Starfleet's Close Encounters with Qo'noS

Under the guise of returning a recently unearthed artifact to the Klingon homeworld, Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler dropped by Qo'noS on a mission to analyze a dimensional hole that had opened up in Klingon space in ' "." While there, they immersed themselves in the complexities of Klingon culture as they aided old friend Ma'ah in his quest to regain his captaincy.

As always, Qo'noS proved to be a wondrous place brimming with ceremony and intrigue, and the Starfleet officers' visit continued the long tradition of crew members who had traveled to the planet over the centuries.

Join us as we head back to the beginning of Federation-Klingon relations and reflect on Starfleet's key run-ins with Qo'noS.

Captain Archer's First Encounter in 's ""

On the Enterprise NX-01's earliest deep space assignment, Captain Jonathan Archer was tasked with ferrying the wounded Klingon warrior Klaang to Qo'noS. Suliban agents from the genetically-altered Cabal had other plans in mind, relentlessly pursuing Enterprise until they could take Klaang into custody. Archer and Charles "Trip" Tucker managed to rescue Klaang from the Suliban, who had been staging attacks within the Klingon Empire to pit various factions against one another.

Under orders from the future, the Suliban wanted to throw the Empire into chaos on what turned out to be a front in the Temporal Cold War. Klaang carried evidence of the Suliban conspiracy within his blood, so Archer's delivery of the warrior to Qo'noS stabilized the Empire and gave Starfleet its first glance at the Klingon homeworld.

The Federation Targets Qo'noS in 's "Will You Take My Hand?"

With a Klingon fleet approaching Earth, Michael Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery relied on intelligence provided by Ash Tyler, formerly the Klingon known as Voq, to plot a way to release a drone into the dormant volcanic system beneath the surface of Qo'noS. The drone would map the planet and identify military targets for an overwhelming strike designed to force the Klingon armada to retreat back to their homeworld.

It wasn't until after Burnham's team landed on Qo'noS that she realized Starfleet had quietly sanctioned Emperor Georgiou to drop a hydrobomb into the very active volcanic system and unleash an apocalyptic event that would render the planet uninhabitable. Burnham challenged her superiors' scheme, convincing them to reverse course and give L'Rell the power to use the bomb to convince the Klingons to stand down.

Section 31 Infiltrates the System in Star Trek: Discovery's ""

Ash Tyler supported Chancellor L'Rell as she announced a fresh line of D7-class starships before Kol-Sha and other Klingon leaders on Qo'noS. Kol-Sha, the father of Voq's adversary Kol, lured U.S.S. Discovery's former chief of security and L'Rell into an ambush.

Fortunately for them, newfound Section 31 operative (and ex-Terran Emperor) Philippa Georgiou was on hand to intervene, preventing Kol-Sha from killing Tyler, L'Rell, and their baby. Aware that he must leave Qo'noS, Tyler chose to follow Georgiou's lead and serve the Federation's interests once more, this time as a member of the shadowy organization. Tyler and Georgiou escaped from the planet aboard Captain Leland's Section 31 ship, ready to make their mark on the galaxy.

The Fall of Praxis in

Captain Sulu received a glimpse into the Qo'noS system via the U.S.S. Excelsior's sensors when a mining explosion devastated the moon of Praxis. The vast majority of the moon was blown away, resulting in a deadly pollution of the Klingon homeworld's ozone that would cause them to deplete the planet's oxygen supply in approximately 50 years.

As horrific as the accident was, it opened the door for new dialogue between the Federation and Klingon Empire. The two governments needed to overcome trying times in the coming days, including the death of Chancellor Gorkon and the associated life sentence handed down to Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy, but the Khitomer Conference eventually succeeded in bringing about an era of peace between the interstellar powers.

A Family's Honor in 's ""

The stunning reveal that Worf's brother Kurn was still alive was accompanied by the equally shocking information that the Klingon High Council had judged their deceased father, Mogh, to be a traitor to the Empire. His father charged with being complicit in the Romulan attack on the Khitomer Outpost, Worf traveled to Qo'noS and issued a challenge before Chancellor K'mpec.

