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Klingon Ship Classes
22nd Century Starships - 23rd and 24th Century Starships - Stations, Shuttles & Probes - Unknown Klingon Class
Name prefixes
IKC: Imperial Klingon Cruiser
IKS: Imperial Klingon Ship
Battlecruiser type |
General
description This is an old type of battlecruiser used by the Klingons around 2150. It is much better armed than any Earth ship of the time and equipped with a tractor beam. Article: The Everlasting Klingon Battlecruiser |
Known ships No name given |
| Annotations 1) A Klingon ship appeared in ENT: "Unexpected" and was identified by T'Pol as a "Klingon battlecruiser". It is clearly the K't'inga model, and not even a supposedly older D7. If we believed that, it would predate the whole class by a full 120 years, so that K't'ingas would be in service for at least 225 years(!) altogether, from 2151 to 2376. While it may make sense to refit an old starship several times to keep it up to date, it is ridiculous that the same basic design should be built without visual changes for up to 200 years. As opposed to what was visible on screen, it must have been a much older, yet similar class. This is why we have intentionally created the above small depiction to look different - as a placeholder for a genuine 22nd century battlecruiser design. 2)
Star Trek: The Magazine clears up the issue: "As
Rob [Bonchune] explains, John Eaves had designed a new Klingon ship
specifically for this scene. 'It was kind of the same shape as the
original Klingon battle cruiser; just a little more primitive. [...] They decided it
could only be used with major changes, but after their work on Broken
Bow the team was simply too exhausted to work through the night in a
desperate attempt to get the shots ready. Instead, the producers made
the decision to use an old model. 'We wound up going back to a version
of the Klingon ship that had been built for DEEP SPACE NINE,' Mitch
(Suskin) says. 'But that particular type of Klingon ship will not be
used again, because they decided that it just didn't fit into their
vision for this universe.' Rob admits that, he for one, is sorry the
old ship was used, but acknowledges there was no alternative. 'As a
fan I really regret that that ship is in there, but people were just
working too much. After Broken Bow, everyone had already worked so
much overtime'." - In other words, the K't'inga was not the
model we were meant to see in the episode. 3)
Rob Bonchune eventually built a CGI of the said Klingon ship which he
labeled as "D4 cruiser". He closely followed the sketch by
John Eaves and added typical features of other 22nd century Klingon
designs, like the struts between the command and the engineering hull.
Although it looks quite different than the vessel we saw in
"Unexpected" we may want to imagine it was in the episode. |
Class
specifications Battlecruiser |
D5 Tanker variant |
General
description The D5 is a Klingon ship type that was easily superior to Enterprise around 2150 and became outdated prior to 2270. There is also a tanker variant, with additional deuterium pods and most likely limited combat readiness. Article: The Everlasting Klingon Battlecruiser |
Known ships IKS BortaS IKC Klothos |
Annotations 1)
Kor mentions the D5 in DS9:
"Once More Unto the Breach". Even though The Animated Series
was not
considered as canon by TPTB until recently, the D5 was previously suggested to be a D7 variant
seen in TAS: "The Time Trap", as stated by Ronald D. Moore.
