Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 perfectly illustrates one of the reasons why Klingon stories work so well on Star Trek. Klingons have been a part of Star Trek since 1967 when the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Errand of Mercy" first aired. At this time, the Klingons were enemies of the United Federation of Planets, and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) faced the Klingons numerous times. In Star Trek: The Next Generation's 24th century era, however, the Klingons had become allies with the Federation.
The presence of Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) among the crew of the USS Enterprise-D gave Star Trek: The Next Generation the chance to dive deeper into Klingon culture. In TNG season 2, episode 8, "A Matter of Honor," for example, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) spends time on a Klingon ship as part of an officer exchange program. The next season, in TNG season 3, episode 17, "Sins of the Father," the Enterprise-D visits the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS to help Worf fight for his family's honor. These stories offer a glimpse into Klingon culture through the lens of Starfleet.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Has A Great Starfleet & Klingon Team-Up
Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 5 Tells A Fun Klingon Story & Progresses The Season-Long Arc
In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 4, "A Farewell To Farms," Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) visit Qo'noS to investigate a rift in spacetime. While there, Mariner reaches out to her old friend Ma’ah (Jon Curry) and offers to help him regain his captaincy. Boimler geeks out over getting into a Klingon bar fight and makes excellent use of his knowledge of Klingon culture. Mariner, Boimler, Ma'ah, and his brother Malor (Sam Witwer) then have to endure the Rite of Unending Pain, which brings back the painsticks from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Star Trek: Lower Decks expertly pokes fun at the Klingon's obsession with often violent rituals while also telling a solid Klingon story. Mariner and Boimler both fare well among the Klingons, finding ways to make obscure Klingon rituals work in their favor and finding loopholes when needed. "A Farewell To Farms" builds on the Klingon politics first established in TNG, while also offering a look at parts of Qo'noS that have not been explored before. Ma'ah and his brother make great foils for Boimler and Mariner, making every scene on Qo'noS a lot of fun.
Why Starfleet & Klingons Are Perfect Odd Couples
Klingon society may differ greatly from Federation society, but Klingons and Starfleet officers usually make great pairings. When Star Trek: The Next Generation's Commander Riker temporarily joined a Klingon crew in "A Matter of Honor," he quickly picked up on the elements of Klingon culture he needed to emulate to fit in. It's always fun seeing a Starfleet officer like Riker embrace Klingon culture, eating their (often gross) food and treating his fellow officers the way Klingons do. Starfleet officers and Klingons have enough in common that they can recognize the similarities between their cultures, but have enough differences to keep things interesting.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's crew were surgically altered into Klingons in DS9 season 5, episode 1, "Apocalypse Rising."
Star Trek: The Next Generation typically explored Klingon culture through Worf, but Captain Jean-Picard (Patrick Stewart) sometimes got involved, too. Picard stepped up for Worf when his honor was questioned, studying the complexities of Klingon politics and ritual. Even a Starfleet officer as straightlaced as Picard could embrace the Klingon's brutal culture when he needed to. Star Trek: Lower Decks has always been great at telling quintessentially Star Trek stories in a hilarious and loving way, and "A Farewell to Farms" is another excellent example of that.
