‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Bosses Explain Redesigned Klingons (Sort Of)

The Star Trek franchise has undergone a fascinating design overhaul, as fifty years of technology and storytelling change the way we portray The Federation’s Kirk-era adventures. The Klingons too have been updated repeatedly, to which Star Trek: Discovery bosses explain the latest change.

Where Star Trek films famously redesigned Klingons with ridged foreheads that required in-universe explanation of the original series’ smoother look, Discovery isn’t going to strain over its Klingons’ more alien appearance. Even J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness had Klingons looking a bit different than we’re used to, and showrunner Aaron Harberts tells Entertainment Weekly the latest change is par for the course:

In the different versions of Trek, the Klingons have never been completely consistent. We will introduce several different houses with different styles. Hopefully, fans will become more invested in the characters than worried about the redesign.

Here’s a new photo of the update, while we’re at it:

Featuring Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham, Star Trek: Discovery also has among the cast Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd, Jason Isaacs as Captain Lorca, James Frain as Spock’s father Sarek, Doug Jones as an alien science officer, Adam Rapp as the TV franchise’s first openly-gay character and assorted crew and several Klingon roles. Ex-showrunner Bryan Fuller also previously stepped up to clarify his limited involvement in the project going forward.

Shooting primarily in Toronto, the new 15-episode Star Trek: Discovery takes place 10 years before Kirk’s original Enterprise mission, exploring the fallout of an event referenced, but never seen in the original series. Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer has also joined the creative side along with Gene Roddenberry’s son Rod, fan-favorite Voyager novel alum Kirsten Beyer, franchise vet Joe Menosky and Heroes writer Aron Coleite.

Discovery will stream the first two episodes on CBS All-Access Sunday, September 24 (the first will air on CBS), pushing the second half of Season 1 to January 2018. We’ll likely see more from the new Star Trek at Comic-Con, so stay tuned.