This ship is different from the D7 in that it has a protruding sensor
or rather torpedo tube. This notion has to be dropped, since we have
actually seen a quite different ship verbally identified as D5 in ENT: "Judgment"
and once again in ENT: "The Augments". More on the TAS
battlecruiser can be found on my page about TAS Alien Ship Classes
and at the Guide
to Animated Trek. 2)
The tanker variant could be seen as Korok's ship in ENT:
"Marauders". The CGI model for it is in fact the same as that of
the later D5 cruiser (ENT: "Judgment") with eight underslung
deuterium tanks. We would
expect more of a difference between a top-notch warship and a tanker than
just a few additional pods, though. I can't imagine that the Klingon fleet command would approve of doing such things to their
precious warships, jeopardizing their combat capabilities. Perhaps
this particular D5 has been prematurely withdrawn from combat service,
or it is just a rather awkward modification by a rogue captain who
wants to earn a few extra bars of latinum. The tanker's crew
complement of only 12 is another considerable difference to the
standard D5, considering that cruisers always have crews in the
hundreds. The small complement should be another disadvantage for the
ship in combat. |
Class
specifications Battlecruiser / deuterium tanker Crew complement: 12 (tanker variant) Max. speed: Warp 6 |
![]() Early Bird-of-Prey |
General
description The 22nd century version of the familiar Klingon Bird-of-Prey is equipped with disruptor cannons underneath the engineering hull and at the wing tips. Gallery: Klingon Ships of the 22nd Century |
Known ships No name given |
| Annotations 1) The early Bird-of-Prey was mentioned in ENT: "Sleeping Dogs" and appeared for the first time in ENT: "The Expanse". If Duras has been demoted due to his previous failure, it makes sense that he now commands a smaller ship like the Bird-of-Prey. 2) The 22nd century BoP is a new design, although it follows the basic lines of the 23rd century version. There is a bridge module on the bow section which sports a more pronounced bulge than the cloaking generator on the 23rd century BoP. Two large angular structures are flanking the engineering hull. It is obvious that these are supposed to be the warp engines (like on the later BoP), rather than serving the same unknown purpose as the similar structures on the D5 battlecruiser. There is also a pod on the center of the engineering hull that looks much like the pod on the Raptor class. Although we have never seen an early BoP do it, it is almost certain that the wings can be moved up like on the later BoP, looking at the structure of the "baffles" with what looks like a pivot in their front and aft end. But the wings can be moved up no farther than to a horizontal orientation. The wing tips hold what appears too small to be warp engines. Since the disruptor cannons are located at their front tips, these pods most likely belong to the weapons systems. The port cannon is considerably larger than the starboard one. There is an additional weapon turret underneath the engineering hull. Finally, an additional strut connects the bow section with the engineering hull. It is unknown whether the early BoP can land. 3) A rough size estimation is possible in ENT: "Borderland". Here the Klingon vessel looks a tad shorter than the saucer section of Enterprise, maybe some 115m. The structure of the ship with its dedicated bridge and the window rows points to a rather larger size than the 23rd century version though. 4) Ambassador Soval's assistant mentioned "Klingon Warbirds" in ENT: "Broken Bow". Even Brannon Braga conceded that this was a clear error, so we shouldn't assume that a so called class actually existed. Even Vulcans may make embarrassing errors. He definitely meant to say "Birds-of-Prey". |
Class
specifications Length: approx. 115m |
Goroth's ship |
General
description This 22nd century ship design is horseshoe-shaped, unlike other Klingon ships. |
Known ships No name given |
Annotations The
ship appeared in ENT: "Bounty". In contrast to T'Pol's
statement from ENT: "Sleeping Dogs" that Klingon ships don't
have escape pods, this one is equipped with them (see below). In spite
of this inconsistency it has to be a Klingon design, as indicated by
the typical shapes and colors on the inside. There is also a Klingon
emblem on the hull, even though it was accidentally mirrored. |
Class
specifications None available |
Raptor |
General
description This Klingon ship type with its upward-swept nacelles, equipped with photon torpedoes but without escape pods, is in use around 2151. Gallery: Klingon Ships of the 22nd Century |
Known ships Somraw |
Annotations 1) The Raptor, as seen in ENT:
"Sleeping Dogs", comes nine episodes too late to save the
Klingon design lineage that has been ruined by the appearance of the
K't'inga in "Unexpected" (see above entry
"battlecruiser type"). It is pleasant that, unlike other
ships we have seen in the series, the Raptor by John Eaves has a distinctive design
we may accept as older, although a clumsier and more simplistic look
would have been more fitting. In particular, the Dominion-like
pointed nacelles seem to be out of place.2) Until "Sleeping Dogs" the name "Raptor" was unknown, so do the Klingons give their ships Latin names? Silly authors. Moreover, it is rather a Romulan and not a Klingon tradition to use the name of birds (or bird-like dinosaurs). 3) The Raptor is some 145m long according to Rob Bonchune's CGI size chart. |
Class
specifications Scout Length: 145m Crew complement: 12 |
"Rebel" transport |
General
description This is a small transport ship in use on a colony around 2150. |
Known ships No name given |
Annotations The
alleged rebel transport was actually carrying refugees and appeared in
ENT: "Judgment". It does not have to be a Klingon design, as the Klingons had lost interest of the
colony until this ship left it (with 54 aboard, of whom 27 survived
after six weeks). But the green color and the nacelles with the open
aft end are typical of Klingon vessels. The model was previously seen
as Menos' ship in ENT: "The
Seventh", then with a rather brownish hull and without the nacelles. |
Class
specifications Transport Length: approx. 55m Passenger capacity: 54 |
23rd and 24th Century Starships
Name prefixes
IKC: Imperial Klingon Cruiser
IKS: Imperial Klingon Ship
TNG occasionally used "IKC" as identifier. DS9 consistently switched
to "IKS". I assume that all ships had the "IKC" prefix prior
to 2370, unless otherwise stated.
