Curiously,Star Trek’s Klingons and Romulans both have Bird-of-Prey starships. First seen inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 8, “Balance of Terror”, the T’Liss-class Romulan Bird-of-Prey is so-called because of the predatory bird painted on its hull. Later, inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 3, episode 2, “The Enterprise Incident”,a Romulan ship looks just like the D7-class Klingon battle cruiserinTOSseason 3, episode 13, “Elaan of Troyius”. Instead of being a Romulan ship, the iconic D7 would go on to become the basis for almost all Klingon ships inStar Trekshows.
The Bird-of-Prey name that was originally given to Romulan ships became associated almost exclusively with Klingon ships later in theStar Trektimeline. With a saucer section and side nacelles, the T’Liss-class looked more like a Starfleet vessel than later Romulan ships.Star Trek: The Original Seriesproduction designer Matt Jeffries gave the Klingon D7 a distinctive shape that was easily interpreted as an enemy vessel.Jeffries' manta ray-inspired design looked more like an actual bird in flight than the Romulan ship did, but that’s not the only reason the Klingons got to keep the Bird-of-Prey name.
Why Klingons & Romulans Both Have Bird-of-Prey Starships In Star Trek
TOS' Limited Budget Led To Story Developments For The Klingons & Romulans
Klingons and Romulans both have Bird-of-Prey starships due to one behind-the-scenes decision during production ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 3, episode 2, “The Enterprise Incident”. The original model for the Romulan Bird-of-Prey from"Balance of Terror"was no longer available, butTOSseason 3, episode 13, “Elaan of Troyius”, had already been produced, andusing the Klingon D7 model was cheaper than designing another new Romulan ship.Star Trekproducers also hoped that showing off the Klingon D7 battle cruiser whenever possible would help recoup costs with model kit sales, so it was a win-win.
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The ship swap between Romulans and Klingons inStar Trek: The Original Series' “The Enterprise Incident” is explained with a single line of dialogue, in whichCommander Spock (Leonard Nimoy) simply reports that the Romulans are now using Klingon-style ships.The in-universe reason for the behind-the-scenes solution had the added benefit of making theStar Trekuniverse more interconnected at a time when that was rare. This brief alliance set up the later fallout that led to ongoing animosity between Klingons and Romulans, and explains whyKlingons have cloaking technology, even after they stopped using the same starship designs.
Klingons Kept The Bird-Of-Prey & Star Trek: TNG Romulans Have The Warbird
The Klingon Bird-Of-Prey & Romulan Warbird Are Both Iconic Star Trek Ships
Star Trek’s Klingons kept the Bird-of-Prey design afterStar Trek: The Original Series, while Romulans reinvented the Romulan Warbird to become one of thedeadliest starships inStar Trek. Originally,Star Trek III: The Search for Spockwas going to feature a Romulan Bird-of-Prey commandeered by Klingons. The script changed, but the name stuck with the updated Klingon ship.TheStar Trekmovies made the Klingon Bird-of-Prey much more popular, especially after Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) captured Kruge’s (Christopher Lloyd) B’rel-class Bird-of-Prey inStar Trek IIIand took it back in time inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
2250s–2270s
430
228 meters
2273–2375
800
350 meters
23rd century
12 to 40*
60 to 139 meters*
300
320 meters
2380s
6–12
- Exact measurements of the B’rel class vary according to different sources.
Without the budget concerns that had directed many choices inStar Trek: The Original Series,the Klingon and Romulan starships inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s 24th century could be more distinctive. The Class 5 Klingon Bird-of-Prey inTNGand most subsequent Klingon ship designs were variations on the iconic look.The Romulan Warbird was a sleek, stealthy update on the design shared with Klingons, with a downturned nose and curved wings, not to mention an impressive array of weaponry. With the development of the Warbird, the Romulans abandoned the Bird-of-Prey, leaving the name—and the design—toStar Trek’s Klingons.
