There has been a lot of buzz about the possibility of Klingons appearing in the next Star Trek movie. If they do then Star Trek creature designer Neville Page would likely be involved in bringing them into the new movie universe. Last week Page talked a bit about the prospect, excerpts below.
Neville Page on Klingons and ridged foreheads
For the Star Trek movie, Neville Page was involved in creating many of the creatures in the film, including the ‘Big Red’ monster on the ice planet. At an event promoting the collector’s edition Blu-ray release of Avatar, Page was asked what he would change and he seems inclined to keep those ridged foreheads, telling IGN:
…my approach would be to try and come up with something that’s a unique look but is still a Klingon obviously. Because I think if I did them really tall like say 9′ and instead of brown made them blue, I might get into a little trouble! But I would try think about them as real deal people — and I know other designers have — but really give them a history and a motivation. Understand why they’re dressed the way they are. Understand their rationale for long hair and facial hair. Make sense of those physical features which they typically have, which are the ridged foreheads
Klingon created for "Star Trek" (seen only in deleted scenes) implies there are ridges under those helmets
Page also discussed the notion of how Klingons have been seen with and without ridges:
It’s almost like treating as if I were a Klingon designing the human race. How would I go about it? And then I think about it from the perspective of an alien looking at human beings: some are lighter in skin color and some are darker. But you would go, those people with their eyes with that flap of skin there and then those people who are really tall and sinewy. But there are different physiological ticks even in the Klingon world. Maybe they are all brown, but the ridges are the African ones, the fewer ridges are the Asian ones. I don’t know, but I always feel the necessity to justify and rationalize even if I can’t actually. It just gives me something to work from
Page’s comments are similar to what Oscar-winning make-up designer Barney Burman told TrekMovie over the summer, noting that he would look foreword to taking on the Klingons, but that he also sees that aliens do not all have to look alike.
POLL: To Klingon or not to Klingon?
So is it time for the new Trek to show us the Klingons? How much of a role would you like to see for the Klingons in the Star Trek sequel (if any role at all)?
[poll=624]
Sigh…forehead ridges…must we?
I think klingons can be re-designed without the ridges to maintain continuity, but still have more overall features that make them look alien and more aggressive
I also like the idea that some of them have ridges and some don’t…that would be another great way to maintain continuity…
Cromagmen that Kling-on?
Ruffles Have RIDGES!!!! Why not Klingons????
Where’s the option for, “only if it’s best for the story”?
I voted for Klingons as a secondary villain…………Khan is my number one choice! Both would be great in a plot that combines mystery, action, humor, character moments and a grand theme. Potentially lots of fun to be had!
Khan, Kor, Kang, Koloth, Klingons. Just that simple. Make it epic.
I always thought something that would be an interesting twist, is when the Klingons first meet humans and the federation, they are open and receptive, even proud to meet someone that takes them seriously as a warrior culture and is considering joining the federation, but then Kirk innocently but unwittingly does something stupid and brash and creates some intergalactic incident that sparks the Klingon hatred of humans that we all have come to be familiar with, thus Kirk actually is the unknowing cause of his own hatred of Klingons, and theirs of us.
Oh, and I voted for Klingons as the main antagonist…Or at least some Klingon Kirk-counterpart and an army/armada of Klingons at his disposal. Maybe forcing other federation members to have to come rescue the federation. That would be cool.
Have Klingons kicking around in the background, if you must, but not as the main villain!
And ever notice how many (but not all) of Kirk’s opponents have names that start with the letter “K”?
Khan, Kodos, (Klingons) Kor, Kang, Koloth, Kruge, Klaa. Those are the ones I can think of right now.
10.
I think that’s because, mentioned in the book The Making Of Star Trek, everyone agreed at the beginning of making TOS that names starting with “K” were inherently more dramatic-sounding. Thus the change from Captain April to Kirk!
11
But they continued that into the movies for whatever reason. I guess they wanted to continue the “tradition”!
Names starting with “K” seem to be reserved for Klingons, with some exceptions of course. Kind of like how names that start with the letter “T” are dominated by Romulans and Vulcans. Taris, Tomalak, T’Pol, T’Vlas, T’Pel, Tebok, etc.
12.
Q: the name of the slutty Vulcan girl in junior high?
A: T’Loose!
I would love it if Shredder were in the movie! Wait, this is a TMNT fansite, isn’t it? ;)
…almost forgot. Please, no blue skin Klingons. Would like to see andorians though.
Also, props to my iphone for capitalizing Klingons.
