Chang (Star Trek)

Chang

Christopher Plummer as General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Species	Klingon
Affiliation	Klingon Empire
Position	Chief of staff to Chancellor Gorkon
Rank	General
Portrayed by	Christopher Plummer

General Chang is a fictional character from the Star Trek fictional universe who was portrayed by Christopher Plummer in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Chang is Chancellor Gorkon's chief of staff, and subsequently serves Chancellor Azetbur. He is an avid fan of William Shakespeare, whom he frequently quotes, much to the chagrin of the Enterprise crew. He is almost completely bald, a trait not seen among Klingons prior to Star Trek VI's release. The Chang makeup originally included a wig appliance. However, Christopher Plummer felt removing the wig made the character more distinct; he also asked that Chang's Klingon makeup be made less severe. His costume is also unique in that an apparent eye injury is disguised with a metal eyepatch which is attached directly to his skull by bolts bearing the Klingon emblem; later depictions of Klingons with eye injuries, such as Deep Space Nine's Martok, had them flaunting their mutilations as battle scars.

Chang was a well-known Klingon general who believed that "in space all warriors are cold warriors." He was fierce, cunning and willing to participate in battles personally. Chang had a deep-seated hatred for the United Federation of Planets. He believed that a war with them was inevitable. As a result, he created a simulated campaign against the Federation and used it to train students at an Academy for future starship commanders. This hatred eventually led him to participate in a conspiracy to thwart plans for a lasting peace between his people and the Federation.

Between the years of 2291 and 2293, the general played a key role in two violent Klingon power struggles. The first was when a Klingon named Kalnor led an unsuccessful coup to depose the current Chancellor. Chang attacked and crippled Kalnor's ship, but he did not destroy it. Instead, he beamed himself aboard the enemy vessel and challenged Kalnor to single combat in front of his men. Chang killed Kalnor but lost his left eye in the fight. This resulted in the eye patch that he wore for the rest of his life.