Bat'leth

The bat'leth (Klingon: betleH, rough pronunciation: [ˈbɛtʰlɛx]; plural betleHmey, [ˈbɛtʰlɛxmɛj][1]) is a double-sided scimitar/hook sword/lujiaodao hybrid-edged weapon with a curved blade, four points, and three handholds on the back.

[4] Dan Curry created the bat'leth in 1990 for Worf, the character played by Michael Dorn in Star Trek: The Next Generation,[5][6] after receiving approval from producer Rick Berman.

Mek'leths are intended for one-handed use and shaped like a scimitar; they are approximately half the length of the full-size bat'leth.

According to Klingon mythology, he formed the blade by dropping a length of his hair into some lava from inside the Kri'stak Volcano, then cooling, shaping, and hardening it in the lake of Lursor.

[5] He then united Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld, by killing a tyrant named Molor with the weapon, which became known as the Sword of Kahless.

[1] Bat'leths are made of a reinforced metal called baakonite[12][13] and are normally 116 centimeters (3.81 ft) long and weigh 5.3 kilograms (12 lb).

A number of outlets, including replica merchants,[21] weapons dealers, and pawn shops sell them.

[23] However, due to the dangers that real bat'leths can pose, no officially licensed replicas of the weapon are available from either Curry or Paramount Pictures.

[32] In the United Kingdom, it is legal to possess a bat'leth on private property; however, they may be seized if they are considered to be "potential evidence of a criminal lifestyle.

[24] In 2009, a man from Billingham, County Durham, was arrested for possession of what the court documents later described as a "multi-bladed sword" in a public street.

His defense called the item a "Star Trek bat’leth sword" although it was not an official replica, and the judge said, "I've never seen anything like it in my life before.