"Despite your aversion to using Klingons in the new series, I think I've thought of something which might just change your mind."
In case you were wondering, Robert Justman put forward the idea of a resident Klingon serving aboard the Enterprise played by Michael Dorn. Obviously, Justman had a few hurdles to bypass. Some say Roddenberry's optimistic view of the future was preachy and slow. To neutralize this problem, Justman suggested that the military skills and prowess of the Klingon species might cause such a person (like Worf) to be well-suited for a role in the ship's crew.
When Roddenberry dug his heels in about excluding the Klingons, he said, "Bob, we've passed all that. We don't need Klingons." However, Justman persevered, challenging the Creator's opinion, pointing out that the acceptance of a Klingon in Starfleet would mean that Human attitudes had grown, which happily played ball with Roddenberry's optimistic view of the future.
Do you remember K'Ehleyr? Didn't Susie Plakson make a great Klingon?
Qapla! Long live the Klingon Empire.
