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General Chang is a fictional character from the Star Trek fictional universe, portrayed by Christopher Plummer as the central antagonist in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a feature film released in 1991.[1]
| Chang | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek character | |
 Christopher Plummer as General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | |
| Portrayed by | Christopher Plummer |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Klingon |
| Affiliation | Klingon Empire |
| Position | Chief of staff to Chancellor Gorkon |
| Rank | General |
In The Undiscovered Country, Chang is Chancellor Gorkon's chief of staff, and subsequently serves Chancellor Azetbur in 2293. He is depicted as being a fan of William Shakespeare, whom he quotes frequently, much to the chagrin of the Enterprise crew. The character is almost completely bald, a trait not seen among Klingons before the release of Star Trek VI.
Plummer's depiction of this character has been praised in the Star Trek franchise.[2]
Overview edit
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In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Chang is a well-known Klingon general who believes that "in space all warriors are cold warriors." Throughout the film he is often depicted as fierce, cunning and willing to participate in battles personally. Chang has a deep-seated hatred for the United Federation of Planets and believes that a war with them is inevitable.
As a result, in the events described in the video game Star Trek: Klingon Academy, he creates a simulated campaign against the Federation and uses it to train students at an Academy for future starship commanders. This hatred eventually leads him to participate in a conspiracy to thwart plans for a lasting peace between his people and the Federation.
Between the years of 2291 and 2293 in the Star Trek universe, the general plays a key role in two violent Klingon power struggles. The first is when a Klingon named Kalnor leads an unsuccessful coup to depose the current Chancellor. Chang attacks and cripples Kalnor's ship, but he does not destroy it. Instead, he beams himself aboard the enemy vessel and challenges Kalnor to single combat in front of his men. Chang kills Kalnor but loses his left eye in the fight. This results in the eyepatch that he is seen wearing in The Undiscovered Country.
The second conflict breaks out after the Chancellor dies. Kalnor's brother, Melkor, blocks the accession of Gorkon, the former chief of staff who is the legitimate successor. Melkor declares himself emperor and touches off a brutal civil war that has devastating consequences for the Klingon Empire, largely due to the usurper's treacherous and cowardly tactics. At one point, Melkor has a whole star system destroyed, rather than surrendering it. He also has help from the Romulan Star Empire, another major power.
Chang fights Melkor, but he doesn't support Gorkon. The two men are friends, but the general is wary of Gorkon's desire for lasting peace with the Federation. As a result, Chang hopes to keep Gorkon from becoming the next leader of the Klingon Empire. However, Chang is eventually forced to accept help from Gorkon's forces. This leads to a key victory against Melkor and his Romulan allies. It also means that Chang was honour-bound to accept Gorkon as the new Klingon leader.
Melkor is not finished. His supporters try to trick Chang into thinking the Federation was invading. When the ruse is discovered, Chang had to make a choice: fight the fight he has waited for his whole life, or defend his people against the threat Melkor posed. He chooses the latter, and Melkor is finally killed.
During the events depicted in The Undiscovered Country, the Klingon Empire faces a momentous ecological disaster in 2293, when its key energy facility explodes and pollutes the homeworld's atmosphere. This crisis has the potential to put an end to the Klingon Empire. Chang's worst fears come to life when Gorkon turns to the Federation for help. The Klingon Chancellor proposes putting an end to the cold war between the two powers and dismantling several outposts in the neutral zone between both powers. Rather than see this happen, Chang joins a secret conspiracy (which would be known as the Khitomer conspiracy) of Klingon, Federation and Romulan officials to stop the peace process by any means necessary.
The first step involves the creation of a secret warship (a Bird of Prey) with a unique ability; unlike other Klingon warships, it can fire its weapons while its cloaking device is enabled. As Gorkon's new chief of staff, Chang accompanies the Chancellor and his daughter, Azetbur, to meet with the Federation President. They are escorted through Federation space by the USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. An admirer of Kirk, Chang meets him when Chang and his entourage are invited aboard the Enterprise for dinner. The Klingon general greets Kirk as a "fellow warrior". During the dinner, Chang inadvertently paraphrases Adolf Hitler with a comment about "breathing room", which Kirk notes.
After the Klingons return to their ship, the conspirators struck. The modified Bird of Prey, which is invisible and near the Enterprise, attacks Gorkon's ship. This made the situation look as though the Federation ship is to blame. Then, two Starfleet conspirators beam aboard Gorkon's ship, mortally wound the Chancellor and kill several other Klingons.
