Why The BAT'LETH Design? (Star Trek Theory)

Theories on why it is what it is.
The Klingon Warriors use a very iconic weapon, the Bat'Leth, the Sword of Honour as designed by Kahless the Unforgettable.
But why does it seem so impracticable when compared to other humanoid swords?
There must be a lore-friendly reason for it.
I mean it looks cool, but let's go deeper because that's no fun.
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This Video is for critical purposes with commentary.

[@dunmermage]

I really like these theories. It paints Kahless as wise and clever, instead of just being "that badass guy from a millenia ago". " Thus those with wisdom, the ones who  are revered, will envy him. This you should grasp:  All arts have length and measure. " -- The Zettel, Fencing Master Johannes Liechtnauer, 14th Century Germany

[@kristiannoel4866]

While stating your theories you made me think of Miyamoto Musashi, who also used strategy and wisdom in his swordsmanship.

[@BikeHelmetMk2]

I agree. These are top notch theories that really fit the Klingon culture and make logical sense of it. I like this explanation a lot.

[@planescaped]

The Klingon Cao Cao.

[@signorUebelst]

to be honest the Bat'leth design always reminded me of the Antlers of an animal .... which could lead to the whole weapon being older then metal working in the Klingon history

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Nice observation!

[@AdmiralBlackstar]

Hey that was my thought Too, and maybe ancient Klingons evolved from alien deer or something that butted heads or antlers and Bat'leths are an extension of their old urges and why they seem to be designed more for clashing than slashing

[@johnydl]

To me it seems to have a lot in common with a bow, and I could see how a short bow might be adapted so it could be used as a last resort as a close combat weapon, extending the limbs with blades and slowly over time taking more and more of the features of the Kahless bat'leth. Add the blades to the limbs Make a more rigid body more effective blades Discover that it's better to have enemies drawn in to the user's control rather than deflected (drawstring side is the better melee side) Make the bow handle reversible and comfortable either way you hold it Find the bow doesn't draw so well anymore Separate the bow's limbs from the rigid body (creation the inner prongs) Add more handles to extend the reach of the melee aspect Make the bow limbs out of spring steel rather than wood Notice the drawstring is often cut Sharpen the spring steel too Eventually, lose the draw string and solidifying the design out of rigid steel

[@obliviontheshadowgod6204]

Definitely an interesting idea I really like it outside of star trek the person in our world who designed the Bat'leth based it on a set of weapons called deer horn knives so at least in our world it was somewhat intentional

[@billlupin8345]

Deer use horns for dominance fights over mates. They usually survive the experience. The Baatleth resembles horns for a good reason.

[@Gigas0101]

I love the idea of it being a repurposed tool, it makes a ton of sense. It kind of reminds me of billhooks being repurposed into polearm weapons, for a nice euro-centric analogy. The weapon's shape and how it looks like it's meant to be held make me think it was designed to allow someone to apply a ton of force and torque to their attacks while in a very confined space. If your opponent blocks your first attack, it would be very easy to use their weapon as a fulcrum and suddenly drive the opposite end of your weapon past their guard. Honestly, a Bat'leth makes a whole lot more sense if you think about using it similar to a quarterstaff opposed to a sword. The people I see knocking the weapon tend to also be people going in with a pre-decided and intentional bias, whereas the instances of people complimenting the Bat'leth's design tend to have practiced some form of martial art and have worked with two handed weapons in the past.

[@Kitsula]

I really like these conclusions especially the agression moderation factors. A lot of Klingon cluture/ritual seems to aimed at moderating and rechannelling their heightened agressive impulses.

[@scottmantooth8785]

Klingons do seem to channel a lot of their anger issues into creative variations of a theme... all of which involve a lot of yelling, heavy drinking and losing damage deposits on rental property or ships...activities they seem to enjoy immensely

[@Janoha17]

So, the Klingons and Vulcans are really not all that different?

[@Reddotzebra]

@@Janoha17 This is why I prefer the Romulans... At least backstabbing usually limits the collateral damage to a minimum... Until someone goes blowing up a star system.

[@kenparnell4297]

@@Janoha17 Not really, difference garment cut from the same bolt of cloth.

[@johnbockelie3899]

" Alexander, have you been shaving with my Bat' leth. again.?". Worf wonders why he has to re sharpen his Bat' leth so often.

[@singletona082]

Interesting theory about it having roots in farm tools, and eplainign away its more defensive nature as Ka'less attempting to temper and direct klingon aggression with a more defensivly oriented weapon and a martial art focused on said weapon.

[@ananousous]

If Ka'less wanted it to be defensive, why didn't he turn the blades backwards? /s

[@entropy11]

This is nice. "A victory in personal combat with a Bat'leth guarantees honor." There can be no question that someone willingly going into combat with such a strange, suboptimal weapon is putting everything that he is on the line, and his honor can not be questioned. This is very Klingon.

[@Jay-ln1co]

*decloaks behind you* "Chonayta' Heghpu'." "n-nuq?!"

[@georgethompson913]

"puts chainmail on federation uniforms" Klingon; but... but thats cowardly! federation away teams: plus 5 resistance to pointy bois

[@Krahazik]

George Thompson then away team runs into bad ass Klingon and still looses. Or it could go the same way that a fight between Indiana Jones and a guy with a sword went. Hint, the sword wielder with his fancy moves lost to a single gunshot. Course, while Klingons do love the Bat'leth, know know better than to go up against an opponent with just that who is wielding a ranged weapon.

[@KuraIthys]

That Indiana Jones example is a bit silly though. The real problem is more like 'sword user used intimidate. It wasn't effective' If the guy with the sword had just attacked Indy directly, the outcome would have been different. Due to various issues related to aim, timing and such, there's a fair amount of evidence that a melee attack from a distance of 3 metres or less (15 feet or so) generally favours the melee attacker if the defender is using a gun. Beyond that distance the advantage is always clear-cut to the person with the firearm. But below that distance, the person with the gun is actually at a disadvantage unless the person with the melee weapon does something stupid. Even then, the most likely outcome of such a conflict in realistic conditions (hint: People usually don't instantly drop dead from being shot) is that both of the combatants will end up dead. Even if the gun user shoots the melee user, chances are they'll be hit a half dozen times before the melee user even realises they've actually been shot.

