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The final act of Worf, the Star Trek legend who deserved one most of all

Michael Dorn’s Klingon officer is Star Trek’s MVP

by Dylan Roth

In television — as in sports — some records are simply unbreakable. No one will ever pitch more complete games than Cy Young, no one will ever hold pro wrestling’s highest title longer than Bruno Sammartino, and no one will ever make more appearances on Star Trek than Michael Dorn.

Between 1987 and 2002, Dorn portrayed Starfleet’s mighty and stoic Klingon expatriate Worf in 174 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation , 98 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and four feature films. Add in his cameo as Worf’s grandfather in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , and that adds up to 277. Even after the revival of the franchise in 2017, this still accounts for nearly a third of the entire Star Trek canon . Now, Dorn has swapped his mek’leth for a kur’leth and glued on his bumpy prosthetic forehead once more to reprise the role of Worf in the final season of Star Trek: Picard , which reunites the Next Gen cast for one last adventure. It’s the chance to give one of sci-fi’s most beloved supporting characters something that’s usually reserved only for Captains and Admirals: a glorious third act.

Though he’s now one of the franchise’s most recognizable figures, Lt. Worf was a last-minute addition to the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Series creator Gene Roddenberry hoped to avoid relying on familiar alien antagonists from the classic 1960s series , leading producer Robert Justman to suggest the addition of a Klingon to the crew of the Enterprise, symbolizing that their long Cold War with the Federation had come to an end. (It was 1987, after all.) Thus, security officer Worf was created, added into the final draft of the series pilot, and cast after the initial publicity photos for the series were shot. Thus, the early development of the character was left almost entirely in the hands of Dorn, then best known for a supporting role on the lighthearted police drama CHiPs .

“They really didn’t have a bible for Worf at all,” says Dorn of those early episodes. “In fact, one of the first things I did was, I asked the producers, ‘What do you want from this guy? You’ve just handed me a piece of paper that says Worf on it.’” With Roddenberry’s blessing, Dorn set out making the character his own, giving Worf the kind of personal investment and attachment that only an actor can provide. “I decided to make the guy the opposite of everybody else on the show. You know, everyone else, their attitudes were great, and they’re out there in space, relationships are forming. And after every mission they were like, Wasn’t that fantastic? I didn’t say anything to anybody, I just made him this gruff and surly character on the bridge. No smiles, no joking around.”

It didn’t take the show’s producers long to realize that Dorn’s gruff, joyless performance could effectively turn any bit of throwaway dialogue into a laugh line. Dorn recalls an incident while shooting the early episode “Justice,” in which Worf is welcomed to an idyllic alien world by an embrace from a beautiful, scantily clad woman, and retorts, simply, “Nice planet.” He hadn’t thought much of it, until he learned that the producers had been watching the take on repeat during dailies, laughing their asses off. From here on out, writers would attempt to insert deadpan “Worfisms” into scripts, producing some of the character’s most memorable moments, but also forcing Dorn to occasionally lay down the law about his character.

“That’s been one of the big issues about Worf’s character that I’ve tried to keep consistent,” says Dorn regarding writers’ tendency to play him for laughs. “Worf does not think he’s funny. He doesn’t say funny things. It’s the people’s reaction around him that’s funny.”

Alongside his role as the show’s unlikely comic relief, however, Worf developed into one of Star Trek’s most complicated protagonists. Roddenberry mandated that the show’s human characters had evolved beyond the sorts of interpersonal conflicts that typically drive television dramas, but Worf, an alien, was permitted to be contrarian, hot-tempered, and even malicious. Dorn recalls being taken aback after reading the script to the season 3 episode “The Enemy,” in which Worf refuses to offer a lifesaving blood transfusion to a gravely wounded Romulan soldier. The Romulan tells him that he’d rather die than “pollute his blood with Klingon filth,” and Worf obliges him, without remorse. Worf believes that saving the life of a Romulan would dishonor the memory of his parents, who were killed in a Romulan sneak attack when he was a child. This runs contrary to the ideals of Starfleet and puts him at odds with the entire crew, but it sets him apart as a character. He strictly adheres to a code of honor that does not totally overlap with that of his peers.

That is, if he can be said to have peers at all. From the beginning, Worf stands apart as the only Klingon in Starfleet, rescued by a human officer after his family is massacred. Raised on Earth by a pair of adoring, demonstrative Russian Jews, young Worf is encouraged to explore and embrace his Klingon heritage despite being isolated from his culture. His image of what it is to be Klingon is based mostly on their mythology, on tales of honorable battle and the noble wisdom of the Klingon Christ figure, Kahless. But it’s also a self-portrait, processing that which makes him different from his human family and classmates into a cultural identity. “Klingons do not laugh,” Worf tells Whoopi Goldberg’s worldly bartender Guinan in the episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” a claim that Guinan has the experience to debunk. Worf believes that Klingons don’t laugh because he himself doesn’t. In actuality, no one parties harder than a band of Klingons after a glorious battle; Worf has simply never been invited.

Worf’s reverence for other Klingons is challenged nearly every time he encounters another of his kind. Time and again, he sees Klingon warriors and political figures like the opportunistic Chancellor Gowron lie and cheat in the pursuit of power and glory. He is formally excommunicated from the Klingon Empire twice, and though both times he is eventually able to win back his citizenship, it takes a heavy toll on him. Yet, however many times “real” Klingon conduct clashes with his values, Worf never allows this to pollute his own sense of honor. He remains unfailingly truthful, loyal, and brave. And, over the years, other Klingons take notice of this and grow to admire and emulate him. His identity and self-image are based in fantasy, but his presence in the universe helps to make that fantasy seem more attainable to everyone else.

Worf’s journey runs parallel to the experience of growing up a Star Trek fan. The crew of the Enterprise (or Voyager, Discovery, etc.) represents a humanity that is more compassionate, curious, honorable, and self-sacrificing than anyone you’re likely to meet. This is a wonderful example for a young viewer to follow, but if you go out into the world expecting to find these idols, especially in positions of power and authority, you’re in for a very rude awakening. By and large, people are not like this. If they were, we’d be living in the Star Trek future right now. However, if in spite of all this, if you can hold fast to that vision of a kinder, wiser humanity and embody it as best as you can, you can make it that much more real for the people around you.

Dorn fully endorses this interpretation of the character, and also sees him as an example of someone who learns to grow beyond his initial need to define himself through the lens of “Klingon” or “Starfleet.”

“He’s always thought that humans were this way and Klingons were that way,” says Dorn, “until he realized that Klingons and humans and everybody were very flawed individuals. And in order to grow, he’s taken the best out of each culture and made it its own. He’s on his own path. He has an ego, so I think he thinks he’s better than a lot of people, but he’s also learning that you can’t judge those things. That once you start judging you’re in trouble. You have to accept them for what they are, not only accept them but admire them, and all the negative stuff you leave behind.”

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After The Next Generation closed out its seven-season run and made the leap to the big screen, Worf’s path led him to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , where producers hoped that his presence would boost fan interest in the beleaguered spinoff. His arrival turned out to be beneficial for both the show and the character, as DS9 ’s darker tone and more serialized format afforded Worf more growth and development in four seasons than TNG had offered in seven. The series also dove deeper into the lore and culture of the Klingon Empire, which Dorn says offered writers (particularly Ronald D. Moore, who would go on to run Battlestar Galactica , Outlander , and For All Mankind ) the opportunity to step away from the prim and proper world of Starfleet and do some swashbuckling.

Deep Space Nine ’s finale offered Worf’s story a worthy ending when he is appointed the new ambassador between the Klingons and the Federation. It’s arguably the perfect place for his character’s journey to end, but the franchise marched on, dragging Worf along with it into the underwhelming feature film Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002, which one again reduced him to a comic foil. Despite his efforts to get a “Captain Worf” spinoff off the ground in the subsequent decade, it appeared that Michael Dorn’s service to Star Trek had finally concluded.

Twenty years later, Dorn — along with the rest of the Next Gen ensemble — has once again been called upon to revitalize a Star Trek spinoff. The third season of Star Trek: Picard reintroduces us to Worf as a wise old master, so confident in his ability to defeat his foes in combat that he rarely needs to unsheathe this weapon. Dorn has imagined the past 20 years of his character’s life in detail, taking inspiration from a source not entirely disconnected from Star Trek: the films of Quentin Tarantino. Appropriately, Dorn has patterned this version of Worf after a character from a film that opens with an old Klingon proverb: Kill Bill .

“One of the characters was Pai Mei, this martial arts killer,” says Dorn. “He’s gone so far in the martial arts, the next step is — he can defend himself and kill with a sword, but he can also do it with his bare hands. And with that comes calm, and the ability to know that sometimes you don’t have to kill. That’s how he’s grown in the past 20 years. Now he can dodge ray guns.”

Though his castmates won’t rule out further adventures for their characters, Dorn says that Picard season 3 absolutely works as a satisfying conclusion to Worf’s 35-year voyage.

“The storytellers know his journey, and everyone can see what his journey is; there’s no ambiguity about that.”

One way or another, the actor looks back at his untouchable tenure as Starfleet’s greatest warrior with warmth and appreciation.

“It’s one of those things that validates the idea that you chose the right profession,” Dorn says. “My mother would be proud of me that I had a profession that I’ve been at for the majority of my life. That’s an accomplishment, I think.”

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What's Behind Worf's Newfound Pacifism on Star Trek: Picard

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Lt. Commander Worf served in Starfleet for years on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine as the only Klingon in the fleet. In the trailer for Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard , the once-proud warrior from a race of warriors claims that he has embraced pacifism.

For over a decade, between two series and four films, Worf, Son of Mogh, was always as much a Klingon warrior as he was a distinguished Starfleet officer. In nearly every dilemma he faced, Worf reacted as a warrior. So why does he now claim to be a pacifist? The answer may not lie so much in the two decades that have passed since the events of Star Trek: Nemesis , but in his well-chronicled adventures aboard the Enterprise and Deep Space Nine .

Related: The Star Trek: The Next Generation Crew Once Saved Santa Claus - And it was Hilarious

Raised by Humans, Worf Was Always Torn Between Two Worlds

When he was only a little boy, Worf lost both his parents at the Khitomer outpost when the Romulans attacked. Sergey Rozhenko, a chief petty officer from the Federation Starship USS Intrepid , rescued Worf from the devastated planet. Having been told the boy had no living family, Sergey decided to raise Worf as his son, first on the farming colony of Galt, then later on Earth. Growing up among humans wasn't always easy for Worf, and he was acutely aware of his otherness. Instead of trying to ignore the fact that he was different, he coped by embracing his Klingon heritage. He even refused to eat human foods, insisting on a strict Klingon diet.

