K'mpec

For the mirror universe counterpart, see K'mpec (mirror).

For other uses, see K'mpec.

K'mpec
K'mpec, shortly before his death in 2367.
Full name:	K'mpec
Species:	Klingon
Gender:	male
Born:	Late 23rd century
Died:	2367
Affiliation:	Klingon Empire
Career
Occupation:	politician
Previous Assignment:	councillor, Klingon High Council
Rank:	chancellor
Office Held:	Chancellor of the High Council of the Klingon Empire
In Office:	2346-2367
Preceded By:	Kravokh, son of J'Doq
Succeeded By:	Gowron, son of M'Rel

K'mpec was a Klingon male of the House of K'mpec and Chancellor of the Klingon High Council from 2346 to 2367. He was the longest serving Chancellor in Klingon history. (TNG episodes: "Sins of the Father", "Reunion")

History

K'mpec was born on the Klingon colony world of Mempa IV in the late 23rd century. As a youth, he achieved "champion" status in the Mempa Knife Games competition for seven years, ceasing only because upon joining the Klingon Defense Force he could no longer participate regularly. (TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible)

In 2292, K'mpec graduated from the Klingon Defense Forces Elite Command Academy. (TOS video game: Klingon Academy)

Given his eventual status, it is likely K'mpec was born into the Klingon nobility; the House of K'mpec was mentioned in the TNG novel: A Time for War, A Time for Peace, but his father's name has never been mentioned. Some have theorized Korrd to be a possible candidate, for their resemblance (actor Charles Cooper played both roles) and the similar paths that they chose.

By 2333, K'mpec was an experienced and ambitious captain, commanding the IKS Pu'Bekh, and maneuvering to gain a seat on the Klingon High Council. In this, he allied himself with Councillor Kravokh. His first officer on the Pu'Bekh (and good friend) was Mogh. When Chancellor Ditagh died and Kravokh defeated his competition for the office, he gave K'mpec his former place on the council. In turn, Mogh was made captain of the Pu'Bekh.

K'mpec's association with Kravokh withered over the course of the next decade, as Kravokh increasingly neglected the Empire's affairs in his obsession over reclaiming the wreckage of one of the ships of the Ch'gran Fleet, the source of a running dispute with the Cardassian Union since 2328. In 2346, following the Khitomer Massacre -- the second Romulan attack in two years -- K'mpec directly challenged Kravokh and killed him, thus rising to Chancellor himself. (TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible)

Although K'mpec ruled with an iron hand and managed to keep peace within the Klingon Empire, his influence began to wane as he grew older. In the 2340s, he was interested in Kahlest but she rejected him, claiming he was "too fat".

In 2366, when evidence was discovered that Ja'rod, the father of the influential politician Duras had cooperated with the Romulans in their attack on Khitomer, K'mpec feared a civil war if this material would become known to the public. He therefore made up a plan to accuse Mogh, another Klingon who had died at Khitomer, instead. This was based on the assumption that Mogh's only son, Worf, a Starfleet officer, would not come to defend his father's honor as he was so far removed from life among other Klingons that he would never be aware of the accusations and would not be affected by them in any case. However, K'mpec did not know of a second son of Mogh, Kurn, who informed Worf about the allegations. When Worf returned to defend his honor, K'mpec tried to make Worf leave Qo'noS quickly to preserve his own life, although acknowledging that Worf's sense of honor showed him to be a true Klingon, but when Worf refused, he was willing to sacrifice Worf to prevent a civil war. In the end, K'mpec accepted Worf's plan, that Worf would not be killed, but accept discommendation. He told all people involved never to talk about the truth to preserve the Klingon Empire. (TNG episode: "Sins of the Father")

The next year, he discovered that he had been poisoned with small doses of Veridium Six in his bloodwine for months. He suspected one of the two main rivals for his succession, Duras and Gowron, to be responsible for this. As he thought that no one in the Klingon Empire could be trusted enough to conduct an independent investigation, he named Captain Jean-Luc Picard as the Arbiter of Succession. Initially Picard refused, but K'mpec told him that a refusal would be an insult to all Klingons and that a man capable of poisoning the chancellor, considered a dishonorable method of killing when compared to a face-to-face assassination, would be capable of anything, including a war with the Federation. A few days later, K'mpec died, leaving Picard with the task to discover the truth about the identity of his murderer. (TNG episode: "Reunion")

External link

• K'mpec article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.