[@lilwyvern4]

So clearly even more honor is to be gained by being super robust and using your bare hands. Punching is the manliest offense.

[@amazedsatsuma]

3:27 Hmmm, I wonder if Kahless actually forged the originally Bat'Leth as farmers don't tend to be blacksmiths...I can totally see the tale of Kahless the farmer ask the local smith to rework his farm tools into weapons in order to repel hostile invaders...and then Kahless eventually became a conqueror after a series of victories Afterall while Kahless is unforgettable...the same can't be true for all those who helped him to become a legend

[@marksebree5218]

There is another possibility. While farmers did not tend to be blacksmiths beyond basic repairs, there tended to be blacksmiths in most villages of any size. Repair and replacement of tools were common needs, especially for farmers. This need was highest during the two most important times of the year, planting and harvesting. What's more, because of the nature of blacksmith work, they tended to be quite strong. Among Klingons, they would also have to learn some degree of patience, since it takes time to work iron at a forge. Assuming that the narrator is correct about the Bat'Leth being derived from a farming implement, this would make sense since making and repair farming implements could have been Kahless's main experience. He may not have known how to create proper martial weapons of the time, and needed something larger and more durable than a knife. The martial style that was derived from it was likely based on Kahless's own trial and error using it, followed by issues training his first students in its use.

[@BlueSatoshi]

Maybe the real legend was the friends he made along the way.

[@UncleMikeDrop]

Perhaps Kahless designed the Bat'Leth the way he did because he knew full well he would be fighting physically superior opponents and he needed a way to subvert their greater strength.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

Well if you know your Star Trek lore you'll know they would eveltually come up against the Fik'Lir and later the Hur'q so ya that would be a smart design

[@UncleMikeDrop]

@@brothersgt.grauwolff6716 Well yeah. Perhaps Kahless prioritized superior technique over brute force. To the untrained eye, he would appear to be the strongest warrior on Kronos when he was simply the most cunning and skilled. En masse, this would manifest itself in the form of superior Strategy, logistics, and tactics further building on the divine image that would be attributed to him. The loss of this history into myth and legend would quite aptly explain the stagnation and eventual decline of the Klingon Empire as they had forgotten how their ancestors truly achieved greatness in favor of the noble lone warrior myth.

[@scottmantooth8785]

my guess he just had a thing for sharp pointy objects

[@UncleMikeDrop]

@@scottmantooth8785 We can both be right as sharp pointy objects are tools and tools are developed to overcome physical limitations.😁

[@scottmantooth8785]

@@UncleMikeDrop true...as is sarcasm when used adroitly in or during movies when suspension of disbelief is no longer working

[@redshirt0479]

Great theories! Honestly most reviewers that say that Bat’leth is stupid are also trying to force it to act like a like certain types of sword instead of analyzing it to figure out what it was designed to do. I mean hell, a Rapier looks like a crap blade if you try to wield it like a Zweihänder. Personally I subscribe to the idea that it works more like a quarterstaff mixed with long sword fighting styles that involve gripping the blade itself. The latter aren't as widely known as other techniques, even though they were fairly common and helped with one of the most important aspects of melee combat: controlling your opponent's weapon and movements.

[@BoisegangGaming]

Well, yes, but if you look a rapier, it's optimized for a certain fighting style. With the bat'leth, the fighting style is optimized for the weapon itself. Its like if we built Machine Gun or Assault Rifle doctrine by looking at an L85. Yes, you could use it possibly effectively, but wouldn't you rather build a more effective weapon?

[@redshirt0479]

Eh, not quite. This is more like finding an a few different assault rifles ranging from the STG 44 to the IWI Travor and, without any knowledge of how the assault rifle is meant to be used, trying to figure out how to use it. It was still made to fill a role and was optimized to fill that role, but without knowing the context of the era they were created in nor the original intentions of the designer we have to essentially reverse engineering the process. And continuing the analogy, people judging the assault rifle may complain that it doesn't hit as hard or as far as a Battle Rifle or Sniper Rifle Nor does it have the suppressive power of the mounted machine gun Or the caliber interchangeability with sidearms and weight of a submachine gun. Mind you a lot of people make those complaints anyway, but that just goes to show that a lot of reviewers really need to do more research.

[@redshirt0479]

Fascinating. Love to hear more.

[@SaltyBob355]

Give some to shaolin monks, wait a millennia, you’ll see amazing things done with it.

[@kabobawsome]

@@BoisegangGaming To be fair, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Bayonet fighting can be highly skilled and extremely deadly, but it's various martial arts are entirely centered around making up for the unwieldiness of the weapon. Same with any fighting style centered around farming tools, which are numerous and come from all different origins.

[@I_am_Diogenes]

I remember hearing a saying .... "Do not fear a person who can use several weapons , fear the master of one ." Yeah a Bat'leth is an awkward weapon at best but if that is the only weapon a Klingon has ever trained with I wouldn't want to face him .

