Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The Klingons

The Klingons have always held to their traditions. Except, of course, when they haven't. However, generally speaking, they are well known for honouring what came before, often to their detriment. Worf and Ezri discussed the stagnation of the Empire in 2375, with Ezri asserting that she believed the Empire deserved to die.

Worf may have been a little taken aback by her bluntness, but the Klingons have time and again displayed a lack of foresight. Gowron's politics almost caused the Empire's destruction during the Dominion War, while the House of Kraag was seemingly no better in the aftermath of the Burn. While forming a triad house may have been a new spin on an old technique, shunning almost all technology almost spelt doom for the Empire's survival.

Jay-Den's family were purists, for the most part. They rejected contact with the Federation, preferring instead to live separately, working the land rather than engaging in interstellar trade. This became an example of the remainder of the Empire as a whole. The Klingons effectively closed their borders, such as they were, rejecting any sort of aid from outside forces. 

For every rule, there is an exception. In the House of Kraag, this was seemingly Jay-Den himself. He wished to join the Academy, though his family were against it. They wanted him to continue on with family tradition, mirroring Obol Wochok's assertion that the Empire would never accept charity from the Federation.

Drekol, one of Jay-Den's fathers, was unable to simply permit his son to enter the Academy. Instead, seeing his son for what he was, he 'abandoned' him on Krios Prime. Learning from the Klingon interpretation of tradition, and circumventing it, Starfleet 'declared war' on the remaining Klingons over their supposed 'invasion' of their space.

It took some interpretation of Klingon traditions to get around them, yet the more open-minded among them helped preserve them, while helping the Empire to move forward.