When he was old enough, Worf enrolled in Starfleet Academy , starting a career that would culminate in his serving under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Since he was the only Klingon in the fleet and one of only a few non-humans aboard the Enterprise , Worf continued to display a great deal of pride in his heritage, even preferring to wear a Klingon baldric as part of his Starfleet uniform. Whenever Captain Picard would look for recommendations from his senior officers, if combat was an option, Worf would recommend fighting over any other course of action. More often than not, Picard would find another way, providing Worf with a role model who had the courage to choose not to fight.

Related: Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Illyrian Enigma #1

One of Worf's Earliest Encounters With Other Klingons Ended In Bloodshed

Spending so much time away from his own people and learning about Klingon culture from a distance gave Worf an idealistic perspective on who they were. That began to change after the Enterprise rescued Klingon survivors from a battle-damaged civilian freighter. They turned out to be criminals and were taken into custody. Before their arrest, they spent a great deal of time with Worf, and their talk of honor and glory awakened similar dreams in him. After a shootout with security, the lone surviving Klingon criminal, Korris, held the ship hostage from Main Engineering by aiming a disruptor at the warp core. A conflicted Worf was forced to kill his fellow Klingon to protect the Enterprise and his crew mates .

Klingon Politics Forced Worf To Confront Certain Truths About His People

Two years later, Worf met Kurn, the younger brother he didn't know he had. Kurn informed Worf that their late father was being accused of conspiring with the Romulans in their attack on Khitomer. The dishonor would have fallen on Worf's family for generations according to Klingon tradition. Their father's accuser, Duras, a member of the Klingon High Council, lost his own father in the same attack. It turned out that Duras fabricated the whole story to cover his family's dishonor and avoid a scandal. K'mpec, the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, was aware of the lie but went ahead with it to avoid a civil war since Duras' family was highly influential. Worf was forced to accept discommendation to preserve the empire and protect his brother. It was the same as admitting that his father was guilty, and it cost him his family name and honor to do the honorable thing.

The following year, Duras would extract an even greater price from Worf to protect his secret. Worf was reunited with his lover, K'Ehleyr, a half-human, half-Klingon Federation Ambassador to Q'Onos. In aiding Picard, who was the Arbiter of Succession for Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, K'Ehleyr discovered the truth about Duras' father. Duras, who was one of two candidates to become Chancellor, murdered her when she confronted him with her discovery, and Worf lost the woman he loved. It wasn't the last time Worf would suffer that kind of loss.

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Worf Found Love Again Aboard Deep Space Nine, but It Wasn't Meant To Be

After the Enterprise -D was destroyed, Worf was reassigned to the remote Starbase Deep Space Nine. There he fell in love with the Trill science officer Jadzia Dax. Dax brought out a side to Worf that even he wasn't aware he had, and he was happy for a time. Unfortunately, that happiness was short-lived. During the Dominion War, while Worf was away on a mission, Jadzia was attacked and killed by the Cardassian military commander Gul Dukat . For the second time in Worf's life, he lost a lover to violence.

Related: Lower Decks' Best Episode Yet Was Also a Great DS9 Episode

Worf Played Politics To Regain His Family's Honor, but It Did Not Last

After Duras killed K'Ehleyr, Worf took his revenge in single combat. It not only satisfied his Right of Vengeance according to Klingon tradition, but it also established Duras' rival, Gowron, as the new Chancellor of the High Council. When Duras' sisters started a civil war within the Klingon Empire, Worf seized the opportunity to regain his family's honor with the help of his brother Kurn, who threw his support behind Gowron both militarily and politically. Worf also temporarily left the Enterprise and resigned his commission to serve in Gowron's forces. When the sons of Mogh proved their mettle, Gowron restored their family's honor. As is the way of politics, things changed later on.

During the Dominion War, The House of Mogh was once again stripped of its honor when he refused to support Gowron's decision to invade Cardassia. Worf regained his position later by joining The House of Martok, seemingly ensuring that he would have a permanent place among his people. Martok was a general of the empire whose popularity rivaled Gowron's, so the Chancellor continually sent him on suicide missions. Worf defeated Gowron in a fight to the death to save his friend. Worf, who was still a Starfleet officer and needed to balance his duties to his people and the Federation , immediately ceded the chancellorship to Martok, feeling that he would restore honor to the empire.

Because he spent most of his life as an outsider, both among humans and Klingons, Worf gained a unique perspective. He suffered tragedy and triumph through violence, learned that there are alternatives to fighting and saw behind the veneer of his people. If the Klingon way is war , it makes sense that after all he's seen and experienced, Worf would inevitably choose another way.

Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard begins Feb. 16, 2023, on Paramount+.

• TV Features
• Star Trek: Picard (2020)

Worf Is The John Wick Of The Star Trek Universe, According To Michael Dorn

The character of Worf, first played by actor Michael Dorn in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," always stood apart from the other characters on the show. Not only was he the sole Klingon on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, he was the first Klingon every to enter Starfleet. His culture — devoted to honor and combat — often left him isolated. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) was intimidated by the violence contained in Worf's calisthenics programs on the holodeck. In one episode, it took a great deal of research from peers to know that Worf, notoriously closed-off, required a particular Klingon pain-based coming-of-age ritual. Quick to action, often suspicious, and appealingly complete, Worf was compelling in how standoffish he was. 

Worf was also easily the most violent member of the Enterprise crew, often eager to engage suspects or invaders. As a Klingon, he believed that hand-to-hand combat was the best way to feel alive, and that death during battle was noble and desired. Often, to show how powerful a combatant was, Dorn — or perhaps more correctly, Dorn's stunt double — was frequently thrown to the ground. 

Worf also stood out in that he could easily have lived in an action movie. In the utopian future of "Star Trek," unabashed, action-ready badasses are rare, and while often containing fights and violence, "Star Trek" might be best seen as anything but an action series . In recent seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Picard," a goodly number of characters are murderers, and it feels wildly inappropriate. In the second episode of season 3 of "Picard," Worf proves that he is still handy with a sword. That feels more appropriate. 

In a new interview with SFX Magazine , Dorn agrees, feeling that Worf is essentially the John Wick of "Star Trek." 

They killed my targ

Most of "Star Trek" is marked by formalism, most often populated by characters who are deeply engaged in protocol. A Starfleet officer is often devoted to the ship and to the chain of command before they concern themselves with personal matters. It's tempting, then, to assume that most "Star Trek" characters, even when off-duty, are well-behaved and devoted to duty. That was certainly true of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) who, even when on vacation, had to be talked into putting down "Finnegans Wake" and having some more raucous fun. 

And it's also true of Worf who, thanks to his strict honor code, would easily grow into a deeply principled action hero, willing to step forward and get the job done. Dorn began to see parallels in the more recent Worf and other notable action heroes of recent cinema. He said: 

"I just hit on this recently. ... Because of this season, I think Worf should be a character like Jack Reacher or John Wick or the Equalizer. It just hit me that that's kind of who he is. I always thought that Worf had a place in some show, maybe not even the lead, but just as a character where he's prominent." 

Jack Reacher , created by author Lee Child, was a former commander who had taken to hard-fisted freelance work. He appeared in two movies and a TV series. John Wick, as many know, is the title character from a series of hit action film starring Keanu Reeves, and appears to be the world's most capable assassin. The Equalizer, a.k.a. Robert McCall, was the title character from a 1985 action series that would be adapted into a series of action films starring Denzel Washington in 2014. 

In all cases, they are resolute badasses. Like Worf.

He's not out for revenge

Unlike John Wick, however, Worf has seemingly aged past the need for revenge. In the previews for the new season of "Picard," in fact, Worf claims to have now accepted the cause of pacifism. He does, however, still travel with a sword, implying that he's much like Kane from "Kung Fu." He'll refuse to fight as a matter of course, but is highly skilled at it, should the situation call for it. In short, Worf is a beacon of justice. Dorn said: 

"I'm going, you know, Worf is like a Jack Reacher, the Tom Cruise movies, or John Wick, where he's not out for revenge, but he basically goes around the universe making things right. That's where I think he'll end up."

Going by mere appearances alone, Dorn might perhaps know his character better than any other actor in "Star Trek" history. Thanks to his central role in both "Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Dorn has appeared in more episode than any other non-voice performer (Majel Barrett's computer voice is the only character in more episodes than Worf ). It's also a fitting choice that Worf should be involved in a profession — Starfleet Intelligence — that will allow him to take extreme action against criminals and ne'er-do-well while still engaging in formalism and protocol. He is no bounty hunter or assassin. The spirit of the character, it seems, is still alive. 

Star Trek: What Happened To Worf After Deep Space 9

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Star Trek: Is Worf A Real Klingon?

Star trek: things you didn’t know about worf, one deadpool & wolverine cameo proves fancasting is bad, quick links, who is worf, worf briefly served as an ambassador, worf played a vital role in foiling the borg.

Worf , son of Mogh, of the Klingon House of Martok, of the Human House of Rozhenko, bane of the House of Duras, slayer of Gowron has had one of the most riveting character arcs of any character from Star Trek. Audiences first met him as part of the Enterprise crew in The Next Generation, where he served as a chief security officer. The franchise wasn't done with him after that series ended, though. The first Klingon Starfleet officer found himself in multiple movies, and eventually on The Next Generation's follow-up series, Deep Space Nine .

Worf joined Deep Space Nine in the premiere of its fourth season, just as things were heating up between the Federation and the oppressive Dominion from the Gamma Quadrant. In Deep Space Nine, Worf found himself married, at odds with the Klingon Empire, in command of a Klingon Bird of Prey, and traversing a journey of self-exploration. However, his story didn't end with the finale of Deep Space Nine ​​​​​​.

The first main character from this iconic warrior race has a complicated history with his own heritage.

Worf's Appearances Throughout Star Trek

• The Next Generation
• Star Trek: Generations
• Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek: Nemesis
• Star Trek: Picard

Worf is a Klingon of two worlds. A human couple from Earth raised him after his parents died in a Romulan attack on the Khitomer colony. Despite Earth being a hub for many different alien species, Worf was the only Klingon, but his adopted parents, the Rozhenkos, ensured he stayed true to the Klingon culture. He eventually returned to the Klingon homeworld Qo'noS when he was 15 in an attempt to become a Klingon warrior, but the Klingons rejected him. From there, he returned to Earth and enlisted in Starfleet Academy, becoming the first Klingon to serve in Starfleet.

