Kruge

Kruge was a Klingon warrior who served in the Klingon Defense Force in the 23rd century.

Early Career
As of 2246, Kruge served as gunner aboard the IKS Kut'luch, a D6-class battle cruiser, under the command of Commander Kor. In October 2246, Kruge was serving as gunner on the bridge when Kor launched an attack against the USS Enterprise to prevent them entering the Tarsus system. Although Kruge was able to inflict damage on the Enterprise, the Federation starship was able to launch a stronger attack against the Kut'luch and disabled the vessel. When Kor ordered the Kut'luch to withdraw, Kruge began to question his captain's orders but later stood down. However, Kor believed that Kruge would one day challenge him. (TOS short story: "Though Hell Should Bar the Way").

Genesis
By the mid-2280s, Kruge had risen to command a B'rel-class bird-of-prey with 12 men under his command. In 2285, after obtaining information about the Genesis Device from the freighter Merchantman, Kruge took his ship and crew to the Genesis Planet in a rogue operation aimed at stealing the secrets and technology of the Genesis Device. Upon entering orbit, Kruge ordered an attack on the Oberth-class science vessel, USS Grissom (NCC-638). Kruge intended to only disable the Grissom, but the attack destroyed the ship, killing the entire crew. Furious, Kruge pulled out his disruptor and killed the officer at the weapons station. Torg then discovered Lieutenant Saavik and Doctor David Marcus alive on the surface.

Kruge sent a landing party down to the surface to find the survivors in the hopes that they would have the secrets of Genesis. When the Klingons found them, they discovered that they had a Vulcan teenager with them, who was actually the regenerating Captain Spock. Meanwhile, the Enterprise under the command of Admiral James T. Kirk entered orbit and the bird-of-prey and the Enterprise fought in a brief inconclusive battle. In order to prove his sincerity to gain the Genesis Device, Kruge ordered his guards to kill one of the prisoners on the surface. The Klingon guard decided initially to kill Saavik, but David Marcus rushed the guard and was killed.

On the surface of the Genesis planet, Kruge tried to thwart Kirk's attempts to secure the body of Spock and tried to bargain Spock's revived body for the Genesis technology. As the Genesis planet began to break up, Kruge fought Kirk in a lengthy fistfight. The two fighters found themselves on a cliff overlooking a sea of lava, Kruge fell over the side, and was holding on for life to the edge of the cliff. Kirk offered to pull him up, but Kruge was determined to see Kirk die, and tried to pull Kirk over the edge of the cliff. Having had enough, Kirk kicked Kruge into the sea of lava. (TOS movie: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)