tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 02 15:38:41 1997

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RE: KLBC: Words for assassin & blade

[email protected] on behalf of Jim LeMaster wrote:

> > I see no reason to assume that Klingon assassins are viewed as having no
> > honor.  In fact, I seem to remember some source explaining that an 
assassin
> > (giving his target the chance to die honorably) is a respected figure in
> > Klingon culture.  (Anyone know where I'm remembering this from?)
> I would beg to differ on this one.  In the ST:TNG episode where Picard
> is to
> officiate the new member of the High Council.  There is a line (unless
> I'm totally
> mis-remembering, which *IS* a posibility) where the old member reveals
> that he is
> dying of a slow acting poison in his blood-wine. "Poison or an
> assassin's blade in 
> the back is not the way of honorable warriors!" is the line that sticks
> in my head.

Poison or a knife in the back are not the only ways to assassinate someone.  
If you want a scene from Star Trek, consider the assassins who tried to kill 
Kurn, who was acting as Worf's cha'DIch.

> > I see no reason to assume that an assassin must rely on shadows.  
> 
> The image I'm going for is "battle in broad daylight" = honorable fights
> where battle in the shadows 
> is less than honorable.  Cloak * dagger warfare on Earth is often
> discribed as "war in the shadows".
> However, if the image doesn't track, it's probably useless.

What I mean is that an assassin might use shadows to hide until his prey comes 
close, rather like a Bird of Prey with a cloaking device does in a war.  You 
cannot assassinate someone in full view of the world, but there's no reason to 
think that once you've tricked your victim into walking down that shadowy 
alley, that you wouldn't reveal yourself and attack.  Perfectly honorable.

However, just like the Bird of Prey, which is not called a "Cloaking Device 
Vessel," I don't think a Klingon assassin would be called a "shadow warrior."

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97419.7

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