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The bat'leth is a curved ceremonial long-sword with handholds on the back. It was created by Star Trek: The Next Generation visual effects producer, Dan Curry, for the Star Trek franchise. It is mainly used within canon by the Klingons, a race in the franchise. It is considered an iconic image of Star Trek and replicas are widely available online as collectibles and as a part of costuming; they have also been used in crimes.
History
A bat'leth consists of a curved blade with spiked protrusions at both ends and with handholds along the centre of the blade's back, and is approximately five feet long. The handholds are used to twist and spin the blade rapidly; the weapon can be used with either one or both hands.
Dan Curry created the bat'leth for Michael Dorn's Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Worf in 1990. He based it on the concept of a "Chinese fighting crescent". A martial artist, Curry also developed an initial fighting style similar to t'ai chi for the use of the weapon. In 1995, he developed a smaller version of the bat'leth, the "mek'leth", for Dorn to use when the Worf character was added to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He based this on a Northern Tibetan cavalry sword. Mek'leths are intended for one-handed use and are said to be in the shape of a scimitar and about half the length of the full-size bat'leth.
Canon
According to Star Trek canon, the Klingon Kahless created the first bat'leth around 625 A.D. Klingon mythology holds that he formed the blade by dropping a length of his hair into some lava from inside the Kri'stak Volcano, then cooling, shaping, and hardening it in the lake of Lursor. He then united Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld, by killing a tyrant named Molor with the weapon, which became known as the "Sword of Kahless". The sword was later stolen by a species called the Hur'q during their invasion of Qo'noS. In the Deep Space Nine episode, "The Sword of Kahless", Worf and another Klingon named Kor rediscovered the artifact, but it was eventually transported into space to prevent them from using it to attack each other.
In the Klingon language the bat'leth was originally referred to as batlh'etlh, then also shortened to betleH. The word "bat'leth" translates as "Sword of Honour" in the Klingon language. In Star Trek canon, bat'leths are made of a reinforced metal called baakonite.
The bat'leth appeared in 29 television episodes across the Star Trek franchise and was also used in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations. In addition to the Deep Space Nine television series, the mek'leth appears in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact. Some of the bat'leth's notable usages were in the episode "Reunion", where Worf taught his son, Alexander how to use a bat'leth and used one to kill Duras, another Klingon who had killed Worf's mate, K'Ehleyr.
In popular culture
The bat'leth is considered to have become one of the iconic images of Star Trek. Replicas are widespread and are considered collectables by some and are sold from a number of outlets ranging from replica merchants to weapons dealers to pawn shops. Among those who display one is Ronald D. Moore, who has worked on both Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica in his office. However, due to the dangers of real bat'leths, there are no official or licenced replica versions of the weapon from either Curry or Paramount Pictures.
The rise in popularity of the bat'leth have also led to martial arts teams being founded to try to develop a distinct martial art, different from the one Curry initially developed, using the bat'leth. Such teams have incorporated moves from ju-jitsu, kendo, kinjitsu, and nunchuku martial arts. Bat'leth competitions have also been held at conventions such as MileHiCon and StarCon.
Bat'leths have also appeared in television programmes outside the Star Trek franchise. In 2002, it was seen in "The Other Guys" episode of the Canadian and American military science fiction programme Stargate SG-1. In 2005, a bat'leth was in the background of the "Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra" episode of the American detective programme Monk. In 2010 a bat'leth was seen in the "Chuck Versus the Beard" episode of American comedy Chuck. In 2011, a bat'leth was used in the "The Zarnecki Incursion" episode of American situation comedy, The Big Bang Theory.
Legality
Replicas of the bat'leth are often made of metal and can be considered dangerous. A stainless steel bat'leth was once said to be able to "literally, take someone's head off" by a police spokesman. However, bat'leths are also considered to be a kind of martial arts sword, which could be seen to tie in to Dan Curry's work in martial arts in films. Media reports documenting instances of replica bat'leths being used in alleged crimes have referred to the weapon as a "double-pointed Klingon crescent-shaped sword", a "Klingon-type sword", a "Star Trek Klingon-type sword" or as a "double-pointed scimitar".
In the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, bat'leths are not illegal to possess on private property; however, they are liable to be seized if they are considered to be "potential evidence of a criminal lifestyle" They are classed as weapons, which makes them illegal to carry in a public place.
