Star Trek: How Portrayals Of The Klingons Have Changed Since Their First Appearance
Star Trek brought audiences a dizzying array of alien species, from one-off creations such as the Kradin and Deltans who appear in only one episode, to the fan favorites such as the Vulcans and Romulans. The Klingons, potentially the most guttural and memorable of these, have gone through a lot throughout the multiple additions to the universe. Not only have they seen various redesigns, but also slight tweaks to portrayals of their character and culture.
The Klingons are a race of humanoids, typically shown with a warmongering and aggressive culture characterized by prideful ruthlessness and brutality. This was how they were portrayed in the original series, but later adopted the trademark deep respect of honor and loyalty in addition to this. Their greatest honor is to die in battle. They are founded on tradition, with a rich history of mythology akin to the ancient Norse. While heavily influenced by the Norse Viking tradition, screenwriter Gene L. Coon, who was responsible for the creation of the Klingons, based their culture, unfortunately, on Asian stereotypes, as well as the then-topical Soviet Russia.
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The design differences for the Klingons are by far the biggest differences between their portrayals, going through arguably five different iterations since their first appearance in Star Trek: The Original Series. Their look during this early time was the result of outdated orientalism views, as well as due to budget constraints. Brown shoe polish was used to coat the white actors faces, and they sported traditional Asian haircuts as well as thin mustaches. At this point in Star Trek history they were incapable of honor, and were more akin to wild animals. They were shown without redeeming
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