Star Trek: 11 Things You Didn’t Know About The Kzinti
7. Kzinti Earned Their Names
Human parents choose names for their offspring either just before or shortly after their children are born. Humans can choose names for several reasons including honoring a loved one or following a family tradition. In addition humans often go by a nickname or a professional name. The Kzinti handled naming very differently.
Although the Kzinti naming convention writer Larry Niven created wasn’t directly mentioned in The Slaver Weapon, the Kzinti character names in the episode followed the convention he described. Kzinti children weren’t named at birth but earned their names by performing valorous deeds, especially those that advanced the interests of their empire, The Patriarchy.
Nameless Kzinti had little status in the community and were referred to by their profession as Flyer and Telepath were in the episode. A Kzinti with a single name had distinguished himself in some manner while a Kzinti with a partial name, such as Chuft-Captain, had won only limited distinction. Kztinti who had performed many valorous deeds could earn many names.