WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 4, episode 9, "The Inner Fight."
Summary
- Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 9 reveals that Klingons have pink blood, a departure from their usual red blood.
- The choice to give Klingons pink blood was made in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country to create an alien look and to avoid a higher film rating.
- While Klingons have mostly been portrayed as having red blood, there is speculation among fans that their blood color may vary due to atmospheric conditions.
Star Trek: Lower Decks just brought back Klingons with pink blood rather than red. A mysterious enemy has been plaguing the Federation throughout Lower Decks season 4, and episode 9, "The Inner Fight," finally provides some answers. After the Lower Deckers find themselves stranded on the uninhabited and remote Sherbal V, they soon discover that they are not alone. Various alien species have also been marooned on Sherbal V. Former Starfleet cadet Nick Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill) has been behind the attacks for a yet-unknown purpose.
On Sherbal V, Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) finds herself facing off against the Klingon Ma’ah (Jon Curry) in a brutal fistfight, before they are interrupted by a glass storm. As they seek shelter in a cavern, Ma'ah removes shards of glass from his body, revealing his blood to be pink. After being introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series, the Klingons have gone through many changes, particularly when it comes to their appearance. The first Klingons had smooth foreheads, while the more popularized Klingons from the Star Trek: The Next Generation era had ridged foreheads and a more distinctly alien look. Star Trek: Discovery changed the look of the Klingons yet again, but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seems to have gone with a more traditional look for their Klingons.
