Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The Klingons
2. They Found A New Ally In A Surprising Place
One of the more surprising revelations from Starfleet Academy was the inclusion of Lura Thok, the Cadet Master. It was her job to train the cadets, keep them safe, and occasionally dole out some tough love. She was also in a unique position. As a Starfleet officer, she was the only known example of a surprising union of species.
Thok was half-Klingon, half-Jem'hadar. Where once the latter had been a race of genetically engineered warriors, most of whom were lucky to reach twenty years of age, they were also (at one point) an entirely male species. Without the need for sexual reproduction, by the late-24th Century, there seemingly had been no reason to expand them beyond this single sex.
Times change, and somewhere between the 24th and 32nd Centuries, the manner in which the Jem'hadar reproduced had evolved. This allowed Thok's Klingon mother, Asmaret, to produce a child with a Jem'hadar male.
Klingon and Jem'Hadar cultures shared massive similarities, not least in their approach to battle. Whether it was the cry of 'Victory Is Life' or 'Today Is A Good Day To Die,' both cultures openly embraced the battle. Historically, the Jem'Hadar may not have favoured glory, yet their approach may have changed significantly in the intervening years.
Thok's father, from the lineage of Kah-Baj, was joined by her maternal grandparents in common goals. Where once they started as enemies, these two warrior races managed to put aside their differences long enough to create an entirely new chapter in their relations, even if that chapter began with Thok herself.