[@mikesmollin8908]

yeah but type a design of the weapon they have mastered matters a lot. If they trained with a shitty one, and you are just ok with a far superior weapon your mastery means nothing. A human who is proficient with a real sword or god forbid a spear will kill the Klingon every time. I don't care how good you are with a Bat'leth, if I have an 8.5 foot spear you can not get close enough to me to use it at all. People point out that a race so consumed with combat would make weapons that were the best at killing, but most all Klingon melee weapons were clearly made by someone who doesn't know how to fight, which is impossible for this race

[@I_am_Diogenes]

@@mikesmollin8908 Based on what ? Why do you assume they do not have some "alien technique" humans are unaware of that made a spear obsolete since I rarely have seen spears in ST ? You seem to miss my point that a master of one weapon is going to be able to see how it will be of use in far more circumstances than an average wielder of another weapon will be able to use theirs . E.G. What good is a spear going to do someone who has no idea what to do with it other than he was trained to stab it between the battlements if he is on a field instead compared to a guy who was raised with a dagger in his hand ? I do see your point but mine is .... in a kingdom of the blind a one eyed man is king . No Martok reference intended . :)

[@mikesmollin8908]

@@I_am_Diogenes Because spears, poll axes, war hammers, and shields are the most common battlefield melee weapons for good reason. Swords (unless it's a great sword) are considered a backup weapon like a sidearm handgun and the poll arm is like your rifle. The size of a bat'leth would make it a side arm backup weapon, not a main battlefield weapon. Range is range, I have seen Klingons fight a lot and they do not use this concept and would loose miserably to a Greek shield formation. For a race like Klingons this looks insane to anyone familiar with middle age combat. The laws of physics are why we fight and make weapons the way we do, and another humanoid race would be a slave to the same issues.They are clearly not equipped to do real melee combat if you are being real about it. I love star trek, i have seen every episode and movie, but I really think that is is one of the most unrealistic aspects of Trek. It is just that most scifi geeks don't understand this subject. That is why things like "shields are only defensive" are said, lack of knowledge, shields are 100% used as weapons too, and many were made with edges and spikes on them. Modern firearms have just made us forget, and so we write some bad melee fights in TV and movies. The weapons being used in movies about the middle ages are also often wrong cuz of the lack of battle field weapons. Spears were by far the most common weapon on the field back then, but we rarely see them in movies

[@I_am_Diogenes]

@@mikesmollin8908 Thats kind of my point Who says shields are only defensive ? It sure wasnt an amatuer but a master . DAMN DUDE I am more than happy to discuss weapon theory with you BUT ... this IS a Star Trek weapon thread/video . Your point appears to be that RL this isnt the way things are , I agree . Can we get back to why IN STAR TREK a BAT LETH is the Klingon weapon of choice or at least why humans in ST do not specialize in hand to hand anymore . While I did use RL to try to explain how they might have alien techniques , I will let you continue the RL virtues of real weaponry part of the discussion .

[@mikesmollin8908]

@@I_am_Diogenes Point taken, we both know our shit. My point is just that I don't see how one can explain the bat'leth. and that quote about the shield being defensive was said in this video, i did not mean to imply that you said that. I was only trying to point out that most Trekkies are very science smart, but are not as savvy with this stuff, which is why it doesn't bother most

[@nightrunnerxm393]

This...is probably the best bat'leth analysis I've ever come across, all things considered. Takes into account the culture that invented it, acknowledges that not all weapons were initially designed _as_ weapons...and not trying to force the bat'leth into behaving like a human weapon with the hypotheses you've come up with for it's development. Really well done!

[@quwykxz]

Whether you scoff at its functionality. or embrace it, you have to agree that at the very least, the Bat'leth has one of the most memorable and exciting designs and looks in all of sci-fi and fantasy. Personally, I've always loved this weapon and the fighting style associated with it! 😃👍

[@Borgscan]

If I recall correctly from the TNG and/or Voyager special features, it was Visual Effects specialist, Dan Curry, that taught Michael Dorn and other actors the Klingon martial arts style based on tai chi. I think Dan Curry taught Roxanne Dawson some in his backyard because they are neighbours. Just a tidbit of information that I thought I would add.

[@sadturtle540]

the farm tool theory makes sense because Kahless was rebelling against Molor and rebellion's tend to use whatever is on hand

[@snowts]

Video didn't end in " Qapla' ", I have the disappoint ;)

[@alexmontgomery255]

The Bat’leth may have started as just a cool looking prop but through time it has achieved almost mythical status. I like it.

[@johnrickard8512]

And the Klingons would have it no other way

[@RaeSyngKane]

I wonder if the hair might have been used as the grip and not as the carbon source. Held blade down it would almost look like the steel was dripping from it. Like it was dipped.

[@Spirit250-D]

Cool video. I built a PVC foam batleth and had a couple of sparring matches. You have to treat it like a short quater staff. It also pretty good in binding and hooking. The grip placements are also great for mid and longer range attacks.

[@anthonykirkpatrick30]

There was a book published once that had the klingon martial arts developed in more detail. I found a copt at Gencon for mayb 5 dollars. It was an interesting read, although it's out of print and somewhat difficult to come by, I believe.

[@antwan1357]

The original khaless novel suggests that the original batleth was a agricultural tool called a plow. Thus making it a makeshift weapon. This also suggests that Klingons take pride in agriculture.

[@Timeward76]

I mean, Klingons regard tribbles as locusts and went on a crusade to exterminate them...

[@Safer7Sephiroth]

I like the theory, very logical and in depth. My personal theory was always that the bat'leth was purposefully awkward and impractical for that little extra challenge. "Oh, you used a well designed blade with an edge so thin it can slice through almost anything? HAH, where's the challenge? I used THIS!"

[@benw9949]

Note the (obvious?) similarity in form to deer / elk (etc.) antlers and their head-swinging, swaying, rocking motions in combat. The comparison with a scythe is a good one too. Rather than a sword, "antlers" might be a good classification name for a batleth.

[@kevinshepardson1628]

You make a lot of interesting points, many I've never heard suggested before. One thing I'd add is that the bat'leth might also have been designed as a more specialized weapon (possibly for use by heavily-armored fighters against other heavily-armored fighters) but came into broader use for cultural and religious reasons. That, and its compact design could have proved advantageous in the tight confines of starship corridors.

[@marcbraun5342]

I love this explaination, it covers anything to make it work within the Klingon tradition without letting them seem like incompetend weapons builder and even adds a hidden and well meant agenda of Kahless that adds to his legacy of a competent and thoughtfull leader that has to start from nothing but a dream and a tool. If I were someone higher up at Paramount, I would make this canon as soon as possible.

