Star Trek: Lower Decks Offers an Alternate Explanation for Discovery’s Klingons

Summary

  • Lower Decks implies Discovery’s Klingons could come from another quantum reality, explaining their differences.
  • A Schrödinger Possibility Field in Lower Decks transformed life into alternate versions.
  • Prime Universe Klingons and Discovery Klingons likely co-existed based on evidence in Strange New Worlds .

As a longtime Star Trek enthusiast who has spent countless hours immersed in the rich tapestry of the franchise, I find myself both intrigued and delighted by the latest development regarding the Klingon redesign in Discovery.

When “Star Trek: Discovery” debuted in 2017, fans of Star Trek were collectively taken aback by various aspects of the series, but especially the revamped appearance of the Klingons. The new design for the Klingons was significantly different from their portrayal in any previous series within the franchise, and these changes did not sit well with longtime Star Trek fans.

Previously, the overall design of the Klingons had undergone changes more than once, but their general appearance hadn’t varied much since the first release of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” in 1979. With the exception of the Augment Klingons introduced in “Star Trek: Enterprise”, there weren’t many significant alterations to their look from 1979 until the debut of “Discovery”. The Augment Klingons were created as an explanation for why the Klingons from “The Original Series” appeared so different compared to those in the “Star Trek” films and later series.

The writers for Discovery didn’t provide a reason within their universe as to why the Klingons appeared so distinct, however, one of the executive producers mentioned in an interview with SFX Magazine (as reported by TrekMovie.com) that these Klingons were a secluded group, evolving differently from other Klingon societies over time. Similarly, Alex Kurtzman, another executive producer on the show, has consistently emphasized (as he did in an interview with CinemaBlend) that just as humans can have significant physical differences among them, there can be considerable variation in the appearances of Klingons as well.

Based on these accounts, many fans reluctantly understood that the Klingons depicted on Discovery were simply a distinct variant of the traditional Klingons. Yet, the occurrences in the final episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks suggest another possible reason for the significant differences between the Klingons from Discovery and their kin.

Discovery Klingons in Lower Decks

As a dedicated movie enthusiast, I found myself immersed in the climactic scenes of “The New Next Generation’s” final episode of Lower Decks. In this thrilling adventure, our beloved U.S.S. Cerritos crew is on a mission to rectify the chaos left behind by Lily Sloane’s quantum reality drive ship. The quantum rift, opened in the previous episode “Fissure Quest” by Lieutenant Harry Kim as he attempted a return to his original universe, has become dangerously overloaded with soliton resonance. This perilous situation threatens to obliterate the Prime Universe, and it falls upon our courageous crew to act swiftly and close the rift without delay.

Sadly, the rift encompasses what Starfleet Command calls a Schrödinger Uncertainty Field. This is an unusual occurrence in their quantum reality. The field has the ability to reorganize matter, causing lifeforms to transform into variations of their species that exist in other quantum realities. In a universe where humans have tails, for instance, the Cerritos crew might discover they’ve grown one. Or any number of bizarre alterations.

The geniuses of the Cerritos’ Engineering department develop a shield that will protect them from the changes. But when a Klingon ship without the shield modifications enters the Schrödinger Possibility Field, the crew morphs into different alternate versions of Klingons, including a Discovery-style Klingon.

Alternate Reality Klingons?

In my humble opinion as a film critic, the appearance of a Klingon character from Star Trek: Discovery in the finale of Lower Decks could either be a delightful Easter egg, serving as a fun nod to dedicated fans who appreciate the intricacies of the Star Trek universe. Alternatively, it might offer a long-awaited in-universe explanation for why the Klingons portrayed in Discovery exhibit distinct differences compared to their counterparts in the Prime Universe, adding depth and continuity to the overall storyline.

In my understanding, the Schrödinger Possibility Field seems to transport lifeforms into alternative forms of their species that reside in various quantum realms. Given that a Klingon transformed into one resembling those seen on ‘Discovery’, it’s plausible that there are Klingons who look exactly like those from ‘Discovery’ existing within these alternate realities. This opens up the intriguing possibility that the Klingons in ‘Discovery’ might not originate from our own universe, the Prime Universe.

In the past of the main Star Trek universe, it’s possible that Klingons from an alternate quantum reality might have entered our universe. According to Star Trek lore, there are numerous realities and timelines, with beings frequently traveling between them. Perhaps these alternate-universe Klingons invented a quantum drive similar to the one used by Lilly Sloane and Zefram Cochrane in another reality, and traveled here. Alternatively, they could have arrived through some strange tear or rift in space-time. After all, in Star Trek, just about anything is possible.

How it Fits With Discovery Canon

In Discovery, the Klingons didn’t just have a unique physical appearance; their culture, beliefs, and traditions were distinct too. While the show’s Executive Producer suggested that they belonged to an ancient sect adhering to early Klingon religious and cultural practices, it could also be plausible if they had a separate history from the Klingons in the Prime Universe.

In the Star Trek universe, there are realities that are so alike they’re almost indistinguishable. So, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine an alternate reality where Kahless still lived, but his legacy was interpreted differently, shaping Klingon religion and culture in a unique way.

Before you raise concerns, let me clarify that indeed, some of the Klingons portrayed in Discovery did inhabit the primary universe’s Qo’noS. However, it’s important to note that Discovery didn’t feature traditional Prime Universe Klingons on Qo’noS. This may have given the impression that only the redesigned Klingons from Discovery lived there. But remember, Qo’noS is a vast planet. It’s possible that the group of Klingons from Discovery resided in one settlement, while other Prime Universe Klingons populated different regions of the planet.

It appears that the series Strange New Worlds suggests a shared existence between the Klingons from Discovery and those from the Prime Universe. Not long after the events portrayed in the initial two seasons of Discovery, which featured only the Klingons of that series, the crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise encountered Klingons resembling their post-TOS (The Original Series) appearance in Strange New Worlds.

Strange New Worlds failed to note that Captain Christopher Pike, First Officer Una Chin-Riley, and Lieutenant Spock had previously encountered unique-looking Klingons, distinct from those they later met. Yet, this omission adds credibility to the existence of both Discovery’s Klingons and those in the Prime Universe. The crew of the Enterprise were accustomed to encountering various forms of Klingons, so they weren’t taken aback when they came across Klingons who appeared significantly different from their previous interactions.

In my viewpoint, it seems entirely possible that the Klingons portrayed in Star Trek: Discovery are actually from a different quantum reality, as suggested by Lower Decks. If this is true, these Klingons could have migrated to the Prime Universe and coexisted with their counterparts from the Prime Universe. It’s fascinating to consider that the creators of Lower Decks might have unintentionally provided an in-universe explanation for one of Star Trek’s most intriguing plot inconsistencies, by introducing this concept.

Information obtained from CinemaBlend, TrekMovie.com, and various Star Trek series including Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks.

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2024-12-20 05:06