Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 7 - "The Serene Squall"
The Klingons were mentioned for the first time in Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), were taken prisoner aboard Angel's pirate ship, the Serene Squall. Remy (Michael Hough), who posed as the pirates' captain told Captain Pike he intended to sell the Starfleet crew to the Klingons but, if he did, which kind of Klingons would Pike's Enterprise encounter?
Introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine while the prequel series, Star Trek: Enterprise, attempted to explain the two versions of Klingons with the augment virus that nearly wiped out the race.
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness introduced another look to the Klingons but since it was set in the alternate Kelvin timeline, these Klingons became one of the least of the issues Trekkers had with that sequel. However, Discovery's Klingons were bald and even more alien in appearance. This marked three different versions of Klingons in the Prime timeline, and all of them technically exist in Strange New Worlds' era circa 2259.
Which Version Of The Klingons Will Appear In Strange New Worlds?
If and when the Klingons appear in Strange New Worlds, it would likely be either the Star Trek: Discovery version of the Klingons or the more human-looking TOS warriors. Strange New Worlds season 1 is set about a year after Star Trek: Discovery season 2 when Captain Pike was in command of the USS Discovery and met that show's versions of Klingons like Chancellor L'Rell (Mary Chieffo) and her son, Tenavik (Kenneth Mitchell). In fact, it was Tenavik who showed Chris the Klingon time crystal that gave him foreknowledge of the terrible accident that Captain Pike is destined to have in 2267. Since Strange New Worlds is still technically operating in Star Trek: Discovery season 1 and 2's era, it wouldn't be surprising if Discovery's Klingons return.
However, given that the USS Discovery has permanently vanished into the 32nd century, and Strange New Worlds is thematically re-establishing and linking up to Star Trek: The Original Series' era, it may well be the TOS-style Klingons Captain Pike will eventually encounter on the show. This could actually be amusing since Pike, Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) could then comment on how and why the Klingons look more human than alien. Strange New Worlds may even offer a definitive explanation as to why different Klingons exist. Technically, the TNG era version of the Klingons don't appear until Star Trek: The Motion Picture's timeframe in the 2270s so those Klingons may be more of a longshot, but there are always possibilities they could also emerge in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.