General Chang, ~ One Of My VERY Favorite Klingons... :D

Played with great verve by the fabulous Christopher Plummer >>>

"In space, all warriors are cold warriors." – Chang, 2293 (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) >>> General Chang was a Klingon military officer and chief of staff to Gorkon, Chancellor of the Klingon High Council in 2293. In that year, Chang was involved in the Khitomer conspiracy to sabotage peace talks between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets. Chang was the first bald Klingon seen in "Star Trek," but he wore a dashing scalp lock. He was extremely fond of Shakespeare, and often slyly quoted lines from his various plays. Conspiracy... In an attempt to frame Captain James T. Kirk for the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon, Chang commanded an experimental Klingon Bird-of-Prey which had the unique ability to fire its weapons while under cloak. Chang's ship fired on Kronos One while it was under escort by the USS Enterprise-A, making it appear as if the latter ship had fired upon the Klingons, violating the terms of the truce. This attack facilitated the boarding of Kronos One by co-conspirators from the Enterprise, who assassinated Gorkon. When Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy boarded Kronos One to provide assistance and prevent a full-scale conflict from developing, Chang ordered them arrested and charged with Gorkon's assassination under the rules of interstellar law. He also served as the prosecutor for the state at Kirk and McCoy's trial, where he was successful in obtaining a conviction by forcing Kirk to admit that, as captain, he was responsible for the conduct of the crew under his command. However, Chang was surprised that, due to the impending peace talks, the judge did not order the customary death sentence, but instead sent the pair to Rura Penthe. In an attempt to ensure Kirk and McCoy's death, Chang had the commandant arrange for the Starfleet officers to be killed while attempting to escape, therefore eliminating any suspicion as to the motive for the killings. Kirk and McCoy were ultimately rescued, however, by the Enterprise crew. With time running out before the Khitomer Conference, Chang ordered his Bird-of-Prey to intercept and attack the Enterprise in orbit of Khitomer. His ship initially had the advantage in being able to fire while cloaked, causing considerable damage to the Enterprise and also scoring a hit on USS Excelsior, under the command of Hikaru Sulu, which had arrived to divert fire away from the crippled Enterprise. However, this advantage was eventually negated when Enterprise crewmember Captain Spock developed a means whereby a photon torpedo could be modified to home in on the plasma exhaust of Chang's ship on the suggestion of Commander Nyota Uhura. Chang and the other bridge officers were killed by the initial explosion of the modified torpedo, which allowed Enterprise and Excelsior to launch more torpedoes that destroyed the Bird-of-Prey. Reflecting his love of Shakespeare, his last words were "to be, or not to be", from Act 3:I of Hamlet. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) Background information Chang concept... Chang was played by Christopher Plummer. Plummer requested that his character have more subtle Klingon makeup, giving Chang a more Human look than most Klingons in the Star Trek films. Plummer commented: "I found a lot of the headgear that some of them wore rather phoney. I could see where the stitches were, so I decided I'd be a little different". Plummer thought he looked like Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan. ("Klingons: Conjuring the Legend") John Colicos commented when filming "The Sword of Kahless" as Kor: "I tried to get rid of my wig but they wouldn't go for it. I guess you have to be Christopher Plummer before they'll let you be a bald Klingon". (The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine issue 18, p. 24) In the Star Trek Magazine issue 149, the "Villain Special of 2009", Chang's part in the Khitomer conspiracy was compared to Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the architect of the failed plot to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944 (somewhat in reverse, as Chang's plot was successful and was intended to continue a war). Chang's appearance, as well as his affection for the works of the Human playwright Shakespeare, may be explained in part by the Klingon augment virus that spread through the Empire in the mid-22nd century. Among its other effects, the virus dissolved Klingon cranial ridges and gave its victims a more Human appearance (see "Affliction"). One of Chang's ancestors may have been a "smooth-headed" Klingon who was exposed to the retrovirus, and, as a Klingon with practically flat forehead ridges he would have been thought quite unattractive. Also, Chang lost an eye and wore a eyepatch similar to Claus von Stauffenberg, but, then, that just gave him a swaggering, piratical look. Statue of General Chang in the Hall of Warriors...

Although difficult to see, a golden statue of Chang was present in the Hall of Warriors in "Apocalypse Rising". From the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 1, p. 132), Chang's "demand in court that Kirk answer a question without waiting for a translation is a paraphrase of American ambassador Adlai Stevenson, who, absolutely infuriated, made the same demand of Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin at the United Nations during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962." ~ From "Memory Alpha Fandom".