It’s no secret that the Klingons in Star Trek: The Original Series are different from the later series, but they are still proud, cunning, and at times, menacing warriors. Now, check out our list of the most menacing Klingons from TOS below.
Kor - "Errand of Mercy" (S1, E26)
Kor is intense from the moment he sets foot on screen. An aggressor from the start, he is introduced after his fleet has already attacked the USS Enterprise upon their arrival. Within the first scene, Kor lets the planet’s residents, the Organians, know that they are under the rule of the Klingon Empire.
The intended Klingon occupation is authoritarian, with strict curfews, troops of the ground, no public assembly, taking political hostages, the deaths of civilians, and even the attempted torture of Mr. Spock.
Thankfully, Spock's Vulcan mental discipline and shielding is able to protect him, but he informs Captain Kirk the same torture would break the mind of any being without such guards. Kor has a seething intensity, and a superior attitude.
It is interesting that both Kirk and Kor seem to have one thing in common: They see the Organians as weak. Kirk and Kor both view their smiling ways, calm demeanors, and pacifistic natures, as a kind of cowardice. Kor goes even further though, viewing the Organians as sheep ready for slaughter.
In the end, when the Organians reveal themselves as advanced beings, we learn that Kor didn’t, in fact, kill anyone. That doesn’t negate the fact that Kor believed he did, was able and willing to have people killed, and probably has done so on other worlds for the Empire. In the end, Kor holds on to the hope of war and its inevitability. Truly, a chilling opponent.
Kang - "Day of the Dove" (S3, E7)
100 hundred colonists, men, women, and children, are dead and the Klingons are responsible. Led by Kang, the Klingons in turn blame the Enterprise crew for destroying their ship and killing everyone on board. Unknown to them, an alien entity is pitting the two peoples against each other…but why? Kang makes quite the entrance, striding forward to Kirk and backhanding him.
Kang lays claim on the Enterprise now that his ship is destroyed and threatens to torture the away team. Both Kirk and Kang end up being used as pawns in some strange experiment by an entity that seems able to manipulate people’s minds and events. Kirk decides that it’s time to talk peace, and let's just say Kang isn’t in the same mental space. The entity is affecting both groups and making them act far more aggressively than they ever would normally.
This of course includes Kang, which we should keep in mind. He is fine with Kirk threatening his own wife's life, saying she would just be another casualty of war and so be it. It’s hard to tell if this is normal Kang behavior or if he is being influenced. Kang remains memorable today. He has a strong, imposing presence, and acts as an ally in the end.
Kang throws down his sword, and joins Kirk in an end to hostilities. Showing himself to be a capable leader, able to see past the manipulation of the entity, he wraps up the episode by uttering the following famous words, “Only a fool fights in a burning house.”
Kahless - "The Savage Curtain" (S3, E22)
There can be great power in a name. In the Klingon culture, none holds more than Kahless.
When a strange being resembling Abraham Lincoln appears before the crew of the Enterprise, you know things are about to get weird! Kirk and Spock are brought down to a nearby planet and join a team of “good” historical figures from across time and the galaxy, and must battle a similar group of “evil” beings.
Kahless is introduced as “the Unforgettable," and that he “set the pattern for his planet’s tyrannies." He joins the ranks of Genghis Khan, Colonel Green (a genocidal leader from the 21st century), and Zora (an evil and unethical scientist from Tiburon). Portrayed as being eager for battle, Kahless usually advises the most direct and aggressive approach.
Kahless actually has very little to do in the episode he originated in, and he plays backseat to Colonel Green who acts as the leader of the evil team. It’s fascinating that a character with so little screen time had such a long term impact on Star Trek. However, it's impossible to forget Kahless' skill to perfectly mimic the voices of Lincoln and Surak, which he does to try and lure Kirk and Spock to their deaths.
Certainly, Trekkies are all too familiar with the continuation of his character in later shows, but without this introduction we probably wouldn’t have the legend that is Kahless. Truly, he is unforgettable. Now, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages to share your favorite(s) of the menacing trio with us on social media.