Worf ended up on the U.S.S. Enterprise with Jean Luc Picard as his captain, under whom he would serve for many years. He started out as a relief officer for the starship until Tasha Yar's death in The Next Generation's first season, earning himself the position of security chief. He would eventually become the chief tactical officer as well, along with a promotion to lieutenant. After his time on the Enterprise, Worf found himself on Deep Space Nine, a space station near Bajor, as the station's strategic operations officer.

It's on Deep Space Nine where he met his first wife, Jadzia Dax, a Trill who had technically lived seven lifetimes. Unfortunately, Worf would know heartache, as Jadzia died at the hands of a possessed Gul Dukat. This crushed Worf for a long time, making it difficult for him to interact with Ezri Dax at first when she ends up serving on Deep Space Nine. Worf served throughout the Dominion War while on the station, and became known as a Klingon hero to the Klingon Empire .

After Deep Space Nine, Worf left the space station to become a Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire. He worked closely with Chancellor Martok, a Klingon who accepted Worf and allowed him to join his house. This role most likely proved difficult for him, as most Klingons are apt to throw their fist at someone before using their words. This seems to be the reason for his return to active duty in Starfleet. In the original script for Star Trek: Nemesis , Beverly Crusher expresses gratitude for his return to the Enterprise. Worf replies:

I was not suited for the life of a…diplomat.

Worf rejoins his old crew on the Enterprise-E, where he fights a Picard clone who took over the Romulan Empire and has his sights on obliterating Earth. After putting an end to Shinzon's scheme, Worf received a promotion and became Picard's new Number One, due to Commander Riker becoming Captain Riker and earning command of the U.S.S. Titan. Worf continued serving under Picard until the captain received a promotion to Admiral. That's when Worf took over command of the Enterprise-E.

However, Worf's stint as captain didn't last too long, and he stepped down after an incident on Krillar Prime. He decided he had enough of starships and transferred to Starfleet Intelligence, where he became the handler for many undercover agents across the galaxy. When he became Commander Raffaela "Raffi" Musiker's handler, though, he didn't realize it would reunite him with his old Enterprise crew.

In season three of Star Trek: Picard , Raffi seemed to have a hard time adjusting to civilian life and became dependent on drugs. However, the audience learned that she was working with Starfleet Intelligence in an undercover capacity. She was specifically investigating the theft of a powerful weapon from the Daystrom Institute. When she ran into trouble with a Ferengi named Sneed , Worf revealed himself as her handler and saved Raffi from Sneed's scheme.

As Worf spent more time with Raffi, viewers saw that the Klingon was not the same impulsive, quick-to-anger man he once was. He had grown in wisdom, and was more comparable to a warrior monk than a Viking berserker. He used his wisdom to guide Raffi, who reminded him of himself. The two followed the breadcrumbs of the Daystrom Institute theft to discover (with help from his old Changeling friend Odo ) that a rogue group of Changelings infiltrated Starfleet and were working with the Borg to overthrow them. Worf reunited with Picard, Riker, and the rest of the bridge crew from The Next Generation, where they proceeded to board an abandoned Borg cube over Jupiter.

Worf's tenure began with him as a lowly lieutenant junior grade, only for him to climb through the ranks and become Captain of his own starship before leaving to essentially spy for the Federation. He saw his fair share of battles, and fought in a galaxy-wide war against an enemy from the other end of the galaxy. He found love, lost the ones he fell for, and even regained his honor in the eyes of the Klingon Empire . Worf had one of the most exciting and rich careers out of everyone who put on a Starfleet uniform.

Even longtime Star Trek fans may be unaware of some of these facts concerning Worf.

• Movies & TV

Worf (Colonel)

Colonel Worf was a prominent Klingon attorney and diplomatic figure during the late 23rd century .

• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Background information
• 3.2 Apocrypha
• 3.3 External links

History [ ]

In 2293 , Worf represented Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy when they were put on trial on the planet Qo'noS , on the charge of murdering Chancellor Gorkon . While Worf was powerless to prevent the pair being convicted in what was essentially a show trial, he nonetheless managed to convince a trio of judges who were presiding over the case that the evidence was not strong enough to support the death penalty . He noted that Gorkon's assassins could have merely been wearing Starfleet uniforms rather than being members of Starfleet themselves. Due to this line of deliberation, combined with the closeness of an impending peace summit , the sentence was commuted to a life term on Rura Penthe .

Worf was later a member of a Klingon delegation that accompanied Chancellor Azetbur to Camp Khitomer , where the peace conference was to be held. Shortly after the event began, he unmasked a disguised Klingon sniper and discovered that this assassin was, in fact, Colonel West . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Objection! My client's political views are not on trial. " " On the contrary, Captain Kirk's views and motives are indeed at the very heart of the matter! This officer's record shows him to be an insubordinate, unprincipled, career-minded opportunist with a history of violating the chain of command whenever it suited him! "

" And if it should be proved that members of your crew did in fact carry out such an assassination?... " " Jim! They're setting us up! Your honors...! " " Do not answer! "

" It is the determination of this court that the prisoners are guilty as charged.' " " I wish to note, for the record, that the evidence against my client is entirely circumstantial. I beg the court to consider this when pronouncing its sentence. " " So noted. Captain James T. Kirk, Doctor Leonard McCoy. In the interests of fostering amity for the forthcoming peace talks, the sentence of death is commuted.... It is the judgment of this court that without possibility of reprieve or parole, you be taken from this place to the dilithium mines on the penal asteroid of Rura Penthe, there to spend the rest of your natural lives. "

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Colonel Worf publicity still

Colonel Worf was played by Michael Dorn , who also played the 24th century Starfleet officer Worf . Although it was never confirmed on screen , publicity materials for Star Trek VI indicated that Colonel Worf was intended to be the grandfather of his Next Generation namesake, and the father of Mogh . ( Star Trek Encyclopedia , 2nd ed., p. 563) Michael Dorn has confirmed that this was the filmmakers' intention. [1] Co-writer Denny Martin Flinn recalled, " The genesis was really Nick [Meyer] saying, 'How about if we get Michael Dorn to play the part of Worf? and everybody said 'Nick, The Next Generation is 75 years later!' and Nick said, 'Okay, we'll make it his grandfather' and that was it. " Initially, however, the part wasn't created with any specific actor planned to take it on. ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 143)

In the fifth draft script for Star Trek VI , Colonel Worf was characterized as a "young, eager Klingon defense attorney." The same script draft also described the character as initially sitting, though he is consistently seen to be standing in the film. The wording of his objections during the trial was also slightly different from how they are phrased in the movie. At one point between the questioning and the delivery of the sentence, he even grimly explained to the accused Kirk and McCoy that, according to Klingon law, "both sides present their cases at the same time," going on to comment that the defendants had had their turn, though none of this dialogue is in the film. The script almost completely referred to the character as simply "defense attorney," with the name Colonel Worf used only in two instances of dialogue as well as in a single scene description (the latter upon establishing his presence at Camp Khitomer). [2]

Michael Dorn remembered the offhand way he learned about his involvement in the project; " Nick Meyer was on set with Herman Zimmerman , the former production designer from our show and the movie. He just happened to walk by. We were introduced, and he said, 'I wrote a part for you on the show.' The story lent itself to Worf being there. They wanted to have a thread between the old and the new. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 22, No. 5, p. 52) Denny Martin Flinn clarified, " Nick had not created the part of Worf for a particular actor, but we got Michael Dorn and they explained to him he couldn't play himself. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 143) Dorn further recalled, " Before we began shooting, I talked to the director and I asked, 'What do you want this guy to be? Do you want him to be like Worf or do you want him to be different?' And he said, 'No, we wanted him to be totally different. This is Worf's grandfather, so we want some flashes of Worf, but we don't want to see Worf 'cause you know we don't want it to be too close.' " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 104 , p. 63)

Michael Dorn receiving his Colonel Worf appliances...

...and on the Khitomer set of Star Trek VI

One element that Michael Dorn was not fond of was the prosthetics required for the role. He stated, " For the first time in my life, I was in makeup for almost 24 hours. That's a long time. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 104 , p. 63) He was, however, thrilled about the opportunity to play a role that essentially linked Star Trek: The Original Series with Star Trek: The Next Generation , describing the experience as "a lot of fun" and "an honor." ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 143) He remarked, " It was wonderful. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 9 , p. 19) However, he also said, " You don't think about it till it happens and then you realize how important it is. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 143) Early in his stint playing Colonel Worf, Michael Dorn enjoyed working with both Christopher Plummer and Rosana DeSoto . Having been a longtime fan of the original Star Trek series, he was also excited about meeting the cast of that show. He reminisced, " There was one day where they were shooting this huge scene and everybody was there, and I'm sitting in this little alcove in my chair, and right across from me are all of the characters – Shatner , Nimoy , everybody. On the outside I was really cool, but inside I'm thinking, 'Oh, my God, they're all there, and they are looking at me !' [....] That was one of the most special moments ever in this whole thing. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 9 , p. 19)

On the differences between the two characters, Dorn noted, " I felt Worf was more at peace with himself in Star Trek VI than Worf on the television show, because he's a Klingon, all Klingon. He is a Klingon and he's from Klingon [sic] , he's never been taken away from his family. He's spent all his time with Klingons and was more in touch with himself. He was more even-keeled and not quite as racked with inner turmoil. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 143)

Worf's unmasking of Colonel West was included only in the film's VHS and Special Edition DVD releases and was excluded from the movie's theatrical cut. In the theatrical version of the movie, Worf's presence at Camp Khitomer is virtually unnoticeable, save for a very brief glimpse.

The writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine considered having Colonel Worf be mentioned by his grandson Worf. In the first draft script of DS9 : " Sons and Daughters " (dated 1 July 1997 ), the younger Worf told his son, Alexander Rozhenko , " One hundred years ago, in the Battle of Minas , my grandfather, your great-grandfather, beheaded his own brother for cowardice. He did his duty as a warrior. " However, this line of dialogue was excised from the "Sons and Daughters" script as the first draft continued to be revised.

In October 1997 , Ronald D. Moore addressed the possibility of having Colonel Worf's grandson mention his grandfather. Moore commented, " We've thought about it, but haven't found a place to throw it in. It could still happen. " ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Apocrypha [ ]

The novelization of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country establishes that Azetbur noted that Worf had performed the distasteful task of defending Kirk and McCoy, in their murder trial, with honor.

