Summary
- Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has the chance to address the disappearance of Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century.
- Introducing a Klingon cadet in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy could expand on Lt. Commander Worf's legacy in Starfleet.
- The new series may offer insight into what happened to Klingons between the 24th and 32nd centuries, bridging existing Star Trek lore.
As the next Star Trek show, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has the opportunity to fix two Klingon problems from Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery made great strides in developing the Klingons after Star Trek: The Original Series portrayed Klingons as regular alien antagonists. TNG and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine gave insight into Klingon culture with Starfleet's own Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn). Star Trek: Discovery pushed both the makeup designs and cultural background of Klingons with characters like Chancellor L'Rell (Mary Chieffo) and outcast torchbearer Voq (Shazad Latif).
Of all the upcoming Star Trek shows, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy can develop the Klingons even further than Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery did. Starfleet Academy is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery that takes place in the 32nd century, promising to show how Starfleet rebuilds after Star Trek: Discovery's Burn devastated the galaxy and separated former member worlds of the United Federation of Planets. By opening their doors to cadets from across the galaxy, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy can address two lingering Star Trek problems with just one new character: a Klingon cadet.
Starfleet Academy Can Finally Solve Star Trek: Discovery’s Biggest Klingon Question
We Could Find Out What Happened To 32nd-Century Klingons
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy can solve the biggest question that Star Trek: Discovery raised about Klingons in the 32nd century by introducing a new Klingon character, with a definitive answer about what happened to the Klingons between the 24th and 32nd centuries. The fates of other Star Trek aliens were shown in Discovery, like Vulcans and Romulans finally united on the planet Ni'Var. Trill and Earth became isolationist. Star Trek: Discovery even showed a Starfleet Ferengi on the USS Discovery. Klingons, however, seemed to have vanished from the galaxy, with none appearing on-screen.
The absence of the Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century is likely due to the critical backlash that Discovery faced after the radical Klingon redesigns in Star Trek: Discovery season 1. Rather than answer what 32nd century Klingons looked like, or where they had gone, Star Trek: Discovery just didn't bother to address Klingons at all. Because Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place in the 32nd century, a Klingon cadet could explain the Klingons' absence in Star Trek: Discovery's later seasons. Were the Klingons isolating themselves? Had they destroyed themselves with infighting? Starfleet Academy could have these answers.
Klingon characters in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which takes place in the 23rd century like Star Trek: Discovery season 1 and 2, more closely resemble the Klingons in the Star Trek: The Next Generation era, suggesting multiple variations of Klingon exist at the same time.
Star Trek’s Academy Show Can Fix Worf Being Starfleet’s Only Klingon
A Klingon Cadet Could Fulfill Worf's Legacy After 700 Years
If Star Trek: Starfleet Academy does introduce a new Klingon character as a Starfleet Academy cadet, that would mean that Lt. Commander Worf is no longer the only Klingon in Starfleet. Being raised by humans on Earth meant Starfleet was an option for Worf, who bridged the gap between these two worlds and philosophies. Worf garnered honor for both the Federation and the Klingon Empire, serving as the Captain of the USS Enterprise-E and winning the title of Chancellor before turning it over to Martok (J.G. Hertzler). Even with these accolades, no other full-blooded Klingons are known to have followed Worf into Starfleet.
"I am Worf, son of Mogh, house of Martok, son of Sergey, house of Rozhenko, bane to the Duras family, slayer of Gowron. I have made some chamomile tea. Do you take sugar?"
- Worf, Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 3 "Seventeen Seconds"
A new Klingon Starfleet Academy Cadet might have any number of reasons to join Starfleet. They might be inspired by Worf as a hero of legend. Joining Starfleet could give them opportunities that citizens of the Klingon Empire don't have. If the Empire doesn't exist in Star Trek's 32nd century, Starfleet may be one of just a few promising paths to glory. A new Klingon cadet may simply want to explore the galaxy, after the Burn prevented it. Regardless of the reason, a new Klingon cadet would be a great addition to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and a way to answer these two long-standing Klingon questions.
