what does worf from star trek look like

Early life [ ]

Sunrise over Khitomer

Worf was born in 2340 on the Klingon homeworld , Qo'noS , as the son of Mogh, patriarch of one of the Klingon Empire 's Great Houses . ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ")

When Worf was five years old , his father took him and his mother to live on the Khitomer colony , along with Worf's ghojmoK , Kahlest . ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ") There, Mogh took Worf on a ritual hunt along with a garrison warrior, L'Kor . Worf had not yet reached the Age of Inclusion and was barely able to hold a bat'leth . During the hunt, Worf was mauled on the arm by a beast, leaving behind a scar and memory he kept throughout his life. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I ")

At some point when Worf was a child, he had a pet targ . ( TNG : " Where No One Has Gone Before ")

In 2346 , the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire were officially allied but a conspiracy between the Romulans and the House of Duras left the Klingon Empire open to betrayal. Romulan forces attacked the Khitomer colony , killing nearly all of the four thousand Klingon colonists, including Worf's parents. ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ", " The Neutral Zone ")

Worf's favorite non Klingon opera song is Wonderwall by the Earth band Oasis.

The Rozhenkos [ ]

Foster parents Sergey and Helena Rozhenko

The colony's distress call was answered by the Federation starship USS Intrepid . An Intrepid chief petty officer , Sergey Rozhenko , found Worf buried in the rubble, with Kahlest being the only other survivor found. After the Klingon Empire stated that the young boy apparently had no living relatives, Sergey took Worf to his homestead on the farming colony of Gault . He and his wife, Helena , raised the Klingon child alongside their own son, Nikolai . The two boys regarded each other as siblings. ( TNG : " The Neutral Zone ", " Heart of Glory ", " Family ", " Homeward "; DS9 : " Change of Heart ")

As the sole Klingon in a small farm culture, Worf had some difficulty adapting to his new circumstances, though; years later, Helena described her son as bright and highly spirited as a boy. Soon after his arrival on Gault, the seven year-old bloodied the noses of five teenage boys , whom Worf deemed "disrespectful". He refused to partake in Human food, preferring the Klingon cuisine he'd been raised on; Helena would learn how to make Rokeg blood pie for Worf, which he loved and greatly appreciated. In 2353 , at thirteen years of age, Worf led his school's soccer team to the championships, where, in an attempt to score, he collided with another player, Mikel , when they both went to head the ball. The impact of Klingon ridges against a Human skull snapped Mikel's neck, and the boy died the next day. This lesson in Human frailties made a huge impact on Worf's nascent character. This incident made Worf realize that Humans were a fragile species and he had to learn to restrain himself around them. His self-control, interpreted by some as part of his Klingon heritage, was a large factor in his serious demeanor. ( TNG : " Family ", " New Ground "; DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")

The Rozhenko family eventually moved to Earth , where Sergey frequently took Nikolai and Worf camping in the Ural Mountains . At night, Worf often listened raptly to the sound of wolves howling in the distance. ( DS9 : " Change of Heart ")

Coming of age [ ]

At fifteen years of age, in 2355 , Worf voyaged to Qo'noS, where he stayed with cousins of the House of Mogh. There, he made the formal declaration of his intent to become a warrior and performed the Rite of Ascension . During the ceremony, Worf was presented with a well-forged knife, a gift from a Klingon who had known Mogh. Seeing the Great Domes of Qo'noS made him feel at home, but his kin rejected his marked Human taint. ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ", " Rightful Heir "; DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

Worf fasted for three days before undertaking the Rite of MajQa . After six days of meditation in the volcanic Caves of No'Mat , the legendary Klingon warrior Kahless the Unforgettable appeared to Worf in a vision and prophesied that Worf would do something that no other Klingon had ever done before. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I "; DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

Starfleet career [ ]

After Worf returned to Earth, he pondered the meaning of his words and wondered what lay ahead. When he grew old enough, he joined Starfleet , the first Klingon to ever do so. For a time, Worf believed he had fulfilled his destiny this way, though he later wondered if there was not something else yet after recovering the Sword of Kahless in 2372 . ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

Service aboard the USS Enterprise -D [ ]

Lt. jg Worf at conn in 2364

In 2364 , Lieutenant junior grade Worf was assigned as a command division bridge officer on the USS Enterprise -D , under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (see Friendships : Jean-Luc Picard ). Worf spent most of his first year on the Enterprise -D as a relief officer for the conn and other bridge stations. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Naked Now ", " Angel One ", " Too Short A Season ")

Worf assisting Admiral Mark Jameson in 2364

Worf was permitted a variation from the Starfleet uniform dress code, and wore a Klingon warrior's sash, sometimes called a baldric by Humans, over his regular duty uniform. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation ; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ; Star Trek: Insurrection ) Worf's quarters were on Deck 7, in Section 25 Baker until 2370 , when he moved to Deck 2, Room 2713. ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ", " Phantasms ")

Lieutenant Worf in 2366

Following the death of Natasha Yar at the hands of the Armus entity, Worf became acting security chief . In 2365 , Worf transferred to the operations division and officially became the Enterprise -D's chief tactical officer and security chief. He was promoted to the rank of full lieutenant in 2366 . After seven years of service aboard the starship, Worf rose in rank to lieutenant commander in 2371 . ( TNG : " Skin Of Evil ", " The Child ", " Evolution "; Star Trek Generations )

During these years of service, Worf's record was marred by a single reprimand, earned when he killed Duras in an honor duel after the latter killed Worf's mate, K'Ehleyr . Killing Duras directly affected the ascension of a new Klingon Chancellor after the death of K'mpec . ( TNG : " Reunion ")

Borg encounters [ ]

Worf and his security team were the first Starfleet officers in over two centuries to engage Borg drones in combat when two boarded his ship. Worf, along with Commander William T. Riker and Lieutenant Commander Data were the first officers to infiltrate a Borg cube , gathering the first real clues about the true nature of the new threat. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

Fighting a Borg invasion

Worf played a significant role in repelling the Borg invasion of the Federation in 2366 . When the Enterprise -D engaged the Borg cube, he was unable to prevent the abduction of Picard when drones appeared on the bridge. On Riker's orders, Worf and Data boarded the cube, and were able to retrieve Picard, allowing Dr. Crusher to restore their captain's Humanity. It was one of the most dangerous missions of Worf's career, but six years later, he likened the exploits of his companions to the sagas of ancient warriors. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "; DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Regardless of his optimism, in 2368 , Worf was wary enough of a wounded and isolated Borg drone that he recommended killing it on sight, but his words went unheeded. The decision to rehabilitate the drone and return him to the collective nearly proved disastrous. ( TNG : " I Borg ", " Descent ")

Q encounters [ ]

Like so many who encountered the trickster, Worf immediately developed a strong antipathy towards Q .

" I am not a merry man! "

In his visits, Q frequently took pleasure in teasing Worf, to whom Q referred as "micro brain." When Q forced the Enterprise -D crew to play out a detailed Robin Hood fantasy scenario, Worf found himself portraying the character Will Scarlet .

When stripped of his powers from the Q Continuum , Q desperately asked how he could prove to the Enterprise -D crew that he was, indeed, mortal. Worf helpfully suggested, " Die, " much to the amusement of others present on the bridge. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ", " Qpid ", " Deja Q ")

Klingon affairs [ ]

Worf and Gowron in 2372

Worf's exposure to Klingon society began in earnest, in his time aboard the Enterprise -D. In a few short years, the forgotten orphan from the House of Mogh was a player in the highest levels of the Empire's politics.

In 2364 , the Enterprise -D rescued three Klingons from a disabled cargo ship , and for the first time in nearly ten years, Worf spent time in the company of (renegade) Klingon warriors. One of the rescued warriors was mortally wounded, and Worf joined in the Klingon death ritual for Kunivas , exposing non-Klingons to the event for the first time. The charismatic Korris tried to enlist Worf in taking the starship, but could not budge the officer's loyalty. In addition, Commander K'Nera also offered Worf a place in the Klingon Defense Forces , but was politely declined. ( TNG : " Heart of Glory ")

More than twenty years after the Khitomer Massacre , the honor of the House of Mogh was called into question in 2366 . Worf's brother, Kurn , brought the news that Duras, of the rival House of Duras , had accused Mogh of betraying the Empire by facilitating the Romulan attack on the Khitomer colony. Worf appeared before the Klingon High Council to protest their judgment of guilt, and provided evidence that would have exonerated his father. Chancellor K'mpec dismissed Worf's defense, knowing the true traitor of Khitomer was Duras' father, Ja'rod . Considering the cost of his appeal and revelation of the truth – Duras' powerful clan inciting a civil war , and his intention to kill Kurn – Worf kept his silence and accepted a discommendation that ruined his name throughout the Empire. ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ")

A year later, Chancellor K'mpec was dying, and he asked Picard to serve as the Arbiter of Succession . The event coincided with Worf's reunion with K'Ehleyr, an iconoclastic ambassador and Worf's former lover. K'Ehleyr took this opportunity to introduce their child, Alexander, to Worf.

The Sonchi ceremony over the body of K'mpec was interrupted by an attempt to assassinate Gowron. The contenders were offended by the dishonored Worf presenting the result of the Enterprise -D's investigation, but Worf revealed evidence that implicated Duras. Concurrently, K'Ehleyr discovered the truth of Worf's discommendation as well as the scope of the House of Duras' treachery, but Duras confronted and murdered her. The question of succession was ultimately decided by Worf. Exercising his Right of Vengeance , he challenged Duras to a duel, defeating and killing him. The death of Duras allowed Gowron to become the new chancellor. ( TNG : " Reunion ")

Worf accepted a commission as a Klingon imperial officer

The civil war K'mpec had feared broke out in late 2367 , when the House of Duras and allies rebelled against Chancellor Gowron's leadership by attacking Gowron's ship, the IKS Bortas . Worf felt it was his place to help his people, and resigned from Starfleet to side with Gowron. His influence proved instrumental in the war when he ordered Kurn to back Gowron. Worf served on Kurn's ship during the civil war, and fought at the Battle of Mempa , but soon found himself dissatisfied with the impulsive manner of Klingon society when off-duty, such as Kurn's association with officers who served the Duras family, despite the hostilities currently occurring between them. With help from Starfleet, the Romulan involvement was discovered, effectively ending it, enabling Gowron's forces to quickly end the war, and solidifying his position as chancellor. In appreciation for Worf's help, Chancellor Gowron restored honor to the House of Mogh, allocated Worf's brother, Kurn, a seat on the Klingon High Council, and gave Worf the life of Duras' illegitimate son, Toral . Worf, unwilling to kill an innocent boy, and recognizing that Toral was mainly a pawn of his aunts rather than a villain in himself, let Toral go and returned to Starfleet without incident. ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Redemption II ")

In 2369 , while the Enterprise was docked at Deep Space 9 , Worf was met by a Yridian named Jaglom Shrek . Shrek told Worf that Mogh may not have died at Khitomer after all and that he might have still been alive, living with Romulans in a remote prison camp. Although initially uncomfortable about the possible dishonor that his family would face if Mogh had really been alive all this time, a conversation with Data about a recent "vision" he had had about his creator forced Worf to recognize that his own father was an important part of who he was, prompting him to meet Shrek and make the Yridian take him to the Carraya sector , where the prison camp was located.

On the surface of Carraya IV , Worf found L'Kor, now an old man. L'Kor informed Worf that his father had died at Khitomer, though a number of prisoners had been taken to this camp. Worf attempted to free the prisoners, but instead was taken captive. Inside the main prison camp, Worf found Klingons and Romulans living together in harmony – in their isolation, the Klingons had abandoned Klingon concepts of honor and had forgotten their warrior ways. The Klingon elders laughed in disbelief at Worf's assertion that Klingons were allies with the Federation, but the younger people were fascinated by his ways and his stories of Kahless. Despite attempts by Gi'ral to stop her daughter Ba'el 's advances, the girl agreed to escape with Worf. However, when Worf found that Tokath , the Romulan leader of the camp, was Ba'el's father, he confronted Gi'ral about why she married a Romulan. Worf continued his influence on the camp's youth, and taught hunting to Toq . After catching an animal, they delivered it to the main hall as a feast. Tokath was horrified at the sight. Realizing that Worf would eventually sway the opinion of the other youths in the camp as he had Toq, Tokath sentenced Worf to death. However, Worf had exerted enough influence on the camp, and several members of the camp stood by Worf, willing to face execution rather than continue to live the way they had. Tokath was forced to let Worf return to the Enterprise . Worf though recognized the rare peace that had been established at the camp, and explained to the young people that wanted to leave that they must keep the camp and their parents a secret in order to honor them. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I ", " Birthright, Part II ")

Although a profound influence on the settlers of Carraya IV, Worf's visit also forced him to challenge his beliefs, feeling that his own faith in the legends he told the children was lacking compared to their own. To renew his faith, Worf decided to visit Boreth , and re-summon Kahless the Unforgettable. Kahless appeared before him for real – seemingly returned to lead the Empire once more. However, Worf was skeptical of the Klingon's authenticity, even as he admitted that he wanted to believe in Kahless' divinity. Gowron claimed that Kahless could not recall any of his legendary stories and challenged him in combat, which Kahless lost. The loss forced the clerics to reveal that this Kahless was a clone, leaving Worf strongly affected by the questions and doubts raised by the issue, before a conversation with Data prompted him to consider that it was possible to believe that something was more than its origins. Despite the discovery, Worf was instrumental in arranging for the clone to be installed as emperor to the Klingon people. The ceremonial position had not been held for centuries but Worf felt that the Klingon Empire had lost its way since Kahless' original teachings, and that the new emperor could bring further stability. Before the clone departed, Kahless consoled Worf's doubts by reflecting that the important thing was that all Klingons remember the teachings and message of the original Kahless, and as long as they remained true to those, it did not truly matter whether or not the original Kahless returned. ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

Other notable missions [ ]

Worf's first major task was to take command of the Enterprise -D saucer module and lead it to safety, when the ship separated prior to engaging Q for the first time. The order ran contrary to his nature (i.e. fleeing while his commanding officer was in danger) and Worf briefly objected until Picard reminded him of his duty. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " All Good Things... ")

Worf was present for the first Federation contact with the Romulans since the Tomed Incident . A mysterious third party 's devastating attacks on Romulan Neutral Zone outposts alarmed the powers on either side of the border. Worf was enraged by the prospect of dealing with the race responsible for the Khitomer Massacre , and was rebuked by both Picard and the Romulan Commander Tebok , who urged, " Silence your dog, Captain. " ( TNG : " The Neutral Zone ")

That same year, Worf was a member of the away team sent to investigate an Iconian gateway located in the Romulan Neutral Zone. The experience with Iconian technology served him well, many years later, in the Gamma Quadrant . On another away mission, to Theta VIII , he participated in a recreation of the pulp novel Hotel Royale . Worf also revealed his technical knowledge of energy vortices when the Enterprise was threatened with destruction by one. ( TNG : " Contagion ", " The Royale ", " Time Squared "; DS9 : " To the Death ")

Both Picard and Riker independently had Worf in mind as their top choice for the ops position when Data was presumed dead. Worf noted to Deanna Troi that he had served in this capacity before. ( TNG : " The Most Toys ")

Worf helped expose Ardra as an impostor trying to take control of Ventax II , despite her attempts to take the form of Fek'lhr . ( TNG : " Devil's Due ")

At one point, the Enterprise was caught in an energy field which propelled the ship away from an M-class planet inhabited by the xenophobic Paxans . The energy field was designed to erase the memories of the crew. However, Worf's surgically-mended arm proved that something had happened at the Paxan homeworld, and that someone had deliberately erased their memories of the event. To appease the Paxans, the crew agreed to have their memories erased again, only this time, no clues were to be left. ( TNG : " Clues ")

A month later, the Enterprise became trapped in the Tyken's Rift , while trying to find the USS Brattain . The insanity and fear brought out by the Tyken's Rift caused Worf to nearly kill himself with a ceremonial knife . ( TNG : " Night Terrors ")

When Kieran MacDuff altered the memories of the crew and the computer (including Data's) with a plasma energy beam, Worf temporarily took command of the Enterprise , because his sash gave the crew the mistaken impression that he was the highest-ranking officer. After he learned his true rank, he apologized to Picard for his assumption of authority, but Picard assured him that no blame was necessary, as they were all making the best they could of a difficult situation. ( TNG : " Conundrum ")

In 2368 , when the Enterprise was disabled by quantum filaments , Worf was entrusted with a makeshift infirmary in Ten Forward . During the incident, Keiko O'Brien went into labor, and Worf had to assist with her giving birth to Molly . He remembered the incident for years, and bristled when he found out she was pregnant again, while they both were on Deep Space 9 , determining to make sure he was on leave when she gave birth so he wouldn't be in a position to have to assist again. ( TNG : " Disaster "; DS9 : " Accession ")

In 2369 , Worf was assigned by Admiral Alynna Nechayev to infiltrate Celtris III . Starfleet Intelligence had discovered bursts of theta-band subspace emissions from the planet, indicating an illegal metagenic weapon in operation. Worf, Dr. Crusher, and Captain Picard were part of the intelligence team sent to investigate. After Picard was captured by Gul Madred , Worf and Crusher escaped back to the rendezvous point, where they informed Captain Jellico of the situation. ( TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ", " Chain Of Command, Part II ")

Later that year, Worf, along with the rest of the Enterprise crew, conducted a mission to aid a stranded Romulan Warbird . Creatures existing outside of the normal space-time continuum had assumed Romulan form and had used the Warbird's warp chamber as a gestation chamber for their offspring. Commander Riker ordered a power transfer beam engaged, to recharge the Romulan ship disturbing the creatures. This caused time on both ships to stop, locking each crew in temporal stasis. Worf had been in the transporter room , to lead the rescue effort bringing injured Romulans to the Enterprise . Captain Picard as well as Lieutenant Commanders Data, La Forge, and Counselor Troi were on their way back to the ship. When Picard went to the transporter room to examine the control panel, he found Worf at the controls and politely said, " Excuse me, Mr. Worf, " even though the Klingon could not respond. ( TNG : " Timescape ")

" We were like warriors from the ancient sagas. There was nothing we could not do. " - Worf

Worf, through the use of his Klingon calisthenics program , helped Byleth , an Iyaaran ambassador, understand the emotions of antagonism, something the Iyaaran culture had no natural understanding of. ( TNG : " Liaisons ")

Worf in 2371

On stardate 47391.2, Worf began moving between many different alternative realities after flying through a quantum fissure in the shuttlecraft Curie . He experienced several unexplained discontinuities in events against his memory (particularly regarding his attendance and victory at a bat'leth tournament on Forcas III ), and it was eventually discovered that Worf was not native to the universe he was currently in – a universe where the Federation was at war with the Bajorans , where he was a commander and first officer of the Enterprise -D and married to Deanna Troi, with whom he had two children. He was eventually returned to his original reality, apparently the only person to retain any memory of his journey. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

Worf surviving the destruction of the Enterprise

Following Worf's promotion to lieutenant commander in 2371 , he was instrumental in a battle that ensued after the Duras sisters attacked the Enterprise . He first remembered their class of Bird-of-Prey had been retired from service due to defective plasma coils ; Data then made use of this flaw to remotely cause the vessel to cloak using a low-level ionic pulse , and Worf destroyed the Bird-of-Prey with a single torpedo hit. Unfortunately, due to damage sustained in the battle, the Enterprise stardrive section was destroyed, with the separated saucer section crashing on Veridian III , damaged beyond repair. ( Star Trek Generations )

Service on Deep Space 9 [ ]

Worf in 2372

While awaiting reassignment following the destruction of the Enterprise , Worf took an extended leave of absence from Starfleet to evaluate his future. He returned his son to Earth to live with the Rozhenkos while he himself took refuge on Boreth . ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Federation, Captain Benjamin Sisko and the crew of Deep Space 9 were having trouble keeping order with the Klingons present at the station. When the treaty with the Klingon Empire was threatened during the Klingons' invasion of Cardassia in 2372 , Sisko stated, " Curzon told me once that in the long run, the only people who can really handle Klingons are Klingons. " It was at this time he requested Worf's help.

Worf again became a player in galactic politics as the Federation tried to avert war between the Klingon Empire and the Cardassian Union . Worf was the Federation's best link to Chancellor Gowron and a meeting between them was arranged. He was asked to resign from Starfleet and join Gowron on the Klingon campaign to invade Cardassia. Worf felt the war was wrong and that it was incompatible with his loyalties to the Federation. As a result, Gowron threatened to strip Worf and his family of their honor, confiscate their lands, and treat them as traitors to the Klingon Empire. When Worf again refused, Gowron made good on his threat.

Worf, with Jadzia Dax and Kira Nerys

The Klingons failed to bring down the Cardassian government with the Federation protecting them and an enraged Gowron withdrew from the Khitomer Accords , making the Klingons an enemy of the Federation. Following the mission, Worf considered resigning from Starfleet to take a berth on a Nyberrite Alliance cruiser. After learning this, Sisko, reflecting to Worf that he had also considered leaving Starfleet after his wife 's death, suggested that Worf was just trying to escape the memory of the Enterprise 's loss rather than Starfleet itself. Sisko then offered Worf a position as the strategic operations officer , which Worf humbly accepted, making his primary duty to co-ordinate all Starfleet activity within the Bajoran sector, not to handle security matters on Deep Space 9 , which was Odo 's responsibility. This new assignment had Worf once again wearing command division red. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Hippocratic Oath ")

Worf clashes with Odo over the security on DS9

When the USS Orinoco was sabotaged by the True Way in 2372 , Worf, along with Major Kira Nerys , Sisko, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax , and Chief Miles O'Brien were lost in the shuttlecraft's transporter . However, Odo and Michael Eddington managed to save their transporter signatures on the station's computers. The character data was saved in the holosuite (where Julian Bashir and Elim Garak were running a holosuite simulation). Worf's character data was superimposed onto Duchamps , a holosuite character who played the henchman to Dr. Noah . ( DS9 : " Our Man Bashir ")

Worf's quarters on DS9 were on Level 3, Section 27, Room 19. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ") He also lived on the Defiant for a period of time after his quarters got robbed by a Dopterian . Worf took the Dopterian into custody and complained about the robbery, after which Odo read him some of the security breaches that occurred during his service aboard the Enterprise -D. ( DS9 : " Bar Association "; TNG : " A Matter Of Time ", " Rascals ") When Worf married Jadzia Dax, he moved into her quarters, which were located in the habitat ring , Section 25 Alpha. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ", " Resurrection ")

USS Defiant missions [ ]

In addition to his role aboard Deep Space 9, Worf, as the most senior Starfleet officer under Sisko, also served as Executive Officer of the USS Defiant . Therefore, whenever Sisko was not commanding the Defiant , Worf got a chance to demonstrate his command expertise. One of the first missions he commanded was a science mission headed by Lenara Kahn . A Trill science team was attempting to create Starfleet's first artificially-created stable wormhole . Worf found it hard to be excited about a science mission, claiming that his dreams were more exciting. ( DS9 : " Rejoined ")

While beside a gas giant in the Gamma Quadrant , where the Defiant was escorting Quark to continue negotiations with the Karemma , the Jem'Hadar opened fire on the Karemma ship and the Defiant as punishment for their treason . Captain Sisko was severely injured in the incident, leaving Worf in command. Taking command in engineering (the bridge had been damaged by Jem'Hadar fire), Worf found many engineers (especially Muniz and Stevens ) unaccustomed to his authoritarian style of command. After receiving advice from Chief O'Brien, Worf undertook a more interactive approach. Better able to work under this style of command, Muniz and Stevens were able to devise a way to destroy the Jem'Hadar attack ship . By modifying the main deflector , the Defiant successfully defeated the Jem'Hadar. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ")

On a subsequent occasion, Worf commanded the Defiant on a mission to escort Cardassian freighters across a volatile sector of Klingon space. After being fired upon by Klingon warships using a tactic of continually decloaking to fire and then recloaking, a Klingon ship decloaked directly ahead of the Defiant and Worf ordered it destroyed. However, this ship was a Klingon civilian transport ship . The Klingon Advocate Ch'Pok demanded that Worf be extradited to the Klingon Empire for punishment.

