Klingon augment virus

The Klingon augment virus was a modified form of Levodian flu that threatened to wipe out the Klingon race in the middle 22nd century.

History

Dissolving cranial ridges

In 2154, Klingon scientists working under the direction of Antaak recovered some DNA from a destroyed Bird of Prey that had been earlier hijacked by Human augments created by Arik Soong. Fearful that Humans would create augments and overwhelm the Empire, the scientists attempted to create their own augments to counter the percieved threat.

The effort failed dreadfully. The augments created did develop enhanced strength and intelligence, but they also began to show Human characteristics, from the blatant to the subtle. These included loss of the characteristic forehead ridges and personality alterations. Ultimately, the subjects died agonizing deaths when the incompatible DNA resulted in neural system breakdown. While working to stabilize the process of augmentation, the scientific team augmented a test subject who was, unknown to the team, also infected with Levodian flu. The flu virus in some manner incorporated the augment DNA, turning a carefully controlled experiment into an epidemic. In as much as the unstable augmentation process always killed the subject, this epidemic threatened the Klingon race with extinction.

Antaak before

Antaak after

Their efforts to capture Arik Soong were thwarted by his high security detention. The Klingons next arranged, through Rigelian intermediaries, with the assisance of Section 31 agents, to kidnap doctor Phlox. He worked with Antaak to stabilize the augment virus. Antaak's goal was to create a stable method of creating Klingon augments, Phlox's goal was to cure the plague before the Klingons died as a species. Ultimately, the goal achieved lay somewhere in the middle: a method was created that stabilized the process in the early stages -- after the cranial ridges dissolved and some minor neural re-ordering had occured (which caused personality changes), but before the fatal neural pathway breakdown. Because afflicted Klingons' DNA had been altered by the virus, they passed this trait onto their descendants. It would be over a century before they discovered a method of restoring all Klingons to their proper appearance. It is unknown if all the damage done has been reversed, evidenced by the change in color to Klingon blood. (ENT: "Affliction", "Divergence")

Klingons were apparently so embarrassed by the fallout from their failed attempt at genetic enhancement that they refused to discuss the incident with outsiders. Due to the secrecy of the Klingon Empire, knowledge of the change became lost over time to the general population of the Federation.

By the 24th century, the reason for smooth forehead Klingons was not widely known outside the Empire, and questions were generally met with a brusque answer along the lines of "we don't discuss it with outsiders". (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")

This storyline was constructed to explain why original series Klingons had smooth foreheads, and later Klingons did not.

Fans have speculated that altered Klingons did, in fact, develop some personality changes, and that this is why the emphasis on honor seen in more recent Klingons was notably lacking from Original Series era Klingons.

Background Information

The augment virus theory has been highly controversial. Many writers (most notably those of the original episode in which the make-up differences were recognized) felt that there could be no logical explanation for the differences and were content to let fans interpret for themselves or leave it as a dramatic convention, as has always been the case with the Trill species. Scientifically speaking, the theory is highly implausible; however, as this is now canon, the point is moot.

External links

• Retrovirus at Wikipedia