Star Trek Villain Finally Says What We’ve All Been Thinking
One storytelling trope that we often see in franchises like the MCU is a villain making a great point…the kind of thing that makes you wonder why the heroes seemingly never noticed or cared about some major issue. While that trope is experiencing a modern resurgence, it was on full display in “The Schizoid Man,” a largely forgotten, decades-old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In that episode, evil scientist Dr. Ira Graves mentions that Klingons and Romulans “act much alike,” and while Worf was predictably annoyed at the comparison, this villain is just saying out loud what we’ve all been thinking for years.
The Doctor Makes A Good Point
To understand Graves’ point about Klingons and Romulans being similar, you’ll need a bit more context for the episode itself. “The Schizoid Man” was about a cranky old scientist who claims to have taught the android Data’s creator, Noonien Soong, all that he knew. Graves manages to back up his big talk when he temporarily cheats death by putting his consciousness inside Data’s body.
Worf Felt Insulted
Now, how did this bonkers plot lead to the comparison of Klingons and Romulans? While he’s still flesh and blood, Graves introduces the crew to his young assistant, Kareen. She doesn’t know much about alien races beyond what Graves has told her, so she mistakes Worf for a Romulan.
Klingon officer Worf takes being mistaken for a Romulan in his trademark huffy manner, and Graves soon drops a bombshell claim. He remarks that while Klingons and Romulans look very different, they act very much the same. Worf calls this comparison an insult, and the conversation gets dropped, but as longtime Star Trek fans, we have to say that this villain was right on the money.
Goes Back To The Original Series
The first major similarity between Klingons and Romulans is their starship design. Back in The Original Series, the D7 class Klingon cruiser design was later used for Romulan ships. This saved the series money and gave them an excuse to reuse an iconic design, but in-universe, this means that the Klingons and Romulans once flew around the galaxy on the exact same ships.
Same Ships, Same Tech
Another major point of similarity between the two races is their use of a cloaking device to hide from foes. The lore seems to have shifted from the Klingons receiving cloaking devices from the Romulans to the warriors creating it on their own (one more weird retcon courtesy of Discovery), but that doesn’t really matter for our comparison. At the end of the day, these two alien races were using the exact same ships and technology to fight their foes.
Klingon Honor Only Goes So Far
Speaking of fighting, it’s interesting how the cloaking device reveals just how much the Klingons really are like the Romulans when it comes to combat. Typically, the Romulans are presented as sneaky chess players and the Klingons as warriors who would rather face their foes on an open playing field. In space, however, the Klingons have no problem hiding behind cloaking devices and ambushing their prey, showing no more honor than the average Romulan when it comes to picking off otherwise defenseless victims.
Klingons And Romulans Have A Lot In Common
There are other similarities between the Klingons and the Romulans, including everything from their cultural isolationism to their historic antagonism toward and reluctant alliances with the Federation. However, it should be clear by now that the mad scientist who took Data’s body for a ride had it right when it came to these two angry alien races.
Honestly, Picard should have just replicated a shirt that said “Graves was right” and made Worf wear it for the rest of the series.
Would he be allowed to change its color, though? It all depends, of course, on whether that day is a good day to dye.