![]() Bird-of-Prey |
General
description The Bird-of-Prey, with its various sub-classes, is the Klingon Empire's most common light warship from the end of the 23rd century to the 2370s. The ship has one torpedo tube in the bow and two disruptor cannons at the wing tips. The wings are usually horizontal in flight mode, and swept down for attack. Ships of the K'Vort and the B'rel class have occasionally been witnessed to fire with horizontal wings, though. "D-12" is a Federation designation for a sub-class of Birds-of-Prey. The wings may be moved up to allow the ship to land on a planet. The ship has a retractable landing gear. All types of Birds-of-Prey are equipped with a cloaking device. Article: The Bird-of-Prey Size Paradox Klingon Bird-of-Prey Gallery |
Known ships "HMS Bounty" IKC Buruk IKS Ch'Tang IKS Etam IKS Hegh'ta IKS Ki'tang IKS Korinar IKS Koraga (K'Vort) IKS M'Char IKS Malpara IKS Ning'tao IKS Orantho IKC Pagh IKS Rotarran IKS Slivin IKC Vorn IKS Y'tem |
| Annotations 1) The ship was designed by Nilo Rodis for "Star Trek III". The issue whether there are different sizes of Birds-of-Prey is exhaustively discussed here, the general trouble of scaling here. The bottom line is that, if there are actually different sizes, the starships couldn't technically be the same. Though we may ignore the ludicrously huge ships from TNG: "The Defector", the size range would be still from 50m to 300m length. Even the very same ship "HMS Bounty" from "Star Trek IV" appears at sizes from 50m to 100m. For the sake of simplicity, I assume that all these vessels which exactly look the same are actually the same. The equipment and technology may vary, but not the size. 2) The known (sub-) classes of Birds-of-Prey don't help to identify different sizes. On the contrary, the suggestion that the B'rel class should be smaller than the K'Vort class is complete bogus. As a matter of fact, the only time the B'rel was ever verbally identified in TNG: "Rascals", it was represented by stock footage of the K'Vort from TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise"! The D-12 in "Generations" could be the Federation designation for any type or size of BoP. So it's mere speculation if and which other ships belong to these three (sub-) classes. At least, it seems that B'rel ships are supposed to be scouts with a crew of only 12 (like Kruge's BoP), while the K'Vort is a cruiser with a crew of typically over 30. It is well possible that at identical sizes the K'Vort has more crew quarters instead of the large cargo bay of the B'rel. 3) Not only the starships in the parallel timeline in "Yesterday's Enterprise", but nearly all BoPs that appeared in TNG are supposed to be cruisers of the "bigger" K'Vort class. The only ship verbally identified as K'Vort class in "our" timeline is the IKS Koraga, the lost ship with Worf on board that Ezri went searching in DS9: "Penumbra". The class name was readable on a display aboard the USS Gander. Like the Koraga, all BoPs might be equipped with escape pods. A generic BoP labeled as K'Vort was visible on a display in VOY: "Drone" 4) The suggestion that the Bird-of-Prey (which is an originally Romulan designation after all) is a Romulan design comes from an early draft of "Star Trek III" where Kruge steals the BoP from the Romulans. It is commonly accepted, yet not strictly canon, that Klingons acquired Romulan technology (including the cloaking device) during a brief alliance in exchange for Klingon ships for the Romulans, as seen in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident". The BoP design itself need not necessarily be brand new as of 2285 when it was first encountered. Sulu identified it as "Bird-of-Prey", which suggests that Starfleet had knowledge of this class. Since ENT: "The Expanse" we know that the familiar BoP is definitely not a Romulan design or a design inspired by Romulans, but a 23rd century version of a similar, yet much older genuine Klingon ship of the 22nd century. 5) In "Star Trek IV" the highest mentioned speed of the BoP "Bounty" was Warp 9.8 (old scale), immediately before reaching the threshold speed for time travel. This threshold was very likely supposed to be exactly at Warp 10 (old scale), although there is no reason why it should be there. 6) I assume that General Chang's prototype in "Star Trek VI", the only BoP capable of firing while cloaked, turned out a failure because it nevertheless could be detected, and the project was not further pursued. It is even possible that the engineers were killed and important data was destroyed together with the prototype, so the Klingons couldn't build another one. I don't think the ship should be considered as a distinct (sub-)class. |
