With the help of a Klingon scientist named Antaak, Dr. In the first stage of this plague, Klingons lost the ridges on their foreheads and began to look more Human. One of the subjects suffered from the Levodian flu, which was modified by the Augment DNA to become a fatal, airborne, mutagenic plague that spread rampantly through the Empire, from world to world.

The test subjects did gain increased strength and intelligence, but then, their neural pathways started to degrade and they died in agony. ( ENT: ' Broken Bow' TNG: ' First Contact') In the year 2154, the Klingons gained access to the genetic material of Human Augments and tried to adapt this genetic engineering to improve themselves. Following the disastrous first contact between Klingons and Humans in the Broken Bow Incident, tense rivalries and unavoidable conflicts often developed between the two races. The Klingons' relationship with Humans and the Federation was rocky at best. Over time, the warrior caste gained greater prominence to the point where the Klingons widely came to be regarded as a 'warrior race.' ( ENT: ' Broken Bow', ' Judgment')

The warrior ethos had been an important aspect of Klingon society since the time of Kahless, but the warrior aspects became much more dominant beginning in the early 22nd century. Also, according to DS9: ' Soldiers of the Empire', the Earth calendar year of 2373 coincides with the year of Kahless 999. ( TNG: ' Rightful Heir')Īccording to an early draft of 'Rightful Heir', Data gave the exact date of Kahless' death as 1,547 years ago (from 2369), or AD 822. Kahless came to be revered in Klingon society to the point of near-deification, and many aspects of Klingon culture came to revolve around an emulation of Kahless' life. He unified the Klingon people when he killed the tyrant Molor. Kahless the Unforgettable founded the Klingon Empire some time in the 9th century through the performance of many heroic feats. Together they were responsible for destroying the gods who created them. Recorded history begins with the story of the creation of Kotar and his mate, who were recognized as the first Klingons. History and politics Main article: Klingon history

Klingon honor guard iso zone