veS tIgh The Way of War

Time to start a new theme. After the delights of all that Klingon food, you'll want something to work up an appetite; and what better than to go out and fight something.

reH Suvrup tlhIngan SuvwI'	A Klingon warrior is always prepared to fight
reH Heghrup tlhIngan SuvwI'	A Klingon warrior is always prepared to die
bImejDI' reH betleHlIj yItlhap	Never leave without your bat'telh

From today, we will be looking at Klingon weapons of all sorts - from personal melee weapons to small arms, through to the big shipboard weapons.

nuHmey Weapons

Klingons prefer fighting with bladed weapons. Some of the weapons are well-known even outside the Empire.

betleH	bat'leth
Daqtagh	D'k'tahg
qutluch	kut'luch

betleH Bat'leth

Resembling a crescent-shaped, two-ended scimitar, the bat'leth was wielded using three handholds along the outside edge of the blade. (TNG: "Reunion", et al.) A traditional bat'leth was typically approximately 116 centimeters long, with blades of composite baakonite, weighed about five-point-three kilograms, and had an exterior hand grip diameter of five centimeters.

According to Klingon mythology, the first bat'leth was forged by Kahless the Unforgettable in the 9th century. Kahless cut a lock of his hair and dropped it into the lava of the Kri'stak volcano, then plunged the burning lock into the Lake of Lusor and twisted it into a blade. After forging the weapon, he used it to fight the tyrant Molor, and then gave it its name. This story was not recorded in public texts, but was passed down verbally by the Klingon clerics as a test of Kahless' return.

meqleH Mek'leth

A mek'leth is approximately half as long as a bat'leth, typically used to slash the throat or disembowel. Good for killing Borg drones. Favoured by Worf and Jadzia Dax. First appearance: Star Trek: First Contact.

Daqtagh D'k'tahg

First seen in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, this is a traditional warrior's blade. The Daqtagh has a single primary blade, with two secondary blades which can either be fixed or hinged. The Klingon's family crest is usually mounted on the pommel.

There will be a closer examination of Klingon weapons and combat in further posts in this series.