I am somewhat interested to know what the Klingons are like in the NuUniverse, but overall, I would be rather unenthusiastic about their role in the film. In many ways, I feel that the Klingons have been over-used. Now that Nemesis and Trek ’09 are done, I feel like the Romulans might also now be over-used. I would personally love to see some Andorians, but not as villains. I think the most interesting thing to do would be to explore the Gorn, The First Federation (Balok’s people), or some new race altogether. And I would be full of it if I didn’t say that I want to see Arex and M’ress…
Ok soo the makeup guys dont know why ruffles have ridges? For the dip of course! Uhh i mean dont know why klingons have ridges? Did no one see Enterprise? Archer? Now that could be an interesting twist to prime universe–where orci prime? See Klingons had no ridges during Kirks time cuz of the augments dna being stolen by klingons for their own super soldiers causing the virus which Phloxes cure stopped but left some klingons without ridges—now here comes augments again with khan—hmmm as others suggested–an alliance with klingons finding khan instead of kirk–maybe trying their preserved original augment dna to try to change their race again but with 100 years of improved science behind khans trading of dna for power in klingons race–also the new attempts at super soldier could explain why klingons look different again–then the makeup guys can make then scarier,taller–ridgier wgatever even different so we dont recognize em at first-then suprise khan is behind it—super klingons–like captain americas super serum only for klingons–plus the backstory that klingons declare war cuz of the loss of most of their fleet at rue penthe cuz of nero-they would be desparate–hmmm
Dear make-up effects people,
Please, PLEASE, don’t put dreadlocks on the Klingons.
As a black woman who actually got a funky wide-eyed look from a white child at a screening of one of those Pirates of Caribbean movies, thinking I might grow fifty feet tall and then burst into white crabs or some such…
My hairstyle is NORMAL.
But Hollywood treats it like it isn’t. Every time I see dreadlocks onscreen they’re on a witch, ghost, goblin, or some other funky creature of some kind…Usually one that reads as abnormal, unkempt, evil, or dirty.
I do understand that usually this is because locks are relatively rare and would be considered symbolically “exotic” by much of middle-America.
However, for people like me, who wear this style simply because it’s what my unaltered hair naturally does, it contributes to the stigma in real-life that my hair is too “exotic” “unkempt” for certain situations.
So please, consider not giving the Klingons dreads.
Sincerely,
me.
I would love some kind of space race.
Some mysterious life form has been detected, that could be exploited as a weapon. The Klingons want to have the weapon, the Federation want to study it.
Klingons on the one side and Enterprise on the other side. Who gets there, who has the best chances to reach it first. On the race they have to enter morally grey-zones and handle some other races diplomatically.
No real villian!
Think about anything without a villian, a mere antagonist is Ok.
Of course the should have them; I want to see living, breathing, moving ridges on the Klingons in this movie.
Make them move when they express emotion;have the skin of their foreheads slide over the ridges as they move their eyes.
Personally, I think Bad Monkey got it right in their propaganda cartoon; a well balanced mix of new & old Klingon looks.
Now if you can take those design elements & make them look more real than ever before, maybe add some more “beastly” FX, like the eyes in the Klingon above, then we’ve got an intimidating enemy race, recognizable to all.
Is that so hard?
I voted for Klingons as the main bad guy; Kirk vs. Kor, with Harry Mudd trying to pull off a trade scam that pits them against each other.
Save Khan for round three.
@17 and @19: I like those two ideas, they’re great, they’re Trekkie.
I like the new Klingon style. The Helmets looked cool and gave them something more sinister. If Abrams & Co are going to use the Klingons (and I’m not saying they should, I mean it’s really their decision) then ridges should be a definite go, because without ridges they’re really not Klingons. They can make the ridges smaller (like on General Chang) or bigger (like General Martok – do Klingons have to lose an eye to make General – I wonder?) In TOS, they couldn’t make the Klingons with more effects, but it would be a shame to not use modern Make-Up Effects (which Star Trek has always pushed forward) to make new iconic Klingon Characters. Main Villain or not should depend on the story. So we have to trust and hope, that Orci & Co. know what they’re doing.
17. But that storyline was sort of lame. I guess we’re stuck with it. I always liked, in some of the novels, how there were different races, castes, etc. of Klingons, and there was a lot of infighting. I also like, as some have mentioned, a Soviet/Cold War/Kafka feel to the Klingons. After all, it is the early (22)60s. Or maybe a Letters from Iwo Jima WWII Imperial Japan thing.
But yeah, very cool job on the Klingons in the deleted scenes. The trenchcoats and the helmets were fantastic. Hope to see them again. Just no TNG Quest For Fire Klingons please. Sorry Captain Neil, not trying to slag TNG again — I was a fan.
And, yeah, I’d be happy if they broke up the naming conventions.
