Captain Klanth was a member of the Klingon Defense Force in the mid-2280s.
In 2286, Klanth commanded the IKS Mauler in an elaborate ruse to kidnap a Starfleet officer. A fake ion storm, resembling that in which the USS Defiant disappeared, was generated around the ship, and then Klanth broadcast a distress call:
- ... Klanth, commanding. Failure of vessel structure accelerating. Destruction of Mauler imminent. Crew conduct exemplary. Request commendations to be sent to the clans of all. I personally commend all of us to the gods. Survive and succeed!
The USS Enterprise-A responded to the call, but Klanth turned down their offer of assistance. Captain James T. Kirk then beamed aboard the Mauler anyway, in order to take Klanth into custody for trespassing in Federation space, but Kirk's transport was stopped from returning to the Enterprise. The Mauler then seemed to disappear as the Defiant had, but in reality, Kirk had been kidnapped.
Later, in the process of fooling Kirk, Klanth had a "chance" meeting with him in order to convince Kirk that the New Klingons were really different from the old, with Klanth representing the old. This ultimately failed. (TOS novel: Timetrap)