[@builder396]

To me it always seemed like a Batleth was the perfect weapon for the Klingons as much Batleth vs. Batleth fighting seemed to revolve around one person striking vertically from the top down with his entire body weight, and the other defending by stemming his batleth up agains the other horizontally. Winning is decided more by brute strength and regaining balance after every blow than technique or speed. Its very rare the Klingons handle a Batleth with any elegance at all, in fact its mostly Worf, and during DS9 he starts preferring the Mekleth anyway, with which he can maneuver much quicker than any Klingon with a Batleth, fighting in a much more choreographed and elegant fashion as opposed to brute force, even taking down multiple Klingons in a matter of seconds.

[@davejones9469]

The episode of TNG where the crew start "de-evolving", we see a bit of what Klingons used to look like, and they had giant claw like protrusions on the ends of their arms that look suspiciously like Batleth blades. I always liked the idea they modeled it after how their ancestors would have fought and hunted.

[@NapoleChan]

Sadly I can say fairly that they are as awkward as they look. I know this because a couple in our local Trekkie group got married while dressed in full Klingon makeup and armor. They bought and borrowed their way through finding 6 actual metal bat'leths so they could make that thing they do where there's 3 people on each side and they lift their weapons up so the bride and groom can walk under them. The one I used was CNC machined out of aluminum so it was about as light as is could be and still be metal and it still was a pain in the ass to handle and hold In a way that they could walk under them. I remember I was like 17 at the time in heavy Klingon makeup and outfit and a baldric sash made out of heavy washers trying to hold that thing up while they slow walked past doing everything I could to not start shaking or lower it. I'd rather use a d'k tahg than a bat'leth any day, plus pressing the button that flares the spikes open and closed is better than clicking any pen or fidgeting with anything else.

[@LordDoom10]

Very interesting. I like the theory that it is intentionally a poor weapon to improve Klingons in mind and body.

[@pdqmusic3873]

5:10 I would have to disagree about Mok'bara resembling Jiu Jitsu, and instead suggest it is more similar to T'ai Chi (which I have studied for 20+ years and taught for ~10 years).

[@CertifiablyIngame]

This is what I was thinking of, I got them muddled around, that's my bad.

[@KuraIthys]

As a fellow tai-chi practitioner I'd have to agree. Especially when you watch Worf doing forms (and explaining them - yes the names of the moves sound more aggressive, but overall, very similar) Plus the mentality of the Bat'leth seems to fit as well. For that matter, I seem to recall a behind the scenes thing about Klingon Martial Arts and the Bat'leth that explicitly referenced Tai-Chi as an inspiration.

[@d.b.4671]

Riker's duplicate explicitly calls out the similarities to tai chi in the TNG episode "Second Chances".

[@pdqmusic3873]

@@d.b.4671 Yes, and Worf plays the form in the episode "Birthright" as well.

[@pdqmusic3873]

@@KuraIthys There is also Chen's style T'ai Chi (various forms) which can be more aggressive than the Yang's style that people are probably more used to seeing. Chen's is the older style where the martial aspects where more obvious. There are also weapons related to T'ai Chi; my favorite is T'ai Chi Jian (sword).

[@mb2000]

Great theories! I wonder why the modern Bat’leth lost the central point of Kahless’ blade? You’d think it’d be another thing you could kill an enemy with, using just a double handed thrust motion.

[@singletona082]

Possibly difficult to forge. Possibly culturally wanting to not immitate his weapon too closely. frankly I like the spikeless design.

[@DrewskiTheLegend]

Andrew Singleton also I would suspect that a central point would make blocking with the bat’leth more difficult as the force of your opponent locks the bat’leths roughly in the very bottom of the crescent formed by the blade. Instead it would force opposing blades into a trough on one side of the blade or the other, which would mean that instead of using both arms equally to block, there would be a greater force requirement on the arm holding that part of the weapon in order that you repel the opponent’s blade.

[@RedmarKerkhof]

Very nice analysis. Let me add to that: swords, in real life, were also not primary battle weapons. They are very resource intensive, take great skill to forge, and their reach is limited. That is why you can easily imagine a medieval knight with a sword and say, a palace guard with a spear or halberd. The cool factor is what makes swords popular to this day. Same goes for bat'leth.

[@chadsmith8966]

Amazing how many weapons there are that started as humble farm tools. A more western example would be the billhook which was originally a gardening tool (trimming the limbs off trees). I like the idea of Kahless the Farmer turned conqueror. The Bat'leth definitely gives me a farming tool vibe. It's almost a cross between a scyth and a hand plow. It helps that some of the teachings of Kahless have a simple farm-boy kind of common sense to them. (Kahless' story about the youth who challenged a storm springs to mind. I mean, from a farmer's perspective, why would you challenge an unstoppable force like a hurricane. A storm cares little about who you are or how brave you are, it will kill you without hesitation and slight regard.) Just imagine Kahless the Farmer is minding his own business, working in his father's fields when a group of thugs/warriors decide to raid the farm or maybe pick a fight with the field hand. And then Kahless beats them singlehandedly with only his humble farming tool at his side, the Bat'Leth. Now stories spread how some nobody farmer took out a few of Molor the Tyrant's men. And a legend is born. Has this any merit of truth? I don't know. But it's fun to speculate.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

It's like the story of Gird in Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion series.

[@Janoha17]

Or perhaps Kahless the Blacksmith.

[@johnrickard8512]

It isn't like Klingon tall tales don't have a way of gaining embellishments even across successive retellings. It would not be something I'd put past them for their main weapon to in fact be an ascended farm implement, and the real story of Kahless the intrepid but humble farmer being expanded into a grand mythos.

