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Starfleet is to the Federation as what is to the Klingon Empire? I'm looking for the organisation that the Klingon Empire has which serves a similar function to Starfleet. I thought perhaps the Klingon Defence Force, but they seem to be a very militaristic organisation (that being said, what isn't militaristic about the Klingons...) whereas Starfleet, in addition to their militaristic role, also has roles in exploring and contacting new life. So, what is the Klingon Empires' equivalent of Starfleet?

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    Do the Klingons do much exploring? Have we ever even met a Klingon scientist?
    – Daft
    Sep 17, 2015 at 6:46
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    @Daft: yes. scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/79501/… to the second part Sep 17, 2015 at 6:48
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    In short, there's no equivalent. The Klingons just don't need a body whose chief purpose is exploration and peacekeeping. Sep 17, 2015 at 6:50
  • Lacking a more complete answer in the last eight hours, and having received two upvotes, I guess I'll convert to an answer. Sep 17, 2015 at 15:02
  • Although I cannot think of any examples in the shows or movies off the top of my head, it is reasonable to assume that there are other non-Klingon races that are part of the Klingon Empire. More than likely these races would make up the bulk of any scientific or exploratory sectors in Klingon society. As for why we never see them, who knows. Perhaps the Klingons keep them chained up in the back of their Bird-of-Preys. For good measure: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/8153/…
    – Xantec
    Sep 17, 2015 at 21:50

1 Answer 1

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In short, no, there's no direct Klingon equivalent of Starfleet

...that is, if you believe that Starfleet is an exploration and peacekeeping force exclusively. This is what they claim.

But they are significant arguments that Starfleet is also a military organization:

Is Starfleet a military or civilian organization?

So it depends if you go by what Starfleet says it is, or what role(s) it actually performs.

If you consider Starfleet's military role to be signficant, then the Klingon equivalent is The Klingon Defense Force.

With regard to the peacekeeping: To the extent this is possibly a euphemism for military, then the Klingons would say the KDF performs that function. (You can keep the peace by brute force, occupation and annexation.)

With regard to exploration: There appears to be no body performing strict exploration, although, for example, KDF ships do go through the wormhole in DS9. One may be able to argue about whether the exploration is for the purpose of military advancement or not, and whether it counts as exploration for the purpose of exploration or not if the motivation is military.

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    This is a solid answer. +1
    – Praxis
    Sep 17, 2015 at 16:43
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    Feels like they should really call it the Klingon Attack Force. Aug 5, 2016 at 18:41
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    There's a longstanding history of Defense being used as a euphemism for Military. What do you think DOD is? cf. US Department of War existed for 158 years before being renamed the Department of Defense, which has now existed for 69 years. Aug 5, 2016 at 21:46

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