Chang accuses Kirk of attacking them and then tries to launch a "counterattack" with Gorkon's ship. But instead, Kirk surrenders, and both he and the ship's doctor Leonard McCoy beam aboard Gorkon's ship. Despite McCoy's efforts, Gorkon dies and Chang arrests them both. (Despite his role in orchestrating Gorkon's death, Chang seems genuinely affected by the death of his former comrade.)
Gorkon's assassination is not enough to derail the peace process. The Federation President and Azetbur (who is the new Klingon Chancellor) are both determined to continue with this. The next meeting is set to take place at a neutral site, Camp Khitomer. The conspirators start to make plans to kill their next target: the Federation President. Meanwhile, Kirk and McCoy stand trial for Gorkon's assassination. Chang prosecutes them both and succeeds in having them found guilty. However, the judge commutes a death sentence and sends them both to the penal asteroid Rura Penthe.
Not satisfied with this, Chang orders the commandant of Rura Penthe to make sure Kirk and McCoy are killed during an escape attempt. However, Kirk and McCoy's escape succeeds. Kirk and McCoy are rescued by Enterprise. Knowing that his enemy will find out where the peace conference is, Chang takes the modified Bird of Prey to Khitomer to wait for him.
The Enterprise arrives as Chang has predicted, and it makes an attempt to enter Khitomer's orbit. Chang teases Kirk and his crew with Shakespearean quotations while hiding from enemy fire in his invisible ship. The Enterprise sustains significant damage as a result of the Bird of Prey's relentless torpedo bombardment. The Excelsior, a different Federation spacecraft, arrives to assist, but Chang just opens fire at it as well. Chang believes that victory is quite close. The Enterprise and its ally ship are on the verge of destruction.
The Enterprise launches a torpedo out of nowhere. Chang is shocked to find that the torpedo has successfully targeted his ostensibly invisible battleship. The Enterprise has discovered a means to track Chang's ship's exhaust in order to find it. When a gas-sampling torpedo strikes, it kills Chang and his bridge crew. The Bird of Prey is destroyed by the Enterprise and Excelsior. Chang's final Shakespearean citation, "To be, or not to be," is spoken after he has realized he has been defeated. After that, members of the Enterprise crew are able to travel to Khitomer and thwart the plotters' attempt to assassinate the Federation President. Exactly what Chang was attempting to stop happened as a result of the conference, which brought about a peace that lasts nearly a century.
Development edit
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
The Chang makeup originally included a wig appliance. However, Christopher Plummer[3] felt removing the wig has made the character more distinct. He also asked that Chang's Klingon makeup be made less severe. Chang's attire is also unique in that an apparent eye injury is disguised with a metal eyepatch, which is attached directly to his skull by bolts bearing the Klingon emblem. Later depictions of Klingons with eye injuries, such as Deep Space Nine's Martok, had them flaunting their mutilations as battle scars.
Reception edit
In 2013, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Chang the 9th best villain of the Star Trek franchise, praising the performance of actor Christopher Plummer.[4]
Time magazine rated General Chang the second best villain of the Star Trek franchise in 2016.[5] In 2019, SyFy rated General Chang as the 8th greatest Klingon of the Star Trek franchise.[2] In particular they note Plummer's brilliant delivery of lines, and an exceptional Klingon court scene with Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner) and Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley).[2]
Plummer reprised the role in the computer game Star Trek: Klingon Academy (2000), where Chang gives the player's missions Shakespearean names.[6][7]
See also edit
- Errand of Mercy (a television episode which aired in March 1967, introducing the Klingon aliens in Star Trek)
- Shakespeare and Star Trek
- The Klingon Hamlet
References edit
- ^ Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - IMDb, retrieved October 21, 2023
- ^ a b c Silliman, Brian (March 6, 2019). "IT IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE: RANKING THE TOP TEN KLINGONS IN ALL OF STAR TREK". Syfy.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "Christopher Plummer | Actor, Producer, Music Department". IMDb. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 16, 2013). "The Top 10 'Star Trek' Villains". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "Star Trek's 10 Most Villainous Villains". Time. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Washington, Kevin (September 11, 2000). "'Klingon Academy' teaches art of war". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ "Star Trek: Klingon Academy - IGN". IGN. June 24, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2020.