A replica bat'leth was among the blades surrendered to Gloucestershire Constabulary as part of the 2006 knife amnesty in the United Kingdom. In 2008, a miniature version of the bat'leth was seized in Oxford, Oxfordshire after a 17-year-old was caught trying to smuggle it into Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. The miniature bat'leth was described as "most horrendous" by police. The person was arrested and sentenced to six months in a young offenders' institution. In 2009, a man from Billingham, County Durham was arrested for possession of a miniature bat'leth in a public street. In the court documents, it was referred to as a "multi-bladed sword", and the judge said "I've never seen anything like it in my life before." The accused pled guilty in Teesside Crown Court, and he was later sentenced to thirteen weeks in prison. The court ordered that the bat'leth was to be forfeited and destroyed. Also in the UK, a custom-made bat'leth was seized in 2009 in Accrington, Lancashire.
In the United States
The legality of bat'leths in the United States differs from state to state. A "replica bat'leth" was used in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in two 7-Eleven armed robberies in 2009. The Colorado Springs Police Department opined that it was a "deadly weapon", just like a gun or knife. In New Jersey, bat'leths are also considered weapons and are liable to be seized. A bat'leth was discovered and seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with a cache of other weapons as part of a $4 million Medicare fraud investigation in New Jersey in 2010.
References
- ^ Sullivan, Mike (2007-08-03). "Star Trek blade seized". The Sun. London. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- ^ "'Star Trek' - Klingon Weapons, Honour, Pain and Sex". BBC. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- ^ Okuda, Mike and Denise Okuda, with Debbie Mirek (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Poe, Stephen Edward (1998). Star Trek Voyager: A Vision of the Future. New York: Pocket Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-671-53481-3.
- ^ "Visual Effects Artist Dan Curry Talks About Time With Star Trek & Designing The Bat'leth". TrekMovie.com. April 18, 2011. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Poe, p. 13.
- ^ "mekleth", Star Trek Encylopedia.
-
Directed by LeVar Burton (20 November 1995). "The Sword of Kahless". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Episode 9.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|seriesno=ignored (|series-number=suggested) (help) - "Klingon Weapons". Coldnorth.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- "Baakonite", Star Trek Encyclopedia.
- Anderson, Dayan (February 2010). "Mining and sustainable development in a 'Star Trek' universe". SME News: 54.
-
Directed by Jonathan Frakes (5 November 1990). "Reunion". Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode 7.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|seriesno=ignored (|series-number=suggested) (help) - Bragg, Mary Rae (2009-05-31). "Surely, you joust". Telegraph-Herald (archived at Highbeam). Dubuque, Iowa. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ Benzel, Lance (2009-02-04). "Where no Klingon has gone before". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- Hodgman, John (2005-07-17). "Ron Moore's Deep Space Journey". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ Lightfoot, Garth (2009-10-08). "Billingham man found with Star Trek Klingon sword". Gazette Live. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- "WHAT IS the Vulcan Undiplomatic Corp?". Vulcan Undiplomatic Corp Bat'leth Martial Arts Team. 2002. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
- "Want to join the VUC?". Vulcan Undiplomatic Corp Bat'leth Martial Arts Team. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
- "The Other Guys (2002) - Trivia". IMDB. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- "Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra (2005) - Trivia". IMDB. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- "Memorable quotes for "The Big Bang Theory" The Zarnecki Incursion (2011)". IMDB. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Lethal Star Trek blade seized in knives amnesty". Daily Mail. London. 2006-05-25. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ "Pic Shows Man Robbing Stores With Klingon Sword: Clerks Recognize Sword As 'Bat'leth'". ABC News, Denver. 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- Nicholson, Kieran (2010-09-14). ""Star Trek" sword boldly used in thefts". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- "Man holds up store with Star Trek weapon". Metro. 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- ^ "Klingon sword seized in Accrington police raids". This Is Lancashire. 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
- Levy, Andrew (2011-07-13). "Meat cleavers, bayonets and axes: The weapons seized from children as young as six at school". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- "Knifeman jailed". Evening Gazette. October 28, 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- Pascale, Anthony (2009-02-04). "Man Wielding Bat'leth Robs 2 Colorado 7-11s UPDATE: Surveillance Cam Image". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- Suderman, Peter (2011-09-13). "Medicare Thieves". Reason.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- Coughlin, Brett (January 25, 2011). "Medicare fraud-busters' Star Trek turn". Politico.Com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
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