The view that Colonel Worf is the grandfather of The Next Generation character of the same name is supported by novels such as The Art of the Impossible , which portrays a promoted General Worf as the father of Mogh . The book also establishes that the elder Worf was not a warrior of any type, saying that, as a defense attorney, his battlefield was the courtroom. Worf did, however, make sure that his son, Mogh, was a warrior. Worf, unlike many other Klingons during his time, did not hold a very high opinion of " The Great Curzon ". The novel also states that Lorgh , the man who raised Kurn as his own son after the assault on Khitomer , was an old friend of Worf's, who also kept an eye on the younger Worf living in the Federation , to ensure that both the sons of Mogh would live to adulthood so that his friend's family line would continue. General Worf represented the Klingon Empire in Federation-mediated negotiations with the Cardassian Union in 2328 during the first stages of the Betreka Nebula Incident and was killed in 2333 on board the Klingon passenger vessel Chut when it was destroyed in a collision with the Cardassian freighter Gratok over Raknal V. He was one of 98 Klingon casualties. The incident led to a significant deterioration in Klingon-Cardassian relations.

In the novel The Forgotten War , the younger Worf mentions to one of the reptilian aliens called the Tarn that he "had a grandsire" who was involved in a protracted battle against the Tarn, at a location called Garamora.

In the game Star Trek: Klingon Academy , it was revealed that Colonel Worf had a younger brother named Thok Mak ( β ), who was an instructor at the Elite Command Academy ( β ). As with both Worf and Colonel Worf, Thok Mak was played by Michael Dorn.

In the second volume of the DC Comics Star Trek series, Colonel Worf appeared in an alternate timeline during the five-part " Time Crime " arc. In this reality, created by a Romulan plot, the Klingons had developed a peaceful society akin to the Federation, with whom they were staunch allies. Worf was a lieutenant aboard the USS Enterprise , under Kirk's command. Once the prime timeline was restored, Colonel Worf remained aware of his alternate self, due to the influence of the Guardian of Forever , which revealed that, in this reality, he was a defense attorney specializing in hard luck cases.

External links [ ]

• Worf (Colonel) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

Star Trek: Picard Finale - Worf's Sword Secret Highlights How Badass He Truly Is

Contains spoilers for the series finale of "Star Trek: Picard"

When Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) rejoined his former friends and allies from USS Enterprise in Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard," it wasn't long before he showed off his unique weapons. His newest sword, the Kur'leth, was displayed during his battles with Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and various enemies. Apart from its distinctive ease of movement during combat, the series finale revealed the weapon's hidden mechanism. 

As it turns out, Worf's blade was hiding a secret phaser all season that he finally used when fighting next to William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in the final episode. The nifty approach saved the Lieutenant from a tragic fate since he was injured by a Borg drone during the epic fight.

But the last-minute phaser was but one of several of the creative approaches the sword's creator thought of. This is because the Kur'leth was crafted by a visual effects supervisor that brought some of Worf's previous weaponry to the screen.

Worf's kur'leth sword was designed by the same artist that created his weapons on Star Trek: TNG

"Star Trek: Picard's" production designer Dave Blass revealed on Twitter that Lieutenant Worf's Kur'leth sword was created by Dan Curry – the visual effects supervisor and producer that worked on the character's blades on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" from 1987-1994. Curry's imaginative arsenal shaped the Klingon Commander's combat skills and assisted in shaping the character's vaulted status in the "Star Trek" fandom.

Blass states, "He had designed Worf's previous weapons the Bat'leth and the Mek'leth. They are not just random weapons of war. Each design is thought through by Dan as to how the weapon would be used. The open hole on the blade creates a handle that allows for a multitude of striking configurations."

The program's art director added that Michael Dorn was excited to work with Dan Curry again since their previous partnership's focus on the martial arts-inspired movements of Worf's battle style became a prominent feature of the Lieutenant Commander. 

Although the series has ended, Dorn is open to a Worf spin-off , which would almost certainly mean the kur'leth will return along with him.

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Interview: Michael Dorn Pitches ‘Captain Worf’ Show; Explains What It Would Take To Do ‘Star Trek: Picard’

| January 22, 2021 | By: Anthony Pascale 101 comments so far

In part one of TrekMovie’s new exclusive interview with Michael Dorn , we talked about his new movie Agent Revelation along with his time playing Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation  through to Deep Space Nine and the TNG movies. In this second part, we talk about Worf’s possible future, which included his concept for a Klingon-oriented “Captain Worf” show and what it would take for him to revive the character on Star Trek: Picard or Lower Decks .

Years ago you and I spoke – and this was before CBS All Access even existed – about your idea for a Captain Worf show . I n the last five years or so, have you talked to the CBS All Access people about this project?

Yeah, I actually did. And, interestingly enough, it seems to rise and fall. There’s interest and then there’s not. Then there’s interest and then there’s not. And I guess it was two years ago I thought they would take it a little further. But that did not happen. So I don’t know if the whole idea is dead – not in my mind. [laughs] I believe that they are missing a great opportunity to insert something into Star Trek that’s always been part of the Star Trek lexicon, which is the Klingons.

Could you give us your latest elevator pitch?

Basically, the script I wrote was: Instead of looking at the Klingon Empire from Starfleet, we look at Starfleet from the Klingon Empire. And it has been going on for decades, the Klingon Empire just can’t go on. It’s the Russians, basically. And they decide that they have to either die with a sword in their hands and go extinct, or change with the times and become something different. And Worf is the guy that says, “We have to change with the times, that is the mark of a warrior.”

And so two things happen. They start letting other races into the Klingon world. And the only way they can do that is by letting in Starfleet officers. That’s sort of the way it’s done. ‘We’ll let in other people, but first Starfleet offers because we understand Starfleet. They’re soldiers, we’re soldiers.’ The second thing they have to do is their resources are limited and dwindling, because the Klingon universe is just like the Federation. They have planets and worlds and societies that they own, but they do it in a brutal way. And so they have to go out to every one of these worlds and either give them their freedom, or try to work with them, which is something that’s anathema to Klingons.

And since Worf opened his big mouth and said, “This is what we have to do,” then they say, “Okay, then you’re the guy that has to go out to all these worlds.” And every world is different. Some worlds are rebelling. Some worlds want to be part of the Klingon Empire. Some worlds want to be independent. And so every episode is that.

So Worf is no longer part of Starfleet, but a member of the Klingon Defense Force?  

Exactly. This is the Klingon Empire. He’s a captain aboard a ship.

The IKS Something.

Yeah, I forgot what it is. It’s the Vortas or something. [laughs]

It probably has a random apostrophe in there.

[laughs] Exactly! The thing is, Worf is a character that has no fear. We have seen that over the years. I think Star Trek has always liked that about the Klingons. What I wrote, it’s claustrophobic. It’s Shakespearean in its scope. There’s assassinations and coups and behind-the-scenes politics going on. It’s such a great fit and it doesn’t feel like anything else that’s on All Access. It’s funny because it’s like they are looking for something and they’ve totally ignored this easy path. But we’ll see what happens. I don’t know if it’s dead or not. I have the script ready. [laughs] It’s on my computer and ready to be emailed to anybody that’s interested. But we’ll see. They have their own take on these things, and we’ll leave it at that.

Michael Dorn as Worf in DS9’s “Soldiers of the Empire”

Worf was name-checked in the first season of Star Trek: Picard . We recently spoke to Gates [McFadden] , who said she is talking to them. LeVar [Burton] has said the same . So, have you had any discussions? Are you interested in doing what Jonathan [Frakes] and Marina [Sirtis] have already done?

Well, let me put it this way. I have not been contacted about that. But I don’t like to say yes or no. It really depends on quite a few things. It depends on the role. It depends on how they want to present it. The one thing you have to realize is that I have to get into makeup. You are talking about three hours. For me to do that, it really has to be kind of worth it, you know what I mean? I don’t want to get in makeup and just stand around and scowl at people.

Well, an easier way – which fits into a lot of the work you are already doing – which would be do add your voice to the new animated show, Lower Decks . They also brought in Marina and Jonathan, and you could do that one in your sweatpants.

They haven’t they have not contacted me at all. Not a peep. So I just assumed that it’s not gonna happen.

I think you may get a call from the Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan. I know he is a big fan of yours.

Okay, alright.

And animated would be an easier yes for you because of the makeup?

So, I don’t want to take up your whole day, but always an honor to talk to the man who has been in more Star Trek than anyone else.

You would think that would mean something too, wouldn’t you? [laughs] It’s hilarious.

And since the days of doing 26 episodes each season are over, you will probably hold that record forever.

[laughs] I chuckle because sometimes I think that they are going, ‘You know, we need something on this CBS All Access.’ ‘We need somebody that’s done more Star Trek than anybody. God, who do you think?’ ‘What about Michael Dorn?’ ‘No, he’s not right.’ [laughs] I think that’s the conversation. At least I laugh about it.

Michael Dorn as Worf in Star Trek: Nemesis

See Michael Dorn in Agent Revelation – available now

Agent Revelation tells the story of Jim Yung, a rejected CIA analyst who has been exposed to an ancient ‘dust’ that transforms him into a super soldier that can communicate with aliens. When a secret organization works with him to discover why aliens have returned to Earth, the truth comes at a price. Dorn plays Alistair, a mysterious tech billionaire who works with Yung to unravel the alien mystery. Agent Revelation will be released on video on demand on Friday, January 22nd.

See more interviews at TrekMovie.com .

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I know I may be in the minority, but I only want characters to return if it extends their story and/or brings it to a satisfying conclusion. Season 1 did that with Riker, Troi, and Data. I love Worf. He’s one of my favorite characters. But I’d hate to see him in just a cameo. Would it be great to see him as captain of the Enterprise or something along those lines? You bet. But only if it serves the story of the show and does the character justice.

With season 2 set to begin filming in a few weeks, I think we can take Dorn’s comments that he likely won’t be appearing in season two. Maybe season three.

Canon Novel Star Trek Picard The Last Best Hope revealed Spoiler Worf was Picards successor as Captain of the Enterprise-E

The novels aren’t canon.

The Picard and Discovery novels are written in close collaboration with the show’s writers and can be assumed to be canon unless directly contradicted.

Any Trek novel can be considered canon unless directly contradicted by canon. Yes, there seems to be a closer collaboration between the studio and the publisher now but that’s mostly providing the novel writers with more information about what the studio is planning. The studio is still under no obligation to stick to anything established by the novels. So except for more information flow the conditions are the same as before.

“Unless directly contradicted” applies to ALL spinoff literature–which is why none of it is canon. That’s not how the concept of “canon” (an idiotic concept, by the way) works.

It does apply to any literature but the difference here is that they have seeded things in the Discovery novels that they’ve later introduced in the series. You’re right though they can and have contradicted the novels when they’ve not fit in with the latest direction that they’ve wanted to steer the shows but unlike the historic relationship between Trek productions and the tie-ins there is now a greater reward for those that follow the shows and read the literature. Now I’m not up to date on the latest novels nor am I trying to argue that they’re canon but I do feel that anything that has been introduced in the Discovery/Picard novels is a potential Easter egg and those that read the books can legitimately reference them when speculating on how the TV series might develop.