Class
specifications Scout (B'rel), cruiser (K'Vort) Length: 110m Crew complement: 12 (scout), 36 (cruiser) Max. speed: Warp 8 (sustainable), Warp 9.8 (short-term, old scale) |
Civilian transport |
General
description Nothing is known about this ship type, except that the Klingons are apparently using it as a civilian transport. Article: Redresses of the Merchantman |
Known ships No name given |
Annotations 1) The ship appeared in the course of a battle, and Worf allegedly destroyed
it in DS9: "Rules of
Engagement". It is yet another re-use of the
versatile Merchantman from "Star Trek III"
in the very same configuration as the Vidiian
ship 1. Obviously the two can't be in any way related.2) The actual color of the miniature may have still been the beige of the Vidiian version, but since it could be only glimpsed anyway, I'm assuming it is in the usual Klingon green. 3) The complement of 441 is taken from the dialogue. It may have been forged like the whole trial, but was meant to be a believable figure. |
Class
specifications Civilian transport Passenger capacity: 441 |
D7 Gr'oth variant |
General
description The D7 class was in use by the Klingon Empire during the 2260s. The ships were supposedly a match to the Federation Constitution class in combat. Article: The Everlasting Klingon Battlecruiser D7 and K't'inga Gallery |
Known ships IKS Gr'oth |
Annotations 1)
Surprisingly the Klingon battlecruiser designed by Matt Jefferies
appeared as a Klingon ship in just two TOS episode, namely in "Elaan
of Troyius" and "Day of the Dove".2) Greg Jein reconstructed the original Klingon battlecruiser for DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations". He stuck to the old plans, therefore making the ship different from the K't'inga and overall little detailed. The only alterations: He added a "feather pattern" to the wings and painted it green, like all other (later) Klingon starship types. We might assume that the TOS ships had the pattern too, so this is not a sub-type. Still the green color is definite difference. 3) The K't'inga model (see below) was used to represent the ship verbally identified as D7 in VOY: "Prophecy". It is possible that D7 is the common Federation designation for both the Klingon cruiser from TOS and the K't'inga and that it only refers to the ship's size. The question is, if this is so, why Tom states that the class was decommissioned decades ago. This is obviously not the case with the K't'inga. Perhaps Tom was wrong in "Prophecy" and what he called "D7" was actually an early K't'inga of which many are obviously still in service towards the end of the Dominion War. But maybe we should ignore the visual evidence. Mike Sussman, co-author of VOY: "Prophecy" along with Phyllis Strong, tells EAS that the model to appear in the episode was actually meant to be Greg Jein's reconstruction of the D7, so there is no misconception from the writers' part. But it was decided to use the existing K't'inga CGI for the visuals. Had he been aware of that, he would have changed the line about the D7 and also the one about them being retired decades ago, Mike Sussman says. |
Class
specifications Battlecruiser Length: 228m Crew complement: 440 |
K't'inga |
General
description This is a type of battlecruiser used by the Klingons from about 2270 to the Dominion War. There may be different versions with different locations of disruptor emitters and torpedo tubes. Article: The Everlasting Klingon Battlecruiser D7 and K't'inga Gallery |
Known ships IKC Amar IKS B'Moth IKC Qo'noS Wa' IKC T'Ong |
