Star Trekhas a mixed record when it comes to introducing new alien races.
Mostly because theyre one-off guest aliens used to set up the ethical dilemma of the week.
And then they faceplant in spectacular fashion.
Introduced inStar Trek: Voyagers premiere as the major antagonists for the series, they did little to impress.
More accurately theyre just Dollar Store Klingons.
Ad content continues below
The Kazon are the worst Star Trek alien species.
they are just beardless Klingons with an assortment of cruciferous vegetables on their heads.
The best the series managed was a storyline about how young Kazon earned their place in society.
Which amounted to just kill somebody.
That season put all its hopes on the Kazon.
They prominently featured inVoyagersfirst attempt at a serialized story…which was an unmitigated disaster.
RememberThreshold,the episode where Tom Paris turned into a salamander?
It has a bewildering scene where a traitorous Voyager crew member informs the Kazon of the salamander-creating technology.
The Kazon never followed up, sadly.
The reputation of the Kazon hasnt improved over time.
No ones rushing to flesh out the race, likeDiscoveryattempted to do with the Breen.
They havent gotten a semi-ironic reappraisal like Tom Paris as a Salamander.
One that goes back to their earliest conception.
At least two gangs, Crips and Bloods, in competition for influence.
This didnt end up happening and Piller pointed to it as a reason why the Kazon didnt ultimately work.
At least Piller admitted that the Kazon ultimately came out being sort of Klingon-ish.
They had a cartoon like quality that I think was not our finest hour.
Lets just call them what they are: the Kazon were ill-conceived outright racist caricatures of LA gangs.
Thats the real reason no one is rushing to redeem the Kazon.
Thus the Kazon are doomed to their fate as the back-up of the back-up alien race that representsVoyager.
Thats why the Kazon are referenced by Tom Paris inLower Decks.
They needed something instantly recognizable as being part ofVoyager for a quick punchline, nothing more.
