Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The Klingons

6. Their Blood Is Still Pink. And Red. And White?

Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country Klingon Blood
CBS Media Ventures/Paramount Pictures

This writer's favourite Star Trek film is Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. As tightly written and well-directed as that film is, however, it also introduces a rather pounding headache to Klingon lore. Namely, the damn pink blood.

When the assassins beam aboard Qo'Nos One, their phaser beams slice through several Klingon officers, spilling their pink blood into the zero-gravity environment. As those globules float through the corridors, Star Trek lore was given a new addition. It is, however, one that has often been ignored in the interim.

Star Trek: Lower Decks seems to confirm that in the 24th century, Klingon blood remains pink. However, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Star Trek: Generations, Discovery, and Picard all depict Klingon blood as red. Starfleet Academy, introducing a Klingon-Jem'hadar hybrid in the form of Lura Thok, shows white blood, although that can safely be discounted here, as she is a unique case.

When considering Klingon biology, where does one look to confirm what is or isn't accurate? Is the sixth Star Trek film the outlier? Lower Decks suggests not. In this case, the Klingons remain something of an enigma. 

This writer could have made a swift judgement in this case, but, in the words of a certain arthritic Doctor:

I didn't have the medical knowledge I needed for Klingon anatomy.
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"