K'Ehleyr

Species:	Klingon/Human hybrid
Affiliation:	Federation
Occupation:	Ambassador Special emissary
Status:	Deceased; murdered by Duras (2367)
Died:	2367, USS Enterprise-D
Father:	K'Ehleyr's Klingon father
Mother:	K'Ehleyr's Human mother
Children:	Alexander Rozhenko (son by Worf)
Played by:	Suzie Plakson

"My Klingon side can be terrifying, even to me."
"Yet it gives you strength. It's part of you."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

– K'Ehleyr and Deanna Troi, 2365 ("The Emissary")

K'Ehleyr, the daughter of a Human mother and a Klingon father, was an ambassador and special emissary of the Federation in the 2360s.

Quick Answers

What is the significance of K'Ehleyr's role as a special emissary of the Federation?

K'Ehleyr, a Federation ambassador and special emissary, played a critical role in the 2360s. She was a hybrid of Human and Klingon, and was instrumental in a mission involving Klingons who were under the impression that the Federation-Klingon War was still active. Her role as a special emissary granted her the authority to utilize the USS Enterprise-D and spearhead the mission's response, while Captain Jean-Luc Picard retained some influence over the mission's execution.

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How does K'Ehleyr struggle with her dual heritage from her Human mother and Klingon father?

K'Ehleyr, a hybrid of Human and Klingon parentage, identified herself as caught between two cultures. She leaned towards her Human side, despite inheriting her father's Klingon temper. Her lack of respect for Klingon values often led to conflicts with Worf. She also battled with her temper, viewing it as a beast trying to escape, symbolizing her struggle with her mixed heritage.

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Why does K'Ehleyr prefer her Human side over her Klingon side?

K'Ehleyr, a character in Star Trek, identifies more with her Human heritage due to her struggle to control her Klingon temper. She consciously suppresses her Klingon tendencies, despite their strength. Her disregard for Klingon values and traditions often leads to disagreements with Worf. K'Ehleyr's preference for her Human side is evident in her interactions with characters like Deanna Troi.

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How does K'Ehleyr's relationship with Worf evolve in Star Trek?

Worf and K'Ehleyr, a Human-Klingon woman, had a tumultuous relationship. They reconnected in 2365 during a Klingon mating ritual, which resulted in K'Ehleyr's pregnancy. In 2367, K'Ehleyr introduced their son, Alexander, to Worf. Despite her wish to complete the mating ritual, Worf declined. K'Ehleyr tragically died in Worf's arms later that year.

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What are some key episodes that highlight K'Ehleyr's character development in Star Trek TNG?

In Star Trek TNG's 'The Emissary', K'Ehleyr, a half-human, half-Klingon, is introduced to the Enterprise's senior staff and collaborates with Worf, despite their initial disagreements. She advocates for a violent solution to a Klingon issue, but Picard insists on a peaceful alternative. K'Ehleyr also connects with Deanna Troi over their dual cultural identities. Later, she returns to the Enterprise-D for Chancellor K'mpec's succession and introduces Worf to their son, Alexander.

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Biography

K'Ehleyr described herself as being "trapped between two cultures" with bi-racial parents. Having the humor of her mother and the temper from her father, she preferred her Human side and exercised tight control of her Klingon tendencies. Her Klingon side nevertheless gave her strength, even if terrifying. (TNG: "The Emissary")

Though K'Ehleyr knew much about Klingon culture and fighting techniques, she never showed much respect for Klingon values, which was sometimes a cause of great fury for Worf. Consequently, she never taught Alexander about the Klingon way of living before her death. (TNG: "Firstborn"; DS9: "Sons and Daughters")

In 2359, she had a relationship with then Lieutenant Worf, but neither felt ready to engage in a deep relationship, so they separated.

K'Ehleyr about to beam over to the T'Ong

In 2365, she traveled from Starbase 153 to the USS Enterprise-D on an urgent mission to intercept the Klingon sleeper ship IKS T'Ong, which was about to become active. The mission was considered so urgent and time-sensitive that K'Ehleyr agreed to be transported to the rendezvous with the capital ship in a Class 8 probe, capable of speeds of Warp 9, modified for space travel purposes. The Klingon vessel would have been unaware of the Federation-Klingon alliance, therefore posing a threat to Federation establishments in the Boradis system. While searching for the T'Ong, she renewed her relationship with Worf, but refused to marry him when he asked her. Due to this short renewal, however, she gave birth to a son a year later. On the mission, she tried to persuade Captain Picard to destroy the Klingon ship as soon as possible, but thanks to an idea of Worf's, this could be prevented: to convince the T'Ong's crew of the Alliance, Worf posed as the captain of the Enterprise, with K'Ehleyr as his first officer. After the T'Ong's crew had agreed to lay down their weapons, K'Ehleyr beamed aboard the T'Ong to prepare the crew for the 24th century while waiting for the IKS P'Rang. Before transporting over, Worf told her that he would never be complete without her. (TNG: "The Emissary")

