political decisions, so he had many enemies. Again and again he came into conflict with the emperor. In 1179, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa accused him of violating the public peace. One year later he lost all of his fiefs from the empire, which were apportioned to other great families. Afterward he had to go into exile to England. At the end of his life he managed to reconcile with the emperor.

  Kahless the Unforgettable and Karolus Magnus

  Quite possibly the strongest similarity between Klingons and medieval Europeans lies in the persons of their revered leaders, Kahless the Unforgettable and Charlemagne, the ruler of the Franks, who built an empire that grew to include much of Western and Central Europe in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. Just as the Klingons themselves changed from their first appearance in the original series of Star Trek, the image of their iconic leader Kahless also changed each time he appeared in a new Star Trek series. The first time Kahless appears in the original series episode “The Savage Curtain,” he is an example of a violent, dictatorial leader. The Excalbian Yarnek, who has arranged a scenario that brings in other historic leaders, including Kahless, wants to find out about the human concepts of good and evil. While Kirk, Spock, Abraham Lincoln, and the Vulcan philosopher Surak fight on the side of good, Genghis Khan, Colonel Green, Zora, and Kahless stand on the side of evil. The Enterprise officers, who are not Klingon, describe Kahless as the founder of Klingon tyranny (TOS, “The Savage Curtain”). Even this simulated Kahless tells us something about the values he embodies.

  The real Kahless died in A.D. 822. He was the founder of the Klingon Empire, and Klingons call him the greatest warrior of all. They credit him with defeating his enemies in various battles and with uniting the Klingon people. During his reign Kahless brought about many of the lasting features of Klingon society, especially the code of honor. At the end of his life he promised to return. Klingons believe that until his return, Kahless will hold court in Sto’Vo’Kor, the mythical afterlife where warriors go after they die. In the twenty-fourth century he really seemed to reappear in Boreth, the holiest place for Klingons, but the Klingon Federation officer Worf discovered that this Kahless was a clone produced by Klingon priests in order to influence Klingon politics (TNG, “The Rightful Heir”).

  Every Klingon grows up hearing the legends of Kahless, since they are models for Klingon life. In these stories, Kahless is the wisest and bravest Klingon who ever lived. Similarly, his love for Lady Lukara is the greatest romance in Klingon history (DS9, “Looking for Par’Mach in All the Wrong Places”). Medieval Europeans had similar legends about Charlemagne. The reason English speakers always call him by his French name is the lasting popularity of “The Song of Roland,” a poem written between 1040 and 1115—long after Charlemagne’s death. The most popular of many chansons about Charlemagne, “The Song of Roland” concentrates on the emperor’s nephew Roland, but Charlemagne is the story’s heroic king.

  Kahless is a mixture of Klingon warrior, emperor, and god. This concept was not unknown in medieval times. Many emperors, kings, dukes, and counts were canonized as saints, and thus they were venerated as having miraculous powers. This concept of a sacral sovereign has a long tradition. Ancient Roman emperors, whom medieval Holy Roman emperors saw as their ancestors, claimed to be divine. Charlemagne was canonized in 1165. But there are more similarities between Emperor Kahless and Emperor Charlemagne.

  The first similarity is their names. In medieval sources, Charlemagne is called Karolus Magnus, Latin for “Charles the Great.” Karolus and Kahless sound very similar: each name has a hard K sound at the beginning and the S at the end. Both sovereigns lived at about the same time: Kahless died in 822 and Charlemagne died in 814. They were both founders of empires. Charlemagne is also called pater Europae—father of Europe. Even today Charlemagne is an important figure for European identity. The founding members of the European Union—France, Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries—occupy a territory today that spans his medieval kingdom. The European Union also pursues goals that are similar to some of Charlemagne’s: a European legal framework, a union without borders with a single currency, and so on. A building in the European Quarter of Brussels is even called the Charlemagne.

  Like Kahless, Charlemagne gave various orders for his empire that had lasting impact on the society that grew up after his reign. They were published in what are called Capitularies, and with them he reformed all parts of life in his empire. Some of his laws lasted until the twentieth century. Capitularies concerned the organization of the church, the army, and the economics at imperial palaces.

