Torchbearer

The Torchbearer (Klingonese: Sech qengwI') was a Klingon ceremonial position whose role was to activate the Beacon of Kahless, thus summoning the twenty-four Great Houses in accordance with Klingon prophecy. By tradition, the Torchbearer had to be of noble birth. The Torchbearer wore special armor that could function in space.

In 2256, Rejac acted as T'Kuvma's Torchbearer during the latter's bid to reunite the Klingon Empire. After Rejac was accidentally killed by Michael Burnham, Voq volunteered to be the Torchbearer and proceeded to activate the Beacon. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello")

As he had been created from Voq, Ash Tyler inherited the title of Torchbearer in 2257. In this capacity, he acted as Chancellor L'Rell's second in command while she attempted to unify the Klingon Empire, noting that it was his role to dirty his hands where she could not. However, many other Klingons saw him only as a Human, and refused to acknowledge his position. (DIS: "Point of Light")

In an alternate 2401, the Confederation's Picard kept a version of the armor in his Trophy room. (PIC: "Penance")

Background information[]

The Torchbearer suit was designed by Neville Page and Glenn Hetrick. [1] "Using reference to create the new Klingon spacesuit was very important to us," Hetrick recalled. "We went back in the canon and looked at the Byzantine and Mongolian references that we were pulling from story points, from pieces of costuming in the past, and tried to really just expand upon that." More specifically, Page likened the suit to a Samurai warrior costuming, in the regard that both are "ceremonial" and "riddled with personal iconography, as well as cultural iconography." ("Creature Comforts", DIS Season 1 DVD & Blu-ray special features)

The costume was built by Hetrick and Page's Alchemy Studios in Los Angeles. (Star Trek Magazine Discovery Collector's Edition, p. 54) Because of its intricacy, the suit was made using 3D printing by 3D Systems/Gentle Giant Studios. [2] 100 individual components were 3D printed from Page's intricate digital designs. (Star Trek Magazine Discovery Collector's Edition, p. 54) The entire process of designing and creating the Torchbearer suit took nearly a year. Noted Suit Fabrication Artist Mike Wowczuk, "You could spend hours on each piece, to find all the little treasures that Neville has hid into this suit, from the tips of the toes to the knife blades, the boots, fingertips also. There are just so many things." Suit Fabrication Artist Aina Skinnes O'Kane concurred, "It's literally a puzzle that all has to go together and stay together and make sure that it stays together and doesn't open up when he starts moving." ("Creature Comforts", DIS Season 1 DVD & Blu-ray special features)