John G. Hertzler (Klingon General Martok) and
Robert O'Reilly (Chancellor Gowron) in Berlin

 

John and Robert are pushed in shopping trolleys made to look like hot rods into the conference hall, escorted by a band of ferocious looking Klingons. The tune of 'Easy Rider' is playing...

klingons3.jpg (69414 bytes)
Standing at attention for the
Head of the Klingon Empire, Gowron

 

Photos, audio & transcript: © Erich Habich 2000


 streaming RealAudio, 01:08.0Click here to listen to the following dialogue

Excerpts:

JOHN
What do you want to be when you grow up?

ROBERT
I don't know man, there's lots of things out there.  It's 1969 man!  You know it's 1969, I could be anything I want to, man...

Robert shows what he wants to be, when he grows up...JOHN
Oh, I love 69... I haven't said that man...

ROBERT
Did you see that new show?

JOHN
Yeah, what, you mean that space-show?

ROBERT
Yeah, that Star Trek thing...  Hey, man...  You asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up?  You know, when I grow up...  I think I got it man...  I think I got it...  Yes, yeah.  I think I'd like to be head of the Klingon Empire.

JOHN
Oh, so do I, man!  I want to be head of the Klingon Empire, too!


Trying to get down to it... manJOHN
What are you doing?  Taking of your clothes?

ROBERT
Trying to relax, man...
It's like... I'm just trying to get down to it man...
This is my summer outfit.

 

 

JOHN
Can anyone understand what we are saying?

See, we are speaking in 1960's vernacular, man.
Because we were there.  At least I think we were there, because neither of us could remember it while we were there. 

It's cool man.
You remember 'Easy Rider'?

(crowd shouts "Yeah!")

I don't remember it, but I've heard about it.  (Laughter)

ROBERT
Cool.

reilhertz2.jpg (38508 bytes)JOHN
My head is getting hot!  Why is my head getting so hot? 

ROBERT
Take off your hat!

JOHN
Oh, that's a lot better!  I can hear now!

 

ROBERT
You are ready? 

streaming Stereo RealAudio, 00:27.8 Chancellor Gowron and General Martok sing the Klingon Battle Anthem

Qoy qeylIs puqloD
Qoy puqbe'pu'
yoHbogh matlhbogh je SuvwI'
SeymoHchu' may' 'Iw
maSuv manong 'ej maHoHchu'
nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu'
batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq
vavpu'ma' DImuvpa' reH maSuvtaHqu'
mamevQo' maSuvtaH ma'ov
reH teHtaH!

Listen sons of Kahless,
listen daughters,
The blood of battle truely excites
the brave and loyal warriors
We fight! Are passionate and kill at the best.
Our life is short but blazing.
We die in honour. When we meet our ancestors
at the Black Fleet, we will really fight forever.
We never stop. We fight, We competite.
(forever true!)

Translation by Quvar valer
provided by Paul Yeo

Thumbnail from the devices section of the Museum Galleries

 

Have you been troubled with the Klingon dress?


Robert O' Reilly:
The costume for Chancellor Gowron was originally made for the actor Charly Cooper, who is six foot five and weighs about 280 when he was the Klingon leader.  That's about five inches taller than me.  The costume dragged everywhere and I tripped everywhere and people laughed at me.  It was very undignified. 

As a matter of fact in the last show I did I was doing a scene with Avery and the whole camera kept on rolling over me.  So the director would say 'Action!' and the camera would constantly catch my costume.  They blamed it on me.  So finally they had to tug up the costume with little pins, which the camera couldn't see. 

ROBERT
John, what was your worst story about the Klingon outfit?

JOHN
For some reason Bobby, I'm extremely comfortable in that Klingon outfit.  Let me see, the only thing...
No, we had 17, 18, 22 hour days that we spent in that Klingon outfit.  The only thing was that my good eye was covered up in the beginning.  And I knocked down the camera and the camera man when I was fighting a long time ago with Worf with a battlet, we did a proper battle scene.  The director said 'Just run along by the camera'  and I said 'Okay!'. 

So I came running and my shoulder took out the cinematographer, the operator, the camera and a large part of that set. 

ROBERT
John is just extremely delicate...

JOHN
There is not a delicate bone in me.  I wish there were.  If said before that Klnigons are like a race of linebackers in football. 

 

Preferences in martial art?

 

Why must I rule from Stavankor?I am the better Chancellor!
Question: Do you prefer the human or the Klingon version of martial art?
 streaming Stereo RealAudioRobert's and John reply...

 

Is there a basis for the Star Trek vision in reality?

ROBERT
I think the vision of Star Trek is coming true.  The show started in the 1960's and in the technical world it certainly has come true.  I don't know if that's the vision, but part of the vision is technical. 

And I think the world is becoming a peaceful place like Roddenberry envisioned.  Because we are looking from the outside in.   And when you do that I think the spirit changes.  And that's what Star Trek began.  In 1969 we went to the Moon.  All these things make us look at ourselves and the distance between what we really want and actually are is closing.

JOHN
Roddenberry really tapped into something that was very very deep in the human spirit, very deep in the human soul.  And that's why I said at a press conference a while back: I compare Roddenberry to Shakespeare.  I did it knowingly.  I've done Shakespeare all my life.  And I know exactly how difficult and what a great master of verse, the drama and the verse of Shakespeare is.  I know how great that genius is.

But in some way Roddenberry also tapped into something that was so deep in the human spirit that that's why, in a small way compared to Shakespeare, even thirty years compared to five-hundred years, Roddenberry is still around the world.  The work of Gene Roddenberry and his visions are still being discussed.   2000 people are coming into a room and talk about it.  It's the most extraordinary phenomenon, and I put it right up there with Mr. Shakespeare for that reason. 

Roddenberry hit some great chord:  that the powers of evil are always out there...  What he was writing about was the battle of good and evil.  Whether we can overcome our darker, more evil nature.  You have things in the world going on right now that require unicef to exist.

The United Nations is proof of Roddenberry.   The fact that it's working.  It can stop evil.  For the first time we can do that.  I think that's an extraordinary thing.  And unicef is about the children of the future.  They are the future.  That's what it's all about.   This is an incredible combination: Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future combining that with the United Nations unicef program, for the future, and saving the children.  (click here to read/listen to the unicef ambassador thanking the appearing guests for their efforts in raising money).

I'm very proud to be working with that.  

 

Martok's Ansaphone Messages


General Martok's answerphone message goes like this:
wav (wav file, 11sec. 242kb) Martok is not in right now, but I'm taking messages.   Please call back when someone can take your call.  Your call is very important to us, Ha Ha Ha!  Qapla!

This is what Martoks answerphone message may sound like, when he is promoted to be Chancellor:
wav (wav file, 12sec. 269kb) Martok is not in right now, but I'm taking messages for the great Chancellor.  Please call back when someone can take your call.  Your call is very important to us, Ha Ha Ha!   Qapla!

 

Pictures


klingons1.jpg (67772 bytes) 

reilhertz3.jpg (58364 bytes)  

  

  klingons5.jpg (51248 bytes) klingons4.jpg (79086 bytes)

A Zygote, apparently...

klingons2.jpg (63367 bytes)


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