Kahless - History of Kahless

History of Kahless

Kahless (pronounced KAY-less; Klingon letters: "qeylIS") is a messianic figure in Klingon history, who unified the Klingon people and became the first Klingon emperor. The Klingons’ most important symbol of leadership, Kahless said that Klingons should fight not just to shed blood, but to enrich the spirit. The story of Kahless is a cornerstone of Klingon mythology and religion.

According to the Star Trek backstory in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Rightful Heir", Kahless united the empire some 1,500 years ago after fighting and killing the tyrant Molor with the first bat’leth, or “Sword of Honor”. He fashioned the sword with his own hands, by dropping a lock of his hair into the lava from the Kri'stak Volcano and twisting it into a blade. Another epic story relates how Kahless fought his brother, Morath, for twelve days and twelve nights because Morath had lied and brought shame to his family. Kahless is also said to have fought off an entire army single-handedly at Three Turn Bridge.

Despite the emphasis on his victories in battle, Kahless was not known as merely a great warrior, but also as a great lover. One day, five hundred warriors stormed the Great Hall at Qam-Chee. The garrison fled in terror. Only the Emperor Kahless and the Lady Lukara stood their ground. Together, they fought through the night and one by one the attacking warriors fell. Finally, after many hours, and with the Great Hall ankle-deep in blood, they emerged victorious, and made passionate love. So began the greatest romance in Klingon history.

In The Next Generation episode "Rightful Heir", set in the late 24th century, on the planet Boreth (a Klingon place of pilgrimage), ambitious caretakers created a clone of Kahless from dried blood from the ancient dagger of Molor in a bid for leadership. The ruse was scuttled by Worf, son of Mogh, who learned the truth and subsequently arranged for the new Kahless II to occupy a ceremonial position as a figurehead “emperor” in the Klingon Empire.

An image of Kahless was encountered in the Star Trek episode "The Savage Curtain". In the Excalbian Yarnek’s study of good versus evil, Kahless was one of the evil images alongside Zora, Colonel Phillip Green and Genghis Khan. Abraham Lincoln and Surak of Vulcan represented good and assisted Kirk and Spock. Played by actor Robert Herron, this Kahless also appeared as the typical original series-era smooth forehead Klingon (which does not date back to the era of Kahless as revealed in Star Trek: Enterprise). As the Excalabians were reading Kirk and Spock’s thought patterns, Kahless’s depiction here was generally assumed by fans to be based solely on Kirk’s limited and heavily biased knowledge of Klingon culture.