| The Klingon Empire is built upon the foundations of courage, honor, and bloodshed. The source of many of their traditions and customs comes directly from the legends surrounding the founding father of the Empire, Kahless the Unforgettable. Legend has it that the messianic Kahless fought and killed tyrannical Molor with the first Bat'telh, the sword of honor. Oral tradition tells that Kahless dropped a lock of his hair in the lava from the Kri'stak volcano, then plunged the burning lock into the lake of Lusar and twisted it into a blade. After forging the weapon, Kahless wielded it to defeat Molor and in honor of his victory, named his weapon "bat'telh", or sword of honor. The tale of the sword was never recorded in the sacred texts, but passed down verbally through the ages among the High Clerics. Another tale relates how Kahless fought his brother, Morath, for twelve days and twelve nights, because Morath had lied and brought shame upon his family. The Klingon beliefs of the afterlife are also associated with Kahless, who , shortly before his death, pointed to a star and promised that he would one day return there. Klingon clerics established a monastery on Boreth, a planet orbiting the star Kahless had indicated. To this day they are still waiting for Kahless to return. Klingons believe ever after that warriors who die honorably will join Kahless in Sto-Vo-Kor, the afterlife. Such are the epic stories of courage and valor that have shaped the Klingon ways for over a millenium. Founded 1500 years ago, the proud Empire now covers a great expanse area of space in the Beta Quadrant. The Klingons are a warrior race, whose emphasis on physical prowess and brute strength did not diminish with the arrival of interstellar travel and high technology. All Klingons worthy of the title must be able to wield the traditional ritual weapons such as the bat'tleh with honor. Hand to hand combat is their preferred manner of battle, though the Klingon Disruptor is far more destructive. Religion and tradition are highly revered, and through countless rituals and songs, the Klingons remember their past ancestor's glory. In close proximity to the Empire were the political powers of the Romulan Empire and the Federation. Aggressive as the Klingons are, they were far more so during the early days of the Federation. Exploits of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk often involved crossing paths with hostile Klingons ready to destroy the U.S.S. Enterprise. In the frontier days of space travel, the meeting of a Klingon vessel with a Federation starship was bound to end up with one ship destroyed. The Khitomer Accords of 2293 ceased open hostilities between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, but peace was always terse, as neither side could fully understand the lifestyle of the other. Distrust Starfleet as they might, the Klingons loathe Romulans with far more intensity. The borders meet in an area of space known for sparking tensions and political crises. The three central powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants could never stand on a unified front until the Dominion threat forced them to cooperate, in particularly the Klingon and Federation. Since the Romulans signed a non-agression pact with the Dominion, the Klingons looked down even more on the Empire without honor. The ruling government of the Klingon Empire is the High Council. Located in the Klingon Capital of Qo'noS, it is comprised of some twelve representatives of the most powerful houses and headed by a Council Chancellor. The members of the Council are charged with overseeing the welfare of the Empire and it's citizens, with each member usually heading a major department. When the Council meet and determine policies, the input from the each department head will be used. The ways of the Klingon allow for ursurping any leader no longer strong enough to fend off enemies, and even on the High Council, this holds true. The Council has a long history of political intrigue, as the major houses battle for control over the Empire. Assasinations, duels, and hostilities are common during power struggles. When the Council Chancellor is deposed, either through assassination or other means, a Rite of Succession is performed to instate the new Chancellor. As with all Klingon occassions, a dose of honorable battle is inevitable. The two strongest contenders are to fight it out for the coveted throne at the conclusion of the Rites. For the history of the Klingons and their people, see [Klingon] Xenobiology files |
| The Klingon Empire |
| Statistics Geography Total Space: 28,125,000,000 LY³ Disputes: dispute with Romulan Empire over Klack'D'Kel'Bracht; dispute with United Federation of Planets over Archanis Sector; dispute with Cardassia over Dominion influence Planetary Use: Agricultural 2%; Inhabited 11%; Industrial 22%; Unused 65% People Population: 431,892,000,000 Species Divisions: Klingon 47%; Other-Humanoid 44%; Other-Non-Humanoid 9% Religion: Klingon 47%; other 43%; none 12% Language: Klingon, minorities speaking Klinzhai and local languages Labor Force: 246,178,000,000 Government Full name: The Klingon Empire Type: constitutional monarchy Administrative Divisions: 351 Sectors Founded: 839 A.D. Constitution: unwritten, partly statutes, mostly customs Legal System: based on combination of ancient traditions of honor, no judicial review of executive or legislative acts Executive Branch: emporer, chancellor Legislative Branch: unicameral Klingon High Council Judicial Branch: Klingon High Council Leaders: Head of State: Emporere Kahless; Head of Government: Chancellor Gowron Suffrage: restricted to members of the High Council Defense Forces: Klingon Defense Force, House Forces (Privately held military forces) Economy Overview: A perpetual wartime economy. A disorganized yet moderately effective mix of modern industrial replication and centuries old craftsmanship. With efficent large scale mining, both civil and military supplies are ample, even if production is not optimum. Unemployment Rate: 4% Budget: 3.09 Trillion Credits (FY 2372); 0.46% military Industrial Production: growth rate +0.6% (2372) Industries & Agriculture: Commercial farming, medium-scale replication, starship and space station construction, weapons manufacture, asteroid and planetary mining. Communications Spaceways: 37,000 LY charted spacelanes Spaceports: 85 Major Spaceports, 731 Minor Spaceports, 2198 Space Stations Merchant Marine: 495 ships, 3105 unmanned cargo drones Telecommunications: 151,162,200,000 comn terminals; 8621 subspace comn relays |
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