Star Trek: Discovery drew a lot of ire from the fandom for being so different from previous series in the Trek canon. Complaints ranged from the gloomier tone to the occasional use of strong language and even the hair (or lack thereof) of the Klingons.
The look of the Klingons has often changed over the years, but Discovery gave them their biggest revamp since they first got their ridged foreheads in The Next Generation. In season 1, they appeared much more alien-looking in general as well as being uniformly bald. The result just took them too far away from the popular conception of the race from Qo’nos, leaving fans disgruntled.
As with many things in season 2 though, the new run has tried to get viewers back on side and has suitably changed up the appearance of the Klingons, giving them back their luscious heads of hair. And in episode 3, titled “Point of Light,” it was finally explained why they were hairless when we last saw them. It turns out that it’s a long-held tradition that Klingons shave their heads in times of war. As the conflict with the Federation’s now over, they’ve returned to growing out their hair.
So, there we go, case closed. Welcome back, hippie-haired Klingons.
Of course, the only problem with this is that it clashes with all the previous times when we’ve seen the Klingons at war and they haven’t shaved their heads. Perhaps we can just chalk this up as another part of the Klingon’s muddled history then that fans will have to accept. After all, TNG‘s attempt to explain their more human appearance in The Original Series as the result of a virus that removed their forehead ridges didn’t hold up to much scrutiny, either.
Before season 2’s out, Star Trek: Discovery will also clear up the mystery of why Spock’s never mentioned his sister Michael Burnham in other shows. We look forward to seeing how they tackle that much bigger plot hole as things continue and you can watch it all unfold for yourself Thursdays on CBS All Access.