| Annotations 1) The K't'inga may have been intended to be an upgraded version of the D7, just like the Enterprise in TMP was still supposed to be the very same ship that Kirk commanded until 2270. The differences are considerable in both cases. Not only were many more details added, but also the proportions of several hull parts were changed. Read about the Enterprise refit here. While the legacy "forbids" us to doubt that the TMP Enterprise is still Kirk's Enterprise, the K't'inga should be a different class than the D7. 2) There are variants of the K't'inga with different colors of the plasma in the nacelles, but this isn't necessarily a sign of their age, as we have seen dim nacelles, cyan nacelles and green nacelles over the decades almost at random. 3) Although the ship in ENT: "Unexpected" was clearly represented by the K't'inga model, credibility dictates that it must be of a yet unknown, much older class. This is why I have listed it as "battlecruiser type". 4) For different reasons, we might assume the same for the ship in VOY: "Prophecy" which was another re-use of the K't'inga, but actually supposed to be an older D7. On the other hand, Tom may simply have been mistaken, and it was actually a K't'inga (see above). This way, we wouldn't have to ignore the appearance of a K't'inga even twice. 5) Since it would be very unusual to translate ship names, I have listed the "Kronos One" from "Star Trek VI" under its presumed Klingon name. The model from TMP was renovated to represent the Kronos One, but the modifications seem to be rather cosmetic. |
Class
specifications Battlecruiser Length: 214m |
Military freighter |
General
description The Klingons are in possession of a similar freighter design as the Cardassians, but considerably larger. Article: Redresses of the Groumall |
Known ships No name given |
Annotations![]() The Klingon freighter in DS9:
"Sons and Daughters" was represented by the same model as the
Cardassian freighter in DS9: "Return to Grace". The
color was green instead of ochre, and some details were altered. Most
obviously two nacelles were affixed and the forked bow was filled with
an additional part. The Klingon freighter was clearly
much larger than a Bird-of-Prey. |
Class
specifications Military freighter Length: approx. 500m |
Negh'Var voDleH variant "Endgame" variant |
General
description As of 2372, the Negh'Var is the flagship of the Klingon fleet. It is unknown whether there are more ships of this class at this time, but several years later there may be at least two variants of this class. Vor'cha, Negh'Var & Various Gallery |
Known ships IKS Negh'Var |
| Annotations 1) In real life, the Negh'Var that first appeared in DS9: "The Way of the Warrior" is a modification of the voDleH (Voodieh) model from TNG: "All Good Things". The ship was modified adding weapons pods (which could be auxiliary nacelles too according to the Fact Files) to both wings, removing the fins at the bottom of the bow section, and removing the spikes in the bow and on both nacelle front tips. In the Klingon Empire, it is probably the other way round, and the voDleH is the series version of the prototype ship Negh'Var. ![]() 2)
The voDleH and therefore the Negh'Var too were created using the
central portion of the Vor'cha model, as the comparison of the dorsal
and ventral views demonstrates. Whether the real starships may be using
common parts too is not easy to answer. In that case the Negh'Var
(usually listed as being 682m) would be almost the same length as the
Vor'cha (481m).3) The Negh'Var model was also used for Regent Worf's huge ship in DS9: "Shattered Mirror", where it was about 2km long, compared to the BoP, Galor and Defiant. Like many things in the silly Mirror Universe, the similarity to "our" Negh'Var should be disregarded for the sake of plausibility. The many rows of lights (10 in the main plane) in the close-up support the idea of such a massive ship, but don't alleviate the general scaling problem. 4) The name voDleH (Klingon for "emperor") is background information, presumably from a script draft, where it was spelled "Voodieh". The voDleH, although it appears only in a parallel timeline in TNG: "All Good Things", does or will exist as a real Klingon ship around 2395 because of its similarity to the Negh'Var. On the other hand, in this case I would have to take into account the existence of the dreadful three-nacelled Galaxy-class ships too... 5) The Klingon starships in "Endgame" are still other variants. Obviously the voDleH spikes and fins were added to the model again, and the Negh'Var weapons pod was retained too. Like with the "All Good Things" variant, I assume that it is the actual appearance of a Klingon ship in the year 2404. |
