Kahless "The Unforgettable" is a fictional character from the Star Trek media franchise. He was displayed as a portrait in Star Trek: The Original Series by Robert Herron and in Star Trek: The Next Generation by Kevin Conway; and is the titular character in the Star Trek novel Kahless by Michael Jan Freeman. Kahless is an important religious and historical figure to the Klingon race and has been studied in explorations of the philosophy within the setting of Star Trek.
Name
In the Klingon language, Kahless' name is spelled ' and pronounced . The Klingon spelling and pronunciation of Kahless' name was established in 1984 by language expert Marc Okrand.
Background
Within the setting, Kahless is a messianic figure in Klingon history, who unified the Klingon people and became emperor after three centuries without leadership. Kahless said that Klingons should fight not just to shed blood, but to enrich the spirit. The story of Kahless is a cornerstone of Klingon mythology and religion.
The spouse of Kahless was Lady Lukara, whom he had become romantically involved with after a battle against five hundred warriors at the Great Hall of Qam-Chee, when the local garrison routed. Only Kahless and Lukara remained to fight and achieved a decisive victory.
An image of Kahless was encountered in the Star Trek episode "The Savage Curtain". In the Excalbian Yarnek's study of good versus evil, Kahless was one of the evil images alongside Zora, Colonel Phillip Green and Genghis Khan. Abraham Lincoln and Surak of Vulcan represented good and assisted Kirk and Spock. Played by actor Robert Herron, this Kahless also appeared as the typical original series smooth forehead Klingon (which does not date back to the era of Kahless as revealed in Star Trek: Enterprise). As the Excalbians were reading Kirk and Spock's thought patterns, Kahless's depiction here was believed by fans to be based solely on Kirk's limited and heavily biased knowledge of Klingon culture.
In the Next Generation episode "Rightful Heir," Kahless was alluded to as having united the Klingon Empire some 1,500 years ago after fighting and killing the tyrant Molor with the first bat'leth. He is said to have fashioned the weapon by dropping a lock of his hair into the lava from the Kri'stak Volcano and twisting it into a blade.
Furthermore, in the episode, a clone of Kahless was created by caretakers of the planet Boreth (a Klingon pilgrimage site) using dried blood from the ancient dagger of Molor in an attempt to gain political influence. The scheme was circumvented by Worf, who learned the truth and subsequently arranged for the new Kahless II to occupy a ceremonial position as a figurehead and spiritual leader in the Klingon Empire.
Another story tells of how Kahless fought his brother, Morath, for twelve days and twelve nights after Morath had lied and brought shame to his family. Kahless is also said to have fought off an entire army single-handedly at Three Turn Bridge.
Religion
In-universe, Klingon warriors will often pray to Kahless for guidance before going into battle. The Blood Oath, a popular Klingon prayer, most prominently used in Star Trek: Discovery is as follows:
- "Whom do we seek?"
- "Kahless."
- "How do we find him?"
- "Together."
- "Give us light to see."
- "Forever."
- "Will he hide from us always?"
- "Never."
In Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant, they are comfortable with Worf's exploration of his spirituality on his trip to Boreth. They note that when Kahless appears not as a vision, but an actual person to Worf, he reacts with skepticism, and responds by using the advanced technology at his disposal to investigate.
By Lieutenant Worf's design and with the cooperation of Chancellor Gowron, the Clone of Kahless becomes emperor of the Klingon Empire in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Rightful Heir." The emperor is a figurehead, with power residing with the Klingon High Council.
The clone was made from cells that existed from the original Kahless, but he is not made aware of the cloning process and instead tricked into thinking he is the original Kahless. In addition to being cloned, the monks used stories to imprint on his mind, thus altering his natural mind.
According to Star Trek writer Ronald D. Moore, the inspiration for the idea of bringing Kahless back was the popularity in the early 1990s of cloning with DNA, such as popularized in Jurassic Park. Then there was the idea of doing this with a person, in this case Kahless of the Klingons empire was chosen, and the concept developed from there. The opera was presented in the Klingon language.
See also
- Star Trek: Day of Blood