[@ussvoyager8650]

I've been a huge fan of Star Trek for nearly 20 years & the Bat'leth is my favourite Klingon bladed weapon & it's great when Lt Commander Worf uses it on both TNG & DS9

[@ApsalusSigma]

1:07 That has got to be the most awesome and most Klingon counterpoint for the arguements/analysis of the Bat'leth being "impractical". :]

[@x23sagittarius37]

loved that line: seems to work for me

[@smeghead0]

in regards to the forging of the blade. Kahless may very well have been a Psionic akin to the Olympians. his Bat'leth showed empathic capabilites not unlike the experience Deanna encountered in TNG when the residue of a full Betazoid was exposed. his speaking of his return seems to utilise the principles of psionic transferance as we seen in the Episode of TOS where Kirk Meets Apollo (which is much like the Ori from Stargate, including the psionic energy containing curruptive thoughts from the human worshipers turning them into A-holes) calling himself 'the Unforgettable' made sure he would not be forgotten, it is often stated he made sure everyone was to 'burn his image into their minds' he was conditioning the entire Klingon race to remember everything about him so they could revive him by having them focus all their mental will power on a singular point. just as Picard did in the final episodes of TNG. focusing an immense amount of energy at a singular point of space, even if it was at three points in time, it was still, the same place can effect space/time. translated for this purpose. you now have a steadily increasing flow of energy over a prolonged period of time focusing on a singular point cumulating in a desperiate desire for him to return in an hour of great need. rather than three brute force punches to the face of space time. these where gradual buildups to a significant power surge all in order to recreate himself or create an opening in space time to pull him into the future or out of Stovokor and back to the living world. and with the TNG episode of the traveler we learn that thought can shape reality. I believe Kahless could have used psionics to create the Bat'leth and may have been fully capable of using psionics to alter his hairs structure to become a blade merged with the liquid metals of the volcanoe. it would further explain the unique bond the blade has with him and only one of identical thinking could weild it without being affected by it. Perhaps the blade acts much as Zool's skull in Ghostbusters and Vigo's portrate in Ghostbusters 2. a psychic safehouse for Khalass's conciousness to dwell in after death so as to complete the psionic reconstruction? duplicant? of Kahless and thus reunited with the sword can transfer himself back into a newly created body much as Vigo had done (was doing) but as the portrate is a tad unweildy needed to anchor himself to a physical form such as a baby. but as in Trek verse, reality is shaped by thought. you believe it to be real, it is real. Speaking off the Traveler episode, am i tripping when i recall Picard seeing a Cat pass by him? if so drats, but if there was a cat. was it wearing a tag that read 'Return to Schroedinger? and was there a radioactive isotope nearby?

[@ptonpc]

That is the best explanation I have seen.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

1:34 this question would be answered in Star Trek Online it was carved from the Germanium Carapace of a Hur'q as revealed in the Gamma Quadrant arc Episode 5 Quark's 7(sry if I spoiled anything for you Rick)

[@Soliprem]

Quark' s lucky seven

[@Soliprem]

Coolest mission in the game, probably

[@defies4626]

@@Soliprem Honestly the best Ferengi episode in all of Trek.

[@Soliprem]

@@defies4626 you are probably right

[@Tinkering4Time]

Maybe there was more than one “Sword of Kahless”? The story of its creation being a parable for developing Klingon discipline, another created from a repurposed farming implement to oppose a tyrant, and yet another created from Hu’rk carapace as a war trophy.

[@retluoc]

Very nice, I've had many of those same thoughts myself, especially the one about it being much better at defense. However, that was an interesting idea about it being an adapted farm tool...makes some sense.

[@DinsRune]

Fun fact: a lot of weapons we associate with ninjas nowadays were originally farming tools, like the kunai and the kusari-gama. Ninjas would disguise themselves as peasants to get close to their targets (or sometimes _be_ peasants taking down their local lord), so they needed weapons that wouldn't raise too much suspicion.

[@thepoliticalstartrek]

It was also designed to fight the Hurq a multilimb insectoid race.

[@Hapokas112]

Interesting.

[@BoisegangGaming]

3:20 "Slew the serpent of Xol" "Xol" Guardians, Qo'noS's haunted. Okay, would a Destiny/Star Trek crossover not be absolutely awesome?

[@paristeta5483]

That was a very good video, and has many points i thought about after watching the shaderversity video (i.e. hair for carbon enhancement, it was a tool before). But there is some idea i fancy: Armored Knights often used half swording (i.e. holding a Sword on handle and at the blade) to better grapple another. Maybe, the time when the Bat´Leth was designed, there were a lot of armor and many narrow corridors/tunnels like fortresses and mines, so they need a weapon to grapple the enemy, and then penetrate the armor at the an weak spot, this could also explain, why they don´t use shield.

[@dfoarile]

Personally, I believe that your theories and reasoning are right. There are plenty of 'real world' parallels to these theories. I like it. Nice work. Very nice. Always a fan of everything, not just your story series, which is also great. Keep it up. Later and best wishes.

[@charleschamp9826]

I've seen quite a few of those kinds of videos, expects in bladed/melee weapons examining the Bat'leth, and none of them ever mention that Klingons are physically stronger and more durable than humans. How much stronger and how much more durable I don't believe is ever stated. But I do wonder how that could have an effect on Klingon weapon design and martial arts. For example the Asgardians in Marvel Comics are supposedly super advanced compared to humanity but still go to war using spears, hammers, swords, etc and some people do call them "stupid" because of it. But if you're biologically able to do all the extraordinary things Asgardians could do why would the need for a "better weapon" ever present itself? People tend to only change things when there's a problem and if you don't see something as a problem then why change it?

[@gabriel300010]

Because they are facing other klingons?

[@tarnyowl6068]

I thought the dude who invented the batleth pretty much unified the planet meaning the only large scale combat after the unification would be in space

[@animation1234111]

I don't think that Klingons are stronger than humans. They have fought in the show. The races tend to be evenly matched.

[@Reddotzebra]

Well it certainly is a very nice chunk of metal for deflecting and catching blades. To be honest I wonder why more of Klingon martial arts isn't about disarming their opponent when they have what seems to be such a good weapon for it, but then again I suppose that would be dishonorable...

[@uckfayooglegay9982]

Another example of an agricultural tool turned weapon is the Karambit from Southern Asia. Once it cut grain and now it slits throats.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

War scythe, also.

[@jamesfry8983]

I often practice with my Bat'Leth I treat it like a staff with pointy bits

[@Gigas0101]

Hah, someone who gets it!