The difference is that future writers will try to avoid contradicting the canon TV shows. They won’t care about contradicting the novels, because they are not canon. Just look at Star Trek: Countdown. That comic was written in collaboration with the writers of Trek XI, and lots of fans said that it was canon, but then Star Trek: Picard completely contradicted it a few years later.

None of the novels are canon.

I agree. I thought the Klingon stories were the worst parts of DS9 and TNG, so I don’t think I’d watch a Captain Worf series. That said, good luck to him – I know he’s been trying for a long time.

Big disagreement here. It wasn’t universal but the bulk of the Worf stories on TNG were the best ones of the entire series. He was also the most interesting character in the cast and the ONE character I would be curious to see what happened to.

Love you, Dorn. Would love to see you back. But nobody likes a poopypants.

Can’t help believe some part of the issue with Dorn’s return has to do with what discovery did with the Klingons. Since there was a huge backlash from fans they seem to be avoiding showing them onscreen now. People would want to see the Worf we know but how does he fit into the Klingon redesign?

I suggest just going back to the TNG design and pretend what we saw in discovery never happened; I can get on board with that and I think a lot of the audience could too.

Alex Kurtzman already said publically if we see Worf again, he would look exactly like old Worf as before so that is not an issue. And they know if they made Worf look like one of the weird Klingons from season one of Discovery, fans would riot. ;)

Didn’t they even show archival footage of Worf in episode one of Picard?

Yep! I think they wanted to make it clear the Worf we know, in appearance anyway, is still very much in canon. I suspect any Klingons we see in Picard will look like the old Klingons in general. If so, thank Kahless!

It doesn’t require that much mental gymnastics to fit the apparent contradiction of the DSC Klingons with ENT, TOS, and Trials and Tribbleations: The affected Klingon colony worlds were quarantined and the augment virus somewhat contained. They became ostracized from the Klingon houses we saw in DSC season one and two. After L’Rell unifies the Empire, these “smooth heads” are brought back into the KDF and serve as frontline troops seen in TOS. Sometime between the end of TOS and TMP, a treatment is developed.

No it doesn’t at all. But we also know that’s not what they were going for when they came up with them though, because it was never remotely hinted at Klingons had a wide variety of looks in Discovery. Or the fact no one in Starfleet was remotely shocked they all suddenly went bald for some reason even though they were seen with nothing but hair during early Starfleet era when Archer and company had their dealings with them. I think a lot of people would’ve loved this idea if that was actually the idea at the time.

Seem like they learned their lesson with Picard and made it canon why some Romulans had smooth foreheads and others didn’t. They can STILL do that with the Klingons too but so far they done nothing other than the augment explanation.

I’ve always thought it odd that the Federation has so many member worlds, yet the Klingon and Romulan “empires” are full of … well, Klingons and Romulans. Apparently all born on the same world (Kronos / Romulus). That’s not much of an empire.

Now, the easiest way of fitting it all together is to accept that every type of Klingon is a member of the Klingon Empire and therefore must call themselves Klingon. Only some are from Kronos; most likely the Worf-y ones. The other ones could all coexist and be accepted, if we assume they come from different home worlds within the empire.

Just my take on things.

I’ve always thought that the many aliens we saw on Rhura Penthe in TUC were from conquered worlds within the Klingon Empire. Hence why we never saw them before.

I loved Discovery’s Klingon look. I may be in the minority…but always thought klingons should look more alien. Discovery delivered on that before the whiny fans started complaining.

A. I always thought from TSFS on they DID look more alien.

B. People say this but then no one seems to be pushing for all the others from Vulcans to Bajorans to look more alien. Why only Klingons when you have so many aliens that just look basically human minus a forehead, ear or nose appendage?

C. I have no issue that they were changed so much as I thought how they were changed was pretty bad. And clearly a lot of people felt the same.

Then Berman and Co. reused all those 100yo foam heads and costumes during TNG and Klingons became much less realistic as a society. By the end of VOY, when Janeway consults a Klingon time travel genius, the Klingons on screen aren’t even plausible scientists. The whole scene is absurd.

I had no issues with how the Klingons were portrayed on TNG. But I never loved how they were in TOS. I didn’t have a big issue with it, just never loved them one or the other. And they just came off like one dimensional brutes on TOS. How were they more realistic pre-TNG? I just don’t see a huge difference but if you do that’s fine of course.

It was my understanding that there were some plans for the Klingons on TOS that just never materialized. First, I think they wanted them to be gold skinned. But that just cost too much in time and money when Errand of Mercy was shot. The other thing they planned was to make Kor a recurring foil for Kirk. But Calicos was not available the next time they needed him so the character was changed.

But yes, their intent was to be a the show’s “baddie”. And in the 60’s not much effort was made to go deeper with such characters. Especially on TV.

Myself, I don’t have an issue with tweaking or “updating” a look of a classic Trek alien. But it is possible to go too far. I think TNG pushed the envelope when they gave Romulans foreheads. But what Discovery did to the Klingons was more than a “tweak” or an “update”. They were nearly completely reimagined. Which is what pushed the fans over the edge. Yes, they were reimagined for TMP. But I think most accepted the reasons behind that change. At this point it’s pretty well established what a Klingon “look” is. Feel free to play with the ridges a bit or some small things. But don’t go nuts.

I am also in that minority which enjoyed the Klingon redesign. I didn’t want you to feel lonely!

Having a different opinion doesn’t necessarily make somebody ‘whiny’, feeling the need to insult those that don’t share your view usually does though.

One would assume that the Klingons will show up at some point in Strange New Worlds, it’ll be interesting to see if they change the aesthetics at all like they did for S2 with the addition of the hair and the story that went along with it.

I would imagine that any Klingons in SNW would look like the Discovery season 2 Klingons. That would make it easier to bring back characters like L’Rell.

I hope if do bring them back, it will honour all visual canon – Discovery, TOS, and TNG era. They can make reference to the augment virus Klingons being on the front lines and gaining wider acceptance due to L’Rell. They can even say that if people question it, ‘we don’t discuss it with outsiders’ lol

Just like they did with the Romulans in TNG. A quick comment in Picard stating that northern Romulans have the forehead ridges and southern don’t neatly explained their conflicting looks.

I don’t think brown-face TOS klingons would fly in the current entertainment system so I believe TOS klingons are out of question.

They could just use actual actors of color, and have white actors without the brown face. The important thing would really be that they didn’t have cranial ridges.

Exactly. Enterprise did this to an extent

I want cheesy TOS Klingons in SNW. Only cheesy TOS Klingons.

My hope would be, if they want to keep the STD Klingon look, would be to show all three kinds of Klingons. There is not one kind of human. Why can’t there be different races of Klingons?

Please use the official shorthands for these shows like DSC, PIC, LDS. Terms like STD are too often used for trolling and we prefer them not used here.

Does that mean LDX is out, too? I’ve been using that as I find it more intuitive.

If the design update was good, we’d have an easier time with it. I’ll admit the 1979 Klingon look was already pretty dated by the time of DS9, and they did really need some better wigs and costumes. But what Discovery did was so over the top. Gaudy sets, Orc makeup, mouthpieces that made dialogue hard to hear, and apart from L’Rell, maybe, characters that don’t hold a candle to Kruge/Chang/Kor/Kang/Duras/Lursa/B’Etor/K’Heylar/Martok/Gowron/Kurn and especially Worf.

PIC did an awesome job showing the various Romulan designs side by side. They could do the same for the Klingons… There are many Klingon aesthetics. Even Worf’s looks have changed after Season 1. TOS / TMP / TUC / TNG-ENT / DSC… I wouldn’t mind seeing some DSC Klingons side by side with the other styles…

I wonder if hiding the Voq reveal was the biggest reason for the drastic, actor-obscuring design.

We already got 11 seasons of Worf, so there is no need for his own show.

But I would love for him to be a recurring character on Picard.

I really hope we see L’Rell on that show again! And I really liked her look in season 2, so I would be OK if they kept her that way.

You want to see L’Rell on Picard? That would make her what, more than 160 years old? Have Klingon lifespans been established? I guess most Klingons die in battle before getting this old ;-) I guess there’s a much better chance they may bring her back in Strange New Worlds, or the Section 31 show depending on when that one actually takes place.

LOL I meant SNW! For some reason I thought that’s what the other poster said and not Picard. I wasn’t paying attention when I wrote this….clearly. Sorry for the confusion.

Dorn’s outline for the Worf series was actually very good. Would love to see something like that. Sounds much better than Picard and especially Discovery.

I, too, would love it! PLEASE ALEX! Beam Michael up!!!

…Yeah, that was actually a pretty compelling pitch. I would definitely be interested in watching that. While I think Kurtzman et al would be loathe to give Dorn the power (and dollars) that would come with accepting the pitch, I think it’s entirely possible that they’re holding back on bringing him onto other Trek shows because they *are* intrigued enough to want to keep the powder dry, so to speak, and avoid any need to retcon if they decided to do a Worf series (more likely limited series). They might also be thinking about how they could change the idea enough to justify not giving him his fair share of the credit and proceeds, too… (Which is very common practice in Hollywood, I think)

It sounds far more interesting that Picard or Discovery to me as well. In fact, it was something my friends and I half joked about back when TNG was on the air. All of us felt that TNG would be a ton better if it were set on board a Klingon ship!

Actually, I think Dorn delivered a great pitch. That sounds really good! Haha

I can’t say that I’m overly fond of the idea Mr. Dorn presents for a Worf show, but I’d check it out. What I think would be interesting to see is a guest starring role in Picard where Worf is captain of the Enterprise E. The guest starring role would essentially be a backdoor pilot for the continuing adventures of the flagship and its crew, boldly going and discovering in the 25th century. It may be redundant with Discovery and Strange New Worlds, but it’s a thought.

The producers have said that they want all their Trek shows to be distinct from each other. Having another show with “the continuing adventures of the flagship and its crew” would indeed feel kind of redundant as that’s what Strange New Worlds seems to be going for.

When will he stop trying to shoehorn himself into Star Trek again, me me me me.

You have had more than a fair share on Trek, it’s someone else’s turn. Worf has had many story arcs and doesn’t need any more.

I think he doesn’t get hired back because he’s trying to make himself front and centre for everything.

I could agree, and was leaning to your view until I heard the pitch.

It’s a great idea. And it completely complements the Secret Hideout concept that the Klingon Empire isn’t a single species.

The concept would fit in well with the realignments going on after the Romulan supernova, and internal preoccupations might explain why the old Neutral Zone and regions on the Klingon-Romulan border are in disarray.