An investigation conducted by Worf and Captain Jean-Luc Picard uncovered a surprising truth — Ja'rod, the father of Duras, was the true culprit! The Council had concealed this fact to prevent a civil war, but in order to preserve Kurn's life, Worf accepted discommendation and was deemed to be the son of a traitor. However, that would not be the end of his family's story…

A Prelude to Civil War in Star Trek: The Next Generation's ""

The U.S.S. Enterprise-D carried Captain Picard to Qo'noS to participate in the ceremony installing Gowron as the High Council's new leader, but Gowron disclosed that — Lursa and B'Etor — had been amassing support to seize power. Toral, the son of Duras, challenged Gowron's ascension, and Lursa and B'Etor invited Picard to the surface in a bid to influence his assessment of Toral's claim.

Meanwhile, Worf had arranged for Kurn to back Gowron in exchange for restoring the House of Mogh's family honor. Worf and Kurn collaborated with Gowron to repel an attack by ships loyal to the Duras Sisters, so Gowron elected to accept Worf's offer. His father's name cleared, Worf made the difficult decision to resign from Starfleet to fight against the Duras fleet. The Klingon Civil War had begun…

Defeating the Duras Family in Star Trek: The Next Generation's ""

As the Klingon Civil War intensified around Qo'noS, the Duras Sisters kidnapped Worf and sought to convince him to marry B'Etor. With Worf confined to the Duras' lair, a Federation task force exposed the Lursa and B'Etor's reliance on Romulan supplies to fuel their victories. Robbed of their Romulan benefactors, the Duras family succumbed to Gowron's troops, though Lursa and B’Etor escaped just as Kurn showed up to rescue his brother.

Captain Picard returned to the Klingon homeworld to brief the High Council on the Romulans' influence on the civil war, watching as Worf declined Gowron's offer to permit him to execute Toral. With the Duras family reeling in defeat, Picard accepted Worf's petition to return to duty aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D.

Calling in a Favor in Star Trek: The Next Generation's ""

In need of a cloaked ship to transport him to Romulus as part of his mission to locate Ambassador Spock, Captain Picard sent a request for assistance to Chancellor Gowron and set course for Qo'noS. Gowron had yet to reply to Picard's hails in the three days it took for the U.S.S. Enterprise-D to approach the Qo'noS system, and Commander Riker supposed that their vessel's arrival would be an uncomfortable reminder of the pivotal role the Federation played in ending the Klingon Civil War.

A response finally arrived, though it came from the Junior Adjutant to the Diplomatic Delegation rather than the chancellor or another high-ranking official. Picard forced Gowron's hand by implying that the Klingon leader's rivals could curry favor with the Federation by helping the captain, and one of the chancellor's ships soon rendezvoused with the Enterprise-D for the trip to Romulus.

Quark's Unexpected Adventure in 's ""

The death of a drunk Klingon named Kozak in his bar initiated an unanticipated sequence of events for Quark, as Kozak's wife Grilka abducted the Ferengi and whisked him away to Qo'noS. In order to prevent the House of Kozak from falling, Grilka married Quark and heralded him as the head of the recently renamed House of Quark. The clever Ferengi exposed a financial ploy enacted by Kozak's rival D'Ghor as a means of acquiring the dead Klingon's assets.

In true Klingon fashion, the accusation prompted a challenge of personal combat between D'Ghor and Quark, but the Klingon's openness to strike the defenseless Ferengi down convinced Chancellor Gowron to permit Grilka to lead her House on her own. While Grilka's House endured, her marriage of convenience with Quark was immediately dissolved.

Pursuing Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness

Following his attack on Starfleet Headquarters in the Kelvin Timeline, Khan Noonien Singh utilized Montgomery Scott's transwarp beaming device to transport himself to Qo'noS. The U.S.S. Enterprise crew tracked him to the Ketha Province, and a covert away team led by Captain James T. Kirk made the journey to the surface.

Eventually surrounded by several Klingon patrol ships, Kirk and company faced off against a group of helmeted Klingon warriors. The vicious clash ended when Khan interceded, defeating the Klingons so that Kirk could reunite him with his fellow Augments who he had stowed aboard the photon torpedoes now residing about the Enterprise. The excursion provided an interesting orbital view of the Kelvin Timeline's Qo’noS, as a Klingon moon — presumably Praxis — appeared to be breaking apart above its surface.