A Matter of Honor

I have a weird penchant for the types of things I like. Or something… maybe… or I just don’t know how to start this thought. Let me see if I can take some stuff off the top layers and then go from there. See, when it comes to games like Dungeons and Dragons, I really like the idea of the Paladin; a holy warrior that stands for all things good and what not. Then there’s Captain America. He has always been one of my favorite super heroes. There are other things that fall into this as well but those two are a couple of the bigger examples. Basically, the ideology tends to follow a singular pattern. But maybe not quite what you are thinking right now.

And this is where things get a bit lopsided in what you might be thinking. See, one of my favorite races to play in Everquest had been the Dark Elves. And of course, the favorite class will always be the Shadowknight. I had a specific way of playing the class and character that it fell on. Even in all the evil I might have done in that role play, there was an underlying component to the character. And I never could get into the Paladin class in Everquest if that gives you more weirdness to dwell on.

Which brings us to the subject we are looking at today. I am talking about the Klingons from Star Trek. Worf from The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 fit perfectly in the underlying theme I have in all of this thought. It’s the idea of the honorable warrior. Even when they come from war like cultures, there is a code of honor that guides them to the decisions they make along the way. It has been a strong theme in quite a bit of what I have explored over the years and it is what draws me into some of the different aspects of a culture for gaming as well as for general knowledge.

See, I picked up a collection comic from the Star Trek line of stories. This one happened to be the best of Klingons. And this is where it gets a bit weird. See, the individual stories in this book all follow the path of the original series in the movies and within some of the comics as well.

The fun thing about these stories comes from how the connect to the timelines created in the movies. And actually, as I am remembering a bit more of the stories, there are a couple that actually tie into the original series as well. And this is a good thing. We are given a broader perspective of the world of Star Trek and the Klingons from the way the stories are presented.

I won’t go into all the details but I want to touch on a couple that stood out to me. The first comes from the first story. It takes place after the death of Spock in the battle against Khan. It’s a bit like a filler between the second and third movies but at the same time, it has a history outside of what we know from the movies. It builds on the connection between Kirk and Saavik as well as crew members we will never know outside of this story (cause why not right).

There is another story from the Klingon Homeworld of Qo’noS. This one takes place as the high council is in debate for whether or not they will sue for the peace treaty with the Federation. We have intrigue and infighting as the one Klingon is left to vote who has the power to change the worlds. This one I think is probably my favorite. It brings into question Klingon honor and tradition and how they will affect the race going forward. Are they willing to go against their basest instincts and fight for something more?

For me many times that is the type of story that pulls at me. Characters with a code that is something more than just chasing after their whims. They produce some powerful stories as we learn to be something more than what we appear.

Anyway, some good reading to be found within the pages. Heck, you even get a chance to revisit the original trouble with tribbles episode from a completely different angle. Adding more depth through stories is always a good thing.

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If you enjoy these stories, consider leaving some coffee money in the jar or you could buy a book or two. Either way helps keep the stories flowing.