The Star Trek franchise has over 50 years of history, but there are still plenty of unsolved mysteries for fans - but one Klingon mystery in particular has just been revealed. Out of all the alien creatures in the vast Star Trek galaxy, the Klingons are at once the most well-understood and the most mysterious. One aspect of their culture has divided fans for decades, but Star Trek: Klingons reveals the truth about the Bat'leth weapon - and about the Klingon warrior Kahless.
The Klingon species and culture seemingly undergoes massive changes every decade or so. In the late 60s, they were portrayed as cunning and opaque enemies, as vicious as they were mysterious. This portrayal of the Klingons reached a zenith in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, where their Soviet Union-inspired backstory was the most obvious that it had ever been in the franchise. From The Next Generation onward, the Klingons morphed into a warrior-dominated culture, prioritizing honor, dignity and courage above all other virtues (a doctor in Star Trek: Enterprise even lamented that the warrior caste looks down upon the entire medical profession).
In Star Trek: Klingons, written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly with art by Timothy Green II of Magnus Arts, ancient Klingon history is depicted as the legendary Klingon hero Kahless the Unforgettable fights a massive battle. Notably, Kahless wields the first Bat'leth, a Klingon weapon first seen (in the franchise) in The Next Generation in the hands of Worf. Here, however, he uses the Bat'leth expertly, killing warrior after warrior - and unwittingly settling a debate among fans about the usefulness of the weapon.
The Klingon Bat'leth Is The Perfect Weapon - No, Really
The Bat'leth is, by any human standards, a horrible weapon. It is unbalanced, unwieldy, and poses as much of a danger to the wielder as it does to the wielder's enemies. But Kahless swings the Bat'leth like a master, taking on multiple opponents at same time, proving the Klingon warrior's weapon is the right tool fo the job. Some Star Trek fans, upon seeing the Bat'leth, believed it to be a ceremonial weapon, or at weapon designed with deliberate flaws (for training purposes or to be used in a test). But here, Kahless proves those theories unfounded; the Bat'leth is actually quite useful.
It must be noted that modern-day Klingons have a variety of weapons they can choose for single combat. But the Klingon warrior's Bat'leth still remains iconic; it is a weapon no human can even imagine wielding, at least, not without hurting oneself. But for a Klingon, this Star Trek weapon is not just a piece of history, it is the best weapon for the job.