I think they could start with a miniseries or limited series and see how it goes.

I also think that Dorn is correct that Kurtzman needs to be willing to let some others like him and Noah Hawley come in and play. As long as Kurtzman is keeping such close creative control over all the live-action series, it will not be possible to truly achieve the strategy of having a menu of offerings.

It’s his job to have creative control from a production standpoint, though. He’s this generations Rick Berman. It simply may be that there isn’t a huge market for Klingon-based show like this.

Yes, it’s Kurtzman’s job to have high-level, strategic creative control, but in interviews it’s clear that he’s involved at a really micro level.

If he controls all the choices about what scenes are in and out, edits everything in his own style and oversees all the vfx, the goal of having different series that appeals to different audience niches won’t be realized.

More, since he has so many series on the go at once (beyond Trek), exercising his veto power at the micro level is contributing to incoherence since he doesn’t recall in post why all the little decisions were made on the details that help things make sense, while subordinates are dropping in things that they know he likes (e.g. Dots) without really using them well.

Part of being a great senior executive is bringing in people who think differently than you do and delegating. This seems to be the step in development that he hasn’t fully taken yet, and it may be that the chaos with the showrunners on Discovery has made him keep tighter control, but it seems that it’s becoming a problem on the live-action series.

For example, he’s already said that he’s personally more comfortable as a writer writing strong female characters. This is great, since it helps rebalance the franchise.

However, having some strong male leads is also a plus. It was smart in that case to revive an established male character like Pike, but it doesn’t sound like it would have happened if Akiva Goldsman hadn’t championed bringing back Pike. We also hear rumours of talks to bring back Sisko, but again that probably wouldn’t have happened if Behr hadn’t made the DS9 documentary.

So, Dorn who is arguably the most popular black main character ever in the franchise, has pitched a series, and one that is both authentically fresh and one that fits in very well with the lat 24th early 25th century Prime Universe setting as Kurtzman has established it.

The only other thing holding it back could be the suits, who are still feeling burnt by the fan backlash against the Klingons in Discovery S1. Kurtzman has struggled to get the S31 series out of development. It may be that he needs to land the greenlighting of S31 before considering Dorn’s proposal.

That is why a made-for-streaming movie or a limited series to pilot this one makes a lot of sense.

“ he’s already said that he’s personally more comfortable as a writer writing strong female characters. “

Does he? Well… Being comfortable doing it is obviously not the same as being able to do it well.

“ As long as Kurtzman is keeping such close creative control over all the live-action series, it will not be possible to truly achieve the strategy of having a menu of offerings.”

That is a nice way of saying what I have been saying about Secret Hideout for a couple of years now. Kurtzman’s idea of different Trek shows is good, but they will not truly have their own voice if 2/3 of the BTS staff are the same people.

As much as I like both Worf and Dorn, I never been a huge lover of Klingons, at least compared to really devoted fans. It’s why the idea of a Klingon war in Discovery didn’t excite me. I had the opposite view (although still curious to see how they did it). The only times I really liked Klingon storylines was the first (and much better done) Klingon conflict in DS9, which was obviously created to bring Worf in and The Undiscovered Country. I liked other Klingon story lines in TNG and (sort of) TOS and a few of the other movies but never really had to see them.

So until now, I never liked the idea of a Worf show based solely around Klingons, did nothing for me. Would love to see Worf again, but not his own show. BUT, I have to say after reading his idea (finally) and what the premise would be, this actually sounds promising. I like the idea of seeing Klingons going around their empire trying to find a new way and dealing with various aliens and other societies. And I like that Starfleet would be involved so it wouldn’t just be solely about Klingons. It could even be interesting to have a Starfleet officer aboard Worf’s ship as an attache or something. Would be nice to see the flip side of a human Starfleet officer aboard an all Klingon ship the same way we saw Worf (and later B’Elanna) being the sole Klingons on a mostly human ship.

As far as the main idea, this was something I always envisioned on a post-Nemesis/Hobus star show and it would be a starfleet ship helping the Romulans forge a new way of dealing with all the colonies in their old empire trying to forge new alliances and so on. This idea came way before Discovery or Picard existed and when it was just the Kelvin movies. But to do it for the Klingons would still be interesting. I don’t think it will happen though, but a really strong concept if handled right.

So, basically you pitched the Klingon verson of The Undiscovered Country, fast forward one hundred years.

Pass…

Meh. With some polishing it could work.

No Just no. Unless he’s now wearing a red shirt and gets killed with in the first 4 minutes. Then OK.

Wow… Why the hate for Worf? I know he got beat in fights more often than he probably should have but still… He was easily the only interesting character on TNG.

“It’s such a great fit and it doesn’t feel like anything else that’s on All Access.” –Actually, Dorn’s pitch sounds a lot like where Discovery is going–traveling to all these federation worlds isolated by the burn and bringing them back into the fold. Also, klingons have been done to death, though the 32nd century version may have undergone a change like he described. This sounds like more of a subplot on a show set in the Picard era then an actual show itself.

“Klingons have been done to death” is such a weird thing to say. Surely, you wouldn’t suggest that “Humans have been done to death”, or that “Starfleet has been done to death”.

Maybe… Except in Worf’s case, it would probably be a ton more interesting with far better characters. That is IF Kurtzman doesn’t insist he and his regulars don’t start messing with it like they have every other SH show.

I like Dorn a lot, and Worf was a great character, but I’ve seen all the Klingons I want to see for the next five years or so.

not a bad idea, if they’re concerned about make up cost etc they could just make it animated.

It’s not the COST of the make-up; it’s the three hours sitting in the chair getting make-up applied that Dorn wants to avoid.

You bring up a valid point. It would be hard to justify why a Klingon-centered show taking place in the Klingon Empire should feature a lot of humans but having all characters be aliens (even if not all Klingons) would be really difficult from a production point of view.

It could be animated actually…and it does have possibility for some Game of Thrones vibes

The more I think of it, the more I think this could be made an animated series: Gorgeous designs and many new worlds and aliens, all at a much lower production cost with maximum creative possibilities, with Dorn doing the voice work. An animated series would also fit the niche idea of the skript well.

Could envision a gripping, graphic novel-like style

Oh, god, enough with the Captain Worf show, Mr. Dorn. It was never going to happen and it’s not going to happen now.

and thats Basicly what Dorn himself says

What a bunch ofself-serving garbage! Of COURSE Dorn’s pitching a Captain Worf show. You can only so many direct-to-DVD “films” before you miss being relevent. He’s prairie dogged up with this at every possible oppotunity for decades now….doesn’t mean any realistic number of viewers would support it.

The man did more Trek episodes than anyone alive, Frakes and Sirtis do a lovely episode of “PICARD” so he feels entitled to for 10 times as much. Feh!

It reminds me if Takai’s tri-annual bloviations about how whatbthe fans REALLY crave is a Captain Sulu series.

Yeah but here’s the thing – Dorn does Worf well. I’d agree if his performances were loaded with drivel. But how many times has Dorn served up garbage playing Worf? I think with a decent writing team in staff, they could polish his basic idea into something captivating.

And that is the speed bump here. A “DECENT” writing team. Something Secret Hideout has shown time and time again they do not have. For this show to work they would need a 100% different production crew producing and writing it.

Hey, the guy wrote a skript and that’s actual creative work. Why not assume he does not do it for the fame but because he had a creative idea that he wants to see realized? Plus acting is his job, so why shouldn’t he try to acquire new work. I really really don’t like it when people presume insidious motives about other people they don’t even know personally. “Feeling entitled” looks like your own assumption not a fact. I’d thank you for making accusations on this board only when they’re based on facts, after all Dorn’s a person too…Hope you don’t mind me saying this, Cheers!

I seriously doubt Frakes ad Sirtis’ appearances had anything to do with this. In fact, I find those two’s constant appearances to be tiresome and more self serving than Dorn speaking about a Worf centered show from time to time.

I can feel the frustration in Dorn’s comments and I agree. I mean I’d love to see him in either Picard or Lower Decks but his klingon series idea is also interesting and I get why he is frustrated with CBS for not fully understanding or caring about it.

It’s perhaps because he has had a hell of a lot of Trek airtime. His story has been told in detail. And he doesn’t even seem keen on the animated show as it relegates him to supporting character and not on camera.

There hasn’t been many things “starring michael dorn” since DS9 for a reason…

The reasons may not be what you think. Here’s what’s in the public domain.

– Dorn made enough from his 3 television series (Chips, TNG, DS9) to be very comfortable, and has managed his money well. – He’s a former military pilot and owned a trainer fighter jet for many years that he spent a large part of his time flying in the 90s. (Saw him at a con and he talked about this.)

– Once DS9 was over, he decided to focus on theatre, and didn’t put himself up for a lot of guest star roles in other series. (Patrick Stewart said that he expected Dorn to focus on Shakespeare back in the day.)

Last he’s a Black male actor from an earlier era when there weren’t many series that offered them leads. How many 00s series would have used his talents at the top of the call sheet?

Perhaps we shouldn’t throw shade without thinking it through.

Been asking for this for years! Or a Titan series.

At first glance, I rolled my eyes at the thought of a Captain Worf show. Dorn’s pitch is quite compelling. I definitely would watch it but I don’t think it has the legs to be a series. I’d love to see a 6 ep mini series. They can do it in between seasons of DSC and Picard.

Wow. I really like Michael Dorn’s pitch. I always wanted a Klingon show from their perspective.

Would they do it all in the Klingon language with subtitles? Klingons may speak Federation Standard (=English) when interacting with the Federation but why would they do it among themselves? Yet, if I remember correctly there was quite some backlash when Discovery had extended Klingon dialogue during season 1.

It seems fairly clear DIGINON that after Discovery S1 they’ve adopted the Hunt for Red October Approach: start in the other language with subtitles but then morph into English for understanding.

Probably. I may be used to reading subtitles because I watch shows in a multitude of languages but it would be really hard for the actors. And for whoever needs to translate all that dialogue from English to Klingon first.

I would think that they would be reading their lines in english unless there was a story reason not to. For example, The Hunt for Red October stared with the Russians speaking Russian. Soon we get a transition to English for the convenience of the viewers. Later in the film the change back to speaking Russian because the circumstance of the scene required it. And no one thought this to be odd. The language thing is a very easy fix.

Just put him on Picard; if it’s stale, it couldn’t be much worse than the inert character of Smahjj, or subplots about how the alcoholic’s son resents her, or Jeri Ryan kicking ass and kicking ass because she is a badass shooting two guns at once and that kicks ass.

It’s a decent idea. Seeing the show (like Disco) has problems developing new characters, it might be a good save.