The Federation decided to stage an extradition hearing with Admiral T'Lara as chair, Sisko as defense, and Ch'Pok as prosecution. Had it not been for Odo's discovery that there were no civilians on the destroyed ship, Worf would have been extradited to the Klingon Empire to face execution. After the court martial , which the defense won, Worf remarked about the difficulty of command. Sisko replied, " Wait until you get four pips on your collar. You'll wish you had gone into botany. " ( DS9 : " Rules of Engagement ")

Following a year of hostilities and border skirmishes between the Federation and Klingons (see Federation-Klingon War ), Odo discovered that Gowron might have been replaced by a Changeling . In order to establish whether Gowron was a shapeshifter , Starfleet Command ordered Sisko to lead a team (which included Worf) to expose Gowron as a shapeshifter. The team posed as Klingon warriors being inducted into the Order of the Bat'leth . Each team member was to plant polaron emitters that, when activated, would force a shapeshifter to lose its shape. Worf initially found it difficult to turn the team into convincing Klingons. However, Sisko helped him refocus, and with practice, the team pulled through. The plan worked out relatively well at first, but just when Sisko was ready to activate the polaron emitters, Martok , chief military adviser and overseer of the Cardassian invasion, recognized Sisko through his Klingon disguise, and the entire team was thrown into prison. While incarcerated, the team managed to explain their mission to Martok. It turned out that Martok had always suspected that Gowron may have been a Changeling, but he was waiting for the right time to expose him. With the polaron emitters destroyed, Worf decided that the only way to expose Gowron as a shapeshifter was to get him to spill blood. Once released by Martok, Worf fought Gowron in a duel. Gowron's Klingon honor and behavior led Odo to find it was not Gowron, but Martok who was the Dominion Changeling agent. After he was destroyed by the Klingon warriors, it was discovered that his mission was to destabilize relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Worf's assistance in uncovering the Dominion presence as the common enemy incidentally helped to restore peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire. ( DS9 : " Broken Link ", " Apocalypse Rising ")

Some months later, the Defiant was tasked with a mission of sending the Bajoran Orb of Time back to the station. However, Defiant passenger Arne Darvin had other ideas; he used the Orb to travel back to 2268 , to the time of Captain Kirk and the first USS Enterprise , and to the year that the tribbles had invaded Klingon space. Darvin's plot was to kill Captain Kirk and eliminate the tribbles before they had a chance to invade Klingon space. While searching for Darvin, Worf (along with Odo, Bashir, and O'Brien) encountered Klingons scarred by the augment virus of the 22nd century . When Bashir and O'Brien asked how the augmented people could be Klingons, Worf merely responded, " We do not discuss it with outsiders. " The crew apprehended Darvin on Deep Space Station K-7 , and returned to the present. ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles "; DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

The Dominion War [ ]

In 2373 , Elim Garak received an encoded transmission from his mentor, Enabran Tain . It stated that he had survived the Battle of the Omarion Nebula and was being held by the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant. Garak convinced Sisko that he could enter Dominion space but only under supervision from Worf. In order to avoid detection while in Dominion space, Worf decided to hide in a nearby nebula . The diversion proved to be a bad idea, as that nebula housed the first Dominion invasion fleet, on its way to invading the Alpha Quadrant. Worf knew that they were planning to enter the wormhole , and that the Dominion War was about to begin. Before they were captured by the fleet, Worf managed to transmit a message to the wormhole relay station about the impending invasion. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

Worf and Martok in the Dominion internment camp

Worf and Garak were taken to Internment Camp 371 , where they discovered Enabran Tain, the real General Martok , and surprisingly, the real Julian Bashir. Bashir had been captured for a month and had been replaced by a Changeling infiltrator. All the prisoners knew they had to escape, to warn DS9 about the Changeling. Although Tain died at the camp shortly thereafter, Garak devised a plan to modify Tain's transmitter to contact the runabout in orbit and escape from the internment camp. The transmitter was tucked away in a cramped compartment, and Garak had to overcome his acute claustrophobia to complete the modifications. Worf and Martok commended Garak's courage, stating, " There is no greater enemy than one's own fears. " During this time, to distract the Jem'Hadar guards, Worf entered into combat with each of the Jem'Hadar guards in turn, earning the respect and admiration of General Martok in the process, even winning the respect of Jem'Hadar First Ikat'ika , who yielded their final fate when he recognized that Worf's refusal to surrender meant that killing Worf would not be a victory. Once the prisoners escaped, they managed to warn DS9 that Bashir had been replaced by a Changeling. Kira managed to destroy the Bashir Changeling before he could blow up the Bajoran sun. ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ")

From then on to the end of the year, the Dominion sent weekly fleets through the wormhole to fortify the Cardassian sectors. Starfleet, needing to find a way to halt the buildup, decided to block the entrance to the wormhole with a minefield . Sisko assigned the Defiant under the command of Jadzia Dax to deploy a field of self-replicating mines , all of which needed to be deployed before any could be activated. Starfleet forces were unable to assist in the deployment, so the Defiant and the IKS Rotarran had to do it alone, and they only had one day to finish. Weyoun approached the station with three hundred Dominion and Cardassian ships, and when Sisko refused their ultimatum, Gul Dukat opened fire, starting the Second Battle of Deep Space 9 and the Dominion War . While the Dominion's firepower proved ineffective against the station's shields , Worf, in command of the station's weapons array, managed to destroy fifty ships, and the Rotarran helped protect the Defiant , so it could complete the minefield. With the minefield deployed and the station vastly outnumbered, Sisko ordered all Starfleet crew members to evacuate the station. Due to the conquest of DS9 by the Dominion, Worf had been assigned to the Rotarran as first officer . ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")

Unlike the rest of Starfleet, First Officer Worf, ever the warrior, relished the opportunity to engage in combat with the Dominion. A joint operation where the Defiant played a decoy to three Jem'Hadar attack ships allowed the Rotarran to decloak and help destroy those ships in the front line. However, both ships had been called back to Starbase 375 for retreat. By now, even Worf was beginning to lose morale due to the retreats from the Dominion. What the alliance needed was a victory, something that Sisko had been planning all along – Operation Return , the plan to retake Deep Space 9.

The original plan of taking three Federation fleets and a Klingon contingent were scuttled when Sisko received word that the minefield was about to come down. The Second and Fifth Fleets had to take Deep Space 9 themselves. Even so, Martok and Worf tried to convince Chancellor Gowron to send some ships to the battle. Although it took a long time, Gowron eventually realized that both an ally and enemy were telling him the same thing, so agreed to send the ships. Outside the Bajoran system, the Federation was on the verge of losing the battle (Sisko had fallen for a trap set by the Cardassians), but then Worf and Martok's Klingon forces entered at an opportune moment. They inflicted enough damage on the Dominion for the Defiant to break through the lines. The Defiant went on to retake the station and win the battle. When the Jem'Hadar took command of the Defiant , and the crew pretended to make repairs to the warp core for their captors, Worf made it appear he was repairing the plasma display console but was actually sending signals to the bridge to give command operations to Sisko from main engineering . ( DS9 : " Favor the Bold ", " Sacrifice of Angels ", " One Little Ship ")

Some time thereafter, Worf earned a second serious blemish on his service record when he abandoned an important mission for Starfleet Intelligence to rescue Jadzia Dax, who he had married shortly after the retaking of the station. Though no formal charges were leveled, due to the secrecy of the mission, Sisko said, " This will go in your service record… and to be completely honest, you should know that they'll probably never give you a command of your own after this. " ( DS9 : " Change of Heart ")

Gowron fights Worf to the death in 2375

In 2375 , Worf became disillusioned with Gowron's leadership. Gowron feared Martok's growing popularity and devised a plan to discredit Martok and end any potential threat to his authority. Gowron began ordering Martok on near- suicidal missions against Dominion forces, hoping that a string of defeats would weaken Martok's popularity and discredit him as a military leader. Recognizing that Gowron was jeopardizing the entire war effort, Worf tried to convince Martok that he should challenge Gowron for the leadership. After Martok refused, Worf decided to challenge Gowron himself, citing his faulty battle planning, his dishonorable conduct in trying to discredit Martok, and poor strategies at the later stages of the Dominion War. After a brief battle, Worf killed Gowron; by right, he was proclaimed the new chancellor of the Klingon High Council. However, Worf immediately gave his position to Martok. After the war, Martok asked that Worf be appointed Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire. Thereafter, Worf left Deep Space 9 to take his new post on Qo'noS. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ", " What You Leave Behind ")

Service aboard the USS Enterprise -E [ ]

Stopping the borg [ ].

Worf aboard the Enterprise -E

In 2373, Worf was ordered to take the USS Defiant and join the fleet of ships set to intercept a Borg cube in the Typhon sector on a course for Earth. Along with the USS Bozeman and USS Lexington , the Defiant was heavily damaged by the cube and Worf was considering ramming the Borg, when the USS Enterprise -E came to Worf's rescue. The Enterprise -E took on board the survivors of the Defiant , including Worf. Reunited with his old crewmates, Worf assisted in destroying the cube with the tactical information divulged by Picard. After it was destroyed, Worf discovered that a sphere was traveling back in time to 2063 , in an attempt to prevent First Contact between Humans and Vulcans . After destroying the Borg sphere , Worf successfully helped destroy the Enterprise 's deflector dish , which the Borg were turning into an interplexing beacon and prevent them from changing history. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Protecting the Ba'ku [ ]

Lieutenant Commander Worf protecting the Ba'ku people in 2375

In 2375, Worf visited the Federation colony on Manzar to establish a new defense perimeter against the Dominion. At this opportunity, however, he visited his old friends on the Enterprise -E, which was on a diplomatic mission nearby. For a brief period, Worf rejoined his old crew to reveal Admiral Dougherty 's conspiracy concerning the Ba'ku relocation. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

Attending the Rikers' wedding [ ]

Lieutenant Commander Worf on the Enterprise -E in 2379

In 2379, Worf rejoined his old crewmates from the Enterprise -E on Earth when he attended William Riker and Deanna Troi's wedding ceremony. Following the Earth wedding and while en route to a second ceremony on Betazed , the second wedding was postponed as the Enterprise -E detected positronic signals from the Kolarin system .

Stopping Shinzon [ ]

Following the discovery that the source of the positronic signals was a Soong-type android , B-4 , Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway of Starfleet Command assigned the Enterprise -E to Romulus to begin new peace talks with the new Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire , Shinzon , who was a Human clone of Picard. The peace offer turned out to be a trap and, in the end, Worf, along with the Enterprise crew, had to face Shinzon and the Remans together with the Romulans, after which Worf finally admitted that the Romulans had fought with honor, possibly overcoming his lifelong grudge towards them. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Other adventures [ ]

At some point, something happened to the Enterprise -E that made it unusable by 2401 . Although La Forge apparently blamed Worf for the fate of the ship, Worf would insist that what happened was not his fault. ( PIC : " Võx ")

Later career [ ]

He was promoted to captain, following Picard's promotion to Admiral. ( PIC : " Surrender ", " The Last Generation ")

Subsequently, Worf was transferred back to the Operations division. ( PIC : " Disengage ")

In 2399 , a photo of Worf was shown on an FNN media broadcast prior to a holo - interview with Admiral Picard. Soon after this, retired Admiral Picard still considered Worf a loyal colleague who would not hesitate to join him on a mission if asked. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " Maps and Legends ")

Changeling infiltration investigation [ ]

Worf working with Raffi

By 2401, Captain Worf was working as a " subcontractor " for Starfleet Intelligence with Commander Ro Laren and was the anonymous handler of undercover Commander Raffaela Musiker as she investigated on M'talas Prime about the theft of a dangerous device from Daystrom Institute . After terrorists used the device on a Starfleet recruitment building, Worf ordered his agent to stand down after their failure. However, after Musiker disobeyed and continued her investigation, Worf had to rescue his agent from Sneed , a Ferengi information broker . After killing Sneed and his guards to save her life, Worf picked up Musiker and carried her out. ( PIC : " Disengage ", " Imposters ")

Worf informed Musiker that he was her handler and that he was working with Starfleet. Worf allowed Musiker to continue working with him in figuring out who carried the attack on the Recruitment building. Worf and Musiker were able to discover that Titus Rikka was the bomber. During his and Musiker's interrogation aboard SS La Sirena , Worf discovered that Rikka was a changeling due to his regeneration cycle. After killing Rikka, Worf told Musiker what Odo told him about a group of rogue changelings that broke off from the Great Link following the Dominion War. Worf believed they were the ones who stole the Quantum tunneling technology from Daystrom Station . ( PIC : " Seventeen Seconds ")

Worf and Musiker confronted Sneed's "brother", Krinn of the V'Lashi crime syndicate . At first, Krinn forced Worf and Musiker to fight each other. ( PIC : " Imposters ")

Worf later rescued William T. Riker and Deanna Troi from the Shrike and helped Musiker take down the Changelings on the USS Titan -A . ( PIC : " Surrender ")

When the Borg compromised Starfleet, Worf and the rest of the Enterprise 's old command crew managed to escape from the Titan -A as it was taken over. Commodore Geordi La Forge led them to the Fleet Museum where he had spent twenty years rebuilding the USS Enterprise -D which would be unaffected by the Borg takeover. La Forge made a pointed reference to Worf being responsible for them being unable to use the USS Enterprise -E instead, but Worf insisted that he was not responsible for the fate of that ship, although he admitted a preference for the E's weapons over the D's . Worf resumed his old post on the Enterprise bridge, noting that although the weapons systems were online, they were limited. ( PIC : " Võx ")

He would ultimately join Jean-Luc Picard and William Riker in boarding the Borg Queen's cube over Jupiter in order to both rescue Jack Crusher and find the location of the Borg beam emitter . While fighting a few surviving Borg drones, Worf gave Riker his kur'leth which Riker dropped due to how heavy it was. Worf revealed to his old friend that he secretly kept a phaser in the handle, but Worf preferred the blade as "swords are fun." After the destruction of the cube, Worf fell asleep on the Enterprise almost immediately due to how exhausted he was. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Following the destruction of the Borg, Worf secretly leaked Musiker's heroics to her family in order to help her reconcile with them. Worf urged his friend to be happy with her family and Musiker told Worf to continue to be a warrior for peace. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

A year later , Worf joined the rest of the Enterprise command crew in celebrating at 10 Forward Avenue and playing poker together. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Personality [ ]

Worf's intense desire to become a part of his lost culture was matched by enduring loyalty to the world that adopted him in his darkest hour. Those impulses forged a character of indomitable courage and integrity, uncompromising idealism, and a more-Klingon-than-Klingon facade that was occasionally lifted to reveal romanticism, gentleness, and humor. With his limited contact with his own people, Worf subscribed to an idealized version of Klingon culture, which the real thing sometimes failed to live up to, particularly in the area of politics.

While coming from a species frequently regarded as aggressive and enthusiastically boisterous, Worf often gave the first impression of being a rather dour and reserved, though surly and even vaguely threatening, individual. Beverly Crusher described Worf as a tall Klingon who rarely smiled. Likewise, Jadzia Dax referred to Worf as a man difficult to get along with, but she did see him as a good person. Jadzia admitted that whenever it came to Klingon culture, Worf would always get misty-eyed with sentiment. ( TNG : " Remember Me "; DS9 : " Children of Time ", " You Are Cordially Invited ")

Worf's conservative nature and respect for tradition occasionally brought him down on the side of issues that conflicted with the views of his friends. Antipathy for his species' historical enemy made him refuse to donate tissue from his body that may have saved a dying Romulan officer in 2366 . He helped Rear Admiral Norah Satie uncover treason among the crew of the Enterprise -D in 2367 , leading to unfounded accusations against Captain Picard and crewman Simon Tarses . After the witch-hunt was stopped, Worf apologized for the trouble he helped cause, but Picard commended his vigilance, reminding him of the difficulty of spotting a villain who operates with such subtlety. During what should have been a romantic vacation on the pleasure world of Risa , Worf temporarily joined Pascal Fullerton 's New Essentialists Movement , helping them to sabotage Risa's weather control system . ( TNG : " The Enemy ", " The Drumhead "; DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")

Worf's reputation for a lack of humor inspired regular teasing from those close enough to get away with it, like Riker, or too powerful to care, like Q. It pleased Martok and Jadzia Dax to no end whenever they could squeeze a joke from the tight-lipped Klingon. Worf denied his lack of humor to Jadzia once, claiming that he was quite amusing on the Enterprise -D, causing her to theorize that " it must have been one dull ship. " ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ", " Change of Heart ") Lwaxana Troi occasionally called Worf "Mister Woof", initially by mistake. Worf did not appreciate the misnomer. ( TNG : " Half a Life ", " Cost Of Living ", " Dark Page ")

Although shy about it, Worf enjoyed singing Klingon operas. While at a bar on Qualor II in 2368 , Worf requested that Amarie play Aktuh and Maylota and briefly graced the patrons with his baritone voice. He was stranded for some time in an escape pod in 2375, and passed the time taking advantage of the favorable acoustics. Though he initially denied the private performance, Ezri Dax guessed that he had been singing Shevok'tah gish . Chagrined, he admitted to actually singing Gav'ot toH'va , a piece with rather ambitious solos. ( TNG : " Unification II "; DS9 : " Penumbra ")

The combination of his Human upbringing and Klingon taste buds made for an unusual palate. Among traditional Klingon foods like live gagh for breakfast, he loved his adoptive mother's rokeg blood pie that she learned how to prepare just for him. ( TNG : " Family ") Guinan introduced Worf to prune juice , a treat that he relied on with regularity for satisfaction, which he referred to as a "warrior's drink". ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ") Riker once prepared scrambled 'Owon eggs for friends in his quarters, and while the Humans (including Riker) regarded the result as tasting terrible, Worf (after a careful sniff) ate his with gusto, simply remarking "delicious". ( TNG : " Time Squared ") He also held this opinion of a pasta al fiorella from DS9's replimat , which Geordi La Forge considered to taste like liquid polymer . ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I ") He did not react well to Romulan ale , and agreed with its prohibition. ( DS9 : " Inquisition "; TNG : " Parallels "; Star Trek Nemesis )

Physicality [ ]

Worf was an admirer of Natasha Yar and her martial arts skills, and joined her on the ship's parrises squares team. Three days before she died, Worf placed a wager that Yar would be victorious in an upcoming martial arts competition. ( TNG : " 11001001 ", " Skin Of Evil ")

Worf ran regular Mok'bara classes during his time on the Enterprise -D, of which Deanna Troi and Dr. Crusher became regular students. Worf ran several classes of varying difficulties, such as the beginning and advanced levels. ( TNG : " Clues ", " Birthright, Part I ", " Birthright, Part II ")

Worf's scent was described as earthy and peaty, with a touch of lilac (although the tone of this comment implied that it was more of a joke). ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

As a warrior [ ]

Worf was a proven expert with both the bat'leth and his favored weapon, the mek'leth . He won a bat'leth tournament on Forcas III just before his birthday in 2370 . Worf also defeated and killed both Duras and later Gowron in honorable combat. Both men were at one time considered to be the most prominent warriors in the Empire, capable of defending the position of chancellor in a duel. Worf's skills as a warrior ushered in two successive Klingon rulers – Gowron, in 2367 , and Martok, in 2375 . ( Star Trek: First Contact ; TNG : " Reunion "; DS9 : " To the Death ", " Tacking Into the Wind ") While teaching his moves to his young son, Alexander, he described the bat'leth as an extension of one's body. ( TNG : " Reunion ", " Parallels ")

Worf's weapon skills were not simply restricted to regimented form, and he was able to adapt to unexpected conditions. When one side of the bat'leth he was using was shattered in his last duel with Gowron, he quickly chose the tip sections of the sundered side and used them like knives. Although Gowron was able to slowly force his opponent back, Worf still successfully blocked all the strikes of Gowron's bat'leth with his knives and killed him shortly after. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")

In 2366 , the fugitive Roga Danar escaped the brig of the Enterprise -D to return to Lunar V . Worf led the security staff in an attempt to recapture Roga, who managed to evade phaser explosions, transporter locks, decompressions and force fields to reach the shuttlebay . Worf fought hand-to-hand with the fugitive, but the Angosian 's genetic enhancements proved too powerful for him. ( TNG : " The Hunted ")

Worf's unarmed combat skills progressed to the point that, while being held in a Dominion prison camp, he defeated twelve consecutive Jem'Hadar soldiers in honorable combat, and forced the thirteenth, an Honored Elder , to yield in deference to his courage, the Jem'Hadar recognizing that he could only kill Worf rather than defeat him as Worf refused to give in to his opponent. Martok promised that, when they returned to the Empire, he would seek out Keedera himself, so a song would be written about Worf's accomplishment. ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ")

Worf was considered to be a warrior of great renown. Advocate Ch'Pok referred to Worf as "a famed Klingon warrior." ( DS9 : " Rules of Engagement ") Tumek recognized Worf by his Starfleet uniform alone. ( DS9 : " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places ") General Martok knew of him by name, when Worf introduced himself in Internment Camp 371 . ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ") His prowess as a warrior was respected enough that Klingon Chancellor Gowron diverted his entire fleet to Deep Space 9 to offer Worf a post at his right hand during the invasion of Cardassia. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Ailments and injuries [ ]

