Has it ever been explained onscreen why women aren’t allowed on the Klingon High Council as of the 24th centuary? Star Trek VI had a women, Azetbur, suceed her father as Chancellor, yet TNG had the Duras sisters forced to use their younger brother as a puppet? Chonologically the TNG eps occured after VI, but were they filmed first?
Well, looking at IMDB, Star Trek VI came out in 1991. It looks like the episode you’re talking about also came out in 1991. So maybe the movie writers weren’t talking to the tv show writers.
Or, if you want something inside the world of the show, maybe the Klingons are just sexist pigs. Or maybe the woman you mentioned did such a crappy job, the Klingons said, “That’s it! No more women in positions of authority!”
Well, that’s pretty consistent, though, if Azetbur was only filling in after her father was murdered. What is not consistent is that her manner of ascension doesn’t really mesh with the series, which suggested there was a complex “rite of ascension” bit.
Lots of countries with few women in positions of power have had female heads of state as a result of circumstance. Look at Queen Elizabeth I. Not only was she the head of state of a great empire, but in a country where, otherwise, women had essentially no power at all.
Generally speaking the Klingon Empire is kind of silly, owing to the limitations of a television series. It’s hard to imagine how people obsessed with fighting and killing, and who hardly ever demonstrate the slightest aptitude or interest in anything else, could found or run a great, technologically advance space empire.
That’s not technically true, there were Klingon scientists in the series. (Just like there was a Ferengi scientist, too) Also, Torres was a great engineer and she was half-Klingon.
They kill people and steal their stuff. Duh.
There must also have been Klingon artists, as Klingon opera is mentioned from time to time. And on DS9 there was a Klingon who ran a restaurant.
You are arguing from insufficient data. You have presented on-screen a very limited slice of Klingon politics, from a very limited time-span. there is zero evidence that females have never served on the Council. Think of the worng conclusions you would draw if all you saw of the US Senate was a committee meeting chaired by Strom Thurmond in the early 60s. 
Hmm, I thought Worf explicity stated that women cannot serve on the high council.
This was during the “who will be the nex chanccelor” plotline and Duras / Gowron were running for the position.
IIRC This may have been after the Kahless-clone episode. (tho I dodn’t he was even mentioned again)
Brian
Could be. I vaguely remember that episode. But my point still stands. Worf may have meant *that under the rules now in place * females can’t serve. The rules could have been different in the past; they may have changed later on as well. We’re back to “insufficient data.”
How many chances of interaction would the Starfleet folks we saw on the shows/movies have to interact with non-military Klingons? Maybe we viewers are getting an unrepresentative example; I imagine it might sorta be like what an Iraqi without television access might conclude about Americans if the only Americans she/he knew were US soldiers driving around Baghdad.
He was mentioned at least once. In a DS9 episode, Worf mentions him. I wish I could remember the exact quote but I know it had something to do with Gowron.
I don’t remember the details, but I know they tried to retcon it all into place. IIRC, there was a line somewhere along the way about a woman being given special dispensation to represent her house on the council after the male councilmember dies. Quark’s girlfriend, maybe? I’m surprised no Trekers have explained it all yet.
Did K’mpec have any family? If he was without decendents, that mght explain the complicated “Rite of Succession” that was lacking after Gorkon’s murder.