The fourth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy shines a light on the institution’s only Klingon cadet, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), as we learn his backstory and how he decided to join Starfleet. In this episode, we learn that Jay-Den grew up in a “triad house” with two fathers and a mother. Unlike most Klingons, his main desire wasn’t to be a warrior but a healer. So he answered the summons to enroll in Starfleet Academy after a family tragedy, in which he lost his only sibling. That person was a brother he might have saved with proper medical knowledge. But this episode also finally explains what became of the Klingon Empire, one of Star Trek’s most iconic alien races, 800 years after the era of beloved Klingon characters like Worf and B’Elanna Torres.
Star Trek’s Klingons in the 23rd and 24th Centuries
In Star Trek TOS, the Klingons were presented as the Federation’s primary adversary. Over the years, their culture became an alien fusion of Japanese samurai principles and ancient barbarian/Viking ways. One where honor was paramount, but conquest was life. In Star Trek: Discovery’s first season, we learned they once had a bloody war with the Federation. This conflict took place several years before Captain Kirk’s time. Afterward, an uneasy truce continued for decades. Hostilities constantly erupted without ever becoming a full-scale war again. Eventually, by the Next Generation era, the Federation and the Klingons were on friendly terms, to the point where Starfleet welcomed its first Klingon officer, Lt. Worf.
The Klingon Diaspora of the 32nd Century
In Star Trek: Discovery season three, we jumped ahead 900 years to the 32nd century. We learned about an event called The Burn, which caused catastrophic harm across the galaxy. This was when all dilithium exploded at once, rendering long-distance intergalactic travel virtually impossible for over a century. (Dilithium is the main energy source for creating warp speed in Trek canon.) During the remaining seasons of Discovery, we learned how the Burn affected the Vulcans and other prominent Star Trek species. But what became of the Klingons remained a mystery, until now.
In the episode “Vox in Excelso,” they reveal that the Burn caused all the dilithium reactors on the Klingon homeworld of Kronos to explode. This caused incredible damage to the planet’s structure, killing billions. With Kronos no longer habitable, the remaining Klingon houses fled the planet, resulting in a Klingon diaspora. This is similar to what happened to the Romulans when their sun exploded. This event was detailed in the 2009 Star Trek film, and elaborated upon in Picard. A century later, in the time of Starfleet Academy, we learn that only eight major Klingon houses remain.
The Klingon Crisis Echoes Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
All of this echoes what happened to the Klingon Empire in the 23rd century. As detailed in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, overmining, presumably for dilithium, on their moon Praxis, caused it to explode. This led to cataclysmic damage to Kronos, leading the Klingon Empire to go to their enemy the Federation for help. Director Nicholas Meyer intended this as an allegory for how the 1986 Chernobyl disaster forced the Soviet Union to admit it wasn’t all-powerful and come to America and Europe for assistance. This Federation/Klingon treaty was signed on the planet Khitomer, the future birthplace of Lt. Worf.
Because of the Khitomer Accords, the Federation and the Klingon Empire became somewhat uneasy allies. However, that alliance nearly shattered during the Dominion War, chronicled over several seasons of Deep Space Nine. But the two powers eventually came together again, and apparently remained allies until the events of the Burn. The staunchly proud Klingons refused any help this time around, perhaps seeing the time when they needed the Federation’s help to survive as a moment of weakness.
How Cadet Jay-Den Kraag Helps Save His People in Starfleet Academy
In “Vox in Excelso,” we learn that a Klingon cargo ship carrying refugees crashed, leading to more loss of life for the already endangered Klingon species. As Jay-Den explains to Captain Ake, the Klingons have remained too proud as a culture to accept help or assimilate, leading to the diaspora of the past century. Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) tries to get the cooperation of an old Klingon friend, Obel Wocak, a revered leader of his people. She tells him the Federation has a planet in its space with similar environmental conditions to Kronos. It’s a world called Faan Alpha, which would make a perfect new homeworld for the remaining Klingons. But Obel Wocak says it is against Klingon culture to accept charity, as it is a sign of weakness. A Klingon warrior would sooner die than show weakness.
Starfleet Academy Introduces a New Klingon Homeworld
However, cadet Jay-Den Krang comes up with a solution as part of a debate exercise. He says the Federation must lay claim to the entire sector Faan Alpha exists in and demand that the Klingon refugees leave. Then, the Klingon military will go to battle over it and take the planet as a spoil of war. The entire “battle” is essentially arranged without bloodshed on either side by Obel Wocak and Captain Ake, with a wink and a nod. All so the Klingons could have a new home that they technically “won” in battle. And the plan works. With a new home, the Klingon Empire may become a new power in the quadrant again. Star Trek fans will just have to wait and see what the future holds for this fan-favorite warrior species.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season one is currently streaming on Paramount+.