K'Tal was a Klingon man in the 24th century, head of the House of K'Tal and a high-ranking member of the Klingon High Council.
Biography
Despite his position on the Council, K'Tal did not serve any agenda or issue, but the Klingon Empire itself, making him respected as a true Klingon of honor. He earned the respect of his colleagues, who felt that while others would age and die, K'Tal would endure.
In the early days of the Betreka Nebula Incident, K'Tal supported a proposal from Federation ambassador Curzon Dax for a competition with the Cardassian Union for the rights to the disputed world of Raknal V.
In 2334, K'Tal was named as Chancellor Ditagh's Arbiter of Succession when the Chancellor fell ill. K'Tal narrowed the field down to two candidates: Kravokh and Grivak. The position was eventually won by Kravokh. (TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible)
Following the assassination of Chancellor K'mpec in 2367, K'Tal oversaw the ascension of Gowron to power. Later, he was the only member of the High Council to side with Gowron when Toral, son of Duras contested his place for leadership, believing the Empire needed strong and experienced leadership, instead of a meager child. (TNG episode: "Redemption")
In 2368, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who had come to respect K'Tal and other honorable council members, told B'iJik, Gowron's Junior Adjutant to the Diplomatic Delegation, that he would contact them for the purpose of acquiring a cloaked ship for a mission into Romulan space; in exchange he would bestow great political and social standing for whoever would aid them. Gowron relented and offered the services of a bird-of-prey. (TNG novelization: Unification)
In 2371, K'Tal defended the actions of Governor Torrik before the High Council, and argued no actions be taken against his House. (TNG - Slings and Arrows eBook: Enterprises of Great Pitch and Moment)
In early 2373, K'Tal was the Councillor in charge of Imperial Intelligence, and was investigating rumors of a plot to assassinate Starfleet Captains Jean-Luc Picard and Benjamin Sisko, in order to prevent a renewed alliance with the Federation. At the same time, those conspirators used K'Tal's name and image to lure the humans into their own deaths. Once the plot was revealed, K'Tal had the surviving conspirators bound by law. (TNG - Slings and Arrows eBook: Enterprises of Great Pitch and Moment)
Other notable members of the house of K'Tal included Captain Kargan and General Talak, two individuals who did not share K'Tal's sense of honor. (GKN novels: Honor Bound, A Good Day to Die)
Appendices
External link
- K'Tal article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.