The Kliges'chee hatred for individualistic people seems to handled inconsistently across ST-OM, although their behavior is more internally consistent in Epiphany Trek
These are from the notes for the Kliges'chee Tsunami
The Kliges'chee were created, out of whole cloth by Dennis Washburn in 1992 (I think, he may have been chewing the idea over longer than that.)
They were intended to fill the following dramatic roles -
- Scary Monsters - They were intended to be alien, ugly, frightening and particularly unsympathetic.
- Bug Eyed Monsters - Lamp Shaded in ST-OM in this passage -
The Kliges'chee came on screen and I stared for a moment. It would take some work to imagine a creature more ugly. He had about a dozen eyes. Each was different. Some were multifaceted insectoid eyes. Some were bulging sacks of goo that pulsated. Some were almost human. They were the worst, a piece of normalcy transplanted into something horrible.
- A Threat to the Concept of Individuality - Not only are the Kliges'chee repulsive and invasive, their nature is ideologically offensive. They are perfect communists. Once assimilated a drone can no more behave selfishly than a cell in you liver can.
- Big - The Kliges'chee were intended to threaten the Federation and all around it. No Amount or combination of tactical genius, huge phaser cannon, bravery, honor or testosterone (estrogen, whatever) - will suffice. Epic battless of blood, fire and bravery were NOT the solution to the Kliges'chee question.
So How much hatred are we talking about?[]
Clearly the Kliges'chee encountered during the 1992 role playing sessions were deeply intolerant of "Rihannsu". They wwere willing to feeel pain, absorb dammage and express a good deal of their resources economy in terms of doing dirt to the individualist people.
Is this hatred Cultural? Is it Genetic?
This goes to another question. Is it possible for a creature to be evil or hostile by it's nature?
The reaction of Early Kliges'chee and thier role as Scary Monsters seems to suggest that the hatred of Individualism was built into them.
That's not very "Star Trek![]
Kitty Howard yelled that a couple of times in regards to something she saw as contradictory to the feel and spirit of Star Trek.
I thought it was a wonderfully pithy way of expressing that.
The idea of an implacably hostile enemy - one who absolutely could not be reasoned with and had no choicce available to them but to hate you and hurt you in anyway they could -
This is the polar opposite of the intent of Star Trek. It's a Star Trek Trope that understanding your enemy and his motivations may give you a way to resolve the conflict without having to blast him.
The Kliges'chee as "Hostile by nature" break that. So do the Borg and Jem'Hadar.
Goblins and Orcs[]
In another epic Fantasy setting - there are Orcs and Goblins. Orcs are Elves twisted past recognition by the evil one. Goblins are Elves who fell from their Elvish state of grace and became twisted reflections of their own internal debasemennt.
Smeagol couldn't resist the tempations of the Ring. The twisting of his soul and mind are reflected in his physical presence. he's Gollum now. It's going to take more than a stint in the Betty Ford Clinc to come back from that.
I had this argument with Dennnis in regards to another situation.
Dungeons and Dragons Party encounters a Hill Giant tribe. Hill Giants attack. the Party defeats the tribe, killing them all. Then, while loooking for loot (Why not? The Hill Giants weren't going to be using it any more...) the PCs discover a Hill Giant Infant. They've orphaned him.
Some of the Party takes up the question of putting the baby out of it's misery.
the Party Cleric stands up chaallenges the whole rest of the Party. No way in heck that we're murdering a baby! The Adultss attacked us first. They had it coming. This one hasn't done anything to be worth killiing and I am not going to let you kill him."
Now, if, after a bitter fight, Kirk, Spock and McCoy discovered a Klingon baby that they'd just orphaned, what would they do.
I regret I was late having my character stand up and say. "I agree with the Cleric. I amm out here to fight for the right that does not include killing infants no matter their race."
The Cleric's Player and I were playing Star Trek. That baby was all potential. He hadn't had the opportunity to choose who to be, yet. He'd be very big. He'd be very strong. He might not be too bright. These were physical things he'd inherited from his Hill Giant Parents.
But whoo was the spirit inside the Hill Giant Baby?
Myself and the Cleric's Player insisted that the choice between Good and Evil is part of having a mind. Being a sentient being means one can choose to be good or evil.
Dennis insisted that the Hill Giants were evil by their natures. They couldn't choose not to be evil - it was written into their fabric.
Cleric (Starr Armorsmith) and I (Edgar the Ranger) saw the Hill Giannts as funny looking humans wwith different body proportions.
If you count evil as a Sparrow might, then my cat, Teddy-bear is a horrible monster. She kills sparrows. It in her nature. She's a predator. Killing and eating small furry and feathered creatures is just how she is. You couldn't remove it without removing the cat.
In Dennis' mind, the Hill Giants were no more moral actors or possesssing of free will, or a mind in the human sense than my cat.
Are you getting near a point, soon?[]
I think Dennis' 1995 Image of Hill Giants may suggest how he viewed the 1992 Kliges'chee.
I think it's posssible that he meant for the emnity of the Kliges'chee towards individuals to be as built-in and automatic for the Kliges'chee as he felt that evil was in the nature of that baby hill giant.
On the other hand[]
There is the anger annd hatred with which the Kliges'chee regarded the Free Kliges'chee. the fact that the existance of Kliges'chee out-sidde of the mass mind seemed to anger the Kliges'chee so badly that one is forced to wonder - is there a sacred dcow in play?
I suspect there is. I suspect that the Kliges'chee knew that living withouth their mass minds was possible, but found the idea so alien, offesive and threatening that this is what prokoked the hostility of the civil war.
The Proper Kliges'chee were surprised. They weren't curious. they weren't scared. They were angry.
This suggests that the idea that the only proper way to arrange a sentient species is through a Kliges'chee like mass mind is a cultural bias.
Both[]
I think the proper answer for the question "Is the hatred of the Kliges'chee nature or nurture"? is both.
But in what mixture?