How to write Klingon?

[Picture with 27 curious-looking symbols] On the left is the first published Klingon writing system, from U.S.S Enterprise Officer's Manual, 1980. The set of glyphs has since been known as the Mandel set. However, it is basically just another system for writing English. There are some differences, but not anything particularly alien about it. Okrand's Klingon cant be written with these symbols, but some fan groups still use it for their purposes. For all we know, it might fit klingonaase.

[Picture with 26 weird glyphs] On the right is the set that can be used with Okrand's Klingon. The assignment of sounds to glyphs is from an unofficial letter from Paramount to a fan organization. However, the written Klingon we see on screen is composed for appearance. The symbols are arranged in an 'alien' manner, they don't say anything. Really. But we can think of this set as a phonetic transcript and that the real written language is at least as different from it's spoken form as English, probably much more. In fact, when we look closely to the glyphs on screen, we notice that rarely more than ten different symbols are used. As you see below, they look a lot like some of the symbols in the latter set, but not quite.
[Ten familiar images]
As far as I know, the 1980's set was ever seen on screen. The present set was designed for Star Trek - The Motion Picture by a company called Astra Image Corporation, which no longer exists.

Riku Anttila 1996