Beverly Crusher operates on Worf in 2364

Worf tended to get sick to his stomach when he was in zero gravity. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

During a diplomatic mission to convey delegates from the Beta Renner system to Parliament , Worf was temporarily possessed by an energy being, displaced from its natural environment by the passing of the Enterprise -D. The being passed on to Beverly Crusher and, eventually, to Captain Picard, before the incident was resolved. ( TNG : " Lonely Among Us ")

Worf getting killed in 2364

Later in 2364, after Q transported the Enterprise crew down to the surface of an unknown planetoid (which was possibly created by Q), Worf and his shipmates were attacked by a group of musket -wielding aliens wearing 18th century French army uniforms. Unarmed, Worf charged the aliens and defeated some of them but was eventually stabbed in the abdomen with a bayonet by one of the aliens and died moments later, only to be revived by Riker, who was temporarily in possession of Q powers. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

Two years later , the Enterprise picked up a Zalkonian in the final stages of an evolutionary change. Since he had suffered memory loss, the crew simply referred to him as John Doe . When Worf tried to stop him from stealing a shuttlecraft , John Doe emanated an energy bolt in self-defense. Unfortunately, that bolt proved to be fatal to Worf, who was then declared dead by the medical crew. However, John Doe's strange transformations allowed him to heal Worf's injury and restore his life. ( TNG : " Transfigurations ")

Worf never really liked doctors ("any doctors"); however, there was one doctor that earned Worf's respect more than any other. In 2365 , Dr. Katherine Pulaski discovered Worf suffered from rop'ngor , normally a childhood disease, and protected his dignity by keeping his illness secret. In gratitude, Worf invited Pulaski to participate in a Klingon tea ceremony , where he beguiled her with Klingon love poetry . ( TNG : " Up The Long Ladder "; DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume ")

Once, while checking cargo containers, a large one fell on Worf, injuring his back and leaving him paralyzed. Unwilling to continue living as a paralyzed Klingon, Worf asked Riker to perform the hegh'bat . However, Riker refused to aid such a ritual, quoting, " That right falls to the eldest son. " Opposition from Riker, Troi, and Dr. Crusher, in addition to Alexander's lack of knowledge of Klingon culture, led Worf to change his mind. He permitted Dr. Toby Russell to perform a dangerous and experimental procedure to replace his spinal column . The surgery was a failure, and Worf was declared dead. Due to the redundancies of Klingon physiology , where every organ in the Klingon body had a backup organ that activated whenever damage occurred to the first, his internal backups were initiated and Worf woke up. It took time, but with the help of his son and Troi, Worf made a full recovery. ( TNG : " Ethics ")

Worf was apparently allergic to cats , as was evidenced in 2370 , when – following Lieutenant Commander Data asking him to temporarily care for his cat, Spot – Worf sneezed loudly while carrying her out of Data's quarters. The incident startled Spot. ( TNG : " Phantasms ")

While the Enterprise was upgrading its sensor array , Worf, along with Riker, Kaminer , Edward Hagler , Sariel Rager , and La Forge, was abducted by mysterious solanogen-based lifeforms for strange experiments. Since they were abducted in their sleep, many began to experience afterimages of the aliens ' tests. Worf experienced one such flashback when he went to get his hair cut by Mot . When he saw the scissors Mot would be using, it reminded him of the blade used to probe him. In order to discover the location of the aliens, Worf suggested planting a homing device on Riker, so that when his next abduction came, they could locate him and the aliens. ( TNG : " Schisms ")

Worf suffering from Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome

Later that year, when the Enterprise became affected by Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome , Worf was one of the first crew members to devolve. He de-evolved into a Klingon prehistoric venomous predator, and after he sprayed Beverly Crusher with venom , he went on a rampage and terrorized the entire ship, killed Ensign Dern , and tried to mate with Deanna Troi, who had devolved into an amphibian creature. ( TNG : " Genesis ")

While the rest of the Enterprise -E crew enjoyed the age-reversing qualities of exposure to metaphasic radiation on the planet of the Ba'ku, Worf suffered the indignity of an affliction normally suffered by Klingons half his age, a gorch . ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

K'Ehleyr [ ]

Worf and K'Ehleyr embrace

Worf dated K'Ehleyr, a Human-Klingon woman, while he attended Starfleet Academy, but the relationship at the time ended acrimoniously. In 2365 , while K'Ehleyr served as a Klingon emissary , she had to board the Enterprise -D to deal with a Klingon sleeper ship from the 23rd century. The two briefly rekindled their relationship when a joint holodeck training exercise led to a Klingon mating ritual. Worf, at the time, insisted that they take the oath of marriage afterward, but K'Ehleyr refused, stating, " Don't give me any of that Klingon nonsense . " K'Ehleyr paid no heed to Klingon tradition, as she felt that she had inherited the worst traits of her respective parents' races (her Human mother's sense of humor, and her Klingon father's temper). They parted afterward, resolving their feelings before her departure from the Enterprise -D. ( TNG : " The Emissary ")

Unbeknownst to Worf, however, the mating ritual led to K'Ehleyr becoming pregnant with their child. K'Ehleyr returned to the Enterprise -D in 2367 to participate in the succession of Chancellor K'mpec, and took the opportunity to introduce their son, Alexander, to Worf for the first time. In the intervening years, she found she needed Worf after all, and wanted to finish the mating ritual. This time, Worf backed off, unwilling to permit his intervening discommendation to discredit either K'Ehleyr or Alexander. Worf's refusal to detail the nature of his discommendation prompted K'Ehleyr to start her own investigation, an action that triggered the attention of Duras and her subsequent murder. Worf and Alexander found K'Ehleyr dying from multiple stab wounds. Her whisper confirmed the identity of her killer, and she brought Alexander's small hand to his father's as she died.

Worf performed the Klingon death ritual and consoled his son in Klingon fashion before he abandoned the symbols of Starfleet and Empire. With only his bat'leth , he boarded Duras' ship, the IKS Vorn , claiming the Right of Vengeance under Klingon law. After the first blows were exchanged, Duras reminded Worf the cost of victory – Duras' death meant Worf's family name may never be cleared. Worf's family name suddenly meant little against the memory of K'Ehleyr, and he answered, " Then that is how it shall be! " and left Duras' corpse on the deck. ( TNG : " Reunion ")

Alexander [ ]

Father and son in 2372

Worf was unaware of Alexander's existence for the first years of the boy's life, until K'Ehleyr introduced their child in 2367 . Under the Empire's discommendation at the time, Worf hesitated to acknowledge his son and thus perpetuate dishonor into the next generation of the House of Mogh. As K'Ehleyr lay dying from the stabs of Duras, her last act was to bring the pair together. Worf raged the Klingon death ritual, terrifying his son, but he brought Alexander to his mother for the last time, telling him, " You have never seen death… then look – and always remember. " After avenging K'Ehleyr's death, Worf confirmed to Alexander that indeed he was his father (see also: K'Ehleyr ). ( TNG : " Reunion ")

K'Ehleyr held little regard for Klingon traditions, let alone indoctrination, conflicting with Worf's theories of Klingon child-raising. Despite trying to teach Alexander about the Klingon artifacts located in his quarters (including a bat'leth ), Alexander seemed to show no interest. After K'Ehleyr's death, Alexander was sent to live with his grandparents, but the Rozhenkos found that raising a Klingon child was now more than they could handle, in advancing years. Helena returned the boy within a year to be with Worf. Lwaxana Troi's influence added to Worf's headaches, but father and son settled into a home life aboard the Enterprise -D. ( TNG : " New Ground ", " Cost Of Living ")

Worf and Alexander played sheriff and deputy pursuing a dangerous criminal in an Ancient West themed holodeck program . One of Data's experiments accidentally turned all the holodeck characters into manifestations of Data (which also had all his physical capabilities), and disabled the holodeck safety protocols . With Alexander kidnapped, Worf arranged for his return by agreeing to a duel with the villain in the town square. Worf managed to survive by manufacturing a makeshift force field. ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ")

When Alexander was approaching his first Age of Ascension, Worf was appalled to discover that Alexander did not want to become a warrior. An encounter with K'mtar (a future Alexander from an alternate timeline) forced Worf to let Alexander follow his destiny. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Once the Enterprise -D was destroyed, Alexander was sent back to his grandparents. While he was growing up, Alexander decided he wanted to join the Klingon Defense Forces after all, eventually ending up on the Rotarran , Martok's ship. When reporting for duty, he referred to himself as Alexander Rozhenko instead of the son of Worf. A confused Martok asked what this house of Rozhenko was, to which Worf replied that Alexander was his son. Martok and Worf became concerned when Alexander was not fraternizing well with his Klingon comrades. Worf interrupted a fight between Alexander and Ch'Targh , when Alexander was on the verge of losing. Alexander revealed that he hated feeling like the unwanted son that Worf would rather get rid of. Worf tried to explain that the Jem'Hadar would not go easy on him, and that if he didn't learn how to fight quickly, they would kill him. After Alexander mistook a battle simulation as the real thing, the crew accepted him as the ship's fool. However, in the real battle, he successfully sealed a leaking plasma impulse injector. After this victory, Martok and Worf deemed him worthy of joining the House of Martok. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Sons and Daughters ")

When Alexander revealed that he was transferring to the IKS Ya'Vang , Jadzia Dax decided to push forward her wedding ceremony to before he left, so that he could serve as Worf's Tawi'Yan . With the date moved up, Alexander was allowed to participate in Worf's Kal'Hyah ceremony (a Klingon bachelor party ), along with Sisko, Martok, Bashir, and O'Brien. Despite being a Klingon, Alexander struggled through the ceremony almost as much as Bashir and O'Brien. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

Jeremy Aster [ ]

In 2366, Worf performed the R'uustai ceremony with Jeremy Aster , admitting him into the House of Mogh, after Jeremy's mother was killed on an away mission which he led. ( TNG : " The Bonding ")

Jadzia Dax [ ]

Jadzia Dax was Worf's second mate, and the first woman he ceremonially took as his wife. The two became good friends because of Curzon 's understanding and interest in Klingon culture. When they first met at Quark's Bar, he instantly recognized the station's science officer as the new host of Curzon, a name honored amongst Klingons, to which Jadzia responded (in Klingon) that she was more attractive than Curzon had been. Worf, however, was distracted by Drex attempting to stir up trouble in the bar. When Worf managed to stop Drex and take his dagger, Dax said in amazement, " He's good. "

Jadzia gave Worf a copy of her calisthenics program, which Worf mistook for Curzon's program. At this, Jadzia challenged Worf to a bat'leth match, which Jadzia lost. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

When Worf moved his quarters to the Defiant , Jadzia gave him her collection of Klingon operas, and suggested that he play them through the Defiant 's communications systems. Worf accepted them as a thoughtful gift, especially after Nog re-tuned and remastered them. ( DS9 : " Bar Association ", " In the Cards ")

Worf became romantically involved with Jadzia Dax in early 2373. It started when Quark's former wife, Grilka , came aboard the station. When Worf developed an instant crush on Grilka, he couldn't fathom how she could have married a Ferengi. Jadzia's explanation of the full story merely exacerbated Worf's confusion. ( DS9 : " The House of Quark ") In order to win her heart, Worf decided to perform deeds that were overtly Klingon, such as throwing Morn off his stool, demanding bloodwine , and insulting Grilka's bodyguard, Thopok . However, since Mogh's family honor had been disgraced, Grilka could not possibly mate with Worf.

Dejected, Worf chose to help Quark win Grilka's heart, with advice from Jadzia. By controlling Quark's movements using a remote control device, he helped Quark defeat Thopok and win the heart of Grilka. Then Jadzia jumped on Worf and the pair had their own mating ritual. As required by tradition, Worf demanded that Jadzia marry him, but Jadzia understood that Worf was not a traditional man, and they agreed to a more gradual exploration of their relationship. ( DS9 : " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places ")

The romance had a rocky start. In their first holiday together (on Risa ), Worf grew immediately jealous of Arandis , the chief facilitator at the resort planet and Curzon's former lover. Even though Jadzia explained that she had moved on, long ago, Worf remained suspicious. However, after a heart-to-heart talk with him, Jadzia helped Worf get over his jealousy. ( DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")

When Dax found out from Sisko that Worf was to accompany Elim Garak on a suicide mission to find Enabran Tain , she took back her Klingon operas, which motivated Worf to survive his mission to the Gamma Quadrant with an embrace. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ")

Worf and Jadzia Dax's wedding

When war broke out between the Federation and Dominion in late 2373, Worf and Jadzia were separated when they were reassigned. Dax was given command of the Defiant , while Worf was assigned to a Klingon ship. Jadzia vowed that, when DS9 was retaken and they had returned to their former positions, she would decide to wed Worf. This spurred Worf on, through the early days of the Dominion war. While all of Starfleet was grim from the news that the Seventh Fleet had been defeated at the Tyra system , Worf could only think of one thing: the fact that the ritual targ sacrifice was to take place after the wedding ceremony, whereas tradition dictated that it take place before. He had been bugging Martok about it, ever since they left Deep Space 9. He was, however, concerned for Dax's safety after her symbiont was injured, when she bore the brunt of an explosion near an M-class planet in a dark matter nebula . When she was rescued by the Rotarran , Worf was relieved to see that she recovered from the injuries. ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ", " A Time to Stand ", " Rocks and Shoals ", " Sons and Daughters ")

Following the successful Operation Return in early 2374 , Dax decided to marry Worf within the week. All she had to do was appease Lady Sirella , mistress of the House of Martok, for the two to wed. This proved more difficult than expected, since Sirella, not wanting aliens to pollute her house, opposed the marriage. When Dax refused to stop a party, an enraged Sirella screamed that there would be no Klingon wedding. When Dax asked for a Bajoran-style wedding led by Sisko, a quivering Worf decided to call the whole thing off. After some fence-mending by Sisko, Dax, and Worf eventually resumed the wedding, and the pair married in Quark's Bar. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ") Later on, after Jadzia lost a game of tongo to Quark, Worf – who had also lost a bet on that game to Miles O'Brien – told Jadzia that he would rather lose a bet on her than win one on someone else. Jadzia felt that was one of the most romantic things Worf had ever said to her. ( DS9 : " Change of Heart ")

The marriage proved strong. When Lasaran , a Cardassian defector, contacted Starfleet Intelligence in 2374, Worf and Jadzia were ordered to rendezvous with him and return him safely to Federation space. During the mission, Jadzia was seriously wounded by a Jem'Hadar energy weapon. The anticoagulant properties of the weapon put Jadzia's life in danger and Worf abandoned Lasaran in order to save her. The action caused Worf to receive a reprimand, and Captain Sisko believed it would prevent him from ever receiving his own command, but Worf stated he had no regrets. ( DS9 : " Change of Heart ")

Worf mourns Jadzia

By late 2374, Jadzia and Worf had decided to attempt parenthood, despite the extreme difficulties posed by the disparate biologies of Trill and Klingons. Worf had already proven his ability in fatherhood by babysitting the O'Briens' son, Kirayoshi , and with the help of Bashir, Jadzia and Worf could attempt to conceive. In thanks, she visited the Bajoran temple on the Promenade , where she was attacked and killed by Gul Dukat, who was possessed by a Pah-wraith and was attempting to destroy the Orb kept in the temple. ( DS9 : " Time's Orphan ", " Tears of the Prophets ")

In 2375, Worf led a mission to destroy a Dominion shipyard. He dedicated this mission to his late wife, in order to ease her entrance into Sto-vo-kor . ( DS9 : " Shadows and Symbols ")

The sons of Mogh: Kurn and Worf

In the Enterprise 's second Officer Exchange Program , Worf was reunited with his brother Kurn, whom he had not seen since he first left his homeworld as a child. Kurn used the exchange program as pretense to reunite with Worf, and to inform Worf that his honor was put into question because the Klingon Empire announced that their father had betrayed the Klingons at the Khitomer colony by giving the Romulans strategic information. When Worf challenged this ruling, Kurn was also present. When Worf decided to accept the dishonor (to prevent civil war), it was also decided to keep Kurn's bloodline secret to protect his honor. ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ")

When Gowron ascended to Chancellor after the Klingon Civil War and restored the honor of the House of Mogh, Kurn gained a seat in the High Council. For a time, it seemed that the House of Mogh would thrive and could even one day inherit the Chancellorship, but then Worf condemned the Klingon invasion of Cardassia.

An enraged Gowron had the House of Mogh stripped of its honor and had Kurn thrown off the High Council and continued on the course for war without Worf's help. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Four months after Kurn lost his seat on the Klingon High Council, he arrived at DS9 seeking help from his brother to perform the Mauk-to'Vor ritual. He felt that the ritual, which involved Worf killing him, was the only way to restore his honor. After receiving orders from Sisko not to carry out the honor killing, Worf arranged for his brother to have cosmetic surgery and his memory wiped so he could start a new life with no ties to the House of Mogh. ( DS9 : " Sons of Mogh ")

Nikolai Rozhenko [ ]

Nikolai Rozhenko

Worf had a contentious relationship with his elder foster-brother, Nikolai. Cavalier, inspired, and rebellious, Nikolai's antics – and the pains he caused in their mother – invoked the ire of his dutiful, honor-conscious brother. Nikolai thought of Worf as a perfectionist, and resented him never being wild or disobedient. But the sibling tensions between the two seemed to be of a commonplace, Human variety. Later in life, reflecting on their childhood together, neither man made note of their genetic differences as a source of their friction. When asked if he and Nikolai were close, Worf considered, and merely said, " We are… brothers, " Nikolai later automatically introducing Worf as his brother to a group of Boraalans when he could have just as easily introduced Worf to them as a friend. Reflecting on his brother, Worf also noted that Nikolai had many fine qualities despite their disagreements, acknowledging that his brother was " brilliant, persuasive… a natural leader, " despite his inability to follow the rules. ( TNG : " Homeward ")

When making contact with Nikolai at the Boraalan homeworld , Worf (disguised as a Boraalan) was shocked to discover his foster brother had violated the Prime Directive . Worf, who was a firm believer in the Prime Directive, ( TNG : " Pen Pals ") discovered that Nikolai had become much more involved with the Boraalans than necessary. Nikolai conceived a child with a Boraalan female, Dobara , and became very protective of the Boraalans in her village. Although his actions saved the Boraalan race (whose homeworld had been rendered uninhabitable by atmospheric dissipation ), it took the holodecks of the Enterprise and vast amounts of power to keep them from finding out. While the Enterprise shipped the villagers to their new home on Vacca VI , Worf and Nikolai navigated them through an ever-changing holographic landscape (subtly altered, so it ended up resembling their new home). As the power started running out, the holodeck was beginning to have trouble maintaining cohesion, and parts of the holodeck started manifesting itself. Worf calmed the villagers, claiming the images to be the sign of La Forge . They reached the new home just as the holographic simulations ran out of power and ended. On parting, Worf informed Nikolai that he would tell their mother that Nikolai was happy. ( TNG : " Homeward ")

Worf and the real Martok meet for the first time

Worf always had high respect for Martok, even when he was replaced by a Changeling. In 2373, Worf found the real General Martok in Dominion Internment Camp 371. Martok was forced to face the Jem'Hadar in daily fighting contests (one of which led to the loss of one of his eyes), until Worf replaced him. The way Worf won each battle so impressed Martok that he felt his actions were worthy of song. Having been healed by Bashir, and trained by Martok, who was at ringside for each of his contests, Worf defeated all the Jem'Hadar guards, so the Jem'Hadar First, Ikat'ika, presented himself as Worf's next challenge. Worf, already badly injured by previous fights, was losing and was about to let Ikat'ika kill him, when he experienced a moment of tova'dok with Martok. Worf stood back up one more time, refusing to yield to Ikat'ika. It was then that Ikat'ika realized that he could not defeat his opponent, only kill him, something which "no longer held his interest." Ikat'ika himself yielded the match. Deyos , the leading Vorta officer of the facility, had Ikat'ika executed for refusing to kill Worf. It was at that moment that Garak had finished the transmitter and all the prisoners escaped back to Deep Space 9.

With approval from Worf, Sisko, and Gowron, Martok was honored by being made commander of the detachment of Klingon soldiers assigned to the station. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ", " By Inferno's Light ")

Later, Worf convinced Sisko to release Martok after he threw K'retok off the Promenade, claiming it was a disciplinary measure, and that K'retok was not injured. ( DS9 : " Ferengi Love Songs ")

Worf and Martok: Brothers of a Great House

Martok was given command of the IKS Rotarran and requested Worf to be first officer, with Jadzia Dax as the science officer. His first mission was to locate the missing cruiser IKS B'Moth . A string of defeats against the Jem'Hadar had sapped the morale of the Rotarran 's crew, to the point where dishonorable conduct and dereliction of duty were commonplace. When Martok refused to engage the Jem'Hadar, the crew of the Rotarran decided to mutiny , and Worf challenged Martok himself, accusing him of being a coward. Although it was obvious, from the start, that Martok was no match for Worf, Martok's confidence and tenacity intensified during the fight. Realizing this, Worf subtly let his guard down and allowed Martok to win the fight, severely injuring Worf and retaining command of the Rotarran while restoring the crew's loyalty. This lead to the Rotarran 's first victory over the Jem'Hadar, and the rescue of the B'Moth . Rather than punish Worf for mutiny, Martok thanked him for reminding him of his duty as a soldier of the Empire, and offered Worf a place in his House as a "brother". Together, the "brothers" turned a low-morale vessel that was on the brink of mutiny into the Klingon Empire's most distinguished ship. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ")

Worf, Alexander Rozhenko, Jadzia (and after her death, Ezri Dax) were all adopted into the House of Martok . Driven to the brink of madness by Worf's single-mindedness and longing for Dax, Martok could not be more pleased that the wedding to Jadzia was going ahead. He participated in Worf's Kal'Hyah ceremony (one of the few participants who had an easy time), and when Worf got cold feet, he convinced Worf to put the wedding back on track. After Jadzia died, Worf became concerned that her death had not been sufficiently honorable for her to enter Sto-vo-kor , needing to win a glorious battle in her name for her to do so. After Chief O'Brien got the truth out of Worf over bloodwine, he passed this on to General Martok, who gave Worf such a mission – destroy the Dominion shipyards of Monac IV. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ", " Image in the Sand ", " Shadows and Symbols ")

In late 2375, Worf was instrumental in bringing Martok to power as chancellor when he challenged the authority of then-chancellor Gowron. Upon killing Gowron in battle, Worf ceded his new position as chancellor to Martok. ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ", " Sons and Daughters ", " Tacking Into the Wind ")

Worf was still a member of Martok's house in 2401 . ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Friendships [ ]

The crew of the enterprise [ ].

