Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 4 - “A Farewell To Farms"Mary Chieffo, who playedStar Trek: Discovery’s best Klingon, is back inStar Trek: Lower Decks. In its fifth and final season on Paramount+,Star Trek: Lower Decksgives the USS Cerritos a new mission: investigating a series of interdimensional fissures that lead to alternateStar Trektimelines. Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Lt. Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) scanned one such fissure in Klingon space that led toMariner visiting her old friend, Ma’ah (Jon Curry). on the Klingon homeworld Q’onoS.
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 1controversially rebooted the Klingons into the series' main antagonists. Even more alien in design and behavior, the Klingons declared war on the United Federation of Planets. TheKlingon War of 2256-2257became a bloody conflict that definedStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1, with ramifications carrying over intoStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. However,the revamped Klingons were widely disliked by fans, andStar Trekhas since distanced itself fromDiscovery’s rebooted warriors from Qo’noS.
Star Trek: Discovery’s Mary Chieffo Voices A New Klingon On Lower Decks
Introducing K’Elarra
Mary Chieffo portrayed L’Rell onStar Trek: Discovery,and she’s back as a new Klingon named K’Elarra inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, episode 4, “A Farewell To Farms.” K’Elarra appears in a Klingon bar when Ma’ah and his brother, Malor (Sam Witwer), drop by.K’Elarra makes romantic overtures toward Ma’ah, a former Klingon Captain who returned to his farm on Qo’noS in disgrace. When Mariner and Boimler arrive, K’Elarra is outraged that Ma’ah has human Starfleet friends.
How 7 Different Star Trek TV Shows & Movies Redefined Klingons
Different Star Trek shows played parts in redefining Klingons over the years, from simple villains to beloved Star Trek aliens with a rich culture.
Mary Chieffo’s distinctive voice is unmistakable as K’Elarra, and she seems to have a lot more fun bantering with Ma’ah in her brief scene inStar Trek: Lower Decksthan Mary had portraying L’Rell inStar Trek: Discovery. Certainly, being able to voice a Klingon is much easier than wearing L’Rell’s all-encompassing andpainful Klingon prosthetics.As K’Elarra, Chieffo finally gets to play a more traditional Klingonthan she did inStar Trek: Discovery,cementing Mary as the most prominent female actress to play Klingons in modernStar Trek.
What Happened To L’Rell On Star Trek: Discovery
L’Rell Was Last Seen In Star Trek: Discovery Season 2
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 1 told a slow-burn story aboutL’Rell rising to become Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. L’Rell was introduced as a follower of T’Kuvma (Chris Obi), the self-styled Klingon Messiah. Left for dead along with her lover, Voq (Shazad Latif), L’Rell cunningly worked her way into a position of power and influence among the Klingons. L’Rell eventually allied herself with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to save Qo’noS from a hydrogen bomb that could have destroyed the planet. L’Rell ended the war by rising up to become Chancellor.
Voq was surgically altered to resemble Starfleet Lt. Ash Tyler, and Tyler retained his human form to become commander of Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.
InStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, L’Rell fended off threats to her power as Chancellor among the Klingons.L’Rell and Ash Tyler hid their son, Tenavik (Kenneth Mitchell) on Boreth, where Tenavik grew to become a monk who showed Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) his tragic destiny thanks to a Klingon time crystal. L’Rell’s last appearance was leading the Klingons to defeat Section 31’s genocidal A.I., Control, as the USS Discovery permanently jumped to the 32nd century at theend ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2.
Why L’Rell & Discovery’s Klingons Vanished From Star Trek
Discovery’s Klingons May Not Be Seen Again
Star Trek: Discoveryrelocating to the 32nd century in season 3 not only opened up a new era ofStar Trekto explore, but it alsoallowedDiscoveryto permanently distance itself from its Klingons.Discoveryendured countless complaints from fans about how itsKlingons violated canonin seasons 1 and 2. The unpopular Klingons have since been dropped fromStar Trekand haven’t been seen since the end ofDiscoveryseason 2.
Star Trek’s Next Series Can Finally Explain Discovery’s Klingons
If Star Trek: Discovery’s controversial Klingon redesign has an in-universe explanation after all, Star Trek’s next series can make it canon.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2 even retconnedStar Trek: Discovery’s Klingon War so that the Klingons Starfleet fought resembled the popular versions fromStar Trek: The Next Generation’s era. Mary Chieffo explained thatStar Trek: Discovery’s Klingons were a different sectof the warrior race, and that Klingons were multicultural. Even ifStar Trek: Discovery’s Klingons don’t return,Mary Chieffo remains a popularStar Trekactorwho is welcomed back as a traditional, classic Klingon inStar Trek: Lower Decks.
