- For the mirror universe counterpart, see IKS Gr'oth (mirror).
The IKS Gr'oth (IKS-4175, and also registered as IKC Gr'oth) was a D7 class Klingon Empire battle cruiser starship in Klingon Defense Force service in the 23rd century, operational in the 2260s decade, commanded by Captain Koloth and first officer Lieutenant Korax.
At one point, the vessel was referred to in Starfleet as the IKS Swift Victory. (TOS board game: The Adventure Game)
Service history and disposition[]
In the year 2267, they put in at Deep Space Station K-7 on the Federation-Klingon border, requesting shore leave privileges; however, little did they know that they would also be facing down the Federation starship USS Enterprise, due to that ship, at the time under the command of Captain James T. Kirk and first officer Commander Spock, being called to the station by a priority one distress call sent by Nilz Baris. They were forced to leave when a plot by a deep-cover Klingon agent to sabotage the Federation settlement on Sherman's Planet was uncovered by the presence of tribbles on the station. (TOS episode: "The Trouble with Tribbles"; DS9 episode & novelization: Trials and Tribble-ations; Decipher RPG module: Starships; WizKids modules: Tactics, Attack Wing)
As the Gr'oth left K-7, a large infestation of tribbles was beamed aboard the ship from the Enterprise. Efforts to beam them off the ship were inadequate, as the creatures moved into heavily-shielded areas. (TOS novel: In the Name of Honor)
Hundreds were instead packed into life pods and ejected from the ship. (TOS - Strange New Worlds V short story: "The Trouble with Borg Tribbles")
The Gr'oth was never able to overcome the infamy of this infestation. It even overpowered the fame the Gr'oth earned in testing the projected status field, a weapon able to disable the warp drives of enemy ships. (WizKids modules: Tactics, Attack Wing)
Unable to get rid of the tribbles, Koloth took his ship into battle against the Tholians. He was able to destroy two Tholian fighters before calling on his friend Kang to help him. Kang and his ship the IKS SuvwI' protected the Gr'oth and beamed its crew aboard before Koloth set the self-destruct to destroy his ship and the tribbles that it carried. (TOS - Strange New Worlds 9 short story: "A Bad Day for Koloth"; TOS novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire)
- Koloth was later shown commanding both a vessel named IKS Devisor and another Gr'oth, but the relative timing is unclear.
In the late 23rd century, the Gr'oth was a participant in the Great Tribble Hunt. (Decipher RPG module: Starships)
Crew manifest[]
- Captain Koloth vestai-Lasshar (commanding officer)
- Lieutenant Korax (executive officer)
- Kestel (second officer)
- Gella (helm officer)
- Zhukov (navigator)
- Grotok (navigator)
- Varozh (communications officer)
- Bel'kor (chief engineer)
- Ensign Vasak (engineer)
- Kor (engineer)
- Gamrel (relief bridge officer)
- Kerleth (relief bridge officer)
- Zhokarn (relief bridge officer)
- Valara (bridge officer)
- Ro'suv (crewman)
- Koval (crewman)
Appendices[]
Background[]
The alternate designation Swift Victory was cited prior to the vessel's canon name being provided in DS9 episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations".
Connections[]
Appearances and references[]
- TOS episode: "The Trouble with Tribbles"
- DS9 episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations"
- TOS board game: The Adventure Game
- TOS novel: In the Name of Honor
- TOS - Strange New Worlds V short story: "The Trouble with Borg Tribbles"
- Decipher RPG module: Starships
- TOS - Strange New Worlds 9 short story: "A Bad Day for Koloth"
- TOS novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire
- WizKids module: Tactics
- WizKids module: Attack Wing
External link[]
- IKS Gr'oth article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.