In the holographic message Natasha Yar composed before her death, she noted her commonality with Worf, as orphaned warriors, and called him a kindred spirit. When Worf assumed Yar's duties after her death, he promised to uphold her example. Worf also seemed protective of Tasha. As seen when he defended her from a female Klingon that Q summoned. ( TNG : " Skin Of Evil ")

What friends are for

Though Worf was beginning to feel the Enterprise -D was becoming a true home, there came a point in 2365 when the isolation from his native society could not be ignored. Wesley Crusher 's brush with a cranky Klingon inspired him to investigate, and discovered the cause of Worf's discontent. In a holodeck re-creation of a Klingon Rite of Ascension chamber, his loyal friends gathered to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his Age of Ascension and witnessed Worf endure the traditional gauntlet of painstiks . They had never seen him happier. ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ")

Worf became a fixture at the senior officer's weekly poker games, where he liked to give the impression he took the game as seriously as combat. The "Iceman", as Riker sometimes called him, relished exorbitant bets and insisted that Klingons never bluffed (an assertion later proven false). In one game, he was prepared to wager his goatee against Beverly Crusher's hair color. ( TNG : " The Emissary ", " The Quality of Life ")

Guinan once asked Worf why he always sat alone. Worf looked at her with vague irritation and replied that he required a Klingon woman for companionship, since "Earth females are too fragile." Despite Guinan's claim she knew one or two women on board who might find him a bit tame, an amused Worf refuted this as "impossible". ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

Arctus Baran 's capture of Picard and Riker left Data in temporary command of the Enterprise -D for a period in 2370 . Worf's evident dissatisfaction with Data's command decisions quickly grew into open criticism – improper conduct from an acting first officer. Data was forced to privately chastise Worf for his behavior, and quickly added his regrets if the confrontation ended their friendship. Chagrined, Worf acknowledged his errors and admitted that, if their friendship had been threatened, it was his blame alone. ( TNG : " Gambit, Part II ")

He took the disgraced Ensign Sito under his wing, helped her regain an exemplary service record (after her involvement with the Nova Squadron crash, two years previous), and got her recruited for a dangerous mission to Cardassia Prime , a mission she never returned from. Upon hearing this, Worf joined her friends for a drink at Ten Forward. ( TNG : " The First Duty ", " Lower Decks ")

Jean-Luc Picard [ ]

Worf and Picard aboard the Enterprise -E in 2373

In the 2366 incident of Galorndon Core , the Enterprise rescued a fatally injured Romulan soldier named Patahk . Dr. Crusher discovered that he had cell damage to several vital areas that required a transfusion of compatible ribosomes and only Worf could provide the cells. Due to memories of the Khitomer incident and his distrust in Romulans, Worf refused to donate his blood. Patahk mutually agreed with Worf's decision, saying he would rather die than have his "cells polluted with Klingon filth". Picard tried to make Worf reconsider, asking (and soon begging) him for a favor as a friend, not as his commanding officer. Since it was not an order, Worf stuck with his decision not to donate blood and Picard respected his choice. Patahk died soon afterward. ( TNG : " The Enemy ")

When Picard was taken prisoner and replaced by a duplicate, the crew discovered the impostor from his differing behavior. Worf was one of the officers who mutinied against the impostor to side with Riker. When the real Picard returned to the Enterprise , he only needed one glance to Worf for him to initiate a series of events that culminated in Worf trapping the aliens. ( TNG : " Allegiance ")

When the honor of Mogh was called into question over the Khitomer incident, and Kurn could not serve as cha'DIch , Worf chose Picard to act as his cha'DIch . Picard accepted, and successfully uncovered the truth about the Khitomer massacre. The truth led to Worf and Picard's contempt for the House of Duras, who were the real traitors. ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ")

Picard's successful tenure as Arbiter of Succession to the Klingon Empire gave Worf added respect for Picard. Despite Worf having killed Duras, going against the Federation charter and Prime Directive, Picard forgave Worf for the incident, although he issued his security chief a reprimand. ( TNG : " Reunion ")

When the Enterprise -E was taken over by the Borg and Picard opposed the recommendation to abandon ship, Worf was labeled a coward by Picard, saying " You want to blow up the ship – and run away – you COWARD! " To this, Worf responded, " If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand! " implying great admiration. Picard later admitted that Worf was the "bravest man" he had ever known and they both shook hands in camaraderie. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Guinan and Worf compete on the phaser range

Worf met Guinan when she first came aboard the Enterprise . Guinan introduced Worf to what became his favorite drink, prune juice. As Guinan sat down at his table, she asked why Worf always sat alone. Worf looked at her with vague irritation as the conversation was venturing into areas he'd rather avoid. Worf replied he required a Klingon woman for companionship, as Human females were too fragile. Despite Guinan's claim she knew one or two women on board who may have found him a bit tame, a very amused Worf refuted this as "impossible." ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

When Worf's parents visited the Enterprise , Guinan consoled their fears about making Worf uncomfortable with their presence by telling them that, when people came to Ten Forward to look for their home star, Worf always looked for Earth rather than Qo'noS, reflecting their powerful role in his life. ( TNG : " Family ")

Guinan and Worf competed with each other in the phaser range . During the 2367 Klingon civil war, Guinan asked Worf about how his son, Alexander, was doing. Worf replied he was having difficulties adjusting to life on Earth, to which Guinan responded the time would come when Alexander found out what it really meant to be Klingon, just as the time had now come for Worf. ( TNG : " Redemption ")

William Riker [ ]

Worf asking Riker to assist him in performing ritual suicide

William Riker, a jovial and amiable man in general, got along well with Worf. In some instances, he managed to bring out eruptions of emotion that his stoic lieutenant strove to keep in reserve. When Riker was heady with the powers of the Q, he eagerly tried to share the experience with otherwise impossible gifts for his friends. He noted Worf's isolation from his native culture, and with the best of intentions, he gave Worf an aggressively lustful Klingon female. Enraged and embarrassed, Worf refused the woman, admitting that the world she represented was alien to him and he had no place for such a "gift" in his life at the time. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

As a vital, athletic man who participated in dangerous sports like parrises squares and anbo-jytsu , Riker might have liked to think he could keep up with a younger Klingon, and joined Worf in his brutally violent Klingon calisthenics holodeck program. The exercise ended with all opponents defeated, and Worf was looking for more, rather intently, and in the specific direction of his increasingly alarmed partner. Riker hastily called an end to the session. ( TNG : " Where Silence Has Lease ")

Worf considered Riker a fellow warrior, and on at least a few occasions Riker asked Worf to accompany him on particularly dangerous assignments or potential transfers. ( TNG : " The Outcast ", " The Icarus Factor ")

Sometime after those events – where Worf had risked offending (or worse) his superior officer with a sense of impunity – a minor gesture by Worf innocently reached out to reciprocate the proffered friendship. When Riker proudly prepared 'Owon egg omelettes for a meal with his gathered friends, only Worf could stomach the dish, eating with obvious pleasure and declaring the eggs "delicious". ( TNG : " Time Squared ")

Riker's practical experience with other Klingons, begun in the Officer Exchange Program, engendered an understanding of the Klingon culture that the other Enterprise -D officers, save perhaps Picard, lacked. Worf helped bring this about, by briefing Riker with his own knowledge of the rules of the chain-of-command in the Klingon Defense Force . When the time came for them to participate in battle exercises in preparation for the Borg threat, Riker was given command of the USS Hathaway to serve as the Enterprise -D's opponent. As Riker's first officer, Worf brought "Klingon guile" to bear (as the barely spaceworthy Hathaway had little else to offer), giving the Enterprise -D a worthy challenge and even coming to her aid against the Ferengi marauder Kreechta . ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ", " Peak Performance ")

When Riker developed a complicated relationship with Soren , a member of the genderless J'naii , Worf overcame his discomfort with the J'naii to offer his aid to Riker in rescuing Soren when she was sentenced to receive "treatment" for her decision to regard herself as female, his loyalty and respect for his commanding officer overriding his issues with Soren and her people. ( TNG : " The Outcast ")

Their friendship was jeopardized for a time, after Worf began a romantic relationship with Deanna Troi in 2370 . Riker's long history with Troi remained evidently unresolved, a fact that Worf was keenly aware of, and Troi refused to discuss. Picard's experience in an alternate future revealed how the existing tension could grow into naked animosity between the rivals for Troi. By that timeline, they had long been estranged and had no desire to mend fences with each other. During a skirmish with the Klingons, they openly blamed each other for putting the rest of their still-mutual friends in danger. By sharing that foresight with his officers, Picard gave Worf and Riker the chance to halt their schism before it could fully form, and they continued to be close friends. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

In 2371 , the senior officers gathered in the Enterprise -D holodeck for an age-of-sail themed celebration, marking Worf's promotion to lieutenant commander. As was customary for Enterprise officers on such occasions, Worf was made to "walk the plank" over open water, and forced to leap upward to grab the dangling symbol of his new rank. Worf was the only officer in the ship's history to succeed in maintaining his balance, and dignity, by keeping his footing on the precipice. Unsatisfied with the precedent, Commander Riker ordered the holodeck computer to instantly remove the plank, using the holodeck's ability to disintegrate holographic matter. His order was mildly chastised (though not without amusement) by Picard, who indicated that the correct expression was to retract the plank. Riker shouted an apology to Worf, who was splashing and cursing angrily in the water. ( Star Trek Generations )

Worf and Data's excellent professional relationship and solid, if subtle, friendship was aided by the fact that they had two important things in common. First, both were rescued by the Federation after their homes were destroyed by enemy attacks, instilling in each of them a high regard for the Federation's ideals. Second, both were Starfleet pioneers; Data and Worf were, respectively, the first android and Klingon Starfleet officers. Although most of their time together was in the line of duty (such as bridge duty and away missions), both were frequent participants in the senior staff's poker games, and they often spent time together off-duty in Ten Forward. Also, Worf was one of the only people that Spot, Data's cat, warmed up to, despite Worf's disdain for the animal.

When Data's shuttlecraft exploded while returning to the Enterprise -D in 2366 , all Worf could do was stare in shock at the viewscreen and mutter his friend's name. As it turned out, the explosion was staged in order to kidnap Data, and he was subsequently rescued. ( TNG : " The Most Toys ")

In 2367 , Data sought Worf's help in finding a wedding present for Miles and Keiko O'Brien. ( TNG : " Data's Day ")

When Geordi La Forge and Ensign Ro Laren were presumed dead in a transporter accident in 2368 , Data volunteered to arrange the memorial service, but he was unsure about what kind of ceremony to have and asked Worf for advice. Worf told him that, for Klingons, an honorable death in the line of duty was a cause for celebration, not mourning. Data took his advice and arranged a very upbeat party, giving people the chance to share their pleasant memories of the "deceased". ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

A year later, Data again sought Worf's guidance, this time in researching the "dreams" he was having. Worf, preoccupied with rumors that his father had survived the attack on Khitomer, gave Data some cryptic answers about the importance of fathers to a person, but Data seemed to understand what he was saying and went on his way. Data later returned this favor when Worf learned that the apparently-returned Kahless the Unforgettable was actually a clone of the legendary Klingon; Data's reflections about how, after learning of his android nature, he chose to consider himself a person who could progress and grow over time rather than a machine who would never be more than he was, convinced Worf to accept Kahless as the symbol that he could be for their people rather than define the clone by the circumstances of his origins. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I ", " Rightful Heir ")

Their friendship was severely tested in 2370 when Data, acting as commanding officer, admonished Worf for challenging his orders in front of the bridge crew. Afterward, Data apologized to Worf if the dressing-down had ended their friendship, but Worf took the high road, saying that if the friendship was in jeopardy, it was his fault alone. After that exchange, their working and personal relationship quickly returned to normal. ( TNG : " Gambit, Part II ")

Deanna Troi [ ]

Worf was distrustful and uneasy around telepaths, but ship's counselor Deanna Troi became a trusted exception. When he was severely injured in 2368 , he asked her to care for Alexander if he died, reasoning that his own parents were too elderly to cope with the difficulties of raising Alexander and assuring Troi that he could think of no better parent for his son than her. By late 2370, Worf asked her to become a Soh-chIm to Alexander, a role she gladly accepted. ( TNG : " Dark Page ", " Ethics ", " Parallels ")

Worf and Troi during their romance

After an encounter with alternate realities showed him a life with Troi as his wife, Worf's eyes were opened to a new possibility, and he began to pursue her. Though surprised, Troi welcomed the advances, and the two enjoyed a romantic relationship through 2370 . Deanna wasn't thrilled by Worf's concern for Will Riker's interest in the matter, but the triangle's tension was eased on the advice of Captain Picard. ( TNG : " Parallels ", " Eye of the Beholder ", " All Good Things... ")

By the next year, the romance seemed to have dissolved amicably, and eventually, she and Riker resumed their relationship. Worf's only visible unease at their wedding in 2379 was the result of imbibing too much Romulan ale , and the prospect of appearing naked at their Betazed marriage ceremony. ( Star Trek Generations ; Star Trek: Insurrection ; Star Trek Nemesis )

Deep Space 9 companions [ ]

By contrast, Worf found it quite difficult to adjust to life aboard Deep Space 9, right from the day he arrived. When Worf entered Quark's , Quark asked if he wanted bloodwine (since he was Klingon, and every Klingon Quark met ordered only bloodwine). When Worf asked for prune juice, Quark laughed in disbelief. Worf did not share his humor, so Quark was forced to bring him the prune juice. It was the first of many confrontations with Quark, and the Ferengi in general (whom Worf thought unworthy to serve in Starfleet). ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Little Green Men ") During his time on DS9, Worf maintained an immense distrust of Quark, always referring to him as "the Ferengi bartender".

When Worf discovered Quark was dealing with a smuggling operation, he was confounded as to why security officer Odo never arrested Quark. After a disappointing response, Worf decided to take matters into his own hands. When the next smuggled crystal arrived, Worf stepped forward and arrested Quark. It was then that Odo shapeshifted himself and revealed the entire operation as a setup. Odo was going to follow the smuggler and uncover the entire Tarkalean smuggling operation. However, thanks to Worf's interference, Odo had to settle for the middle man. ( DS9 : " Hippocratic Oath ")

Events came to a head one day when Worf's quarters were robbed by a burglar. The response by Odo proved to be disappointing to Worf. This event happened to coincide with a union strike taking place in Quark's Bar. Dr. Julian Bashir and O'Brien were betting who would enter Quark's Bar despite the strike. Both unanimously agreed that Worf would not enter the bar, recalling he rarely entered the bar even before the strike. When they saw that Worf actually entered the bar, O'Brien approached Worf to talk some sense into him. This proved a serious mistake, and led to the three of them being thrown into the brig . At this final incident, Worf decided that the only way to adjust to life aboard the station was to live outside it, on the Defiant . Eventually though, Worf managed to adjust to the activities of the station, even enjoying a Ferengi tooth sharpener in the process. ( DS9 : " Bar Association ", " Little Green Men ")

Benjamin Sisko [ ]

Worf with Captain Sisko in 2372

When Worf was posted to DS9 and transferred to the command division, Benjamin Sisko took him under his wing and began grooming him to one day be a captain. Their relationship was that of mentor and student.

Worf and Sisko became personal friends thanks to Sisko's experiences with Curzon and Jadzia, as well as being Worf's defense in his extradition proceedings against Ch'Pok and the Klingon Empire. Sisko also risked his own life to keep Worf alive. The Defiant crew had joined the Dominion in an attempt to destroy the Iconian gateway at Vandros IV . Worf was one of the officers who found tolerating the Jem'Hadar difficult. After a brawl erupted between Worf and Toman'torax (who was threatening O'Brien at the time), Omet'iklan decided to have both officers punished. For his disobedience, Toman'torax's punishment was execution by his commanding officer, Omet'iklan. Upon seeing that Sisko's punishment merely was to confine Worf to his quarters, Omet'iklan described the Federation as weak, and vowed to kill Sisko once the Iconian gateway was destroyed. Worf vowed that while the Jem'Hadar commander may succeed in carrying out his threat, he would not live to boast about it, which Sisko wryly found very comforting. ( DS9 : " Rules of Engagement ", " To the Death ")

When it was discovered that there was a Changeling in a high position in the Klingon Empire, Worf took part with Sisko in a daring mission to uncover the identity of the changeling and helped to train the Human officers to better appear as Klingon warriors. ( DS9 : " Apocalypse Rising ")

When Kira was praying for the Emissary during his visions of 2373, Worf surprisingly understood her faith in the Prophets (as opposed to the rest of the crew). He felt that the strength of Sisko's faith would be what pulled him through. ( DS9 : " Rapture ")

Worf helped Sisko capture and apprehend the Maquis leader, Michael Eddington . He helped reorganize the Defiant after its computers were disabled by Eddington's cascade virus . Worf also modified and fired a quantum torpedo so it released a trilithium resin into the atmosphere of Solosos III , the act of which forced Eddington to surrender. Worf had assumed the quantum torpedo was going to be used on Eddington's Maquis fighter. ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")

When Garak persuaded Sisko that he could enter the Gamma Quadrant to search for Enabran Tain, he only allowed him to do so if Worf could accompany him. Later, Worf asked Sisko if he could join General Martok on the Rotarran ; Sisko needed a good officer like Worf defending the station, but Worf described his moment of tova'dok with Martok and convinced Sisko to allow Worf to join the Rotarran . He did not oppose Martok's request that Worf remain on the Rotarran even after the Operation Return, knowing that he was the only officer he knew that could never get enough work. ( DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ", " Soldiers of the Empire ")

When Sisko was reassigned to Starbase 375 in 2374, leaving Jadzia Dax to command the Defiant to the Argolis Cluster , both he and Worf were concerned for the safety of the ship and her crew. Sisko reassured Worf that Dax wanted to get back for the wedding, while Worf suggested that Sisko get some rest. ( DS9 : " Behind the Lines ")

Sisko took part in Worf's Kal'Hyah ceremony, and tried his best to last the entire four days. He motivated O'Brien, Bashir, and Alexander throughout the entire four day ceremony. After Sirella called off the wedding, Sisko convinced both officers that they were in love and that they could not call off the wedding. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

Worf took command of the Defiant , searching for survivors of the USS Honshu , gunned down by Cardassian destroyers . Two of the survivors were Sisko and Dukat, trapped near the Badlands . When Kira relayed Starfleet's orders to call off the search for Sisko, the message came through garbled with interference. Despite Bashir's claims that the message was too unclear to understand, Worf knew what the message ordered, and said it would be dishonorable to disobey them. Fortunately, Dukat relayed a distress signal detailing the location of Sisko. ( DS9 : " Waltz ")

Worf found the captain to be intimidating, but he kept it secret from Sisko. It was Ezri Dax who had to reveal this fact to Sisko, much to Sisko's amusement. ( DS9 : " Afterimage ")

Worf participated in Sisko's grudge game against former Academy classmate, Captain Solok . Although he performed well in training, Worf received three strikes when he faced the Logicians . Both Sisko and Worf were enraged that he did not obtain a single run. ( DS9 : " Take Me Out to the Holosuite ")

Miles O'Brien [ ]

Worf with Chief O'Brien aboard the Enterprise -D

Worf knew Chief O'Brien from his early days on the Enterprise -D, although their relationship was that of a noncom and his superior. However, they were both participants in the crew's poker games. O'Brien was also a participant in Wesley Crusher's Age of Ascension recreation for Worf, where he commented on the power of the Klingon painstiks . ( TNG : " The Emissary ", " The Icarus Factor ")

Although Worf had to man the bridge at O'Brien's wedding to Keiko, following Data's observation that the gift should reflect the personality of the giver, he gave O'Brien a Klingon weapon as a wedding gift. In 2368, when the Enterprise was damaged by a quantum filament , Worf was forced to deliver Keiko's baby daughter, Molly. He humorously noted that Molly resembled Miles. ( TNG : " Data's Day ", " Disaster ")

O'Brien greets Worf upon his arrival at Deep Space 9

The friendship really took off when Worf transferred to Deep Space 9. O'Brien was the first person to greet Worf when he arrived. Later he introduced Worf to the game of darts , describing it as "poker, but with pointed tips." Once Worf accepted the role of strategic operations officer (with a change of uniform from yellow to red), O'Brien commented how good Worf looked in red. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Worf gets into a fight with O'Brien

When the Defiant was damaged by the Jem'Hadar during their Karemma negotiations, and Worf found commanding the engineering team difficult, it was O'Brien who helped Worf take a different approach to command. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ")

When Worf discovered that the O'Briens were having another child, he altered his holiday plans to coincide with the birth, just so he wouldn't have to deliver O'Briens' baby like he did with Molly. ( DS9 : " Accession ")

During Worf's trial that demanded his extradition to the Klingon Empire, O'Brien described Worf as "an honorable man". In turn, Worf described O'Brien as an "outstanding officer" and a friend, relaying their mutual respect out loud. ( DS9 : " Rules of Engagement ")

Worf incited a fight with the Jem'Hadar, Toman'torax , in retaliation for threatening O'Brien. ( DS9 : " To the Death ")

In 2373, Worf participated in recovering a Jem'Hadar ship from Torga IV , the last mission of Enrique Muniz who was severely wounded with a Jem'Hadar weapon. Although Worf believed that Muniz would not survive his wounds, O'Brien did not agree and clashed with Worf's pessimism escalating into a near brawl between the two. However, Worf was later proved right and Muniz did succumb to his wounds. Once the mission was over, Worf found the chief at the casket of Muniz, holding somewhat of an improvised wake for him. Worf offered to performed the Klingon tradition of ak'voh with the chief as they would both "keep the predators away." The two men did not speak of their hostility, just held vigil over Muniz. ( DS9 : " The Ship ")

O'Brien politely refused Worf's offer of help when Keiko, possessed by a Pah-wraith, fell down the Promenade crossway. ( DS9 : " The Assignment ")

O'Brien had to undergo a ritual fasting with Julian Bashir and Sisko as part of Worf's Kal'Hyah ceremony, which was different than what he thought it would be. He couldn't last the four days (even joining Bashir in vowing to kill Worf at one point), and when he heard the wedding ceremony was called off, he and Bashir immediately ordered a large feast of Earth and Bajoran food. However, Sisko stopped them and helped put the wedding back on track. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

At one point, while watching Jadzia and Quark playing a game of tongo against each other and a group of Ferengi waiters, Worf made a bet with O'Brien that Jadzia had the game in hand. He wagered that if she won, O'Brien would owe Worf a bottle of bloodwine. If Jadzia lost, however, Worf would then owe the chief a bottle of Irish whiskey . In the end, however, Worf ended up saying that he would need time to come up with O'Brien's payment. ( DS9 : " Change of Heart ")

