The Sword of Kahless
- "There is no greater weapon in our history. With the Sword of Kahless in my hand, I could face an entire fleet and win!"
The Sword of Kahless was the first bat'leth, forged by Kahless himself in the 9th century in order to slay the tyrant Molor, push back the Fek'Ihri to Gre'thor, skin the serpent of Xol and force his brother to return to the path of honor.
History[ | ]
Lore[ | ]
According to legend, Kahless and his lover Lady Lukara fought off 500 Fek'lhiri alone at the city of Qam-Chee after the city's garrison fled in fear. After the battle, Kahless knew he would need a mighty weapon to defeat Molor. His father's sword was lost, thrown into the sea by his treacherous brother Morath.
Kahless left Qam-Chee's defense to Lukara and went into the mountains. Deep in the wilderness, he reached the Kri'stak Volcano, where no Klingon had ever been. There: "at the volcano, Kahless cut a lock of his hair and plunged it into the river of molten rock. The hair burned, but then Kahless thrust it into the lake of Lusor and twisted it into a sword. That was the first bat'leth. The sword of honor."
Kahless used the sword to slay Molor and banish his spirit to Gre'thor where he remains imprisoned. ( “Destiny”)
Loss to the Hur'q[ | ]
After the death of the original Kahless, the sword became a revered artifact, held by the monks at Boreth. However the sword was taken by the Hur'q as spoils of war during their conquest of the Klingons in the 14th century.
In the 24th century, the sword was found at a Hur'q outpost in the Gamma Quadrant by Worf, Dax and Kor. Fearing its power in the wrong hands, they left it adrift in space rather than return it to Qo'noS. ("The Sword of Kahless", “Destiny”)
Return of the Sword[ | ]
Kahless with the Sword
By 2408 Emperor Kahless II, a clone of the original, sought a quest to prove himself. Worf, believing his sincerity, revealed the last known location of the sword to him. Kahless returned with the sword, hoping to prove himself to his people. ( “Destiny”)
With the return of the Fek'Ihri and Molor in 2409, there were members of the Klingon High Council who believed it was the work of the Hur'q, and claimed that the Sword of Kahless was essential to defend the empire. However, the Sword was stolen by the Fek'Ihri to be used to summon Molor to the real world. ( “Destiny”)
Kahless recovered the Sword at Boreth and used it to help defeat the Fek'Ihri and Molor. ( “Afterlife”)
Loss to the Iconians[ | ]
The Emperor wielded the weapon in battle against the Iconians. With its blade, and the assistance of House Pegh and Alliance forces, he managed to maim T'Ket - the first time an Iconian had been seen to have been injured.
The Sword on display in T'Ket's "Trophy Room"
However, Kahless was subsequently killed and the sword left behind by the rapidly withdrawing Alliance forces. ( “House Pegh”)
Recovery[ | ]
In a bid to inspire the Klingon Empire to join the fight against the newly-reemerged Hur'q, Grand Nagus Rom organizes a group of Ferengi to execute a covert raid on T'Ket's flagship and steal back the sword; the mission is a success and the sword is presented to Grilka of the House of Martok. ( “Quark's Lucky Seven”)
It is also found out that the sword is made out of a Hur'q carapace over four thousand years old. The radiation detected on it helps Julian Bashir identify Havas-Kul as the Hur'q homeworld. ( “Quark's Lucky Seven”)
Using the sword, Martok manages to rally the Klingon fleet to the Alliance's aid at
The Klingon Civil War[ | ]
Martok continues wielding the sword during his subsequent appearances, beginning with the Klingon Civil War. ( “The Centre Cannot Hold”, “The Khitomer Discord”, “Partisans”, “Knowledge is Power”, “Leap of Faith”, “A Day Long Remembered”).
While undertaking trials on Boreth, J’Ula experiences a vision where an unknown figure wields the Sword of Kahless and unites the Klingon Empire. The figure is later reborn as a clone of Chancellor L'Rell ( “Knowledge is Power”, “Leap of Faith”).
Martok hands the Sword to L'Rell before retreating to the Rotarran.
