K'Temoc

responsive to ritual authority militant prideful rigidly honour‑bound

K'Temoc commands the eighty‑year‑lost Klingon battlecruiser T'Ong and functions as an immediate antagonist whose actions force the Enterprise crew into a cultural and tactical crisis. Named in the ship's library records and invoked by K'Ehleyr as a captain who would scuttle a disabled vessel rather than surrender, he appears on the T'Ong's bridge during the intercept. He opens fire under claimed standing orders, challenges Worf's authority, then recoils and yields when Worf leverages Klingon ritual authority and shame by appearing in full regalia. The yield averts bloodshed: K'Temoc orders shields lowered and accepts escort. His presence dramatizes Klingon honor‑driven doctrine, catalyzes Worf's first decisive command moment, and resolves the confrontation through cultural leverage rather than force.

5 appearances

Klingon Naval Command

Also known as: Captain of the T'Ong, K'Temoc, Captain K'Temoc, K Temoc, K'TEMOC

K'Temoc's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

5 moments

S2E20 · The Emissary

Unfinished Business — Taunt and Tactical Shutdown

Not present in scene; his 'state' is inferred as remote and directive — an unseen pressure shaping others' actions.

Referenced by Worf via the library computer as the named captain of the Klingon cruiser T'Ong; K'Temoc is not physically present but his identity functions as the immediate subject of …

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S2E20 · The Emissary

Sedation or Scuttle: The T'Ong Dilemma

Not physically present; represented as a severe, uncompromising force whose inferred ruthlessness increases command urgency.

Absent in person but actively invoked by K'Ehleyr as the likely captain who would rather scuttle his ship than accept disabling; his reputed behavior shapes command's assessment of risk.

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S2E20 · The Emissary

Crossing the Bow — Worf's Command by Shame

From belligerent conviction to stunned defensiveness and then resigned acquiescence under the pressure of ritual shame and perceived legitimacy.

K'Temoc, the T'Ong captain, decloaks and fires, then faces Worf's storm of cultural contempt and finally bows, ordering shields lowered and formally yielding command to Worf under Klingon ritual language.

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S2E20 · The Emissary

Worf's Klingon Command: Shame and Surrender

Confused and defensive at first, then shamed into acquiescence; pride grudgingly displaced by ritual obligation.

K'Temoc initially fires on the Enterprise, reacts with belligerent questioning when confronted, attempts to justify actions via standing orders, then publicly bows, orders shields lowered, and formally yields command to …

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S2E20 · The Emissary

Worf's Klingon Gambit — Command Without Blood

Embarrassed and humbled; pride and duty collide, producing reluctant capitulation when faced with ritualized disgrace and a clear cultural superior.

Captain K'Temoc appears on his bridge, initially belligerent and defensive—fires on the Enterprise under standing orders—but is visibly unsettled by Worf's ceremonial authority; ultimately bows, lowers shields, yields command and …

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