I like how Doctor Who used a lot of the classic villains but kept the stories really fresh, yet very Doctor-Who-y.
And some mystery/complication/unclear motives/complexity, to any villains would be swell.
ps. the all eyes/ears alien informant was incredibly disturbing.
There were some excellent rejected Romulan designs in The Art of the Film that Page and Burman could well draw upon, which I experimented with myself (http://alientraveller.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2iyq0f). I’m all for seeing Klingons with different foreheads, maybe some with really small faces and large spiky ones too.
Here we go again !!!
ugh… well… klingons… why not – they can be quite cool… but really not as main villains, that would be kinda dull.
Why not use them as foes-turning-friends – it would be nice to see the Enterprise and some klingon ship torpedo each other to smithereens only to realise that both are facing even greater danger that they can only escape by working hand in hand… yeah, that would be cool and VERY Star Trek
13. Was she half human with a French father?
Then her name might be
T’Loose-Lau Trek
Klingons should definitely be the main villain in the next movie. We need to find out what drives the race and what has made them become so angry. Throw our heroes into that mix coming up against the beginnings of a war between the Feds and the Klingon’s and we’ve got ourselves The Dark Knight of Star Trek!
The Klingons like the heroes of Trek (and pretty much most of what made Trek great to begin with) lost a lot of credibility as far as I was concerned – I loved Worf’s attitude in TNG and DS9 but the Klingon’s as a race became a bit of a joke so I’d like to see them return to the honourable bastards we saw in TOS only more bastard like and driven by honour and dying with Honour, really make them brutal. I was quite pleased that they cut the Klingon scene from Trek 09 because it made them out to be slightly cowardly and weak coming up against Nero – Had I got my way, I’d have had ONE Klingon try to rip off Nero’s head with his bare hands… Thats the kind of attitude, dying but dying with honour and dying out of the ignorance that the Klingon race is far better than any other race in the galaxy – but what made them that way? that’s where the supreme court comes in and Trek 2012 begins.
I think Klingons are as quintessential to Star Trek, particularly TOS-era, asthe Joker and Commissioner Gordon are to Batman. They also gave Star Trek a sinister villain through which to address cold war issues, if I’m not mistaken. I think using the Klingons can be just as effective today. I also think that it’s important to keep the ridges. Update them if they must, fine, but it’s a pretty recognizable look. Yes, TOS, no ridges, but I believe it was Roddenberry who said they updated the look for The Motion Picture because they finally had the budget to do so. The ridged look is what he/they determined they wanted the Klingons to be and I think it’s important to keep that. If you want to do a different makeup, then come up with a new race and go from there.
26.
Oh, so you know her?? Fun gal, non? Bon!
Nice one, thebiggfrogg! :>)
From the situation that presented the movie
– The Federation lost one of core worlds
– The Klingons lost a big fleet
The romulans are doing just fine… i think they might intervene ;-) (remember balance of terror!)
Oh and btw, please dont make klingons as stupid as in TNG, make them more TOS like, their ships rock and they seem quite intelligent, if they were as dumb as TNG portrays them, i really cant see how these people got an empire after all!
I’d love to see a combo of bumpy headed and human-fusion Klingons. Don’t explain it – longtime fans who’ve read the old novels or seen the Enterprise episodes will know what’s going on, and to everyone else the “Klingon Empire” is simply diverse like the Federation.
Also, don’t have the different types of Klingons treat each other differently in any way – sort of applying Trek’s values to the bad guys, too (although they, of course, see all non-Klingon species as inferior)
# 20
As far as I understood the klingon biology, the ridges are part of their skull. So, they can’t move, they are bones! And a formidable weapon to crack one poor redshirts skull (I wonder why we never have seen something like that in any movie?)
As for the new movie, I think a mix of ridges would be the best. Some with bigger ridges like the TNG-turtlehead for the warrior caste and smaller ridges (Chang, Kruge & Co) for the officer caste. But non No-ridge-Klingons. That would be a complete backstep from Roddenberrys vision for the Klingons – even if Enterprise created a mostly satisfying story why we never have seen a ridged Klingon in TOS.
# 32
I can’t agree. I think Bob & Co should go deeply in to klingon culture (if the movie is about the Klingons as main villains) and portray them as an complete anti-federation. They should be brute, arrogant and over-selfconfident conquerors with great differences and social conflicts between the leader, warrior and the worker-classes (something we never have seen in klingon society).
Definitely Klingons, definitely the bad guys. Enough of this post-TNG politically correct crap, I want ruthless and brutal Klingons.
Avoid the DS9 Klingon space opera rubbish at all costs, if anything model them after the Harkonnens in the feudal empire society of Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Klingons!
