How good is the Bat'leth as a melee weapon?

[Prometheus Unbound]

I think other than Worf, Duras is the only one shown to use another type of sword. If knives count as swords (i have no idea) well yeah that opens up a few daggers that they have I guess.

I meant like in scenes such as in Way of the Warrior where there's 10, 20 Klingons on screen at once or when they're in the Great Chamber and stuff - they're all identical.

Torres' one is explained away easily - it's an ancient one from long before. Yeah in the old days they had other types - Kahless' one for example. But I mean in the 24th C, they all seem to use this bog standard Bat'Leth that is the same dimensions no matter the height or size of the Klingon.

[Crazedwraith]

Yep. It doesn't bother me the grunts use simple mass produced swords. (to match the simple mass produced props!) But it's slightly irksome the same is true of the nobles/officers.

[Lord Revan]

And it's not just a matter of using the weapon. Someone who was master swordsman but ascribed to "hollywood" version of knights could still beat a proper knight in a formal sword duel, but however in a battlefield the knight would be using a polearm, a warhammer, a mace or a flail if dismounted as all those weapons are way better weapons against someone who is wearing plate-armor.

The same way the ancient klingon warriors would have equilevant of those weapons for use against warriors in heavy armor and probably had straight blades or something like the mek'leth for actual battlefield use. Though since the popular culture depiction of klingon warrior was with bat'leth (same way in real life the popular depiction of knights is with an arming sword) when modern klingons started go back to the "old ways" they took this popular culture depiction as the truth rather as "what's cool rather then what's practical" depiction most popular culture is, so a weapon meant for ceremonies and honor duels became the main weapon of this new breed of klingon warriors.

heh I like it.

And it's not even like they have variations of the things, I think? Other than Kahless' original one, they're all identical. At least on Earth we have broadswords, katanas, rapiers, foils... tens of thousands of different types. Yet all Klingons all the time use the same weapon. Heck (I know it's a TV show) they aren't even customised for the size or weight of the Klingon. They're all customised for Dorn .

and the thing about those different types of swords is that for the most part they all serve different purposes, for example a Katana is predominantly a cutting/slashing blade while a foil is (pretty much) exclusively a stabing one.

[Prometheus Unbound]

Bat'leth does tend to be an all in one, I guess. It can slash, it can stab, it can bludgeon...

[Alferd Packer]

Well, there is some evidence that bat'leths can be individualized in modern times. I think Jadzia preferred to use a 47 cm bat'leth (whatever that means), whereas Worf used a slightly different one. Or maybe it's flipped, or with different characters--this also may have been from TNG, but I don't remember Worf sparring like he did on DS9.

[Prometheus Unbound]

Well, there is some evidence that bat'leths can be individualized in modern times. I think Jadzia preferred to use a 47 cm bat'leth (whatever that means), whereas Worf used a slightly different one. Or maybe it's flipped, or with different characters--this also may have been from TNG, but I don't remember Worf sparring like he did on DS9.

She specified the length and its makeup (boronite or something i cant remember), and Worf responded "A warrior's blade" (emphasis his). So I presume she went for the default one?

[Crazedwraith]

I remember Jadzia favouring a bat'leth at a time Worf was using the Mek'leth and them discussing the pros and cons there but not any time when they have separate types of Ba'leth.

[Alferd Packer]

But wouldn't inputting your specs imply that the standard pattern on file isn't to your liking (too big, too small, too brittle, etc)? Like when Picard says, "Tea, Earl Grey, hot," he does so because if he didn't, the replicator would default to green tea, or something like that?

[Prometheus Unbound]

But wouldn't inputting your specs imply that the standard pattern on file isn't to your liking (too big, too small, too brittle, etc)? Like when Picard says, "Tea, Earl Grey, hot," he does so because if he didn't, the replicator would default to green tea, or something like that?

True, but two things - 1 Picard orders it every other hour so he's probably programmed that specifically. Dax has her own one in her quarters so doesn't need to use a holodeck one. She only did that time because she went to go find Worf to talk to him (Way of the Warrior) and didn't know he was fighting at the time. and 2 She also probably said the dimensions on purpose to show off to Worf that she knew about Klingon Stuff.