[@OwlOnTheGo]

Exactly! I don't agree that it's a "Klingon" weapon, because it's a strongly defensive weapon. But I've used basic jo staff technique with mine as well.

[@kenparnell4297]

Personally, I find the Bat'leth to be an awesome melee weapon, especially in close quarters combat. If you study the history of war on Earth you find that in many cases, well, all cases, where armies of old, that is pre-gunpowder, armies clashed and a sword was useless in such close confines. A Bat'leth, on the other hand, could be used to strike the head and rip out the legs and groin, as well as provide defense from swords. The Klingon maintained a fighting style that promoted close combat so you could see the life go out of your enemy's eyes when you struck the death blow. Myself, given the choice of using the bat'leth against a broad sword, I'll take the Bat'leth everytime.

[@chrisinnes2128]

No way I would use either I'd much prefer a claymore

[@PhoenixBird9000]

An excellent and fair analysis of the Bat'Leth. A lot of self-proclaimed martial arts "experts" just poo-poo the weapon from a sheer practicality standpoint and completely overlook the cultural and spiritual aspects. Bat'Leth, after all, means "sword of HONOR", not "sword of VICTORY". Its use guarantees honor but not necessarily a victorious fight. I would recommend reading the novel Kahless by Michael Jan Friedman for a fascinating look into the history vs the legend of Kahless, and the history behind the creation of the Bat'Leth and how it factored into the battle against Molor.

[@Eucep]

I love how the Bat'leth was made really usefull in STO, since it ignores shields and is not possible to adapt against by the borg.

[@docbrown7916]

One more thing to explain it, it's in the script. Most unusual and wacky stuff of any movie or show can be explained by this. That said, I did know someone who had one made and a training vers, he was already skilled in long blades, he managed to adapt it to how he fought and trained. Good vid.

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

You know. Given how Klingons don't use shields Kahless probably designed it so that when a Klingon is overcome by bloodlust (which happens less since they have to be concentrated to use it) that they'd have protection as well as a weapon and wouldn't fave the apparent stigma of cowering behind something

[@CastellanMaben]

One could also consider the fact that klingons in general are extremely sturdy and have redundant organs, the prongs on the blade could be made to catch onto them to ensure a killing blow with the typical two handed wielding style putting more weight into the ends so they can be pulled though or out of any wounds like the inverse of a cavalry saber or scimitar, it is something thats also notable on the assassins dagger/ mekleth compared to daggers used for assassinations in human history which tend to have tapered and thin bladed tips to puncture organs, which due to the klingons redundancies would not work as well.

[@Kingpin1880]

I love nerd culture. There's always someone willing to hyper analyse something into making some kind of sense, and that sense can be accepted by those same nerds.

[@gamersenpai742]

I got a Bat'Leth for Christmas once... On the walk home I strangely heard a few doors slamming.... Then the local sheriff passed through... Hummm...

[@TheGreatGooglyMoogly430]

I like the theory of it being a tool like maybe a scythe. I believe the same thing happen with the kunai. Many people believe it was a trowel that was repurchased for combat. I once belonged to a martial arts dojo that had a Bat'leth hanging on the wall along with a book of techniques. The teachers said someone had donated both after I stopped taking classes there. They also said that whoever wrote the book was proficient in martial arts. Check out Man at Arm's video on making a Bat'leth. One of the guys on there had to wear a chainmail hood while sharpening it because he was afraid it would slip and behead him.

[@Shisanon]

The Heaven and Earth Blade is an easy weapon to compare the Bat'leth to. I've handled one and often times to fight with it would require exaggerated swings but defense is surprisingly easy and comfortable.

[@johnydl]

My own personal head cannon is that the Bat'leth was originally a ranged weapon like a bow that was augmented to include sharp points since carrying two weapons can be unwieldy extending and hardening the bow's limbs while keeping the inner section for the draw string is also shown in it's use to varying degrees, once in close quarters the loss of the draw string is of no great importance and can be restrung for the next battle and from my recolection the inner spikes are rarely used as a weapon most users preferring the outer spikes/blades for heavy slashing. This also informs the nature of the handles, a central handle allows for the use of bows while the quick transition to either outer handle provides melee range. I doubt that Kahless made the first of these weapons from whole cloth but he may have been the first to forge the weapon without allowing for the ranged aspect and so taken to perfecting a martial art around it's close combat use instead of it being a weapon of last resort only for use if the enemy got too close

[@thomashill6347]

WELL explained and informative, I do like the look and when seen in battle it is wonderful. Thanks for looking into this.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

3:59 Don't forget the three pronged Sai. Originally used to lift things like haybales, later used by Neo to pin a guy's hand to a wall.

[@JnEricsonx]

And then in a later movie he would direct a movie WITH that guy, and wind up fighting him in the movie as well.

[@BirdOPrey5]

Some Klingon book I read said the shape was do it could re-enforce the hulls of ancient Klingon sailing ships.

[@nh3heathen146]

Your theory about them not having shields and the defensive nature of the weapon is a interesting one.

[@jm823]

I believe that the bat'leth came out of necessity, as Klingon were a war race that was not only fighting other races but themselves as well and Kahless needed an edge (yes pun intended) in uniting his people while at the same time installing in them a sense of discipline and honor and why not use a weapon that was relatively new and that required concentration to use and something was used in close quarters so you can show your enemies your courage as you killed them but that's just my theory. 🖖

[@Kualinar]

I see some similitude with the Vulcans. Both Klingons and Vulcans have very strong emotions and can get extremely agressive. We learned that the Vulcans almost exterminated themselves through interncine wars untill a hero managed to overcome that agressiveness and overflowing emotions to bring peace, armony and enlightment. Sorry, I don't remember his name... Khaless did the same thing for the Klingons, just more recently and in a different way.

[@ZoeMalDoran]

The Vulcan's name was Surak

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Sorry to be this guy, but... internecine, not intestine. Auto-correct error?

[@Kualinar]

@@MonkeyJedi99 Corrected. Thank you.