It’s a new timeline, so we can have the Klingons conquer the Federation and turn all of the Humans to kuve.
I am mixed on Klingons, mainly because they have been explored in great detail over the years. I wouldn’t rule them out, but I’m not sure what new direction we can go in. We’ll see.
I am ok with ridges. The only thing I’ve noted before is to stay consistent with the Enterprise episodes that explain why they lacked ridges in the original series. What I mean is don’t suddenly come up with some new explanation that contradicts what happened there. I actually thought that was a little ingenious. I gave them kudos for trying to come up with a reason to explain the difference in appearance, and genetic engineering seemed a good way to go. Phlox even noted that someday they may come up with a way to reverse the effect, which was obviously done because Kor, Kang and Koloth appeared with ridges on DS9.
Also, I think the development of the Klingons through TNG and DS9 was well thought out. To constantly portray them as meanspirited villain would have been one dimensional. The later shows added new dimension to Klingon culture. Honor is very important in that culture, and signs of that can be seen even in Kor on ” Errand of Mercy,” where he says he respects Kirk. It was explained why Klingons and the Federation became allies well also, that they realized the Federation had some honor after all. Especially after the Enterprise-C sacrificed itself to try to save a Klingon outburst. I’ll never forget Data saying that would be seen as a meaningful act of honor and may have averted a war.
Anyway, that’s my two cents on Klingons. Just keep in mind what has been done with Klingons before, especially with to ridge or not to ridge debate and how it was dealt with on Enterprise.
37–outpost, not outburst (I have to learn to PROOFREAD before posting).
seeing as they’ve already junked with continuity, they might as well ignore enterprise.
I thought they made them wear the hemets because they no longer have the ridges due to what happened in ENT and now they’re self-conscious about it.
The problem is that there’s been too much Star Wars mixed into Star Trek. Ryan Church’s ENTERPRISE is a prime example; looks like something the Naboo would design.
Don’t know why my first post was erased. Shoot me an email if you thought I said something offensive.
Klingons without ridges are like Romulans/Vulcans without pointed ears.
“The problem is that there’s been too much Star Wars mixed into Star Trek.”
i actually do not see that as a problem. i’m one of the old-school fans, and i happen to appreciate the adrenaline j.j. brought to star trek. but i must admit it would be nice to see some long tracking shots of the enterprise (as seen in tmp)…and any ancillary starships. some of us can actually pay attention for long periods of time.
# 41 Ralph F
I can’t see any connection between the Enterprise, Ryan Chruch, Star Wars and the Klingons.
# 37 Damian
I can’t agree. TNG and DSN added some cultural aspects of the Klingon society. Mostly around mythology, wedding ceremonies and honor, honor, honor, honor and honor. But the conqueror-aspects from their culture were completley left out and if you want so search for a bit more different Klingon characters you have to go back to Star Trek VI. After more than 300 Episodes of TNG, DSN, VOY and ENT, the Klingons are still a one-dimensional culture. It’s time to make them the bad guys again. Honor could still be a important factor in their culture, but their culture shouldn’t be all about honor. That’s boring and dull.
ARE THE MASKS worn during the interogation deleted scene to imply that the augment desease/what-ever (from the results of what happened in ENT) the cause of the masks (from shame, perhaps?)
You Klingon bastard! You killied my son!
I would like to see the Klingons as the antagonist in STXII. I quote Kruge because he is my favorite Klingon (next to Worf) and the truest to the Klingon archetype: intelligent, honorable, brave, strong, ruthless, brutal, etc. That’s the kind I want to know about, not the political, dishonorable, selfish kind we saw too often. I hope they aren’t written as one-dimensional bad guys. Their cause must be seen as just as much as the Federations. A story about a moral dilema would be great.
Oops! I quoted Kirk speaking to Kruge. Sorry
@41 I kind of see where your coming from but I have to disagree that too much Star Wars has been injected into Star Trek – what has been taken from Star Wars and applied to Star Trek is the sense of adventure that, before Star Wars, Star Trek had!
The design of the Enterprise is utterly beautiful I think and just like the original Enterprise, the design takes inspiration from the era we live in today. Sleek, ipod-like but totally believable and 100% Enterprise in it’s silhouette.
I loved the look of the Klingons in the 2009 movie. Maybe if they were physically taller than Humanoids though, making them around 9ft and huge! Not blue though! :P
Page obviously doesn’t understand… I like his concept on ridgeheaded klingons vs. unridged klingons being akin to different races of humanity, but Enterprise, the only Trek truly canon in the nuVerse, states clearly the unridged Klingons are a result of genetic engineering via an experiment trying to create Klingon Augments…basically the nonridged Klingons are part human…