Actually I sorta think the opposite. Discovery has a problem developing their MAIN characters. It’s the newer ones who seem to be better handled.

I am 100% for this. His basic concept has merit – just needs some polishing. Out of all of the characters from TNG, Worf had the most potential for development in the post-Nemesis universe. CBS – please dump the garbage Section 31 show and talk to Dorn.

The Klingon Empire TV Show sounds fantastic! I would love to explore the Star Trek universe all over again but from the Klingon perspective. How do they solve the problems; yes I assume with a bit more action, but that’ll make for some good scenes.

I would love to see the Klingon Empire join the Federation as a finale, just saying.

Dorn’s pitch is solid, and a good way to go for a series from the Klingon perspective. Unfortunately, I feel Klingon culture has already been explored to death. Plus, I don’t know if there would be a strong enough audience base for a entirely Klingon-centric show. I’d watch it though!

Interesting concept. Probably the best concept since Enterprise. I’d like to see it but it would be kinda expensive as most characters in the cast would require the prosthetics.

If we’re seeing a lot of different Klingon subject species, there could be many with no or lighter prosthetics.

Not this again. Give it up Michael.

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Published Feb 1, 2017

Worf at Center of Headlong Flight

The latest Star Trek novel from Dayton Ward, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Headlong Flight , is available now via Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books. In it, Worf and an away team land on a planet experiencing a continual succession of random jumps between dimensions...

Here's the complete synopsis:

Surveying a nebula as part of their continuing exploration of the previously uncharted “Odyssean Pass,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise encounter a rogue planet. Life signs are detected on the barren world’s surface, and then a garbled message is received: a partial warning to stay away at all costs. Determined to render assistance, Picard dispatches Commander Worf and an away team to investigate, but their shuttlecraft is forced to make an emergency landing on the surface, moments before all contact is lost and the planet completely disappears.

Worf and his team learn that this mysterious world is locked into an unending succession of random jumps between dimensions, the result of an ambitious experiment gone awry. The Enterprise crew members and the alien scientists who created the technology behind this astonishing feat find themselves trapped, powerless to break the cycle. Meanwhile, as the planet continues to fade in and out of their planes of existence, other parties have now taken notice…

Running 352 pages, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Headlong Flight is available as a mass market paperback, unabridged audio download and eBook priced at $7.99 (and $10.99 in Canada). Go to www.simonandschuster.com to purchase it.

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Michael Dorn (I)

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• Trivia Made a grand total of 282 "Star Trek" appearances. He appeared in 175 of the 178 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) , 102 of the 176 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) , Star Trek: Generations (1994) , Star Trek: First Contact (1996) , Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) . He also directed the following episodes: In the Cards (1997) , Inquisition (1998) , When It Rains... (1999) and Two Days and Two Nights (2002) . The 277 episodes of Star Trek he appeared in means he has appeared in more episodes of Sci-Fi Television than any other actor.
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Worf (Star Trek)

Worf , Son of Mogh is a heroic character from the Star Trek franchise. He was also the first Klingon in Starfleet, to be followed by B'Elanna Torres and her daughter, Miral Paris.

He was voiced by Michael Dorn , notable for his voice roles as Marcus and Frank Horrigan in Fallout 2 , as well as Maero in Saints Row 2 .

• 1.1 First Splinter Timeline Continuity
• 2 Memorable Quotes

History [ ]

Worf was born on the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS on the Earth date Dec. 9, 2340. He was the son of Mogh and his wife Kaasin, and was named after Mogh's father . He was the elder brother of Kurn . At a young age Worf accompanied his parents to the Khitomer as Mogh attempted to track down a traitor who was working with the Romulans . Mogh was unable to uncover Ja'rod's treason before the Romulans attacked, killing over 4,000 Klingons - including both of Worf's parents.

The Starfleet vessel Interpid responded to the disaster. Worf was discovered by a Chief named Sergey Rozhenko. Worf had some injuries that resulted in some memory loss. Informed that Worf had no surviving relatives, Sergey and his wife Helena took Worf into their family. Mogh's friend Lorgh assisted in making sure the adoption was approved by the Klingon government. In order to ensure the survival of the House of Mogh Lorgh in turn raised Kurn as his own son.

Worf tragically learned the need to be disciplined in his reaction with humans when he accidentally head butted another young human named Mikel during a soccer match. Mikel broke his neck in the process. Even though it was an accident Worf felt a great deal of guilt over causing that death, and worked to make sure another accident like that never happened again. This caused him to distance himself from others and carry himself with a serious demeanor.

When Worf came of age he and his human brother Nikolai entered Starfleet Academy. Nikolai found he didn't like life at the academy and left after about a year. Worf stayed with it and graduated in 2361. During his time at the academy he met a female Klingon/human hybrid named K'Ehleyr and began a relationship with her. The pair broke off their relationship when they realized they were not ready for a long term commitment to each other.

In 2364 Worf was assigned to the Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard . He was reunited with K'Ehleyr in 2365 for a mission to find the Klingon ship T'Ong , whose crew had been in cryosleep for over 70 years. During the mission Worf and K'Ehleyr conceived a son who K'Ehleyr named Alexander.

Reunited with his brother Kurn in 2366, Worf was discommended by the Klingon High Council in order to cover up the crimes of Ja'rod, the father of Duras and a leader of a rival house. The following year Worf met K'Ehleyr again when she traveled with Chancellor K'mpec to ask Picard to be the arbiter of succession after K'mpec's death. She brought their son Alexander along, introducing the young Klingon to his father. K'Ehleyr was murdered by Duras a few days later. Claiming the right of vengeance on the grounds that K'Ehleyr was his wife, Worf slew Duras. While the death of Duras was in keeping with Klingon law and tradition, Picard considered it unacceptable for a Starfleet officer to kill another in this manner, and entered a formal reprimand in Worf's record.

Worf left Starfleet in late 2367 to fight in the Klingon civil war on behalf of Gowron. After Gowron was restored as chancellor, his first act was to restore the honor of Worf and the House of Mogh. Due to his actions in the war, Worf would become highly respected. Upon the war's conclusion, Worf requested reinstatement and was allowed to return to duty on the Enterprise Worf remained on the Enterprise until the ship was destroyed in 2371.

Worf later began a relationship with Deanna Troi, but that relationship did not work out long term and the pair parted amicably by 2375. Troi resumed her earlier relationship with Commander Riker, and would later marry him.

After the destruction of the Enterprise Worf traveled to Boreth for extended leave, spending time in discussions with the clerics who maintained the monastery on that world. Worf seriously considered leaving Starfleet as he no longer felt he had a purpose in Starfleet. He was called to assist Captain Benjamin Sisko on Deep Space Nine . At Sisko's behest Worf decided to remain on DS9. He accepted a transfer from security to operations, and became DS9's strategic operations officer.

During his time on DS9 Worf became close friends with and eventually married the joined Trill Jadzia Dax. In 2374 Worf chose to save Jadzia's life instead of going to a rezendevous with a Cardassian defector, this seriously damaged Worf's career and Benjamin Sisko told him he would probably never be given his own command after this. Starfleet entered a reprimand in Worf's file stating that due to the nature of the mission Worf would not face further discipline but that he would not be promoted any further nor given his own command.

He was assigned to DS9 until 2375, when he was named Ambassador to the Klingon Empire. Some time prior to 2382 he left that posting and returned to Starfleet, accepting a posting on the Enterprise . After Commander Riker finally accepted a promotion to Captain and was named the new commanding officer of the USS Titan , Worf accepted the role of first officer of the Titan . However, after the death of Commander Data , Worf remained on the Enterprise and was promoted to full commander and first officer.

After Picard was promoted to the rank of Admiral in 2382, Picard recommended Worf be promoted to Captain and appointed to succeed him as commanding officer of the Enterprise -E. There was some small resistance from officers such as then Captain Kristen Clancey due to Worf's reprimand for putting Jadzia Dax's life ahead of his mission on Sakura, but Picard argued Worf was a better officer due to his experience and had given exemplary service in all the years following that incident. Picard also argued that it would be good for Klingon-Federation relations to have a Klingon commanding Starfleet's flagship. Agreeing with Picard, Starfleet promoted Worf to Captain and gave him command of the Enterprise .

Worf was still alive in 2399, when retired Admiral Picard's aide Zhaban suggested he contact Worf and his other former Enterprise crewmates to assist him in his quest to save the life of Soji Asha . Picard admitted he thought about doing so but decided against doing so as Worf and the others would have joined him without hesitation, and Picard did not want Worf or his former colleagues to endanger themselves on his behalf.

By 2401, Worf was working as an independent contractor for Starfleet Intelligence , and was Raffi Musiker 's handler. When she went to confront the Ferengi Sneed over his role in destroying a Starfleet recruitment center, Sneed saw through her deception and attempted to kill her. Worf was forced to go and rescue her. Afterwards Worf revealed that he had received information from Odo about renegade Changelings who rejected the Dominion surrender and were trying to take revenge on the Federation for their defeat in the Dominion War.

Worf's concerns on this intel were justified as a faction of rogue Changelings led by Vadic had infiltrated Starfleet and infected the transporter system with Borg DNA taken from Picard's original body that had lingered there ever since his assimilation as Locutus of Borg. During Frontier Day, as Fleet Admiral Shelby was leading Starfleet from the USS Enterprise -F in the new Fleet Formation protocol (really another step by the Changelings in the Borg Queen's endgame), Worf, Picard, and the rest of the former Enterprise command crew tried to warn Shelby of the danger. Though she was alarmed at the mention of the Borg still being around, it was too late. Every Starfleet crew member under the age of 25 was assimilated into loyal Borg Drones and began slaughtering all of the unassimilated, including Shelby. Seven of Nine and Raffi provide cover for Worf, Picard, Troi, Riker, Crusher, Data, and LaForge to escape and retreat back to the Starfleet Museum, where Geordi reveals a surprise to the rest of the reunited crew: The refurbished USS Enterprise -D, salvaged from Veridian III per the Prime Directive, her destroyed stardrive section replaced with that of her sister ship, USS Syracuse , and despite still bearing the scars of its last battle with the Duras Sisters over Veridian III, it was more than ready to return to active duty to save Earth and the Federation from the Borg once more. Worf still argues over wanting to use the weapon systems on the Enterprise -E, such as the quantum torpedoes, but Troi shuts him up on the matter. Once the ship is powered up, they set course back to the Sol System to save Earth.