K'Ehleyr dies in Worf's arms

In 2367, she accompanied Klingon chancellor K'mpec, who had chosen Picard as Arbiter of Succession, to a meeting with the Enterprise. When she came aboard, Worf learned of his son Alexander for the first time. K'Ehleyr expressed her desire to become Worf's mate at this time, but he refused, saying that he did not desire to share his discommendation with her and Alexander. After K'mpec's death, she assisted Picard in the Rite of Succession, briefing him about Klingon rituals and tradition. As she therefore had much influence on the Rite, Gowron tried to bribe her with the command over a Klingon ship or a seat in the Klingon High Council, but she refused. Later, she discovered evidence that proved Duras was involved in the conspiracy that led to Worf's discommendation; on learning of her search through attempts to access Klingon High Council records he sealed, Duras attacked K'Ehleyr in her quarters and killed her. Worf transported to Duras' ship shortly later and killed him in vengeance. Afterwards, Worf claimed Alexander as his son and placed him in his adoptive parents' care on Earth. (TNG: "Reunion")

Alexander kept a picture of his mother next to his bed aboard the Enterprise. (TNG: "Firstborn")

In 2374, Quark joked that Alexander must have gotten his looks from his mother's side of the family. (DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited")

Appendices

Appearances

• TNG:
  • "The Emissary"
  • "Reunion"
  • "Firstborn" (picture only)

Background information

A costume sketch for K'Ehleyr by Durinda Rice Wood

K'Ehleyr was played by Suzie Plakson.

The role of K'Ehleyr was originally offered to actress Robin Curtis, but her commitment to another film project prevented her from taking the role. [1]

The script pronunciation guide for "The Emissary" notes that K'Ehleyr is pronounced "kay-LAHR". [2]

K'Ehleyr, Worf and Alexander promotional shot

According to a reference cut from the script of "The Emissary", K'Ehleyr met Worf on Samrin's Planet in 2359. When they were reunited six years later, K'Ehleyr was disappointed at how much Worf had changed since their initial encounter.

Ronald D. Moore commented regarding K'Ehleyr's death: "I am happy to pass the buck on this one to Michael Piller. It was his idea to kill K'Ehleyr during the story break because it would be a great dramatic turn and would provide Worf with ample reason to go stick a bat'leth into Duras' guts." He also mentioned that bringing back K'Ehleyr had come up a number of times. (AOL chat, 1997)

Apocrypha

In Peter David's Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series, Worf and K'Ehleyr first meet while Worf is attending Starfleet Academy.

In the novel A Time for War, A Time for Peace, K'Ehleyr became Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire not long after Alexander was born. When she was on Qo'noS, she always stayed at the Federation embassy. In fact, in the time that Alexander lived with her, he never set foot anywhere else on the planet.

A subtle reference was made to K'Ehleyr in the Q Continuum series, which featured the female Q, another character played by Suzie Plakson; when the two are first introduced, Picard found her features slightly familiar, but could not place exactly where he recognized her from. Additionally, in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Q and the Grey", the same female Q, when told off by B'Elanna Torres over an engineering problem, says she's always liked Klingon females as they are "spunky."

In the Pocket TNG novel Diplomatic Implausibility placed K'Ehleyr's grave site as Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City; by coincidence, Lt. Marla Aster, whose son Jeremy Aster became a member of Worf's family after her untimely death, is buried there as well.

The mirror universe novel Rise Like Lions introduced K'Ehleyr's mirror universe counterpart (β). K'Ehleyr joined the Terran Rebellion, becoming first officer of the Rebellion's Enterprise under the mirror Picard.

The Star Trek: Coda finale Oblivion's Gate saw mirror-K'Ehleyr meet Worf and Alexander of the "First Splinter" timeline when they retreated to the mirror universe to find allies to stop the Temporal Apocalypse. K'Ehleyr and Worf had a brief but passionate relationship before the final confrontation to save the multiverse, K'Ehleyr fighting alongside Worf and Alexander on the Borg-controlled alternate Earth and dying before the timeline was reset.

External link

• K'Ehleyr at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works