Class
specifications Length: 682m (w/o spike), 718m (w/ spike) |
Unknown class |
General
description The class name and purpose of this large Klingon ship is unknown. |
Known ships No name given |
Annotations 1) The
obviously Klingon vessel appeared in DS9:
"Sons of Mogh". It is the same model as the Promellian battlecruiser
from TNG: "Booby Trap", only painted or illuminated green. The neck and
the head section are most likely no additional parts but were present
already on the original Promellian ship. Actually the take with the
ship in "Sons of Mogh" is not new but stock footage of a
less prominent vessel from DS9: "Sanctuary". There is no
reason that the ship from "Sanctuary" couldn't be Klingon as
well.2) The ship was shown just prior to Noggra's arrival at the station, but there is no evidence that it is his ship. Actually, Noggra himself tells Kurn (whose memory has been erased and who is going to be adopted by Noggra) that they have come with a shuttle. |
Class
specifications Length: approx. 700m |
Vor'cha |
General
description The Vor'cha is a powerful Klingon warship of the 24th century. Vor'cha, Negh'Var & Various Gallery |
Known ships IKC BortaS IKS Drovana IKS Maht-H'a IKS Qu'Vat IKS Toh'Kaht IKS Vor'nak |
| Annotations The Vor'cha was designed by Rick Sternbach and made its premiere in TNG: "Reunion" as Chancellor K'mpec's flagship. |
Class
specifications Attack cruiser Length: 481m |
![]() Early escape pod |
General
description Certain 22nd century Klingon ships may be equipped with these escape pods, contrary to common belief. |
Known shuttles No name given |
Annotations The
escape pod first appeared in ENT: "Bounty" and was just as
blatantly un-Klingon as the outer appearance of Goroth's ship from
where it was
launched. (In "Sleeping Dogs" T'Pol explained that Klingon
ships don't have escape pods.) Yet, even the early Klingon BoP has
these escape pods as seen in ENT: "The Augments", so in spite of everything
T'Pol must have been mistaken. |
Class
specifications None available |
![]() Toron |
General
description The Toron class is a small shuttlepod with a length of about 4 meters. Vor'cha, Negh'Var & Various Gallery |
Known shuttles No name given |
| Annotations The Toron class could be seen in TNG: "Gambit". In this last appearance on TNG the mock-up that started off as Nenebek was once again modified, this time with typical Klingon hull plating. |
Class
specifications Length: approx. 3.5m |
![]() Ty'Gokor |
General
description Ty'Gokor is the best protected place within the Klingon Empire. It is not known whether the design is employed for other space stations at other locations too. Vor'cha, Negh'Var & Various Gallery |
Known stations No name given |
| Annotations Ty'Gokor was featured in DS9: "Apocalypse Rising" where more than one station of this type could be seen. |
Class
specifications Diameter: 1.6km Height: 2km |
Various
shuttles, seen on Narendra III in ENT: "Judgment"
The small vessels are hardly identifiable. The upper shuttle looks like a Nausicaan
fighter.
IKS Fek'lhr, Klingon vessel on the casualties list of the Dominion War in DS9: "Image in the Sand" and "The Siege of AR-558"
IKS Hor'Cha, mentioned in the Species 8472 simulation in VOY: "In the Flesh"IKC K'Tanco, Kang's old ship, mentioned in DS9: "The Sword of Kahless".
IKC P'Rang, cruiser, mentioned in TNG: "The Emissary" as the ship to intercept the T'Ong
IKS Par'tok, cargo vessel, mentioned in DS9: "Sons and Daughters"
IKC T'Acog,
ship destroyed by renegade Klingons in TNG: "Heart of Glory"
In contrast to the entry about this starship in the Encyclopedia II
it was never
visible on screen, as the Enterprise arrived at the scene after the fight. It
may be another K't'inga, but as well it could be any other class of ship
(preferably something small because it seems unlikely that a freighter may be
able to destroy a battlecruiser).
IKS Ya'Vang, battlecruiser, mentioned in DS9: "You Are
Cordially Invited"
This may have been an old K't'inga, but somehow I have the impression they meant a Vor'cha.
Ursva,
freighter, disguise made up by Uhura in order to be able to pass a Klingon
listening post in "Star Trek VI"
It is reasonable to assume that a ship of this name really exists.
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