Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country's villain, General Chang (Christopher Plummer), was the first bald Klingon in Christopher Plummer died on February 5, 2021, at the age of 91, and the actor left behind a legendary body of work on stage and screen, including his iconic portrayal of arguably the best Klingon antagonist of the Star Trek movies.
Chang was a prime conspirator in Star Trek VI's plot to assassinate Klingon High Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) and prevent the Empire's peace negotiations with the United Federation of Planets. The swaggering, one-eyed General also dined aboard the Starship Enterprise in order to confront and size up his nemesis, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Chang's machinations to frame Kirk for Gorkon's murder and have him executed on the Klingon penal planet Rura Penthe nearly succeeded but Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) uncovered the truth behind the assassination. After being rescued, Kirk and Spock rooted out the conspiracy, which involved dissidents within the Klingons, Romulans, and the Federation, including Spock's protégé, Lt. Valeris (Kim Cattrall). Under Kirk's command, the Enterprise and the U.S.S. Excelsior led by Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) overcame Chang's advantage of a Bird-of-Prey that can fire while cloaked, and they destroyed the malevolent General before saving the galaxy.
General Chang's notable look as the first bald Klingon was the result of Christopher Plummer balking at wearing the wigs and prosthetics that give the warrior race wild, fearsome look with their ridged brows and foreheads. Plummer initially turned down the role because he refused to wear the elaborate get-up, which the actor regarded as "rather phony". However, Star Trek VI's director Nicholas Meyer wrote the part of General Chang for Plummer and he refused to consider anyone else for the role. Back-and-forth phone calls with producer Leonard Nimoy finally got Plummer on board and the decision was made to make General Chang bald, with more subtle makeup and Klingon ridges that blended the modern look of the aliens with the more human-like way they appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series.
By the time, Star Trek: Discovery retconned the Klingons over 25 years later, the decision was made to make their prequel-era Star Trek: Discovery season 1 so it could be inferred that Chang's look may have derived from Discovery's bald Klingons, although the order of events is the opposite in real life.
Chang's unique (at the time) look also made other actors who played Klingons in the 1990s jealous of Plummer. John Colicos, who played Kor, the first on-screen TOS Klingon in "Errand of Mercy", reprised his role on Star Trek: The Next Generation-era Klingons. Colicos complained, "I tried to get rid of my wig but they wouldn't go for it. I guess you have to be Christopher Plummer before they'll let you be a bald Klingon". By Star Trek: Discovery, a bald Klingon was no longer an aberration, although none of them had the swagger, panache, or encyclopedic reverence for William Shakespeare's plays as General Chang.