However, they soon discover the Borg Queen's Cube hidden in the Big Red Spot of Jupiter's surface, and go to investigate. Worf beams down with Riker and Picard, and while Picard goes to look for the Borg Queen and Jack, Riker and Worf look for the core as destroying that will sever the Queen's control over Starfleet. Once they find it, and fight off several surviving Borg Drones using phasers and Worf's Klingon sword, they refuse to evacuate without Picard, and head in to find him, locating him just as Jean-Luc willingly rejoins the Collective to try and free Jack from it as the Enterprise destroys the core, setting off a chain reaction to destroy the entire Cube. Riker asks Worf is this is a good way to go out, and Worf agrees this is the perfect way to die with honor, as a Klingon would want, with sacrificing your life to save thousands more, including your own kind, the highest level of honor there can be. Thankfully, Picard frees Jack from the hive mind of the Collective, and Troi pilots the Enterprise down to beam Picard, Jack, Riker, and Worf to safety, leaving the Borg Queen to howl in anguish as she and her Cube are destroyed, ending the threat of the Borg once and for all.

Back on the Enterprise , Worf returns to the bridge, and soon collapses in one of the command chairs, so worn out from the excitement that he falls asleep, his snoring immediately noticed by Geordi and Data.

Once back at Earth, Worf helps Raffi with patching things up with her family, and she thanks him for it. Afterwards, Worf joins the rest of his old crewmates at Guinan's bar, Ten Forward, in Los Angeles for one last toast and poker game.

First Splinter Timeline Continuity [ ]

Due to temporal interference by the Borg, a separate timeline branched off from the prime reality when the Enterprise -E returned to the 24th century after stopping the Borg from interfering in human history. The timeline, which would come to be called the First Splinter Timeline, was at first identical to the prime reality timeline, with Worf becoming an ambassador to the Klingon Empire after the Dominion War. As an ambassador Worf played a critical role in helping Chancellor Martok regain control of the Empire following Gothmara's coup.

Feeling unfulfilled in his role as Ambassador, Worf approached President Nanietta Bacco and requested to be reinstated in Starfleet, the one place where he felt fulfilled. He nominated his son Alexander to be his replacement as Ambassador. President Bacco agreed to his request and his recommended replacement, and Worf rejoined Starfleet by 2379. Like in the prime reality, he became first officer of the Enterprise -E after William Riker was promoted to Captain and named commanding officer of the USS Titan and Commander Data sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise .

Due to his exemplary service Admiral Leonard James Akaar placed Worf on a list of officers to be promoted to Captain and offered his own ship in 2386. Captain Picard expected that the promotion would happen within a year and told Worf that with the exception of Geordi LaForge that Worf might want to start thinking of candidates to be first officer. Worf responded he already had someone in mind.

In this timeline, Worf died in 2387, fighting to keep the prime reality safe from the Devidians, who were collapsing timelines to obtain neuro energy. A short time later, Captain Picard initated a temporal reversion, stopping the timeline from ever forming.

Memorable Quotes [ ]

Gallery [ ].

• Worf was portrayed by Michael Dorn in The Next Generation (TV series and films), Deep Space Nine , and most recently, Star Trek Online mmo game. Dorn won the part by showing up to his audition acting like what a Klingon did. That along with Dorn's stage training and lack of what the producers called "street accent" led to them offering the part to Dorn.
• Worf was originally intended to be a reoccurring character during the first few episodes of the series. Seeing that the character of Worf had a presence they made him a regular character on the series.
• Guinan introduced Worf to prune juice, which quickly became his preferred drink. Though he still enjoys blood wine, preferred sweet and young. (Don't know WHAT its made of, but somethings are better left unknown).
• Due to the sheer number of appearances in TNG, DS9, and films the character of Worf currently holds the record of the most appearances in all of Star Trek .
• Dorn also portrayed Worf's grandfather in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .
• The late James Avery, Julian Christopher and the late Brock Peters were all considered for the role of Worf before Dorn was cast.
• Romulan Ale gives him headaches.
• Worf is the only male in the main TNG cast to not wear the Voyager -style uniform in Star Trek: Generations , he would later wear the Voyager -style uniform when joining the DS9 crew in the last four seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but sporting command red like in the first season of TNG.
• Worf, along with Beverly Crusher and Troi are the only three in the TNG main cast to remain wearing the TV series uniform in Star Trek: Generations .
• While not canon, the idea of a Klingon Starfleet officer was first explored in Star Trek comic books with the character Konom , a pacifist who defected to the Federation after becoming disgusted by his people's warlike ways.
• 1 Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice)
• 3 Misaki (Terminator Zero)

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Star trek: all 4 times worf died (& how).

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Lieutenant Commander Worf was one of the most popular characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation , but the Klingon had more than a few close scrapes with death during his years on the show. Star Trek: The Next Generation was the second television series in the Star Trek franchise and ran from 1987 to 1994. The show followed the adventures of the crew of the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard . Worf began his time on the Enterprise-D as a Lieutenant Junior Grade but was promoted to chief of security and lead tactical officer after the death of Lieutenant Tasha Yar near the end of the first season.

Worf was Klingon and the first member of his species to join Starfleet. As a child, Worf was taken in by a human couple, the Rozhenkos, after his parents were killed in the Khitomer Massacre. When he was a teenager Worf traveled to the Klingon homeworld and performed the Rite of Ascension to be able to take his place in Klingon society. After the Rite, he returned to Earth and joined Starfleet, going on to serve on both the Enterprise-D and the space station Deep Space 9.

Related: Star Trek: What Happened To Worf After The Next Generation?

Worf's Starfleet career is documented in both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but much of the character's backstory and many of his pivotal storylines are dealt with on TNG . TNG is also the series where Worf has all of his near-death experiences, some more serious than others. Worf died and was brought back to life a total of four times on Star Trek: The Next Generation , amounting to one instance of his death about every other season.

"Hide And Q"

Worf's first death and subsequent revival were in the 1st season episode "Hide and Q". The episode marked the second appearance of Q, the trickster entity played by John de Lancie who enjoyed toying with the crew of the Enterprise-D for his own amusement. During the course of the episode, Q returns from the Q Continuum and once again puts the crew of the Enterprise-D to one of his "tests" this time imbuing Commander William Riker with Q powers to see how he will use them.

Q transports the entire senior staff down to an unnamed planetoid and forces them to fight with soldiers dressed as Napoleonic warriors, attempting to force Riker to demonstrate his newfound powers. During the battle, Worf takes on several soldiers himself against objections from his fellow officers. A soldier subdues Worf and stabs him through the stomach, killing him. When Wesley Crusher attempts to help Worf he is stabbed and killed as well. These deaths force Riker to take action and he uses his newfound powers to transport the whole crew back to the Enterprise-D, reviving both Worf and Wesley Crusher in the process. While Worf's death is brief, it serves to highlight Riker's newfound abilities and would likely have been shocking to the audience watching.

"Transfigurations"

Worf's next brush with death took place in the season 3 episode "Transfigurations". The plot revolves around the Enterprise crew rescuing a man from the wreckage of an escape pod that was shot down over an unnamed planet. Doctor Crusher saves the man's life, but once revived the man has no memory of who he is. The crew begins calling him John Doe, and during his recovery Doe begins developing a mutation that causes him to create energy pulses from his body. Eventually, it is revealed that Doe is a member of a race called the Zalkons who are undergoing an evolutionary transformation, and was shot down by members of his species who fear the transformation and are trying to prevent it from happening. By the end of the episode, Doe has undergone the transformation fully and leaves the Enterprise-D to try and help his people.

Related: Star Trek: How Worf Became Enterprise Captain (& Why Starfleet Didn't Want Him)

While Doe is still unaware of what is happening to him, however, he accidentally causes Worf's death during an escape attempt. Doe is confronted by Worf in the shuttle bay while trying to leave the ship, and during their confrontation, Doe creates an energy pulse that causes Worf to break his neck in a fall. Doctor Crusher reports that Worf has no life signs, and calls for a resuscitation team, but before they can get there Doe joins them and puts his hands on Worf's neck, imbuing him with some of his energy and healing Worf. Like in "Hide and Q", Worf's death in "Transfigurations" is a shocking turn of events even though it is rectified quickly.

Worf faces his most harrowing death by far in the season 5 episode "Ethics". At the beginning of the episode, an accident in a cargo bay causes a large barrel to fall on Worf, crushing his spine and paralyzing him. Because of Klingon warrior culture, Worf views his paralysis as tantamount to death and asks Commander Riker to assist him in Klingon ritual suicide. Riker eventually talks him out of this course of action, and Worf agrees to undergo an experimental and ethically questionable treatment proposed by a visiting neurological specialist. The treatment requires Worf's damaged spine to be removed, and a new one replicated from his DNA.

Doctor Crusher reluctantly agrees to help with the procedure, but during the surgery, Worf crashes and dies on the operating table. A heartbroken Doctor Crusher goes to inform Worf's son, Alexander, who demands to see his father's body. During a painful scene where Alexander breaks down upon seeing his father, Worf's brain functions suddenly revive, bringing him back to life before Alexander's eyes. Once the procedure is completed, Worf begins a long journey to recovery with Alexander's help.

"Firstborn"

"Firstborn" marks Worf's final near-death experience on Star Trek: The Next Generation , although unlike the other instances, his death is only referenced rather than seen. The episode is another exploration of the relationship between Worf and his son, Alexander . When Alexander rejects the idea of undergoing the Klingon Rite of Ascension, Worf attempts to get him interested in the ways of the warrior with the help of K'mtar, an advisor to the House of Mogh. However, due to a series of unfolding events involving the Duras Sisters, it is revealed that K'mtar is actually a future version of Alexander come back to try and convince his younger self to become a warrior.

Related: Star Trek: What Happened To Worf's Son, Alexander Rozhenko

The older Alexander reveals that he has returned to prevent Worf's death after Alexander brought disgrace to their house by becoming a diplomat and pushing for peace. In a touching moment between father and son, Alexander laments the fact that he could not save Worf, who apparently died in his arms on the floor of the Klingon High Council. Worf, however, says that just by his presence Alexander has already changed the future, likely preventing Worf's death from happening. He also says that he understands his son better thanks to the older Alexander's interference. The two embrace each other before Alexander leaves, having succeeded in his mission even though he failed to change his younger self's mind about becoming a warrior.

Despite all of his near-death experiences, Worf survived his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation  and went on to have a main role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , where he fought in the Dominion War. He later also returned to help his old crew from the Enterprise-D during the events of Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis , and was also referenced briefly in the first season of Star Trek: Picard . With a number of Star Trek: The Next Generation characters being rumored to make appearances on the second season of Picard , it is possible that fans might even get a chance to see Worf again, although hopefully, a role on Picard wouldn't mean any more near-death experiences for Worf in the future.

More: Star Trek Theory: Worf Replaces Data In Picard Season 2's Story

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