Worf was more than happy to babysit Kirayoshi while the O'Briens were busy taking care of Molly, who traveled through an ancient time portal. Once Kirayoshi was returned to his parents, he chose to honor their dinner invitation rather than go in a holosuite. ( DS9 : " Time's Orphan ")

After Jadzia Dax died at the hands of Gul Dukat, O'Brien was one of the first people who attempted to cheer up Worf. While drinking bloodwine and reminiscing about old crewmates (most notably Reginald Barclay ), O'Brien found out what was bothering Worf – the fact that his wife did not die an honorable death, and thus could not enter Sto-vo-kor . O'Brien then directed Martok to help Worf, who assigned him the mission to destroy the Monac IV fleet yards. ( DS9 : " Tears of the Prophets ", " Image in the Sand ", " Shadows and Symbols ")

It was O'Brien who helped Worf ease his hostility to Ezri. Over a bottle of bloodwine, O'Brien asked how Jadzia would feel if she knew how poorly Worf treated Ezri. When Worf claimed that there was no way to know, O'Brien refuted the claim, suggesting he talk to the one person Worf had been avoiding. After keeping her in Starfleet, Worf and O'Brien attended Ezri's promotion party. ( DS9 : " Afterimage ")

When O'Brien's authorization code was used to access sixteen cases of bloodwine sent to Martok by Sirella, Martok and Worf had to quiz O'Brien on where the cases went. O'Brien had to explain to Worf and Martok that Nog must have taken the bloodwine to barter for a graviton stabilizer . Worf and Martok gave O'Brien one day to find the bloodwine. Fortunately, Nog returned with 16 cases of 2309 bloodwine bought from his cousin Gant , an even better vintage than the ones he took. Both Klingons gave O'Brien a bottle of the bloodwine as an "apology". ( DS9 : " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ")

Ezri Dax [ ]

Ezri Dax's relationship with Worf did not go quite as smoothly as Jadzia's, despite many of Jadzia's friends and colleagues quickly accepting the presence of a new Dax in their lives. Initially, Worf wanted nothing to do with her, or even Dr. Bashir, considering Ezri's presence and her relationship with Bashir an affront to his wife's memory. However, he soon realized that his actions were more of an affront, and relations between them began to warm. ( DS9 : " Afterimage ")

During the latter half of the year, Worf commanded the IKS Koraga when it was destroyed by the Dominion; his escape pod was rescued by Ezri, with whom Worf was captured by the Breen shortly after an implied sexual encounter. After undergoing an interrogation (which included killing one of the clones of Weyoun), Worf and Ezri were freed by Legate Damar as part of his resistance to the Dominion, the two subsequently putting aside the last of their issues regarding Worf's relationship with Jadzia as Ezri began to accept her own feelings for Bashir. ( DS9 : " Penumbra ", " Strange Bedfellows ")

It was Ezri who pointed out to Worf how deep corruption ran in the Klingon Empire, asking him who the last chancellor he respected was. She finished by asking what hope there was for the Empire if such an honorable man as him was willing to accept leadership like Gowron's, prompting his decision to challenge Gowron to a duel and kill him. ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")

Although Kurn's new life gave him a chance to regain honor, Worf had to continue living with his dishonor. Kor (considered a hero, according to Worf) offered him the perfect opportunity to regain his honor. Kor, who disliked the High Council enough to consider any enemy of it a friend, revealed to Worf that he and Jadzia knew the secret location of the legendary Sword of Kahless, stolen by Hur'q pillagers a millennium ago. If Worf could find the sword and present it to the present emperor it would almost certainly restore his honor among his people. Kor accepted Worf's request to join the expedition, knowing it would annoy Gowron.

Dax, Kor, and Worf find the Sword of Kahless

Although the antechamber that apparently held the sword had been ransacked, Worf discovered that a holographic projection hid the true chamber. With the help of some Hur'q DNA , Kor, Worf, and Dax gained access to the hidden chamber, where they found the legendary sword. Worf believed that the discovery of the sword was one of the events in his life that his vision of Kahless foretold him accomplishing.

When the team exited the chamber, they came face-to-face with Toral, son of Duras , an individual whose life Worf had spared following the Klingon Civil War. After a brief battle with Toral and his bodyguards, the team made a dash back to the ship, being chased by Toral. However, while heading back to the ship, Kor and Worf had a difference of opinion about the sword. Worf was disgusted when Kor used the sword to eat a vole : " The sword is not something that you use to shovel food down your mouth ." When it came time to sleep, Kor and Worf could not sleep, for fear that if they did sleep, the other would seize the opportunity to steal the sword and reap the glory. After a restless night, the team had to maneuver across a steep chasm. Kor lost his footing and nearly fell down the slope. Worf, barely able to hold onto Kor, told him to let go and drop onto a ledge beneath him. Kor, preferring to die rather than let go of the sword, refused and climbed back up with the help of Dax. Kor took a look at the ledge, and found that it was too small to support his weight. This proved too much for Kor, and he decided to fight Worf in battle. If it wasn't for Toral catching up to the team, they would have killed each other. After dealing with Toral, the team realized how much the sword was dividing the two Klingons. They decided that the Empire was not ready for the return of the sword, so they beamed it into space, to be lost until Klingons were ready for it. ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")

In 2375, when Kor came to the station looking for command of a ship, Worf discovered that Martok held a personal grudge against Kor. Kor was responsible for striking Martok's name from the officers' list because his family was from the lowlands of Ketha Province , and due to his influence, Martok was barred from even enlisting as a common soldier. In order to mend ties between Martok and Kor, Worf managed to sneak him into the IKS Ch'Tang . The Ch'Tang was part of a small fleet assigned to raid the Dominion base on Trelka V . Kor was experiencing lapses in concentration, one of which nearly led to the destruction of the Ch'Tang . While trying to retreat from enemy space, the crew discovered they were being pursued by ten Jem'Hadar fighters. If the Ch'Tang could not find a way to delay the Jem'Hadar fighters, they would not be able to reach friendly space in time. Worf planned to use the IKS Ning'tao to divert the pursuers, a move that would be suicidal. However, before he could reach the transporter, Kor used a hypospray to take Worf's place. Although Kor did not return from the battle, he bought enough time for the Klingon fleet to escape. ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")

Alternate realities and timelines [ ]

Worf, governor of H'atoria

• When the Ambassador -class starship USS Enterprise -C emerged from the temporal rift in 2366, it created an alternate timeline . In this new timeline the Federation had been at war with the Klingons . Natasha Yar wasn't killed by Armus on Vagra II and was still serving at tactical as the security chief of the ship. Worf's whereabouts, or if he was even alive, were unknown. ( TNG : " Skin Of Evil ", " Yesterday's Enterprise ")
• In 2370 , when he returned from a bat'leth tournament on Forcas III , Worf encountered a quantum fissure , and began switching places with other versions of himself in alternate quantum realities . In two realities he visited, he was married to Counselor Deanna Troi. In one of these realities, they had two children: Shannara and Eric-Christopher , whereas Alexander had never been born. It was in this same reality that Worf had been promoted to full commander and appointed first officer of the Enterprise -D under Captain Riker, Picard having been lost in the Borg encounter of 2367 . An alternate Lieutenant Worf, who served on board the Enterprise -D from a reality where the Federation had been completely wiped out by the Borg, died when his ship exploded after being fired upon by the other Enterprise -D. All of the alternate versions were returned to their own realities when the fissure was sealed. ( TNG : " Parallels ")
• In an alternate future , Worf had been reluctant to become involved with Troi, and her subsequent death led to a rift between William Riker and himself as a result. He later served as a member of the Klingon High Council, and was the governor of the Klingon colony of H'atoria . ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")
• In an alternate timeline created by the Defiant 's time travel back two hundred years, Jadzia Dax and Worf had married and fostered a large family whose descendants formed a significant part of a colony numbering eight thousand people, including Yedrin Dax and Brota . ( DS9 : " Children of Time ")
• In another alternate future, Worf had influence in the Klingon Empire during the early 25th century . ( DS9 : " The Visitor ")
• In yet another alternate future, Worf was killed on the floor of the High Council in 2410 , while his son, Alexander, helplessly watched. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Holograms [ ]

A hologram of Worf created by Picard inside Moriarty's Enterprise -D program

Worf was holographically duplicated on a number of occasions.

• Lt. Reginald Barclay in 2366 recreated the entire crew of the Enterprise -D when he was suffering from holo-addiction . The recreation of Worf was present when Barclay said goodbye to his fantasies and deleted the programs. ( TNG : " Hollow Pursuits ")

Duchamps with Worf's appearance

• In 2367 , Barash created a holographic future version of the crew of the Enterprise -D on Alpha Onias III to keep Commander Riker there. This holoprogram took place in a fictional 2383 where Worf had been promoted to lieutenant commander and had become the operations officer. He had a scar from an unknown battle, a fact which Riker used to prove he was in a fantasy. ( TNG : " Future Imperfect ")
• The James Moriarty hologram recreated the entire Enterprise -D in 2369 as part of a ploy to escape the holodeck. Captain Picard was forced to create the program Picard Delta One , another recreation of the Enterprise -D, within Moriarty's own program to foil him. Both of these recreations had a holographic Worf. ( TNG : " Ship In A Bottle ")
• When Deanna Troi took Riker's version of the Bridge Officer's Test in 2370 , it contained a recreation of Worf. ( TNG : " Thine Own Self ")
• A transporter accident in 2372 aboard Deep Space 9 resulted in transporter patterns that would normally be stored in the pattern buffer to overwrite some of the characters in the Julian Bashir, Secret Agent 1960s holoprogram. The character of Duchamps was overwritten with the appearance of Worf. ( DS9 : " Our Man Bashir ")
• Luther Sloan recreated the entire station and staff of Deep Space 9 in 2374 as part of his investigation into Julian Bashir. This program had a recreation of Worf. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I do not understand. "

" I don't understand their humor, either. "

" Immobilized by the damn Ferengi! "

" Nice planet. "

" That is how the Klingon lures a mate. " " Are you telling me to go yell at Salia? " " No. Men do not roar. Women roar.Then they hurl heavy objects. And claw at you. " " What does the man do? " " He reads love poetry. He ducks a lot. "

" Delicious. "

" With… all due respect – BEGONE! … Sir. "

" Good tea. Nice house. "

" Be quiet!"

" Q, the miserable, Q, the desperate! What must I do to convince you people? " " Die. "

" A warrior's drink! "

" I am KLINGON! If you doubt it, a demonstration can be arranged!"

" You know, I had a bet with the Captain that I could make you laugh before you became lieutenant commander. " " Not a good bet today. " " I've seen you laugh. I like it. " " Klingons do not laugh. " " Oh yes they do. Absolutely they do. You don't. But I've heard some Klingon belly laughs that would curl your hair. "

" Human bonding rituals often involve a great deal of talking... and dancing... and crying. "

" Sir, I protest! I am not a merry man! "

" Nice legs. For a Human. "

" We are in law enforcement. "

" You wrote this holodeck program yourself… " " Well, Mr. Barclay helped a little. " " I must have a little talk with Mr. Barclay. "

" What are his rights in this century? Will there be a trial or shall I execute him? "

" I am not easy to get along with. "

" Nice hat. "

" Our women are considered our partners in battle. Formidable warriors. " " And great fun at parties. " " True. "

" Look at you! You stand so far away from me. You speak so softly. Are you afraid of me, or just disgusted by my presence? "

" I don't know what she sees in that parasite . "

" You are NOT in my shoes. " " Too bad. You'd be amazed at what I can do in a pair of size 18 boots. "

" Perhaps today is a good day to die! Prepare for ramming speed! "

" If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand! "

" Assimilate this! "

" What about Garak? " " I want him back, too. I suppose I don't have to tell you to keep a close eye on him? " " At the first sign of betrayal, I will kill him. But I promise to return the body intact. " " I assume that's a joke. " " We will see. "

" Victory is life! " " Today is a good day to die! "

" Are you the son of Mogh? " " Yes, I am. " " Is it true you can kill someone just by looking at them? " " Only when I am angry. "

" I'm a married man. I have to make certain adjustments to my lifestyle. " " Adjustments? Worf, you're practically easygoing. What's next, a sense of humor? " " I have a sense of humor. On the Enterprise , I was considered to be quite amusing. " " That must've been one dull ship. " " That is a joke. I get it. It is not funny, but I get it. " " I don't know if I can get used to the new you. It's kind of eerie. "

" Definitely feeling aggressive tendencies, sir! "

" We will destroy them! "

" Death to the opposition! "

" You're a good friend, Worf. " " I know. "

" I do not think it is appropriate for a Starfleet officer to appear… naked. "

" The Romulans fought with honor. " " Yes they did Mr. Worf. "

" I told you, Do Not Engage! "

" I am Worf, Son of Mogh, House of Martok, Son of Sergei, House of Rozhenko, Bane of the Duras Family, Slayer of Gowron, I have made some chamomile tea, do you take sugar? "

" Beheadings are on Wednesdays. "

" I have slaughtered countless enemies over the years and considered sending their heads to all of you. But I was advised that that was... passive-aggressive. "

Chronology [ ]

Appendices [ ], see also [ ].

• Willie Hawkins

Appearances [ ]

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " The Naked Now "
• " The Last Outpost "
• " Where No One Has Gone Before "
• " Lonely Among Us "
• " Justice "
• " The Battle "
• " Hide And Q "
• " The Big Goodbye "
• " Datalore "
• " Angel One "
• " 11001001 "
• " Too Short A Season "
• " When The Bough Breaks "
• " Home Soil "
• " Coming of Age "
• " Heart of Glory "
• " The Arsenal of Freedom "
• " Symbiosis "
• " Skin Of Evil "
• " We'll Always Have Paris "
• " Conspiracy "
• " The Neutral Zone "
• " The Child "
• " Where Silence Has Lease "
• " Elementary, Dear Data "
• " The Outrageous Okona "
• " Loud As A Whisper "
• " The Schizoid Man "
• " Unnatural Selection "
• " A Matter Of Honor "
• " The Measure Of A Man "
• " The Dauphin "
• " Contagion "
• " The Royale "
• " Time Squared "
• " The Icarus Factor "
• " Pen Pals "
• " Samaritan Snare "
• " Up The Long Ladder "
• " Manhunt "
• " The Emissary "
• " Peak Performance "
• " Shades of Gray "
• " Evolution "
• " The Ensigns of Command "
• " The Survivors "
• " Who Watches The Watchers "
• " The Bonding "
• " Booby Trap "
• " The Enemy "
• " The Price "
• " The Vengeance Factor "
• " The Defector "
• " The Hunted "
• " The High Ground "
• " A Matter of Perspective "
• " Yesterday's Enterprise "
• " The Offspring "
• " Sins of The Father "
• " Allegiance "
• " Captain's Holiday "
• " Tin Man "
• " Hollow Pursuits "
• " The Most Toys "
• " Ménage à Troi "
• " Transfigurations "
• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "
• " Brothers "
• " Suddenly Human "
• " Remember Me "
• " Reunion "
• " Future Imperfect "
• " Final Mission "
• " The Loss "
• " Data's Day "
• " The Wounded "
• " Devil's Due "
• " First Contact "
• " Galaxy's Child "
• " Night Terrors "
• " Identity Crisis "
• " The Nth Degree "
• " The Drumhead "
• " Half a Life "
• " The Host "
• " The Mind's Eye "
• " In Theory "
• " Redemption "
• " Redemption II "
• " Ensign Ro "
• " Silicon Avatar "
• " Disaster "
• " The Game "
• " Unification I "
• " Unification II "
• " A Matter Of Time "
• " New Ground "
• " Hero Worship "
• " Violations "
• " The Masterpiece Society "
• " Conundrum "
• " Power Play "
• " The Outcast "
• " Cause And Effect "
• " The First Duty "
• " Cost Of Living "
• " The Perfect Mate "
• " Imaginary Friend "
• " The Next Phase "
• " The Inner Light "
• " Time's Arrow "
• " Time's Arrow, Part II "
• " Realm Of Fear "
• " Man Of The People "
• " Schisms "
• " Rascals "
• " A Fistful of Datas "
• " The Quality of Life "
• " Chain Of Command, Part I "
• " Chain Of Command, Part II "
• " Ship In A Bottle "
• " Face Of The Enemy "
• " Tapestry "
• " Birthright, Part I "
• " Birthright, Part II "
• " Starship Mine "
• " Lessons "
• " The Chase "
• " Frame of Mind "
• " Suspicions "
• " Rightful Heir "
• " Second Chances "
• " Timescape "
• " Descent "
• " Descent, Part II "
• " Liaisons "
• " Interface "
• " Gambit, Part I "
• " Gambit, Part II "
• " Phantasms "
• " Dark Page "
• " Attached "
• " Force of Nature "
• " Inheritance "
• " Parallels "
• " The Pegasus "
• " Homeward "
• " Sub Rosa "
• " Lower Decks "
• " Thine Own Self "
• " Eye of the Beholder "
• " Genesis "
• " Journey's End "
• " Firstborn "
• " Bloodlines "
• " Emergence "
• " Preemptive Strike "
• " All Good Things... "
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek Nemesis
• " The Way of the Warrior "
• " The Visitor "
• " Hippocratic Oath "
• " Indiscretion "
• " Rejoined "
• " Starship Down "
• " Little Green Men "
• " The Sword of Kahless "
• " Our Man Bashir "
• " Homefront "
• " Paradise Lost "
• " Crossfire "
• " Return to Grace "
• " Sons of Mogh "
• " Bar Association "
• " Accession "
• " Rules of Engagement "
• " Hard Time "
• " Shattered Mirror "
• " The Muse "
• " For the Cause "
• " To the Death "
• " The Quickening "
• " Body Parts "
• " Broken Link "
• " Apocalypse Rising "
• " The Ship "
• " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places "
• " Nor the Battle to the Strong "
• " The Assignment "
• " Trials and Tribble-ations "
• " Let He Who Is Without Sin... "
• " Things Past "
• " The Ascent "
• " Rapture "
• " The Darkness and the Light "
• " The Begotten "
• " For the Uniform "
• " In Purgatory's Shadow "
• " By Inferno's Light "
• " Doctor Bashir, I Presume "
• " A Simple Investigation "
• " Business as Usual "
• " Ties of Blood and Water "
• " Ferengi Love Songs "
• " Soldiers of the Empire "
• " Children of Time "
• " Blaze of Glory "
• " Empok Nor "
• " In the Cards "
• " Call to Arms "
• " A Time to Stand "
• " Sons and Daughters "
• " Behind the Lines "
• " Favor the Bold "
• " Sacrifice of Angels "
• " You Are Cordially Invited "
• " Resurrection "
• " Statistical Probabilities "
• " Who Mourns for Morn? "
• " Far Beyond the Stars "
• " One Little Ship "
• " Honor Among Thieves "
• " Change of Heart "
• " Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night "
• " Inquisition "
• " In the Pale Moonlight "
• " His Way "
• " The Reckoning "
• " Valiant "
• " Profit and Lace "
• " Time's Orphan "
• " The Sound of Her Voice "
• " Tears of the Prophets "
• " Image in the Sand "
• " Shadows and Symbols "
• " Afterimage "
• " Take Me Out to the Holosuite "
• " Treachery, Faith and the Great River "
• " Once More Unto the Breach "
• " The Siege of AR-558 "
• " Covenant "
• " It's Only a Paper Moon "
• " The Emperor's New Cloak "
• " Field of Fire "
• " Chimera "
• " Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang "
• " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges "
• " Penumbra "
• " 'Til Death Do Us Part "
• " Strange Bedfellows "
• " The Changing Face of Evil "
• " When It Rains... "
• " Tacking Into the Wind "
• " Extreme Measures "
• " The Dogs of War "
• " What You Leave Behind "
• " Remembrance " (picture only)
• " The Next Generation " (text/chat interaction only)
• " Disengage "
• " Seventeen Seconds "
• " Imposters "
• " The Bounty "
• " Surrender "
• " The Last Generation "

Background information [ ]

Significance [ ].

Dorn as Worf in Webster

Worf was played by Michael Dorn throughout his time on TNG and DS9, and in all four TNG movies.

Due to his appearances as a regular in eleven seasons (seven in TNG and four in DS9), and half a season of PIC, the character Worf holds the record of the most appearances in Star Trek .

Worf is notable for being the character with the most revivals in the franchise. He was killed three times in the episodes " Hide And Q ", " Transfigurations ", and " Ethics ", each time recovering. However, Kathryn Janeway has the record for the most "deaths", at nine.

Worf appeared in two series finales, " All Good Things... " and " What You Leave Behind ", and is one of four characters, including Miles O'Brien , William T. Riker and Deanna Troi , to do the same.

In addition to his film and television appearances, Worf appeared prominently in the game Star Trek: Armada . Michael Dorn also portrayed Worf in the series finale of the television series Webster , titled "Webtrek", in 1989 during the second season of The Next Generation . He shared his scenes on the Enterprise -D bridge with Lorine Mendell , James G. Becker , and Dexter Clay .

Origins and early development [ ]

Part of the premise Gene Roddenberry wrote for The Next Generation , was that it was set at a time when Klingons had set aside their differences with the Federation, and had become their allies. Robert H. Justman proposed a "Klingon Marine" serve on the Enterprise as a symbol of this. The character was later made a full Starfleet officer, and was one of the last additions to the permanent cast. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 16))

Michael Dorn recalled his audition as follows: " I did not wear makeup, but I took on the psychological guise of a Klingon. I walked into Paramount in character. No jokes. No laughing with the other actors. I sat by myself waiting for my interview. When my turn came, I walked in, didn't smile, did the reading, thanked them, and walked right out. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 20))

According to Robert H. Justman , Dorn's stage training, as well his lack of a "street accent", were some of the factors which led to Dorn securing the role. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 20))

Rick Berman recalled that Worf was intended to be merely a recurring character in seven of the first thirteen episodes. Worf's role was expanded after filming and editing of "Encounter at Farpoint" began as the producers felt that the character had presence. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 20))

Worf's originally planned backstory, in the "TNG Bible", was that he had been on a Klingon ship in one of the last Earth-Klingon battles; and had been rescued by Starfleet, at the age of 8. The episode " Heart of Glory " established the slightly different backstory involving the sneak Romulan attack on Khitomer.