[@doomyboi]

Excuse me, I'm going to be *that guy* for a second here, but "intestine wars" does actually work, as intestine can be used specifically to refer to something happening within the confines of a nation. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intestine

[@RVR121]

Well Klingons were poets and farmers before "The enemy" forced them to change for war and to prevent such a slaughter ever again.

[@OspreyKnight]

They've always been more aggressive, it's built into their bodies and their world. They have bodies designed with redundancies and even their favored foods/pets would be as likely to kill you as you them. Unless they were enslaved under those kind of for millions of years... conditions that would not be favorable to allow as their conquerors. The thing is that Klingons always had farmers, poets, musicians, accountants, but if say a farmer wanted to change his position in society he might reforge his farming implement into a weapon and kick a lot of ass. You are definitely right though... conquerors typically don't let their slaves carry weapons. One slave's scythe is another slave's liberty.

[@UltimateSpinDash]

I like the theories on Kahless. I think the Bat'leth is usually used in duels in modern times. The weapon may be unwieldy, but in a duel, that's a disadvantage both combatants have to deal with. Of course, I'm pretty sure we do see klingon boarding parties with Bat'leths (such as the first battle of DS9), but then again, the average 24th century klingon is a brute with a shallow understanding of honor. So, naturally, some of them are stupid enough to bring a blade to a gunfight.

[@kirknay]

so you reference tekka, but not the poor man's pitchfork, the sai?

[@davfree9732]

A YT channel tested the weapon against a long sword and found it had surprising effectiveness in scoring hits with the small prongs on stabbing the hand while the long sword blade blocked the long prong of the Bat’leth. Maybe Kahless was onto something?

[@starsilverinfinity]

So it’s made to flex your blade skills on others? Niccccce

[@Idazmi7]

What's the practicality of Kahless' actual sword compared against a typical Bat'leth?

[@sukhoisweetheart4652]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who sees the eastern influence in the klingons.

[@v.sandrone4268]

TOS has them more explicitly as stand-ins for the asian race even with Fu Manchus.

[@Crazael]

I could see adding a lock of his hair to the forging being about symbolically bonding the weapon to himself. Basically: "This hair is a part of me. It is now a part of this. Therefor, this is a part of me." Or something along those lines. Similar to other things showing people adding their blood during forging. Otherwise, this more or less lines up with my headcanon. The Bat'leth was never meant to be a primary weapon, but was instead meant to be a tool for teaching discipline. It then became a favored weapon for dueling. Basically, a Klingon going 'I'm so good, I can use this unwieldy weapon and still beat you'. And it stayed that way for a while. Until the lead up to the Dominion War, where Klingons began to treat them as a primary weapon in a further attempt to prove and display their skill and honor.

[@PhoenixBird9000]

It's refreshing to see someone who took the time to look at the cultural significance of the weapon as opposed to looking at only practical concerns and comparing it to historic human weapons. Fans of HEMA are usualy the ones to bash the bat'leth as impractical, yet I doubt any of them have ever handled one. The way the weapon is usually portrayed in battles on screen is inconsistent with how it could be used effectively in a non "Hollywood" setting - something HEMA fans complain about with European weapons constantly yet will not give the bat'leth a pass on. Staged fights have to be dramatic without injuring the actors, and realistic fights are more likely to injure someone or not look as dramatic. One thing never touched on is what weapons existed that it was designed to counter when it was first made, and where was the fighting taking place? The defensive nature of the bat'leth - acting as a large parrying tool with hooks for leverage - would imply it's made to counter wide sweeping cuts, as from a pole arm, axe, or large sword, while providing a degree of reach and still being useful very close in. It could be effective in open combat yet still useful in confined spaces - such as a keep, or later, inside a starship. Still, the cultural importance of the weapon is what is overlooked the most. Every long-lived culture in the world has some tradition or symbol that can be traced back through history that is still revered today. That the Klingons would revere the bat'leth so much makes sense in that context, and to say they're impractical would be to completely ignore the disruptors they routinely carry.

[@PhoenixBird9000]

And I just realized I commented a year prior to this. I don't remember watching it the first time. I'm getting old. Again.

[@mattsamoto4451]

I have played with blades for a long time. And while i have not used a steel version, ive played with a plastic one, and seemed effective on the counter attack, and defence like stated.

[@Euroflounder]

Oh dang, the hair carbonizing the iron is some good head-cannon.

[@robert-joshuamcfaddin7041]

One thing to note in regards to the Bat'Leth, it's a martial arts sort of weapon. It's just as offensive as it is defensive and is all the better in my opinion. That said, it's not going to win any rewards for being the most practice weapon because it is a martial arts style weapon, but it will win points for it being designed the way it was.

[@TullyBascombe]

Egypt's early armies consisted of a levy armed with farm tools as the main body and smaller units of professional soldiers riding chariots as elite shock troops. Dacian warriors used scythes as their main weapon. However I can't help thinking that in an age of space faring a melee weapon is a poor choice for a primary weapon, opposing soldiers simply don't get that close to each other.

[@schwarzerritter5724]

There is a thing in nature called the "handicap principle". It basically says animals evolve disadvantages to show they are still healthy despite that, like rooster combs. So if a Klingon clan can fight with such a cumbersome weapon and still manage to win, they prove how powerful they are, which allows them to amass followers.

[@FirstLast-cg2nk]

Per Star Trek Online, Kahless Bat'leth was made from a Hur'q carapace, something that contains Germanium, possibly a component of Ermanium, a metal alloy used in space shuttle construction in-universe. That would go a long way towards explaining the weapon's shape and myth: Perhaps Kahless started as a smith, and stumbled on a way to turn a piece of Hur'q carapace into Ermanium, a metal stronger than anything the Klingons had access to at the time, but could only be shaped in volcanic heat. This would likely also explain why Kahless was considered nearly unbeatable in battle: If he was using a weapon made from a material that literally no one else could obtain and was superior to anything else in the world, he'd likely cut through any opponent like a hot knife through butter with only mediocre skill. Kahless may have started out as a farmer and blacksmith, and then became a legendary warrior who united the Klingons because he stumbled upon a way to create a superior weapon in the aftermath of Klingons repelling the Hur'q invasion.

