THE KLINGON EMPIRE is a Beta Quadrant government that extends into the Alpha Quadrant. Klinzhai is the capital, 'Qu'onOs' to outsiders or simply the 'home world' to Klingons. It is a class M planet that is so covered by clouds that the sun and stars are visible one day in a hundred. The Empire is relatively poor, and can match the Federation in military power only at the expense of a harsher standard of living for its peoples. They possess at least 120 planets in as many systems, several having native sentiment life. These races have been pressed into service as 'slaves' within the Empire and it's fleets. Needless to say, in a Warrior culture, a slave is not considered very highly. There was once a Neutral Zone between the Klingon Empire and the Federation established by the Organians; it was abolished by the Khitomer Accords in 2293.

The Klingon Empire is centered on the world of Qo'noS, frequently referred to merely as the "Klingon Homeworld". It was founded some fifteen hundred years ago by Kahless the Unforgettable, who vanquished the tyrant emperor Molor and seized the empire himself, uniting all the Klingon peoples. The Empire then began a program of conquest and expansion that continues to this day.

The Klingon Empire is governed by the Klingon High Council, which meets in the Great Hall of the First City of Qo'noS. The High Council is composed of some two dozen individuals from prominent families, led by the Chancellor. The Chancellor serves for life, and is chosen according to a Rite of Succession presided over by an Arbiter of Succession. The Arbiter verifies that the previous Chancellor is dead, and selects challengers from among members of the High Council. The challengers then fight to the death; the victor becomes High Council Chancellor. Despite the title, the Klingon Empire is not truly an empire, as there has not been a successor to Kahless in centuries.

The Chancellor of the High Council is the leader of the High Council of the Klingon Empire and is the head of government for the Klingon Empire . The Chancellor became the head of government for the Empire after the fall of the post of Emperor in the mid-21st Century. The Chancellor doubled as the head of state until the restoration of the imperial throne in 2369, but retained political power. The Chancellor is protected at all times by the Yan-Isleth; in 2376, a line of Chancellor-class ships was produced by the Klingon Defense Force, each named in honor of previous chancellors.

Currently, the High Council Chancellor is Martok, son of Urthog.

The Empire maintains a military called the Klingon Defense Force. It is separate from Starfleet, but often operates in concert with it. The Klingon Empire used to maintain colonies as a source of resources and labor - particularly for those tasks that were "beneath the dignity of a warrior". These colonies were better off than Romulan ones, but not by much. Klingon treatment of their colonies changed somewhat as a result of the Organian Treaty, which awarded colonies to whichever power developed them better. As a matter of necessity, the Empire gradually learned methods of wiser management to compete effectively with the Federation in the Organian Neutral Zone, and the recent union with the Federation has accentuated these trends.

First contact between the Federation and Klingon Empire took place in 2218, and resulted in nearly a century of hostilities. Both powers were at the brink of open war in 2267, when an advanced alien race imposed the Organian Peace Treaty. This ended the threat of open war, although a cold war continued for some time. Both parties had the existence of the other hidden from them by the Orion traders, for their own purposes. Outright war soon followed, ending only with the imposition of he Organian Peace Treaty in the 23rd century. With the removal of this block, the Second Klingon war was fast and brutal, with both sides finally negotiating a peace. Several Klingon disasters proved to them the need for Allies, and they reluctantly have entered into an uneasy 'truce' of sorts with the Federation, which has been both tested and solidified by their Alliance in the Dominion Wars. Basically, they have the Romulans far more than they do the Federation, a and chose to follow the 'Enemy of My Enemies must be my Friend, for the Moment." philosophy. The Empire allied with the Romulans against the Federation in 2268, gaining cloaking technology in the process, although this alliance did not last long. The Federation/ Klingon cold war ended in 2293 when the moon Qo'noS's moon Praxis exploded, leaving the Klingon Empire facing an ecological catastrophe if it did not accept aid from the more technologically-advanced Federation. Federation bravery and sacrifice at the Norenda III incident in 2344 won the grudging respect of the Klingon people, and paved the way for a greater union. Proof of this was the selection of a non-Klingon Arbiter of Succession in 2367. A brief civil war in 2368 between the followers of Gowron and those of Duras resulted in Gowron's firmer grasp on the Council Leadership.

Two recent events have shaken Klingon society. The first was the messianic return of Kahless the Unforgettable in 2369. This was proven to be a fraud perpetrated by the clerics of Boreth; they had created a clone from cells of Kahless and taught it to behave like Kahless. Nevertheless, this "Living Kahless" won great support and popularity among the Klingon people, and Council Leader Gowron was forced into awarding him the position of ceremonial Emperor, making the Klingon Empire truly an empire for the first time in centuries. Possibly at the instigation of the "Living Kahless", the Klingon Empire went to war with the Cardassian Union in 2372 on the pretext of Changeling infiltration. The Empire seized and is currently holding on to several Cardassian colonies. The Khitomer Accords between the Federation and the Empire have broken down, and a new era of cold war has begun.

Klingons are warriors by nature and habit, and as such are not great merchants. Nevertheless, they do engage in trade; their unit of currency is the kellikam. Socially, technologically, and economically, they are behind both the Federation and the Romulans.

Duty, Honor and Courage are the bywords of the Klingons, who are viewed as harsh and brutal by outsiders. Upon examination of the Klingon culture, from their viewpoints, the compression is unfair. While more violent that most, the Klingons also show great sensitivity and depth. They do not hesitate to use force if they consider it to be the most appropriate course of action, but it is not necessarily their first alternative. The Klingon lifespan is far shorter than even Humans, proving he adage 'The light that burns brightest, also burns shortest.'

The Klingons field both their Deep Space Fleet and an Internal Security Force of armed ships. Kahless the Immortal still rules the Empire, but it is the Chancellor Martok who really runs the day to say affairs. Princes Dev'OraH aids as the 'Emperor's Fist' the first female to ever hold the position of official spokesperson and Champion for the Emperor. The empire lost about 1/2 its fleet in the War, and with its policing duties, is seeing some internal disturbances. The Frax, a subject race, have revolted completely and food shortages led to the opening of the M'icratHan'l sector to Andorian grain merchants in 2378.

CURRENT FEDERATION STATUS: ALLIED INDEPENDENT