  Kahless also left artifacts, or what medieval Europeans might have even termed relics: his crown (DS9, “The Sword of Kahless”), a grail (VOY, “Day of Honor”), the Knife of Kirom (TNG, “Rightful Heir”), his shroud (VOY, “One Small Step”), and his sword and the sword’s shroud (DS9, “The Sword of Kahless”). Kahless’s artifacts look very much like the Imperial Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire. These are the insignia of office for emperors, some holy relics, such as some pieces of the True Cross, and also the clothing the emperor would wear for his coronation—down to his shoes, stockings, and gloves. The oldest pieces in the regalia are the Imperial Bible, St. Stephen’s Purse, and the Saber of Charlemagne. Later on the Imperial Crown, the Imperial Cross, the Holy Lance, the Imperial Sword, and the Imperial Scepter or the Imperial Orb were added to the Imperial Regalia.

  The creation of legends about Charlemagne started during his lifetime. Einhard wrote the biography Vita Karoli Magni (Life of Charlemagne) in 814, and he made a lot of overstatements. In the ninth century the monk Notker the Stammerer wrote a book of anecdotes about Charlemagne. In later versions of the book, different stories were added, including the entire story of the brave warrior Roland. In both Notker’s and Einhard’s writing, Charlemagne is presented as a majestic king, who is a brave warrior. He is magnanimous and lordly. In conflict with Islam he became a protagonist for Christianity and the savior of the Occident. Charlemagne was an idol for his knights. In the year 1000, his sepulcher was found in the Aachen cathedral. From that time on with culminations under Frederick Barbarossa and Charles IV, he became more and more a symbol of the empire, a prototype for all emperors.13

  “Even Half Drunk, Klingons Are among the Best Warriors in the Galaxy”

  Contemporary television shows and movies have to be understood all over the world to be successful, with characters that create associations for people from various cultures. Klingons are a product of this media universality. Elements of their culture remind viewers of the European Middle Ages, but other elements borrow from nations and tribes from all over the world. They resonate with feudal societies in different regions and periods of history.

  The Klingons seem to be from a different time. In some ways they are counterparts to the modern societies of the West, but in others they seem to be barbarians. With their honor and warfare, they prompt th
e viewer to look back to some aspects of the past that were admirable and to others that seem laughably barbaric. Looking at Klingons we see a culture that is foreign and distant, and we also remember that we too were barbarians, once upon a time.

  Notes

  1. Lincoln Geraghty, Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe (New York: I. B. Tauris, 2007), 51.

  2. Marc Okrand, The Klingon Dictionary. English-Klingon, Klingon-English (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992).

  3. Georges Duby, The Three Orders: Feudal Society Imagined (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), 1981.

  4. Marc Bloch, Feudal Society, Volume 2: Social Classes and Political Organization, trans. L. A. Manyon (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), 302–303.

  5. Ibid., 307.

  6. Werner Hechberger, Adel, Ministerialität und Rittertum im Mittelalter (Munich: Oldenberg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2004).

  7. Kay Peter Jankrift, Mit Gott und schwarzer Magie. Medizin im Mittelalter (Stuttgart: Konrad Theiss Verlag, 2005).

  8. Norbert Ohler, Sterben und Tod im Mittelalter (Dusseldorf: Patmos, 1990).

  9. R. Simek, “Walhall,” in Lexikon des Mittelalters 8 (Munich: Artemis Verlag, 2002).

  10. Heinz Thomas Wahl, “Allgemein und Deutsches Reich,” in Lexikon des Mittelalters 8 (Munich: Artemis Verlag, 2002).

  11. Georges Duby, Le dimanche de Bouvines, 27 juillet 1214 (Paris: Editions Gallimard, 1973).

  12. Mario Kramp, “Krönungen und Könige in der Nachfolge Karls des Großen. Eine Geschichte und ihre Bilder,” in Krönungen. Könige in Aachen—Geschichte und Mythos, ed. Mario Kramp (Mainz: Phillipp von Zabern, 2000).

  13. František Graus, Lebendige Vergangenheit. Überlieferung im Mittelalter und in den Vorstellungen vom Mittalalter (Cologne Vienna: Böhlau, 1975).