[@stevengalloway8052]

Very good, historical Klingon video. Thank you... 👍

[@moriskurth628]

The concave blade isn't as stupid as it may appear. The Dacian Falx is a good example. Perhaps the Bat'leth was made, by modifying a farming tool (like the Falx and Billhook were), and had, just like an Axe, the ability to hook enemy shields or, like the Falx, strike around at the warrior behind it. Of course, that assumes that Klingons used actual handheld shields in the first place.

[@KatrinaLeFaye]

Alright, if you are going to show STO in the video, perhaps you should also mention the description of the first sword being made of .... since it is a major game point.

[@kabobawsome]

There ARE a few advantages to it, though. The Bat'leth's double spike design could be useful for disarming an opponent. This seems useful for something commonly used in ceremonial combat. Also, in history, if it were a farming tool, it would make sense to be a defensive fighting style and even later developing a more defensive design with the disarming capabilities. Not just to control themselves, but because a historical fighting style like that would have emerged from farmers, likely in order to defend themselves in an "honorable" way. So it makes perfect sense.

[@Lukos0036]

If you simplified the design, just made the blade a continuous curve without all the extra hooky bits on it, and gave it a continuously open handle, it might make a more plausible weapon. Something akin to a Dacian rhomphaia or falx. Those gave Romans quite a lot of trouble till they redesigned their helmets. I could see a Bat'leth being similar in use. Though with the handle being behind the blade it wouldn't have the striking power or reach a falx would. But might be more useful in a tight press since you have a second point to strike with. Perhaps from underneath aiming for the femoral artery while the opponent blocks high to stop the other end.

[@marccolten9801]

Looks perfect for opening giant beer cans.

[@Merennulli]

There's a lot of sense in it being evolved from a till. The primary prong is like a till's prong, and while a normal till will often have multiple prongs, I could see someone trying to use one as a weapon bending those prongs in-line with each other. Alternatively, they could have combined the sickle and till into one tool. The oldest artifact we have is the Sword of Kahless, and it's extremely obvious that was not his sword from before he became a conqueror. It's hyper-stylized and has a prong few other blades replicated that seems designed solely to showcase the symbol of that empire. If you just take the handle of it through to one of the outer prongs, that would very clearly be a multiple use farming tool like the sickle-till combo I alluded to. Now forge yourself an empire with that as a weapon, then ask a master craftsman to make you a new weapon that symbolizes your empire, and you might end up with the Sword of Kahless that we see and that we are told all modern bat'leths are based on. I don't think the mek'leth is separate. It keeps the same styling and questionable utility of the bat'leth and looks more like a modified tool than a purpose-built weapon. And it uses "leth" or "blade" as opposed to the "tahg" or "knife" of the "d'k tahg". Also, no one questions Worf's honor when he uses them, and in fact it's treated as if there's added challenge to it - and Ezri Dax even pointed out the lack of reach should be a disadvantage. We also see a LOT more variation with mek'leth and bat'leth than we do with d'k tahg despite mek'leth often being identically paired. This suggests there was something about the "leth" that was open to interpretation and personalization while the d'k tahg usually just got the family crest embossed on it. This makes the d'k tahg seem more like a disruptor - a mass produced and effective weapon that generally put function over form.

[@evernewb2073]

nunchucks are entirely holleywood, the adapted farming tool is a bit different: a single unit of 3 sticks linked with a chain is a real historical weapon and a decently effective one at that, basically the much more innocuous version of a mace-and-chain paired with a shield.

[@Numba003]

This is a video I didn’t realize I wanted until I saw it pop up in my subscriptions. Keep up the good work man! Jesus Christ be with you.😊

[@neomt2]

Sword of Khaless is made of a Hurq carapace as per STO

[@Jay-ln1co]

Bat'leth, the sword equivalent of knowing how to speak Klingon.

[@grandsome1]

My theory is that the bat'leth is designed so to reduce the lethality of duels.

[@permeus2nd]

1:27 i also think that its probaly changed its shape over time.

[@gkeyman565]

Doesn't Worf explain to several people that a bat'leth is custom made by the user to his or her own specification so there usually are no two hand made ones identical, however some have been made by replication and therefore are copies of an original design.

[@3Rayfire]

Have you read the novel Kahless by Michael Jan Friedman? You might be interested in the de-mythologizing of him. The more biographical look at him would lend some credence to the idea that Kahless might've reworked the Bat'leth out of a farming implement.

[@deadknight1402]

And adapting weapons from agricultural implements is also very European as well, with weapons like the Billhook (developed from pruning Bills) and the Poleaxe (developed from tools used to slaughter cattle) having been devised from tools. And indeed, weapons that we tend to view as very militaristic often had their roots in more domestic tools (swords and daggers from knives, battleaxes from, well, axes, maces and warhammers from hammers, spears and bows were originally developed for hunting game, etc.).

[@sbrazenor2]

I own a bat'leth. It's not a prop, it has sharp blades on it. It can be used practically, but for me it helps that I have formal martial arts training, which includes katanas and bow staffs. If you think about a bat'leth as a sword, you'll get seriously injured. You really want to handle it like a staff, but with a series of sharp blades on a curve.

[@blackc1479]

Digging on the farm impliment and designed difficulties ideas. Now I'm kinda wondering what other folks would come up with given those cultural ideas and parameters. (And this is the joy of scifi. A random prop conceived to look cool if impractical can spark a huge conversation about everything from melee tactics to cultural influence)👍

[@lilz8848]

Bill Hickok user cap and ball long after cartridges were common .It's a matter of what you know and are comfortable with.!!! I noticed Worf uses them in rituals etc. For non Klingon combat he grabs a phaser!!!

[@EdmundKempersDartboard]

The lengths we go to to explain the absurdities in this show we love when it mostly comes down to someone just thought it looked cool. 😀

[@aquariandawn4750]

Reminds me of the county song "Because the Chicks Dig It."