A bit of a random question, but biologically, how do the five human senses' abilities compare to the Klingon's equivalent fives senses (ie touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight)? Eg Do Klingons (on average) have a more acute sense of smell than humans?
asked Apr 16, 2014 at 0:40
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1"Do Klingons have a more acute sense of smell than humans?" Based on what they eat, I doubt it.– MorganCommented Apr 16, 2014 at 0:57
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5@Morgan: Just because your weak human olfactory system cannot handle the richness and strength of Klingon food doesn't mean that a proud Klingon warrior doesn't have a better sense of smell than you.– mu is too shortCommented Apr 16, 2014 at 1:13
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2That may be tough. In TNG 5x16 "Ethics" we learn that Klingon medicine is fairly primitive—the typical Klingon treatment for Worf’s back injury is to let the patient die.– MorganCommented Apr 16, 2014 at 1:14
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1Klingons are definitely more resilient than humans. They're stronger and built to handle much more abuse. I honestly can't think of anything in canon, though, stating anything about heightened senses (like the Ferengi with the ears, and Cardassians with the erogenous neck ridges) ....but I could be wrong. Good question!– user14952Commented Apr 16, 2014 at 1:39
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1@Morgan I know you're joking but Klingons prefer their food fresh which means it probably doesn't smell that much. Fresh fish, after all, is mostly odorless.– Brian OrtizCommented Apr 18, 2014 at 15:12
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3 Answers
When I was researching I found one website claiming that they have enhanced sense but I do not see where they got their information from :
http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Klingon
Klingons have enhanced senses. Three of them, acute taste, smell, and vision, are genetic, but the third, combat reflexes, is learned from childhood, and is therefore second nature to Klingons. They are larger than Terrans with a greater percentage of their body weight being muscle.
Another quote I found is from :
Klingon for the Galactic Traveler
The usual Federation Standard translations of the primary tastes ("pungent," "sour," "salty") are a little deceptive. From the Klingon point of view, it is not accurate to say that a particular food is sour; rather, it tastes and smells sour. That is, sourness is not an intrinsic quality of food; it is a perception, the effect the food has upon the sense of smell and taste, the Klingon sense of smell being particularly highly developed.
I also found that the Alpha Memory (Star Trek Wikia) states that Klingons have a type of sixth sense. They are able to sense if somebody has an intent to kill.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Klingon
Klingons such as Kurn had the instinctive ability to sense the decision to kill by looking into the eyes of their opponents. (DS9: "Sons of Mogh") Worf did not have this ability, probably due to the fact that he was raised by Humans on Earth.
It seems to me if these links and quotes are true, then Klingons would at least have a high sense of taste / smell, though I haven't found any evidence of them having enhanced vision.
answered Apr 16, 2014 at 1:01
In the episode Birthright, Part II, Worf teaches a young Klingon how to hunt, and during the hunt he shows the young Klingon how to track prey by scent. Since humans are not able to do this (at least for animals on Earth), this would imply that the Klingon sense of smell at least is heightened compared to humans.
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I do not believe humans incapable of this. However Klingons are presumably more apt to hone these skills in a seemingly endless effort to retain their primitive advantages (genetically, I am still left in doubt). +1 for your choice of acceptable cannon and train of thought.– MazuraCommented Dec 4, 2014 at 6:25
I suppose it's not cannon, but in Star Trek: Starfleet Command III, there is a conversation between human and Klingon starships about the colors used in a jointly-constructed starbase. The human complains that Klingons overuse the color brown to which the Klingon replies that human eyes are unnaturally attuned to the blue end of the spectrum. This would make sense if the Klingon star is cooler than Sol, but the Memory Alpha article for the Qo'noS system lists several different possibilities for the star. Epsilon Sagittarii is certainly hotter than Sol, but Omega Leonis would fit and likely cause the Klingons to be less able to see blue and able to see near-infrared colors.