In his online review of " Hide And Q ", Wil Wheaton made a comment on Worf's early character and giving Dorn respect for playing Worf as he was back then. Wheaton said he couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Dorn in that first season, describing first season Worf as "one-dimensional and so incredibly stupid." Wheaton also noted that Dorn didn't do much more than Denise Crosby did in those early episodes, and in contrast to Crosby, who quit the show out of frustration, Dorn stayed with it, and over time was allowed to develop Worf into a much more complex and beloved character, eventually becoming a regular on DS9, and also being in all the TNG movies. [5]

Costume and makeup [ ]

A sketch of Worf including his new baldric by Durinda Rice Wood

Worf's first-season baldric was fabric. It was a re-use of the prop used in TOS by Kor in " Errand of Mercy " and Kang in " Day of the Dove ". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 20)) During the second season, costume designer Durinda Rice Wood created a new metal one for Worf, made out of bicycle chains she bought in a hardware store. Michael Dorn liked the new design, and agreed to its use. ( Departmental Briefing Year Two: Costumes , TNG Season 2 DVD special features)

Worf's ridge patterns evolved due to experimentation by Michael Westmore , mainly for aesthetics, but also to be more comfortable for the actor. While the prosthetics initially took two and a half hours to apply each time, by the end of TNG the process was shortened to about two hours. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., pp. 21 & 66))

Gene Roddenberry had initially insisted that Worf have a short hairstyle so as to reflect the "no-nonsense" military look of Starfleet. While Westmore accepted this, it grew somewhat longer over the years. In the sixth season of TNG, due to lobbying from Dorn and hairstylist Joy Zapata , Worf debuted a ponytail (beginning from " Face Of The Enemy "). Zapata explained, " [Worf's hair] used to remind me of a Klingon that had gone to the beauty salon; it looked like Donna Reed! Now we tie it back, [Dorn] carries himself differently – he's a whole different person. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., pp. 21 & 234)-235)

The Undiscovered Country [ ]

Between the fourth and fifth seasons of The Next Generation , Michael Dorn played Colonel Worf in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Although the relationship was not stated on screen , the filmmakers' intention was that the Star Trek VI character was the grandfather of the Next Generation character. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia  (2nd ed., p. 563); [6] )

Deep Space Nine [ ]

As part of several sweeping changes for Deep Space Nine 's fourth season , Worf was added to the regular cast list as the station's strategic operations officer , a position he held until the end. Worf's posting aboard DS9 was commented on in the first draft script of VOY : " Death Wish ", in which Q referred to Worf as having been one candidate who Q believed might have been promoted to command the USS Voyager . Q then added, " Oh that's right, they sent him to try to fix that dreary space station, didn't they… "

When asked why he returned to Star Trek , actor Michael Dorn stated, " What interested me was the idea that my character, and I always loved my character, I really was close with him, the idea that my character would grow even more, and that I would become a larger part of the Star Trek universe than I already was, that's what interested me. And I told the producers, and we had many discussions about that that's what attracted me back ." ( Crew Dossier: Worf , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features)

Ira Behr , Deep Space Nine 's executive producer, said that fitting Worf into the show was one of the biggest challenges he had to face during the show's run. However, he felt he had managed this task well. He remarked, " Obviously, one of the reasons Worf was brought on the show was to increase the ratings. After all, they call it show "business". But if we did not feel that Worf would've brought something to the party, we never would've done it. Sometimes business decisions and artistic decisions can ride the same wave. " ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Similarly, as Behr's writing partner Robert Hewitt Wolfe states, " In the beginning it was difficult, I gotta be honest with you, to integrate this new character, but that was good because it challenged us, and made us sort of re-examine the show in a whole new light. How do we make this guy work? How do we bring him in? How does he change the relationships for all of our characters? He stirred up the whole thing again, gave the whole show sort of a second phase, or a second stage rocket. Suddenly, there's Worf and we've got to deal with him and his issues, and suddenly there's Klingons everywhere and that brought a new favor to play with ." ( Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features)

The decision to have Worf transfer from security to command was Ronald D. Moore 's, and was prompted by the fact that the writers didn't simply want to rehash the Next Generation Worf, they wanted to give to the audience a new Worf. As Moore explains, the writers asked themselves, " What is going to make our Worf a little different from the other Worf, and make it worth watching week after week ?" Ira Steven Behr further explains, " We had to give the audience a Deep Space Nine Worf. We had to move the character away from where he was before. All the characters on DS9 grow, and we always try to take them farther than where they began ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 260))

Ronald D. Moore has also commented, " I've been happy to see the changes in the character since he was brought onto DS9 – I think we ran the danger of "de-fanging" Worf by the end of TNG and there's been a concerted effort made to roughen him up and give him some sharper edges. He's more likely to err now, more likely to do the wrong thing for the wrong reason… I think that makes him more interesting as a character and more compelling to write for. " ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Michael Dorn summates his portrayal of Worf by saying, " Only time will tell, in a way, you know what I mean, what my contribution is. If anything, I'd like to think that I took a character that was not a major character to start with and brought him into the light. It's sort of like one of those things where it's not so much that 'Oh yeah, the star, I have to be the star' and dadada, but the character was not a major character, he was there, but he wasn't a major character. And I was able to bring whatever it is I brought to the character to put him closer to the forefront. I think it kind of bears up because, you know, out of all the people they got to go on Deep Space , who knows? But the character played well on the show, and helped the show over the years. If I had to be remembered for something, that'd be it ." ( Crew Dossier: Worf , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features)

Apocrypha [ ]

Worf in Star Trek: Countdown

Worf's orphaning and subsequent adoption by the Rozhenkos was seen in the The Lost Era novel The Art of the Impossible .

In Peter David 's Star Trek: New Frontier and Starfleet Academy novels, Worf's roommate at Starfleet Academy was Zak Kebron, a Brikar who later became a prominent character in the New Frontier novel series.

Worf's somewhat ill-defined role in the initial stages of the series is explained in The Buried Age as being the "chief bridge watch officer" whose duties were to essentially fill in where needed, which allowed him to gain command experience. According to the novel, Worf had put in for security, but Picard refused, saying that he needed more experience which would give him more opportunities later on. When Worf says he will do his best to learn all he can, Picard tells him he will be expected to learn all he can.

The novel Triangle: Imzadi II established that shortly after the destruction of the Enterprise -D, Worf proposed to Deanna Troi, and she accepted. However, their engagement was short lived and after a harrowing experience involving the Romulan Sela , Troi realized that she still had feelings for her first love, Commander Riker, while Worf concluded that he was emotionally unsuitable as a long-term partner for Troi. The two broke off their relationship but remained friends.

In the novel Diplomatic Implausibility , Worf's first assignment as Federation Ambassador brought him to the planet taD (the Klingon word for "frozen") to settle a dispute between the indigenous population, who had appealed for recognition from the Federation after overthrowing the local Klingon government, and the Empire, who wished to have taD back under their own control. With the assistance of his new attaché, Giancarlo Wu, and the crew of the IKS Gorkon , Worf adapted to the needs of his new post and came up with a solution that pleased all parties and avoided bloodshed and installed a Klingon engineer from the Gorkon crew as a ceremonial emperor while also granting practical autonomy to the populace.

The novel A Time for War, A Time for Peace established that Worf decided after various events had occurred, that he was not of the right temperament to be the Federation ambassador and although the new Federation president disagreed, she accepted his resignation. Worf then nominated his son Alexander, to be his replacement as ambassador. Worf decided that after serving the Klingon Empire and the Federation and always doing what was expected of him that the time had come for him to be selfish and he wanted to go back to Starfleet, where he felt the most fulfilled. Admiral Ross immediately reinstated his rank of lieutenant commander and assigned him to be first officer on the Titan under Captain Riker. Worf was filling in at the tactical station during the events of Star Trek Nemesis as the Enterprise 's chief of security, Christine Vale , had taken shore leave on Earth and the second in command of security had recently resigned. After the events of Nemesis , in the wake of Data's death, Picard asked Worf to remain aboard the Enterprise and Worf agreed. Novels set after Nemesis , such as Resistance , Before Dishonor , Q&A , and Greater than the Sum , showed Worf serving as acting first officer and then initially refusing the position on a permanent basis. Worf felt that he did not deserve it after what happened back on Soukara and how he abandoned the mission to save Jadzia. After rescuing Picard from the Borg and receiving some sage advice from Dr. Crusher, Worf accepted the position on a permanent basis and was promoted to the rank of commander.

In the PlayStation game Star Trek: Invasion , Worf was put in command of the USS Typhon from early to mid- 2376 . After the Valkyrie Squadron was put on active duty, Worf left the Typhon .

A picture of Worf can be found in Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force on the USS Voyager inside the quarters of Alexandria Munro should you choose the female character in the game.

The comic book series Star Trek: Countdown , a tie-in to the 2009 Star Trek film, depicted Worf as a general in the Klingon Defense Force in 2387 . Worf was critically wounded by Nero while on board the Narada and was last seen unconscious on the Enterprise -E and about to be transported to sickbay .

In Star Trek Online , set thirty years after the events of DS9 and Nemesis , Worf has remained ambassador to Qo'noS and remains one of the few pro-Federation voices in the Empire after the breakdown of the Khitomer Accords. He has become gin'tak to the House of Martok and weds Grilka and they have one son. In describing her to reporter Jake Sisko , he echoes his previous comments on her, saying " She is glorious. " He later denounces the Federation when they refuse to help the Klingons fight an Alpha Quadrant infiltration of Species 8472 . Players interact with him early on in the Klingon faction story line, and during the special event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation from July 19 to 24, 2012 could meet a hologram of Worf as he appeared in 2364. The player also fights alongside him in the cross-faction missions "Sphere of Influence" and "Brushfire" and starting with "Brushfire", Michael Dorn provides voice-overs for all the character's lines. In the mission "Home", part of the "Victory is Life" expansion, Worf becomes Martok's Torchbearer , lighting the Beacon of Kahless in order to fully bring the Empire into the battle against the Hur'q .

In the Star Trek: Picard novel The Last Best Hope , Worf is revealed to have replaced Picard as the captain of the Enterprise -E following Picard's becoming an admiral to aid in the Romulan evacuation in advance of the Romulan sun going supernova. Though there is a token objection due to his reprimand for his actions in prioritizing the life of Jadzia Dax over his mission on Soukara , he is accepted for the role, in part because Starfleet believes it will foster good relations with the Klingon Empire.

Worf of the alternate reality

The alternate reality version of Worf appears in the third issue of the Star Trek: Ongoing story arc The Q Gambit where he is Chancellor of the Klingon colony of Earth after the Empire defeated the Federation and conquered Earth renaming it "Tera'." Worf is introduced to James T. Kirk , who instantly recognizes him and the Starfleet insignia and asks how he got here. Kirk explains that he and his crew were brought over a hundred years into the future by Q and Worf believes that both the crew of the USS Enterprise and the Klingons can be of mutual benefit to one another. Worf then prepares to meet with the advisory council over Sisko's intelligence reports and the events that brought Kirk and his crew to the future while also having rooms prepared for Kirk and his party when he is suddenly killed by his guards and Kurn, but it is revealed that they're actually Changelings who proclaim Earth is now under Dominion control.

External links [ ]

• Worf at StarTrek.com
• Worf, son of Mogh at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Worf at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• Worf at Wikipedia
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

The Untold Truth Of Star Trek's Worf

"Star Trek" has a rich tradition of turning enemies into allies. The former Borg drone Seven of Nine becomes a valued crewmember on "Star Trek: Voyager," even as the Borg Collective attempts to conquer Starfleet. The Ferengi  are considered an enemy of Starfleet, until the bartender Quark makes them more than just a caricature of greed on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." 

And then there's Lieutenant Commander Worf, who does more to improve the image of the Klingons, the go-to villains of the original "Star Trek" series, than any other character. Portrayed by Michael Dorn, Worf is the first Klingon to become a Starfleet officer after generations of Klingon-human hostility. While this promotes Starfleet's policy of inclusivity, being a Klingon among humans is not easy, and Worf regularly functions as an outsider. Still, his presence often reveals the beauty and value of Klingon culture. Ultimately, he becomes a key character and a beloved fixture of the "Star Trek" universe. We're here to examine how Worf evolved on screen and off, from his favorite beverage to his surprising origins.

Worf wasn't supposed to be a regular Star Trek cast member

Considering how popular Worf is with fans, it's surprising to learn that the producers of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" did not initially want him as a regular cast member. As Larry Nemecek's "Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion" notes , Worf was originally imagined as a recurring character in seven of the first 13 episodes. Supervising producer Robert Justman also originally saw Worf as a "Klingon Marine" serving on the Enterprise as a symbol of better Federation-Klingon relations.

However, Dorn's performance as Worf was so magnetic that the showrunners felt the character had the potential to be part of the main cast. Over the years, Worf grew in importance and popularity, eventually becoming a central character who's done much to make Klingons actual protagonists in the "Star Trek" universe.

Today, Worf holds the record for appearing in more "Star Trek" franchise episodes than any other character, having appeared as a regular character in 11 seasons of both "Next Generation" and "DS9." In the "DS9" Season 5 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," Worf is even digitally inserted into scenes from the classic "Star Trek" Season 2 episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles."

Worf's grandfather once defended Captain James T. Kirk

In "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), Colonel Worf, Lieutenant Commander Worf's grandfather, is a Klingon attorney and diplomat who takes it upon himself to defend both Captain James T. Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy when they're accused of murdering Chancellor Gorkon. Although the trial is basically for show, with the majority of Klingons hoping for a double execution, Worf offers a strong defense and manages to get their sentence commuted to a life term of hard labor on Rura Penthe. This gives our heroes enough time to save both Kirk and McCoy and prove their innocence by unmasking Gorkon's true assassins. Colonel Worf himself helps reveal one of the assassins at a peace conference held at Camp Khitomer, thus vindicating his clients.

Michael Dorn plays Colonel Worf in the movie, and the filmmakers confirm in "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" that this Worf is indeed Lieutenant Commander Worf's grandfather. Aside from creating a strong link between the old and new "Star Trek" generations, this appearance reveals that Worf's family has always been full of honorable people willing to fight for justice.

Worf is a child of two worlds

Worf's backstory is eventually revealed in multiple "Next Generation" and "DS9" storylines. In time, we learn that Worf's birth parents were killed by Romulans while he lived on the Khitomer colony. A distress call led the USS Intrepid to Khitomer, where chief petty officer Sergey Rozhenko found a young Worf in the rubble. He took him home to be raised by his wife Helena alongside their son Nikolai on the farming colony of Gault.

Being the only Klingon in a largely human society proved difficult for Worf, but the Rozhenkos made a point of making sure Worf still practiced Klingon culture. He only ate Klingon food (motivating Helena to learn how to make Rokeg blood pie) and immersed himself in Klingon history, art, and philosophy. He also returned to the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS at 15 and vowed to become a Klingon warrior. Sadly, his remaining kin rejected him due to his human upbringing.

Despite this, Worf maintains great respect for the humans who raised him and makes sure to adapt aspects of their ideals into his personal code. This is what leads him to enlist in Starfleet, making him the first Klingon to serve as an officer aboard a Federation vessel.

Worf considers Earth his home

Worf may have a great love of Klingon culture, but when it comes to what planet he considers home, his heart lies with humanity. In the "Next Generation" Season 4 episode "Family," Worf's adoptive human parents, the Rozhenkos, come to visit him on the Enterprise. In the process, they manage to embarrass Worf multiple times and become worried about their son's recent discommendation from the Klingon Empire.

Shortly after, the ship's bartender, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) , approaches the Rozhenkos. She tells them that when Worf looks out the ship's windows toward the star he calls home, he doesn't look toward the Klingon Empire — he looks to Earth, and his adoptive parents. Later, in the "DS9" series finale episode "What You Leave Behind," Worf reveals he has a great love for the Rozhenkos' home of Minsk and suggests repeatedly to his crewmate Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) that he settle down there.

Worf killed a childhood playmate by accident

Other Klingons may come across as overly aggressive warriors with plenty of swagger, but Worf always presents himself with a very controlled and reserved demeanor. In the "DS9" Season 5 episode "Let He Who is Without Sin ... " he discloses the tragic reason for this to his lover, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax.

According to Worf, he was a very forceful child who didn't hesitate to get into fights with kids he deemed disrespectful. He also loved participating in sports, and led his school's soccer team to the championships when he was only 13. Unfortunately, as he attempted to score, he smashed into another player, Mikel, and accidentally broke the boy's neck with his hard Klingon skull.

The experience scarred Worf, who realized he needed to practice greater self-restraint among human beings. As a result, he developed a more serious personality and honed his fighting abilities — not just so he could become a more efficient warrior, but also so he would know how to not accidentally hurt his friends.

Worf killed the Klingon chancellor on purpose

To say Worf's relationship with other Klingons is complicated would be an understatement. As the only Klingon to be raised by humans and serve in Starfleet (at least until  half-Klingon B'elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) becomes the USS Voyager's engineer), Worf is regarded as an outcast among his people. 

The Klingon government treats him with particular harshness. At one point, Worf's father is accused of treason, only for Worf to discover he's been framed by the rival Klingon House of Duras, to cover up their own sins. Realizing exposure of the truth could be devastating for Klingons and lead to in-fighting, Worf offers to take the blame for treason in the "Next Generation" Season 3 episode, "Sins of the Father." This ruins his family name, but lets him secretly spare the Klingon Empire from civil war.

Later, Worf helps Gowron, a new Klingon chancellor, rise to power. Gowron restores Worf's family honor in the "Next Generation" Season 4 episode "Redemption," but in the "DS9" Season 7 episode "Tacking into the Wind," Worf realizes Gowron is a dishonorable ruler who puts Klingons in needless danger during wartime. The two fight, and Worf kills Gowron, then passes on the role of chancellor to the Klingon general Martok. Thus, despite his outsider status, Worf's effect on Klingon politics is considerable.

Worf gets beaten up ... a lot

Even among Klingon warriors, Worf stands out as a formidable fighter. He's taken on Borg drones in hand-to-hand combat — and won. He's earned the title "Champion Standing" at a Klingon bat'leth tournament. He even teaches regular martial arts classes to Starfleet officers, including some advanced courses.

So it might come as a surprise for fans to learn that this  unbelievably tough Klingon tends to get beaten up ... a lot. In multiple "Next Generation" episodes, Worf is thrown around the bridge of the Enterprise or shot at by some new alien threat. At one point, in the Season 4 episode "Clues," he even gets his wrist broken by a possessed Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who takes him out in under two seconds.

Worf is so frequently beaten up, in fact, that fans coined a phrase to describe the trope: " The Worf Effect ." This term refers to the storytelling practice of indicating how dangerous an unknown character is by having them beat up an established tough guy. Sadly, since the Enterprise regularly encounters unknown forms of life, writers used this trope to excess. Fortunately, by the time Worf transfers to Deep Space Nine, he starts winning most of his battles.

Worf's ideas get shot down ... a lot

"Star Trek" supposedly depicts a society that has moved past outdated prejudice. Here, people no longer discriminate against others based on race, gender, or species, and everyone's ideas are valued.

Well ... unless you happen to be Worf. Then your requests and recommendations keep being denied, no matter how politely and respectfully you ask. One enterprising "Star Trek" fan even combined the many instances of Worf's ideas being shot down, and ended up with a nearly 15-minute-long video . Over and over again, the poor Klingon is invalidated by his captain, first officer, and fellow Klingons.

To be fair, Worf does occasionally offer suggestions that his crewmates accept as sound advice. However, his tendency to be denied suggests that the "Worf Effect" which causes him to get beaten up all the time also sees him function as a constant counterpoint to his superiors.

Amusingly, Michael Dorn viewed the YouTube video in question, and found it hilarious. He even joked that he accepted the chance to reprise the character on "DS9" so he could make Worf more than " just the guy who got his ideas shot down all the time. " Happily, Worf's ideas are better accepted on "DS9," showing the Klingon does get some respect ... eventually.

Worf is unlucky in love

Klingons might be scary, but there's something about Worf that makes him irresistible to women. Both Counselor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) fall for Worf and have relationships with him. 

This is risky, as Worf's girlfriends tend to receive gruesome deaths. In the "Next Generation" Season 2 episode "The Emissary," Worf renews a relationship with the half-Klingon ambassador K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson). After she discovers a conspiracy against Worf, however, she gets murdered and dies in Worf's arms in Season 4's "Reunion."

K'Ehleyr's death weighs heavily on Worf, but he gets a chance to move on when he marries Jadzia Dax in Season 6 of "DS9." However, when  Terry Farrell was denied the chance to be a recurring character and decided not to renew her contract for Season 7 , the producers opted to have Jadzia murdered by Gul Dukat in the Season 6 finale "Tears of the Prophets," leaving Worf a widower.

At least Troi is alive, right? Well ... not quite. In the "Next Generation" series finale "All Good Things," we visit an alternate future where Troi is dead — possibly due to a love triangle between Troi, Worf, and Riker. Worf and Troi eventually break up in the mainstream timeline, which may allow Troi to survive. He may be a devoted partner, but relationships with Worf tends to be hazardous to one's health.

Worf's many promotions

While some Starfleet officers have to wait a long time to be promoted ( we're looking at you, Ensign Harry Kim ), Worf is one crew member whose worth is constantly being recognized, resulting in multiple promotions.

Worf starts out as a lieutenant, junior grade in the early seasons of "Next Generation," and serves as a relief officer. He then takes over as acting security chief after the death of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) in the "Next Generation" Season 1 episode "Skin of Evil," and later becomes both chief tactical officer and security chief, which leads him to be promoted to full lieutenant.

In the movie "Star Trek: Generations" (1994), Worf gets promoted to lieutenant commander. He later accepts reassignment as the strategic operations officer of Deep Space Nine in the "DS9" Season 4 episode "The Way of the Warrior." During his time on Deep Space Nine, he disobeys orders to save his wife Jadzia in the "DS9" Season 6 episode "Change of Heart," marring his service record and making his commanding officer Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) predict he'll never receive a command of his own.

However, in Una McCormack's novel "Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope," it's revealed that Worf does get promoted to captain of the Enterprise-E after Jean-Luc Picard gets his promotion to admiral. He may suffer a lot, but no one can say Worf isn't respected by his peers.

Worf is really bad at being a single dad

As if losing K'Ehleyr wasn't bad enough, Worf also discovers that his lover had a secret child with him — and that he's now responsible for young Alexander Rozhenko (Jon Steuer). To make matters more difficult, K'Ehleyr never taught Alexander about Klingon culture and the boy has no interest in being a warrior. Worf struggles to accept Alexander for who he is, and initially tries to force his son to change.

At one point, Worf sends Alexander to live with his adoptive parents, the Rozhenkos. They send him back, stating they are too old to handle raising another Klingon. Such actions have even prompted Michael Dorn himself to call Worf a "terrible father" in "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages," and declare that "he hasn't got a clue."