During the final battle of Qo'noS, Aakar wounds Martok from behind at the courtyard outside the Great Hall, which forces him to retreat back to the Rotarran, but not before handing the Sword to L'Rell. J'Ula mortally wounds J'mpok just as Aakar is killed by an Alliance captain. But before he could make good on his threat to set off a hydro bomb, his hand is cut off by L'Rell, wielding the Sword of Kahless, and J'Ula delivers the killing blow. J'Ula declines the Sword and passes the Chancellorship to L'Rell following that.
Missions involved[ | ]
Martok rallying Klingon forces with the sword
“Destiny”: Members on the High Council believe the sword is necessary to defeat the Fek'Ihri return. The player talks to the Lore Singers and Worf about the sword who tell them that Kahless has recovered the sword. However, went the player meets Kahless, the sword has been stolen again by the Fek'Ihri who intend to use it to summon Molor.- “Afterlife”: The player helps Kahless recover the sword at Boreth. Kahless aids the player with the sword as they travel to Gre'thor. The blade is used to help defeat Molor and the player is given the Shard Sword of Kahless as a reward.
“House Pegh”: After Kahless is slain by the Iconians, the sword is abandoned by retreating Alliance forces, leaving it in Iconian hands.- “Quark's Lucky Seven”: Rom asks Quark to put together a team to retrieve the sword from T'Ket's possession. Knowing that Brunt will try to deceive them, Quark and Rom come up with a treacherous plan to fake the sword being stolen by Leck after its retrieval, when in fact, they give it to Grilka of the House of Martok after the mission is completed.
Martok wields the Sword throughout the Klingon Civil War.
- “Home”: Martok uses the Sword to rally the fleet into joining the defense of Empersa.
- “The Centre Cannot Hold” Martok uses the Sword to aid the player in the defeat of House Mo'Kai and Klingon Rebel forces after J'Ula's meeting at the Great Hall with the Klingon High Council.
- “The Khitomer Discord”: Martok wields the Sword during the battle on Khitomer against J'Ula, Aakar, House Mo'Kai and J'mpok's forces.
- “Partisans”: Martok wields the Sword to aid the player against J'mpok's and Madran's forces in the bar and arena of Shangdu on Nimbus III, and later during battles with J'mpok's and Aakar's forces in the arena of the Gorath System.
The Sword of Kahless in J'Ula's vision.
- “Knowledge is Power”: Martok wields the Sword when fighting KDF forces by J’mpok and Aakar on Boreth while J’Ula undertakes several trials. One of the trials J’Ula faces has Kahless the Unforgettable using the Sword in an honor duel against her. Later in a vision she experiences, the Sword is wielded by an unknown figure using it to unite the Klingon Empire. Tenavik took them to the cloning chamber to make the vision a reality by bringing a clone of Chancellor L'Rell to life.
- “Leap of Faith”: Martok wields the Sword during the trip to Gre'thor, fighting the Fek'Ihri and the souls that come after him, the player, J’Ula and L’Rell. In addition, L’Rell acknowledges his accomplishments and his worth in wielding the Sword of Kahless.
J'Ula passes the Chancellorship to L'Rell.
- “A Day Long Remembered”: Martok wields the Sword as he battles ground forces with the player, J'Ula and L'Rell during the final battle of Qo'noS. Aakar wounds him from behind at the courtyard, which forces him to retreat back to the Rotarran, but not before handing the Sword to L'Rell. As the player kills Aakar, J'Ula mortally wounds J'mpok. But before he could make good on his threat to set off a hydro bomb, his hand is cut off by L'Rell, wielding the Sword of Kahless, and J'Ula delivers the killing blow. J'Ula passes the Sword and the Chancellorship to L'Rell following that.
Missions formerly involved[ | ]
- “The Gates of Gre'thor”: The blade is used to help defeat the Fek'Ihri, and the player is given the Shard Sword of Kahless as a reward.
Notes[ | ]
- The model of the Sword and the melee weapon based upon it were updated with the Victory is Life expansion to more closely match the appearance of the weapon in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
External links[ | ]
- Sword of Kahless at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki.
- Sword of Kahless at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek Wiki.