Arguing which Klingons represent the real Klingons is perhaps the oldest, and silliest, Star Trek pasttime. While bumpy foreheads and a bloodthirsty demeanor are generally considered the mainstays of Klingon culture, everything else is up for debate. Back in 2017, Star Trek: Discovery caused a massive fan uproar over the nature of how Klingons looked and acted in the mid-23rd century, which didn’t seem to jibe with what the franchise canon had previously established.
Right at the center of all of this was actress Mary Chieffo, who played L’Rell, a Klingon warrior who, by Discovery Season 2, became the Chancellor of the Klingon High Command. Now, five years later, she’s again playing a Klingon. But Chieffo’s latest role spans the Trek canon because this time she’s playing Next Generation-era Klingon, which is a little different than Disco-era Klingons. Or are they?
Spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 ahead!
In Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 4, “A Farewell to Farms,” Chieffo has returned to the Star Trek canon after five years as K’Elarra, a Klingon warrior who has a history with Ma'ah (Jon Curry), who returns in this episode after last appearing in Season 4 of Lower Deck. For her, this was a chance to use her Discovery Klingon expertise and combine it with her love of the TNG and DS9.
“With K’Elarra I got to lean more on these great TNG and DS9 women of the past Klingon women,” Chieffo tells Inverse. “I was channeling the Duras Sisters and K'Ehleyr, and Grilka. And I got to infuse them with a more Mary-flavor of Klingon.”
The infusion of “Mary-flavor” Klingons and classic TNG/DS9 Klingons represents an interesting dichotomy that only Chieffo can understand. In the TNG era, the Klingon Empire seemed even more regressive than it was retroactively depicted in Discovery.
In the TNG classic “Sins of the Father,” we were told female Klingons couldn't serve on the High Council in the 24th century. But in the 23rd century in Discovery, L’Rell was in charge of everything. “On the past show, especially TNG and Deep Space Nine, these [guest star] Klingons come and go throughout all the seasons,” Chieffo notes. “So it was an incredible opportunity to have such an arc for two seasons of Discovery, especially for a character who came from the shadows. I wasn't guaranteed any sort of story. So, the fact that L’Rell all the way to Chancellor is amazing.”
She also adds that the comedy aspect of Lower Decks allowed her to channel the inherent goofiness of Klingons a little bit more than her time on Discovery. “It was a relief to not have to be dealing with beheading my lover for my own political gain,” Chieffo says laughing. “I mean, obviously, I think as an actor, give me that epic stuff. I live for that. But, when it comes to the content I watch and enjoy, I’m into silly, delightful sort of stuff. It was good to do that.” Clearly, the Klingon debate is settled right here: Klingons can look, and act, in all sorts of different ways, and sometimes, one actor can embody all of that Klingon diversity.
Since the conclusion of Discovery, the larger Star Trek canon has moved back toward embracing the types of Klingon depictions that can only be described as fun. In Strange New Worlds Season 2, we even saw Klingons singing what can only be described as dance-pop music. Clearly, the spectrum of what it means to be a Klingon in the Trek canon has evolved and changed over the long history of the franchise, but in the past five years, the extremes of very hardcore Klingons and more light-hearted Klingons have appeared throughout Picard, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds. Perhaps the greatest example of the latter is in Prodigy Season 2, in which we met a Klingon who raised his own Tribbles.
Chieffo doesn’t have another Klingon gig lined up with the Trek canon yet, but she’s part of a long tradition of Trek actors who have played multiple roles across different iterations of the franchise. In terms of the timeline, L’Rell is still around in the time frame of Strange New Worlds, but there’s always a chance she could play a descendant of herself in the upcoming series, Starfleet Academy.
“Who knows,” she says. “It’s a big franchise. I am still very connected to L’Rell, even though I’m not currently doing anything in any particular [Star Trek] show. I do hope that conventions are something that I'm able to do for the rest of my life.”