Like a lot of children on TV shows, Alexander ages at a strange rate, forcing Worf to deal with him as a child, a teenager, and a young adult within a few short years. When he shows up as a young man on "DS9" played by Marc Worden, he finally chooses to become a warrior, but his early lack of training makes him clumsy among other Klingons, much to his father's embarrassment.

Worf loses his brother in a heartbreaking way

If there's one word that should be synonymous with Worf, it's "loss." Not only does this Klingon lose multiple lovers, he also loses family members — even when they don't actually die.

In the "Next Generation" Season 3 episode "Sins of the Father," Worf learns his younger brother Kurn  ("Candyman" acting legend Tony Todd) escaped death at the Khitomer massacre that killed their entire family. Now a Klingon commander, Kurn reunites with Worf, and is convinced to keep his identity a secret after Worf allows himself to be discommended from the Klingon Empire to save Kurn's life. Later, Kurn helps Worf restore their family honor, but when Worf refuses to invade the Cardassian Union with the Klingons, his family's lands and titles are stripped and Kurn is disgraced.

Depressed, Kurn attempts to kill himself. In the "DS9" Season 4 episode "Sons of Mogh," Worf elects to have his brother's memory wiped and his appearance altered so he can start a new life as "Rodek." In the process, Worf loses his brother and is even forced to tell him, "I have no family."

Worf considers prune juice a 'warrior's drink'

Klingons make a big deal about drinking plenty of "bloodwine" during ceremonies and celebrations. Worf himself has been known to partake in bloodwine, liking his to be very young and very sweet. However, bloodwine occupies a distant second place when compared to Worf's drink of choice: prune juice.

Introduced to the beverage by the Enterprise's bartender Guinan in the "Next Generation" Season 3 episode "Yesterday's Enterprise," Worf immediately proclaims prune juice to be "a warrior's drink," and begins consuming it in large quantities. He continues ordering prune juice during his tenure on Deep Space Nine, causing the Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) to break out in hysterical laughter until he realizes Worf is serious. As he learns, prune juice is very popular among Klingons in general.

Indeed, according to Keith R. A. DeCandido's "Next Generation" novel "Q&A," prune juice becomes the largest export from Earth to the Klingon Empire by 2380. As Klingons and humans have different biological systems, it's possible that Klingons experience an intoxicating effect from prune juice that humans can't enjoy — although it's also possible they simply appreciate not needing to worry about irregularity on the battlefield.

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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

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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.”

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.”

Star Trek: Discovery is cracking open a box Next Gen closed on purpose

Star trek: discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants, the 10 horniest episodes of star trek, ranked by cultural impact.

‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Best Crossover Character Changed the Show Forever

It also results in some of the best relationships within the Star Trek universe.

The Big Picture

• Worf's arrival on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine deepened the exploration of Klingon culture and his personal identity.
• Worf's relationship with Jadzia adds depth to his character and highlights his humanity.
• Worf's struggles adjusting to life on DS9 test his loyalty, friendship, and honor.

Worf, son of Mogh ( Michael Dorn ), is a beloved character initially introduced to audiences in Star Trek: The Next Generation , known for his battle-hardened stoicism and the comedic relief that his upright and rigid demeanor brings. Worf crossed over to Deep Space Nine in the fourth season, much to the delight of Star Trek fans. Initially, his arrival on DS9 allowed the show to explore the Klingon Empire in-depth by extrapolating his inner conflict between his roles as a dutiful Federation Officer and a fierce Warrior of The Klingon Empire.

However, Worf's presence on DS9 would also forever change the series , allowing a deep exploration of the machinations of the Empire through its saga with Gowron ( Robert O'Reilly ). His relationship with Jadzia ( Terry Farrell ), a Trill learned in the ways of the Klingon, would help highlight Worf's humanity, act as a romantic counterpoint to his rigidity, and provide context for the curious observer. Jadzia and Worf are similar in some respects, as they both have multiple identities to reconcile. Jadzia would be the first non-Klingon woman that Worf could be with in the traditional sense, giving a vulnerability to the character that would carry on throughout the series and provide a deep richness to DS9 that helped cement it as a critical series in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

What Is 'Deep Space Nine' About?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the fourth series in the Star Trek universe, created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller . Deep Space Nine ran from January 3, 1993, to June 2, 1999, for 176 episodes over seven seasons. It was the first Star Trek series to be created without the involvement of series founder Gene Roddenberry , the first to be set on a space station, and the first to boast a Black captain in Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ). The series follows the exploits of a hybrid crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers on the titular space station, in orbit above Bajor and adjacent to a wormhole leading to the distant and mysterious Gamma Quadrant. Starfleet has come to oversee the transfer of power from the oppressive Cardassian Empire to the Bajoran civilian government, which has been under the heel of the Cardassians for some time.

The series is much darker than its predecessors . At one point, Major Kira Nerys ( Nana Visitor ), the first officer of Deep Space Nine, is a Cardassian prisoner of war, and even Sisko himself saw his wife killed during a Borg raid on a space station. The currents of trauma that run through the ensemble invoke feelings of loneliness, desperation, and fear, which the characters must overcome in typical Starfleet fashion. The well-roundedness of the characters makes them very compelling and adds a layer of sophistication to the series, which, while present in its predecessors, came into its own during DS9 and became a recurring theme on the show.

One particular theme that runs through Deep Space Nine is the duty to one's station and the duty one has towards one's individuality. This exploration of where duty and individuality meet is present in many characters. Take Odo ( René Auberjonois ) , for example, a Founder separated from his people and planted firmly in the camp of the Alpha Quadrant. In contrast, his people wage war on the planets of the Federation. Odo must choose between his people, Starfleet, and his cultural identity and individuality. So, too, must Kira, whose hatred for the Cardassian is a defining feature of her character, and who has to learn to overcome this so that it does not interfere with her duties to Starfleet. This war between the Founders, their allies, and Starfleet is the primary conflict in the series . They are a formidable race of shapeshifters backed by the Jem'Hadar, a warrior race of beings whose soul existence is to crush opposition. They are a tough, genocidal race, terrifying in their methods and fearsome enough to give the Klingon Empire a run for its money.

Worf's Arrival Changed 'Deep Space Nine' for the Better

Worf joins the crew of Deep Space Nine during the feature-long premiere episode of Season 4 in "The Way Of The Warrior." At the beginning of the episode, the Klingon Empire, led by Gowron, shows up at the space station to aid them in their fight against the Founders. This is a serious boon for Starfleet and the Alpha Quadrant, as the Klingons are such fearsome and brutal fighters that they may tip the balance of power throughout the war. But they push things too far, illegally searching Bajoran ships and starting a war with the Cardassians, whom they believe to be comprised of the shapeshifting Founders. Worf is brought to gather intelligence by reaching out to the Empire. He is very close with Gowron, who has absolved Worf and his family of their generations-long disgrace. Worf learns of the Klingon plans to invade Cardassia and must choose between fulfilling his duties to Starfleet or joining Gowron in battle. Worf's choice to maintain his honor by remaining in Starfleet is a moral choice that tests his individuality against those of his bloodthirsty cultural traditions.

Throughout the series, Worf meets Deep Space Nine's chief science officer, Jadzia Dax, a Trill and the host of the symbiont that once belonged to Curzon Dax . Due to the Dax symbiont carrying all its previous hosts' memories, Jadzia can tap into Curzon's familiarity with Klingon customs. The characters are exciting foils to one another. Worf is glib, stoic, and utterly humorless, while Jadzia is more irreverent and open, owing to the many past lives she recalls through her symbiont. However, the two also have more in common than one might think ; they are both people who have multiple identities. The critical difference is that Jadzia has reconciled her identities, while Worf remains at odds with his.

Jadzia is the only person aboard Deep Space Nine who can genuinely understand Worf , and it is this factor that blossoms their innocuous meeting into what may be one of the most fantastic love stories ever told in the Star Trek universe. Their connection is marvelous as their conflicting natures are both points of contention that allow for humorous moments where Jadzia's tenderness assuages the beast within Worf. It is delightful to watch Worf babysit chief operations officer Miles O'Brien's ( Colm Meaney ) daughter, paving the way for the couple to conceive a child of their own — which is made all the more tragic by Jadzia's murder and Worf's spiral into despair.

Worf Had a Difficult Time Adjusting To Life On Deep Space Nine

Initially, Worf has his former Enterprise crewmate O'Brien to help ease his transition into life on the space station. The two were close, and their relationship strengthened on The Next Generation , after Worf helped O'Brien's wife Keiko ( Rosalind Chao ) give birth to their daughter. When Worf joins the crew of DS9, O'Brien is among the first to receive him to help him acclimate — introducing him to Doctor Julian Bashir ( Alexander Siddig ), a rival suitor for Jadzia's affections and eventual boyfriend to Ezri ( Nicole de Boer ), who becomes the host of the Dax symbiote after Jadzia's untimely death.

O'Brien is the only person Worf can genuinely confide in after the death of his wife, and he heartbreakingly confesses to his friend that he fears Jadzia's soul may never make it to Klingon heaven because she hadn't eaten the heart of her enemy after a night of too much blood wine. Worf longs to be with his wife in the afterlife, making Ezri's relationship with Bashir a sore point for the commander. But Worf eventually becomes a friend to Ezri, who, in effect, helps Worf to properly grieve Jadzia's death so that he can move on and step up to be the man that the Klingon Empire needs.

It isn't an easy transition for Worf after he accepts the commission of Special Operations Officer on Deep Space Nine — yet Captain Sisko has incredible foresight when he offers Worf the position. He sees Worf as a profoundly knowledgeable and capable military strategist whose intuition and extensive knowledge of warfare, particularly Klingon warfare, would greatly benefit the station and Starfleet. This position puts Worf in direct opposition to his people and weighs heavily on his mind. By siding with Sisko over Gowron, Worf again sees himself as an outsider among his people . His frustrations are palpable, but he can sublimate these into his work and subsequently earn a place of deep respect in Sisko's heart. It is summed up rather nicely between the two with a hearty handshake when Worf accepts the role of Ambassador to the Klingon homeworld.

Until this point, Worf wants to restore his family's honor, and ironically, he loses it again while pursuing what he believes to be honorable. Here is the show's crux: how far someone is willing to go to do what they believe to be correct. Sisko tests the bounds of his morality while making difficult choices about defeating the Founders. Odo turns his back on his people. On the fringes of the known universe, a brave crew of deeply traumatized heroes will learn exactly that. Worf's crossover on Deep Space Nine marks the point where the series descends into a dark rabbit hole spurned on through the fog of war, but it also results in some of the best character relationships within the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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Star Trek: Picard ‘s Michael Dorn Opens Up About Playing Worf Again and the Klingon Warrior’s Newfound Pacifism

Dave nemetz, west coast bureau chief.

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Worf is back on duty in the new season of Star Trek: Picard … although he might look a little different than you remember.

“Well, he has white hair now. That’s new,” Michael Dorn tells TVLine with a chuckle. Dorn returned as the fearsome Klingon warrior and Next Generation fan favorite in last week’s episode of Picard , marking his first appearance as Worf since the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis . The actor admits he initially balked at the producers’ idea to give Worf a little seasoning up top: “My little ego went, ‘I don’t want to have gray hair! I still want to be young!'” But then Dorn remembered that in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies, “there was a character who was a martial arts guy who had white hair, and he could kill you in a second. So I went, ‘I can deal with that.'”

It is a little easier these days for Dorn to look like Worf, too, he says: “The Klingon makeup hasn’t evolved much, but the way they put it on has. They have two guys working on me at the same time, so it takes considerably less time. Before, it was three hours, two hours, and now it’s like an hour.”

“I was talking to LeVar, and I said, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m going to go on the set when they’re shooting this, to hang out with Patrick, Jonathan, and Marina,’ and LeVar goes, ‘Hey, I want to come.’ I said, ‘Great!’ So we arranged it, and they were all very excited about us being there.” Things even got a little rowdy on set, Dorn reveals: “We were laughing and making fun of each other. It was a blast. I mean, they were shooting about a hundred yards away in this house, and they could hear us, like making noises. They were like, ‘Really? You guys!’ That’s what happens, you know?”

Dorn’s Picard debut came as a surprise, with Worf swooping in to slice up some underworld foes of Raffi’s, revealing himself to be her mystery Starfleet handler. It also surprised fans when Worf declared himself a pacifist in the Season 3 trailer, but Dorn says it’s part of a natural evolution for Worf: “He’s discovered a lot from The Next Generation to Deep Space [ Nine ]. There’s been a huge shift in who he is… He’s discovered that life isn’t about a goal or reaching a particular place. It’s about the journey.”

Worf now understands that “he doesn’t know everything, and he’s glad not to know everything. He wants to be on this particular journey, and part of his journey now is pacifism. There’s another outlet besides slicing people up.” But that doesn’t mean he won’t flash his fighting skills when it’s called for, Dorn allows: “The only issue with him is he really likes the combat… He is good at it, and he practices at it, too.” Hey, we wouldn’t have it any other way. ( Additional reporting by Jennifer Vineyard )

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“Pacifist”. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Maybe he’s a “Pacifist” compared to a Klingon. But there sure are a lot of dead bodies on the floor because of him. I don’t usually associate extreme violence with “Pacifism”.

My thoughts exactly!

I really adore these guys and their characters. Just glorious relationships. I miss them.

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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. 

Picard: Worf's Title, Explained

Star Trek's beloved Klingon returns in a big way in the new season of Picard, complete with a very elaborate title. It covers his entire history.

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 3, "Seventeen Seconds," now streaming on Paramount+ .

Worf's formal introduction in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard has already become a favorite moment for Trekkies. Having saved Raffi from the sinister Ferengi Sneed in Season 3, Episode 2, "Disengage," Worf reveals his identity to her in Episode 3, "Seventeen Seconds" along with his formal name and title. "I am Worf, Son of Mogh, House of Martok, Son of Sergey, House of Rozhenko. Bane to the Duras Family. Slayer of Gowron." The kicker is that he then offers her tea.

The title itself is an exceptional summation not only of Worf's standing , but his past in earlier Star Trek shows. He has the distinction of making more appearances in the franchise than any other character, and his title delivers a considerable amount of information, as well as informally referencing a number of specific episodes. Here's a breakdown of each part of his name, along with the pertinent episodes to provide context.

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Worf's Father Mogh Was Killed By Romulans

Mogh has yet to appear onscreen in Star Trek , though his influence on galactic events is notable. He and his wife were killed with The Khitomer Massacre: a Romulan sneak attack on a Klingon colony that helped prompt the Klingons to make a formal alliance with The Federation. Worf was one of the few survivors of the incident and was raised by humans in the wake of his parents' death. He's forced to falsely denounce Mogh as a traitor in order to prevent a Klingon Civil War in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 17, "Sins of the Father." Mogh's good name is cleared just before the beginning of The Klingon Civil War in Season 4, Episode 26, "Redemption," but Chancellor Gowron dissolves his House in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4, Episode 1, "The Way of the Warrior" after Worf refuses to support an ill-conceived Klingon invasion of Cardassia.

Worf Joins the House of Martok on Deep Space Nine

General Martok is a hero of The Klingon Empire, having distinguished himself during The Dominion War which takes place during the last two seasons of Deep Space Nine . Worf formally joins his House after aiding him during the events of Season 5, Episode 21, "Soldiers of the Empire," and presumably remains there through his appearance in Picard . Martok becomes Chancellor of the Empire after The Dominion War, making Worf a powerful political figure by association. His status at the time of Picard remains unknown.

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Sergey Rozhenko Is Worf's Adoptive Human Father

After Mogh's death, Worf is raised by a human couple, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko, on the farming colony of Gault. The family eventually relocates to Earth, where they continue raising Worf until he joins Starfleet academy. Though Sergey is mentioned multiple times throughout the franchise, he only appears onscreen once, in The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 2, "Family." He's portrayed as a loving and supportive father, though not always certain about addressing his adopted son's Klingon side. Worf's mention of Sergey in his title suggests that he has embraced his human upbringing more readily, and wishes to honor his adoptive father's efforts.

Worf Is a Fierce Enemy of the Duras Family

The Duras family remains allies of the Romulans throughout the franchise, making them implacable foes of both Worf and by extension The Federation. The House of Mogh has a long feud with the rival House of Duras, whose leader Ja'rod conspired with Romulans to engineer the Khitomer Massacre. Worf kills Ja'rod's son in single combat after the murder of his lover K'Ehleyer in The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 7, "Reunion." Leadership of the family then falls to a pair of sisters, Lursa and B'Etor, who engineer the Klingon Civil War in a bid for the throne. They remain regular antagonists until their ship is destroyed in combat with the Enterprise-D during the events of Star Trek Generations.

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Worf Kills Gowron at the End of the Dominion War

Gowron is a wild-eyed Klingon (and popular meme subject) who becomes Chancellor after Worf kills his rival Duras in "Reunion." He rules The Klingon Empire for eight years, through the turmoil of his people's civil war and into the much bigger war against The Dominion. He's portrayed as a cagey and often contrarian leader who sometimes puts his own ambitions ahead of the good of The Empire. Worf challenges his suitability to lead and slays him in single combat at the end of The Dominion War during the events of Deep Space Nine Season 7, Episode 22, "Tacking into the Wind," leaving General Martok the new Chancellor.

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard stream every Thursday on Paramount+.

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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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INTERVIEW: Michael Dorn on Worf’s return in STAR TREK: PICARD

It was an honorable interview.

RED ALERT! This interview contains spoilers for  Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 3, “Seventeen Seconds,” available for streaming now on Paramount+.

We’ve known for a while that Picard season 3 would be bringing back the main cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation . With the release of the season’s third episode for streaming today on Paramount+, the long-awaited full return of  Michael Dorn as Worf has arrived!

The Beat caught up with Dorn over the phone to ask about Worf’s character arc in  Picard , how putting on the Worf makeup has evolved over the years since TNG , and whether he would consider reprising the role again (including in animation)!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

AVERY KAPLAN: Did you have any particularly remarkable interactions with Star Trek fans over the years since TNG left the air?

MICHAEL DORN: Not necessarily with the fans, per se. But what kind of gets me is the level of excitement, or the level of fandom that’s still out there after all these years. You would kind of think that it would wane to where there’s ten people in a room, or something.

We did a function in New York, and there was 800 people in an auditorium – packed, sold out, just to see us on stage. So it still is quite viable after all these years, and that’s kind of a shock to me.

KAPLAN: What does being involved in Star Trek mean to you?

DORN: To me, you look back, and I’ve had a very nice career. I’m extremely fortunate, because as an actor, there’s not many actors that get an opportunity to be part of something that’s lasted this long. So I consider myself extremely fortunate.

KAPLAN: How has the process of putting on and acting in the Worf makeup changed over the years?

DORN: It started out to be a long process – three hours. They got it down to two hours over the years, two and some change.

But, I gotta say, the Picard makeup people got it down even further – to about an hour. Which helps a lot. You’re not in it for those extra couple of hours… although the process itself, the makeup and the glue and the hair and everything like that, is always a pain for me. But they made it a lot easier.

The amazing thing is, you see his ears [on Picard ]. Because you never saw his ears before! And I said, “You want to see his ears?!” Yes! Okay, great.

KAPLAN: How do you feel about Worf’s new character arc?  

DORN: I think they did a fantastic job. I’m one of the fortunate actors, where I never really had to go up there and kick and scream and yell about writing more stuff, or writing more interesting stuff. And maybe its just because the character lends itself to that, I’ve always been fortunate where they’ve always written incredible stuff.

I give them parameters. I like to say, “Okay, about his humor,” or, “About his lack of humor,” and that kind of thing. Otherwise, I’ve been incredibly fortunate. I think his arc in the series is an amazing arc.

In fact, one of the reasons that I took the job was that they sent me the first three scripts. And I was able to look, and go, “I like what they’re doing, and I think it’s interesting, and I want to do this.”

KAPLAN: Was there a specific type of movement or choreography for the scene in episode 3 in which Raffi finds Worf meditating?  

DORN: Yes it is. It is Klingon martial arts. Dan Curry , who developed all the fighting weapons for Worf over the years, he was very instrumental in teaching me these moves.

And I’ve kept them over the years. All the stuff you see is an amalgamation of our developing that part of his character, our collaboration over the years. That’s what we see.

KAPLAN: Do you also enjoy chamomile tea?

DORN: I actually do, yeah. I like it a lot. I’ve been a vegan and a health nut and a gym rat and a tennis nut, so I’m very into health. A lot of times, when you’re sick: chamomile tea.

Although, I wanted to say one of the lines in a Worf way, and they said, “No, no, don’t do that.” When I say, “Do you take sugar?” I wanted to say, [angry Worf voice] “DO YOU TAKE SUGAR?” [normal voice] Like I hate sugar.

KAPLAN: Do you have any Worf merchandise or souvenirs that you’ve kept over the years?

DORN: Over the years – this is kind of a technical thing. When you sign a contract, and you sign for merchandise, you have a clause in there that they have to send you one of everything that they make. And so I had a ten by ten storage unit full of just Star Trek stuff. And it was going to waste. I even had a Next Generation pinball machine, still in the box, brand-new.

I said, “It’s just going to be in there.” So I sold it all. I gave it to this company, and they sold it all to people who would really appreciate it.

KAPLAN: What was it like working so closely with Michelle Hurd during this episode?

DORN: It was great. Michelle is a wonderful actress. I welcomed the chance to work with her. And once we started working together, we developed an affection for us as actors, and as people, as friends. She is just an amazing person. And a lot of stuff about our acting lives and our personal lives coincide.  

I think it translated. Just like Next Generation , when we started to gel, the personal affection we had for each other showed on the screen, in terms of acting together and respecting each other. And I think that’s the same thing that happened with Michelle and I.

KAPLAN: At least up until this point in Picard season 3, we haven’t seen the whole TNG crew reunited. However, you were all together for the Picard season 3 premiere. What was it like to get everyone back together again?

DORN: To me, it was bizarre! Not because us being together, at Mann’s Chinese Theater. But twenty-five years later, you’re back at the same place… it’s pretty bizarre. Especially, this business is the one business where you go on television and see yourself age!

Its always bizarre to look at yourself age right in front of your eyes. And if you’re at the Chinese Theater with your friends, you were there back in ’95, ’96. You’re talking about a lot of years that have gone by. But it’s still nice to be on the Blue Carpet, and people still interested.

Although it’s a little disconcerting that the people who are interviewing you are like, twenty. They weren’t alive when you started the show. That’s disconcerting.

KAPLAN: Do you have a favorite piece of Worf fan art that you’ve seen (or been presented with) over the years?

