Koloth, son of Lasshar

You may be looking for the other Klingon captain, Koloth (Captain).

Koloth, son of Lasshar (died 2370) was a Klingon man who lived during the 23rd and 24th centuries. Koloth was considered to be one of the greatest Klingon warriors to have served the Klingon Empire.

Biography[]

23rd century[]

Koloth was a descendant of Klingons who had been infected with the augment disease in the mid 22nd century, and for the first part of his life had a Human-like appearance. (ENT episode: "Divergence")

By the year 2267, Koloth was the commanding officer of the D7-class battlecruiser IKS Gr'oth. During this year, his ship stopped at the Federation Deep Space Station K-7 after a six month mission patrolling the border between the Empire and the United Federation of Planets. Koloth requested shore leave rights on the space station, which were initially granted until Korax provoked a fight between Klingons and several crewmen from the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise. After a Klingon plot to sabotage a grain shipment to Sherman's Planet, Captain James T. Kirk ordered Koloth to leave Federation space within six hours. (TOS episode: "The Trouble with Tribbles"; DS9 episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations"; WizKids module: Attack Wing)

Soon after leaving the Space Station K-7, Koloth discovered that the Enterprise had beamed tribbles over to his ship. Unable to get rid of them, Koloth took his ship into battle against the Tholians. He was able to destroy two Tholian fighters before calling on his friend Kang to help him. Kang and his ship the IKS SuvwI' protected the Gr'oth and beamed its crew aboard before Koloth set the self-destruct to destroy his ship and the tribbles that it carried. (TOS - Strange New Worlds 9 short story: "A Bad Day for Koloth")

In 2269, Koloth - now in command of the IKS Devisor - was sent in pursuit of Cyrano Jones after Jones stole a Klingon glommer, a organism genetically engineered to kill and eat tribbles. Captain James T. Kirk convinced Jones to turn the glommer back over to the Klingons. The Devisor was infested with tribbles during this incident, but this time Koloth was able to take care of the problem himself, without destroying his ship. (TAS episode: "More Tribbles, More Troubles") Later that year, Koloth was one of three Klingon captains to investigate disturbances at the dilithium mine at Beta Thoridar. Koloth instructed his first officer, Korax, to assist the mine's engineers in repairing the mine's atmospheric domes, which had been damaged during a worker riot. (ST - Seven Deadly Sins novella: The Unhappy Ones)

In 2270, Koloth met with Kor on a ruined planet to discuss allying with the Romulan Star Empire following the dissolution of the Organian Peace Treaty. (TOS - Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment comic: "Part 5")

Koloth took command of a fleet (aboard a new IKS Gr'oth) and led it in The Great Tribble Hunt. This quest took eight months, after which Koloth reported his success to the High Command. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years)

A second IKS Gro'th is speculation, based on the loss of the original vessel in A Bad Day for Koloth and the existence of a subsequent vessel, the IKV Gr'oth. Federation: The First 150 Years specifically mentions Koloth's hunt vessel as the IKS Gr'oth.

Shortly afterward Koloth was administered with the cure to the augment disease which had spread through the Klingon Empire. This, however, cost him his ship as the IKS Devisor was destroyed as a result of the contagium by the Klingon Defense Force. (TOS novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire)

In 2289, Koloth served as a negotiator for the Empire. One of the diplomats he met with was Curzon Dax, who called him ice man because Koloth would reject any proposal, no matter how beneficial it was for the Empire. The two men did eventually become friends. During this time the Empire sent Koloth, Kang, Kor to capture a man known as the Albino after he had committed a number of crimes against the Empire. The Albino escaped; however, he infected the first born sons of Koloth, Kor, and Kang with a genetic disease. The three children died shortly afterwards. As a result, the three Klingons and Curzon Dax swore a blood oath to kill the Albino for this act. (TOS novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire)

24th century[]

It would be over 80 years before the blood oath was finally fulfilled during an assault on the Albino's compound on Secarus IV in 2370. Koloth died while fighting the Albino's forces. Kang was himself fatally wounded, but was able to kill the Albino before he died. (DS9 episode: "Blood Oath")

Koloth and Kang were honored with the Quv van je tay ceremony after their deaths. (DS9 comic: "Remembrance")

Alternate timeline[]

In an alternate timeline in which the poisoning of the quadrotriticale was never discovered, Sherman's Planet was ceded to the Klingon Empire in 2268 after the Federation abandoned the planet. Koloth became the planetary governor.

By 2366, he was the Klingon special envoy to the Federation and was stationed in Paris, France. In that year, the Federation News Service reporter Marta Jensen interviewed him following the death of former Federation President Nilz Baris. (ST - Myriad Universes novella: Honor in the Night)

Service record[]

location	position	rank	dates
IKS D'k Tahg	second officer	officer	until 2266
	executive officer		2266
	commanding officer		2266
IKS Gr'oth		captain	until 2268
IKS Devisor			2270s
IKS Gal'tagh			2280s-2290

Appendices[]

Connections[]

IKS Gr'oth personnel
Bel'kor • Gamrel • Gella • Grotok • Kerleth • Kestel • Koloth • Kor • Korax • Ro'suv • Valara • Varozh • Vasak • Zhokarn • Zhukov

Background[]

Two different versions of Koloth's House/Linename have been published in licensed works: In the TOS novel: Rules of Engagement it was given as Koloth vestai-Lasshar, and reflected his social status at the time of his captaincy (late 2260s); the FASA RPG module: The Dixie Gambit, set in 2223 SFC(~2285 standard timeline), names him as Koloth zantai-Rahanz. The difference in the Klingonaase honorifics "vestai" and "zantai" can be attributed to the differing timeframes (by 2370, he would certainly be referred to as "epetai"). The difference in linename was not explained, although other Klingons, like Worf or Krenn, have been taken in by lines other than their original family. It is possible that Koloth's old line was dissolved, and it is also possible that Koloth joined another line or started his own. In the short story "The Unhappy Ones", Koloth is identified as the 'son of Lasshar'.