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#4830
So Now We ALL Know!
(Jimmy Akin)
. . . Or at least all of us who want to know.
Here's the explanation for why Klingons in the 23rd century were human-appearing, while those before and after are forehead-ridgers.
The episode of Star Trek: Enterprise that establishes the on-screen explanation should have aired in everyone's town by now, but lest anyone not want to know, I'll put the spoilers in white-on-white, so you have to select the text (by swiping it or hitting Ctrl-A) to see it.
Here goes:
In the late 20th century, a group of scientists created a "master race" of genetically altered humans, among them Kahn Noonien Singh. This led to the Eugenics Wars on Earth in the 1990s.
In the 22nd century, scientific genius Arik Soong (played by Brent Spiner) incubated and birthed a number of embryos from this time. These embryos, because of their augmented DNA, were known as "augments." They had the increased intelligence and aggression of the key players in the Eugenics Wars.
When Arik Soong unleashed several augments in the 22nd century, the Klingons perceived it as a threat.
Subseuquently, when several augmented embryos fell into their hands, they exploited their DNA to create Klingon augments to compete with human augments.
One Klingon augment had a virus that combined with the human augment DNA.
This virus spread to other Klingons, making them not only have augmented abilities but also to appear more human.
By the 23rd century (the time of Star Trek: The Original Series), this virus had spread throughout the Klingon race.
By the 24th century (the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation), this virus had been cured, making Klingons of that era profoundly uncomfortable in discussing why their appearance had temporarily temporarily lurched human-ward a over hundred years before.
So there!
That explains:
Why the difference existed.
Why characters in Enterprise's time had the forehead-ridge appearance.
Why characters in the TOS period had the human-looking appearance.
Why characters from the beginning of the movies onward were back to the forehead-ridge appearance.
Why characters introduced as human-looking in TOS were forehead-ridgers later on.
Why it seemed to affect the whole race.
Why Klingons were embarrassed to talk about all this with outsiders, and:
Why the human-lookers were so . . . human . . . looking.