Dipole_Moment comments on Humans in Funny Suits - Less Wrong

22 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 30 July 2008 11:54PM

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Comment author: Dipole_Moment 21 December 2008 12:50:28AM 1 point [-]

On the subject of Star Trek, the Klingon culture in ST:TNG is supposedly inspired by (Western stereotypes of) feudal Japan.

The original Klingons were obviously supposed to be Russians, in ST:TNG and later they seemed to be some kind of absurd combination of Vikings and Samurai (both small warrior minorities in much larger cultures). Though I'd say Star Trek went to that well so many times that they dried up the water table.

Klingons: Samurai Romulans: Imperial Japan Cardassians: Fascist Japan Talaxians: Occupied Japan

Even the institutional culture of Starfleet could be considered something of a riff on Corporate Japan.