[tlhIngan Hol] Spoils of war

SuStel sustel at trimboli.name
Thu Sep 14 09:02:35 PDT 2017


On 9/14/2017 11:53 AM, qurgh lungqIj wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 14, 2017 at 11:36 AM, SuStel <sustel at trimboli.name 
> <mailto:sustel at trimboli.name>> wrote:
>
>     On 9/14/2017 11:27 AM, qurgh lungqIj wrote:
>>     On Thu, Sep 14, 2017 at 11:14 AM, SuStel <sustel at trimboli.name
>>     <mailto:sustel at trimboli.name>> wrote:
>>
>>         On 9/14/2017 11:01 AM, qurgh lungqIj wrote:
>>
>>             Remember that Klingons conquer. They take control of
>>             planets once they defeat the current owners of it. They
>>             then use the resources on that planet to build more ships
>>             etc. They don't care about taking the stuff that belongs
>>             to the locals.
>>
>>
>>         Let's not go making up new cultural details to justify not
>>         knowing a word. Do Klingons never raid a place and take the
>>         stuff from it? Suppose they raided a Cardassian base during
>>         the war with the Dominion. They didn't stay to govern. Did
>>         they take nothing? What about Leskit from "Soldiers of the
>>         Empire," who wore a necklace of Cardassian neck bones?
>>
>>
>>     So I made up the concept that Klingons conquer stuff?
>
>     No, you made up the concept that Klingons don't care about taking
>     the stuff that belongs to the locals.
>
> Based on Star Trek canon that we have seen so far, they generally 
> don't. I'm not making anything up, simply relaying what we know based 
> on what's been shown that may help explain why "spoils of war" may not 
> be a concept that Klingons focus on enough to have a specific word for.
>
> In "Once More Unto the Breach" they do a "cavalry raid" against the 
> Dominion and attack without taking anything.
>
> In "Errand of Mercy" when they conquer Organia but there's no evidence 
> that they take anything from the locals. They just want the planet due 
> to it's position.
>
> If there's Trek canon that shows Klingons invading somewhere, and then 
> leaving with stuff, share it with us. As far as I recall I don't know any.
>
> I'm trying to give qunnoq some show background that may help him look 
> at this from a in-universe point of view.

I never put forward the claim that Klingons absolutely do take spoils. I 
simply suggested not making up the idea that they don't.

I DO claim that it would be HIGHLY unbelievable if a warrior culture 
never took anything from anyone it raided. Even if we assumed it was not 
honorable to take the stuff of the vanquished, which I don't assume—"In 
war, there is nothing more honorable than victory"—it's not like 
Klingons aren't known to behave dishonorably all the frickin' time.

So no, I'm not going to do a survey of Klingon episodes to find evidence 
of spoils, because that is not what I said in the first place. If I 
happen to think of something, I'll post it.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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