DORN: I just got the latest one, that I cherish. I did The View with Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin . They presented me with an award for being on the most hours of Star Trek . It’s a very funny award, and I love it.

#WhoopiGoldberg honors her former #StarTrekTNG co-star Michael Dorn ( @akaWorf ) for his nearly 300 appearances on @StarTrek , the most of any actor in the franchise's history. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/DXadCCnLz3 — The View (@TheView) February 16, 2023

And now, that’s the only thing that I have in my house that’s figured prominently in my little den.

KAPLAN: Did you realize that you held that honor before you were presented with the award?

DORN: I did, but not all along – somebody said something to me five or six years ago, and I said, “You’re joking.” I didn’t even think about it, you know? Did not even think about it. And then I said, “Wow!”

And along with being able to have a pretty nice career, to hold that distinction is pretty special. And now I’ve added several more episodes to that total.

KAPLAN: Would you be willing to reprise the role again?  

DORN: It would all depend on how interesting it is. The one thing that I never wanted Worf to do was just to be standing around and scowling at people. If it’s interesting, and it’s going to be fun, then yeah, of course. Of course.

I love the character. It’s a really great character to act, and I was very fortunate that I was Worf.

KAPLAN: Would you be open to playing the character in animation?

DORN: If it’s interesting animation. And that’s the one thing about having done the show, to have a career like this… you can pick and choose the things you want to do.

Now, they own the character. So they can do whatever they want with it. But if its interesting, yeah, I’d love to be a part of it.

KAPLAN: Having been in Star Trek VI , I’m curious: what’s it like to be involved in the final cinematic outing for two generations of Star Trek ?

DORN: I think the word “finale” is used far too often. I’ve said goodbye to Star Trek maybe four times over the years, and it always comes back.

So I don’t look at it as a finale. I look at it as another step in the journey.

New episodes of  Picard  season 3 are released for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursdays .

Read all of The Beat’s  Star Trek coverage by clicking here !

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I was never a big Worf guy back in the TNG & DS9 days, but he’s been amazing so far in Picard. Would love to see a Captain Worf show starring Dorn.

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Published Oct 29, 2013

FIRST LOOK: Worf Returns To Trek! We Talk To Michael Dorn!

Other than not having to spend hours in a makeup chair, what would you say are the main differences between playing a role as a voiceover artist vs. acting in front of a camera?

DORN: No wardrobe, No makeup and it’s over fairly quickly so you still have time to have a life.

How quickly and easily do you fall back into Worf's voice and mind set?

DORN: Fairly quickly. I’m afraid Worf is always lurking somewhere in the background of my psyche.

Worf has matured over the years. How have you approached voicing him, taking into account that he's three decades older than when you first played him? And in what ways do you feel your personal experiences over the years have influenced how you're portraying Worf now?

DORN: I really didn’t look at him as older. I think Michael Dorn aging probably had the desired effect.

The STO team has said they take inspiration from your performances and thus Klingons have become a race of honorable warriors, following ideals Worf set down. How much Klingon “background” was there when you first started in the role? In what ways do you feel your portrayal influenced the TNG and DS9 writers to make Worf -- and other Klingons -- more honorable?

DORN: I just gave him the gruff and surly attitude and the writers took off from there. The first season (of TNG ), Worf was an out-of-control fighter. He was almost running amok without any form or function. I told Gene (Roddenberry) that I wanted him to be more in control, almost “Samurai-like.” To his credit, he allowed me to create the whole “Klingon Martial Arts” mystique.

Worf’s loyalties have always been torn between the Federation and Empire, factions at war again in STO . Now that he's an ambassador in the Klingon Empire, how do you think Worf would balance his loyalty to the Empire with his loyalty to his friends in the Federation?

DORN: Worf has learned he does not have to choose. Even if the writers on STO have him making statements to the contrary, I feel he feels that life is a journey and this is just a stop along the way. And maybe next year he’ll make a different choice and rejoin the Federation. You never know with Worf.

In " Firstborn ," Alexander travels back in time to warn Worf that he will die in front of his son at a future date unless Alexander becomes a warrior. Worf tells Alexander he must die with honor and that he can only do so if Alexander stays true to himself and his beliefs, even if that means not becoming a warrior. Now that you’ve seen the results of Worf’s decision, what are your feelings about the advice Worf gave Alexander and the impact of that advice?

DORN: The advice was sound. Nobody has a crystal ball and nobody can predict the future. Alexander made millions of decisions in his life since then. Who’s to say one of those didn’t lead to his demise?

Beyond STO, what else are you working on at the moment?

DORN: I have a Worf  spin-off script that I think has traction and I’m starting down the road of producing a romantic comedy that I wrote a couple of years ago. Otherwise, I’m working on my backhand.

IMDB lists something called Swallow Your Bliss . What is that and what's happening with it?

DORN: It’s an independent pilot about a cooking show. It’s been shot and now they’re in the process of shopping it. We’ll see.

Did it work out with Unbelievable!!!!! ? Are you in the film? If so, what do you play and how did it go?

DORN: You’ll have to buy a ticket.

And now to that Star Trek Online guest blog…

Star Trek Online is almost ready to release Season 8: The Sphere , which will take our players into the unknown to face a dangerous and powerful foe from a distant quadrant of the galaxy. The Feature Episode “Sphere of Influence” will be the bridge that links our players to this exciting upcoming content.

Deep under the surface of Mol'Rihan (New Romulus), Romulan and Reman scientists have been working tirelessly to study the discovery made there. As promised, D’Tan, the leader of New Romulus, has shared this research and invited his allies from the Federation and the Klingon Empire to attend what he hopes will be a triumphant success for his people; the reactivation of the Iconian Gateway.

Reactions to this news have been mixed. The power of instant travel would do much for the fledgling republic, but the specter of the Dewan’s past failure looms over their hopes for the future. Players will team up with an old ally – that’d be Worf -- to uncover the mystery of the gateway, and together make some surprising revelations.

Those who complete the mission will earn a powerful new ship, the Obelisk Carrier, as well as be able to earn the Ancient Obelisk Technology Item set. The Obelisk can only be earned from October 31 – December 5. The box containing the Obelisk can only be opened once the character reaches level 40. Ship and items stats will be posted in an upcoming Dev Blog. This ship is available to all factions.

We’re pleased to bring this exciting Feature Episode to our fans and take them where no one has gone before!

See you on Romulus this Thursday.

Kate BanksonContent Designer Star Trek Online

NOTE: Joining the fun at Star Trek Online is easy and free. Just visit startrekonline.com , register for a free account and then download and install the game. Once you've done that, just log in with your new account and you're ready to discover the entire Star Trek Online universe.

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Michael Dorn (I)

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 5,000 338

• Contact info
• 2 wins & 2 nominations

• Lieutenant Worf
• Commander Worf
• Risa Tourist
• 1987–1994 • 175 eps

• Dr. Michael Moghson
• Post-production

• Pistachio Soup (voice)

• Asar (voice)

• Battle Beast (voice)

• Dr. Deystrum

• Ravannavar (voice)

• Ferdinand (voice)

• Bupu (voice)

• Kalibak (voice)

• I.M. Weasel (voice)

• Atrocitus (voice)

Personal details

• 6′ 2¾″ (1.90 m)
• December 9 , 1952
• Luling, Texas, USA
• Parents Allie Lee Nauls
• Other works TV commercial for Neutrogena T-Gel (1996)
• 1 Portrayal
• 9 Interviews
• 13 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• 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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Screen Rant

Star trek admits the dark truth of worf's life, making his picard ending even better.

Worf has had a rough life in the Star Trek universe, and now this gets a call out, but it makes his ending in Picard season three all the much better.

• Worf's life in Star Trek has been turbulent, filled with highs and lows that lead him to new opportunities.
• Despite setbacks, Worf always rises back up, as shown in Star Trek: Defiant #12 on his journey from hero to bounty hunter.
• Commander Gosford's dismissive comment about Worf's fall from grace overlooks his potential for greatness in the Star Trek universe.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Defiant #12!

Star Trek has admitted the dark truth about Worf’s life, making his ending in Picard all the much sweeter. Worf’s arc throughout the Star Trek universe has been a long and winding one, with its share of highs and lows. Currently, the captain of the Defiant , Worf is once again in a low spot, and the ups and downs of his life get a callout in Star Trek: Defiant #12.

Star Trek: Defiant #12 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. Worf and the crew of the Defiant have arrived at Starbase 99 to hand over their prisoners. Worf is confronted by Commander Gosford, the head of Starbase Operations. Gosford looks at Worf, summing up the course of his life: Dominion War hero, ambassador and now a bounty hunter.

Gosford concludes his assessment of Worf by saying: “how the mighty have fallen.”

Worf's Life in the Star Trek Universe Has Been Turbulent

Worf gets knocked down, but he always gets back up.

Gosford’s comment is dismissive, and on the surface level it is true: Worf has fallen from grace. After the Dominion War, Worf was tapped by Chancellor Martok to become an ambassador, but by the time Star Trek: Nemesis rolled around, he was back in Starfleet. IDW’s line of Star Trek comics have filled in the gap, revealing that Worf left his ambassador post to help Captain Sisko stop Kahless from killing the galaxy’s god-like beings. In the aftermath, Starfleet disavow Worf, forcing him and his crew to become bounty hunters.

Indeed, Gosford’s comment could be applied to the arc of Worf’s entire life. Orphaned at a young age and raised by humans, Worf lost his honor thanks to the machinations of the Duras family. The ultimate insult in Klingon culture, Worf’s discommendation was a defining event for him. He would get his honor back, only to lose it again when he first came to Deep Space Nine . Martok restored Worf’s Klingon honor at the conclusion of the Dominion War, but now Worf has seemingly lost his honor within Starfleet.

Without Captain Kirk, Worf Would Have Become One of Star Trek's Darkest Villains

Worf's current phase is just that...a phase, worf is heading for great things in the star trek universe.

Yet Star Trek fans know that the best is yet to come for Worf. He was fully restored to active duty in Starfleet in Nemesis , and in season three of Picard , fans learn that he has joined Starfleet Intelligence, and was briefly captain of the Enterprise— all of which flies in the face of Commander Gosford’s comment. Worf’s life has been turbulent, with peaks and valleys throughout, and his time on the Defiant is one of his lowest points. However, it will pass and Worf will once again rise, achieving new heights and making his Picard ending sweeter.

Star Trek: Defiant #12 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

Star Trek: What Is The Significance Of Worf’s Shoulder Sash?

Here's how one little uniform accessory can signify so much for the orphaned Klingon in The Next Generation.

In the constantly expanding universe of Star Trek, a plethora of little details in the characters and scenery help flesh the world out. There are complex socio-political atmospheres present throughout the franchise, wonderful science fiction technology that is grounded in real world science , and often background props that act as Easter eggs for avid fans. One such addition to Worf is notable, not only because it’s uniquely out of place in comparison to his fellow officers, but that it symbolizes the Klingons and his strained relationship with Klingon culture . The item in question is his iconic shoulder sash.

The sash's proper name is a baldric. These are not inventions of Star Trek ; rather, they have their origin in ancient Earth history, most notably as military dress for the Roman Empire. They are basically a belt worn over the shoulder, sometimes used to carry a weapon such as a sword. They were considered better than traditional belts, as they would distribute the item's weight better than a belt worn around the waist. They allowed for quick access to the weapon when necessary. Today the baldric is still used, most notably by the Knights of Columbus, but also rather amusingly by Morris dancers. However, it normally fulfills a ceremonial role rather than practical.

RELATED: Star Trek: Exploring The Klingon Philosophy Of Death

In the sci-fi world of Star Trek , Worf is not the only character to wear the baldric. Other Klingons wear it too, but it is also used by the Romulans to carry swords as part of their uniform. When designers for the Original Series and The Next Generation were coming up with costume ideas, they looked to real world history , and thought the baldrics were a great accessory to be used en masse by the Klingon empire. Interestingly, the baldric that Worf wears at the start of TNG, the gold one that looks more like fabric than his later versions, was the same prop used by the actors who played Kor and Kang in The Original Series . Worf had this baldric for the majority of the first season. Canonically he changed it to the more iconic silver plated version to denote his promotion to full lieutenant and security chief, but the change was actually be due to the original prop being stolen.

The baldric didn't just show that Worf was Klingon. It was also an important celebration of Klingon heritage. While other baldrics might have been used to carry weapons, the Klingon ones were solely for honoring their family or house, something that was important to Worf. The baldric bears his family emblem, the symbol of the House of Mogh. This was changed later when he became a member of House Martok.

Still, the question remains as to why Worf was allowed to wear the baldric at all. Seemingly every other character is required to wear a strict uniform (ignoring the obvious attempt at sex appeal from the Betazoid Deanna Troi). Put simply, uniform exceptions come down to how good an officer an individual is, and how lenient their captain is. Worf might be the most recurring character to break with uniform regulation, but he was by no means the only one. Some of these, like Deanna Troi’ s clothing choices were just ignored by their captains, or given an off-screen explanation. Others were explored as part of the narrative or character arc.

The wonderful Nog and Ensign Ro are great examples of the two ends of the spectrum. Nog was an exemplary engineer who never got into trouble wearing a traditional Ferengi head skirt. Ro, however, came to the iconic USS Enterprise with a reputation of bad behavior and little respect for the chain of command. Thus, when she boarded, Riker made a point of ordering her to remove her earring as it was not up to uniform code. Later on, when she proved herself as a team player and competent officer, she was allowed to wear it again. Another example is during the Voyage r series , when Tuvok is trying to get the Maquis crew members to behave themselves. He reprimands Chell for wearing a pendant over his uniform, something he probably would have let slide if they weren’t causing so much trouble.

Worf falls into the category of an exceptional officer ( despite being beaten up a lot ). But in addition to this, Picard has a deep knowledge, understanding, and respect for Klingon culture. He likely understands the significance of the baldric for a Starfleet Klingon trying to retain their sense of Klingon culture.

It’s important to remember that not only is Worf the only Klingon in Starfleet at this time, but he also has a very complex history with Klingon culture, having been orphaned at a young age and raised by humans away from his own people. He didn't have a bad upbringing, but he always felt out of place, desperately learning everything he could about his heritage. He overcompensates, and thus feels much more inclined to wear the baldric, when most other Klingons would not have felt the need. Picard likely knows this, and knows that the baldric and its house emblem are Worf's only tangible link to his dead parents and his family's honor. Either way, it is a wonderful way to set the character aside from the others, and give him a visual complexity that perfectly mirrors his inner turmoil and need to be seen as a Klingon — if the forehead ridges were not enough.

MORE: Star Trek: The Episode That Changed Dr. Beverly Crusher

8 Alpha Quadrant Things Star Trek: Voyager Found In Delta Quadrant

• Star Trek: Voyager finds familiar things from the Alpha Quadrant in the Delta Quadrant, sparking important questions and connections.
• Encounter with Ferengi negotiators leads Voyager crew to stop their interference in a pre-warp civilization for profits.
• Janeway and crew discover humans abducted by aliens in the 1930s living in the Delta Quadrant, including Amelia Earhart.

For a show with the conceit of being so far from home, Star Trek: Voyager found a surprising number of things in the Delta Quadrant that originated in the Alpha Quadrant, including several from Earth itself. The USS Voyager, commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and Commander Chakotay's (Robert Beltran) Maquis raider Val Jean were both brought to the Delta Quadrant in 2371 by the Caretaker (Basil Langton). After Janeway destroyed the Caretaker's array to save the Ocampa , Voyager and the Val Jean were left without a ticket back to the Alpha Quadrant, and banded together to make the long journey.

Finding something familiar in an otherwise totally alien corner of the galaxy brought a sense of familiarity to the USS Voyager crew and viewers at home alike, but the presence of something from the Alpha Quadrant in the Delta Quadrant inevitably raised important questions , like how familiar people and objects traveled 70,000 light years from home in the first place, and whether the find could lead Captain Kathryn Janeway towards a quicker path home to Earth.

Star Trek: Voyagers 20 Best Episodes Ranked

A pair of ferengi negotiators, arridor and kol, star trek: voyager season 3, episode 5 "false profits".

The USS Voyager encounters a pair of Ferengi negotiators, Arridor (Dan Shor) and Kol (Leslie Jordan), who claim to be the prophesied Great Sages of the Takarians, a society with Bronze Age level technology. The Ferengi have no Prime Directive to deter them from interfering with the Takarians' development , so they're performing "miracles" with a standard replicator to reap the monetary benefits of the Takarians' worship. Voyager's crew know the Ferengi reputation well enough to know they're no Sages, so they must figure out how to put a stop to Arridor and Kol's grift.

"False Profits" serves as a Star Trek sequel episode to Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 8 "The Price", as Voyager catches up with Arridor and Kol (formerly played by J. R. Quinonez) seven years after their Delta Quadrant arrival. The Ferengi took a test flight through the supposedly stable wormhole near Barzan II, which was supposed to emerge in the Gamma Quadrant, but instead stranded the Ferengi in the Delta Quadrant, where they made the best of their situation as only Ferengi can.

Star Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 23 "Distant Origin"

"Distant Origin" opens on Forra Gegen (Henry Woronicz), a scientist who discovers that his people, the Voth, share certain genetic similarities with the humans aboard the USS Voyager. While this confirms Gegen's theory that the Voth are the descendants of a species brought to their homeworld millions of years ago , religious leader Minister Odala (Concetta Tomei) refuses to accept the truth. Even with Commander Chakotay present as a living specimen of humanity, Odala pushes Gegen to recant, because Gegen's theory goes against the Voth Doctrine that keeps Odala in power.

After meeting Gegen's assistant, Tova Veer (Christopher Liam Moore), Janeway and the Doctor use the holodeck as a research guide to extrapolate how hadrosaurs might look in the 24th century if they'd been able to evolve into a humanoid form with comparable intelligence. The result resembles Veer, so Janeway and the Doctor conclude, like Gegen, that the Voth evolved from hadrosaurs into a highly advanced species on Earth , then fled to the Delta Quadrant in spacefaring vessels instead of being wiped out with the other dinosaurs.

The Friendship One Probe

Star trek: voyager season 7, episode 21 "friendship one".

By Star Trek: Voyager season 7 , the USS Voyager is in regular contact with Starfleet Command, and Starfleet gives Voyager a mission to retrieve a 21st-century Earth probe, Friendship One . The probe proves difficult to find, but once discovered on an alien planet suffering devastating climate collapse, the implications of Friendship One's launch become clear. Besides the irreversible damage to the planet's climate, the inhabitants are all suffering from radiation sickness, and bear understandable hostility towards Earth, because the aliens believe humans orchestrated their destruction with the Friendship One probe.

The United Earth Space Probe Agency was one of the early names for the organization the USS Enterprise belongs to in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Charlie X".

Friendship One was launched in 2067 by the United Earth Space Probe Agency with the intention of making friends with whomever found it, as the name implies. Although Friendship One, the 400-year-old Earth probe, traveled for centuries carrying messages of peace, musical recordings, and ways to translate languages, the people who discovered Friendship One in the Delta Quadrant took a greater interest in the antimatter it used to travel across space. Without the proper knowledge of its use, antimatter proved devastating to the planet and its people, resulting in death and disease for generations.

Dreadnought, a Cardassian Missile

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 17 "dreadnought".

The USS Voyager discovers a dangerously powerful, self-guided Cardassian missile in the Delta Quadrant, which Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) recognizes as one nicknamed "Dreadnought" . When B'Elanna was with the Maquis, Torres had actually reprogrammed the missile herself, with the intention of turning the Cardassians' own weapon against them. Without a Cardassian target in sight, the artificially intelligent Cardassian Dreadnought targets a heavily-populated Class-M planet , Rakosa V. B'Elanna determines she must be the one to keep Dreadnought from hurting anyone else, and boards the missile to convince it to stand down.

While no concrete reason is given for exactly how the Dreadnought wound up in the Delta Quadrant, its last known location in the Alpha Quadrant was the Badlands, the same rough patch of space where Voyager and the Val Jean, Chakotay's Maquis raider, fatefully met. Because of this, Torres theorizes that Dreadnought arrived in the Delta Quadrant the same way that Voyager and the Val Jean did , courtesy of the Caretaker.

Star Trek: Voyagers BElanna Is More Klingon Than TNGs Worf Ever Was

A klingon d-7 class cruiser, complete with klingons, star trek: voyager, season 7, episode 14 "prophecy".

The USS Voyager certainly never expected to find a Klingon ship in the Delta Quadrant, but more surprising is the fact that the crew of the Klingon D-7 Class Cruiser believes their savior, the prophesied kuvah'magh, is aboard Voyager . Janeway assures the Klingon captain, Kohlar (Wren T. Brown), that the Federation and Klingon Empire have been allies for the past 80 years, and offers Voyager's own half-Klingon, Lt. B'Elanna Torres, as proof their societies are working together now. The kuvah'magh is Torres' unborn daughter, who does save the Klingons, but not the way they expected.

Centuries ago, Kohlar's great-grandfather set off on a quest to find the kuvah'magh, and the Klingon D-7 Cruiser became a generation ship that is now crewed by the descendants of its original crew . The quest begun by Kohlar's great-grandfather brought Kohlar and his crew to the Delta Quadrant after four generations of searching. Whether B'Elanna's child is actually the kuvah'magh or not, Kohlar desperately wants the baby to be their savior, so that his people may finally rest.

Amelia Earhart

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 1 "the 37s".

The discovery of a 1936 Ford truck, seemingly disconnected from any parent vehicle, leads the USS Voyager to a nearby Class-L planet, where they find eight humans who have been in cryo-stasis since they were abducted by aliens in the 1930s. Among them are one of Janeway's personal heroes, legendary American aviator Amelia Earhart (Sharon Lawrence) , who disappeared without a trace while attempting to fly around the world, and Earhart's navigator, Fred Noonan (David Graf). Earhart and the other preserved humans are known by the planet's inhabitants as "The 37s", and revered as sacred.

Originally thought to be aliens, the natives of the unnamed planet are the descendants of humans. A species called the Briori abducted the natives' ancestors, along with Earhart and the other 37s, from Earth centuries earlier , and took them to the Delta Quadrant. Once held as slaves, the humans who weren't in stasis revolted to free themselves from the Briori, and developed a thriving, Earth-like civilization in the Delta Quadrant. Voyager's crew consider staying with the humans in their little slice of home, while Janeway also offers a ride back to Earth to anyone who wants it, including Amelia Earhart.

The USS Equinox

Star trek: voyager season 5, episode 26 & season 6, episode 1 "equinox".

The crew of the USS Voyager believe they're the only Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant until they find the USS Equinox, five years into their journey home. Captain Rudolph Ransom (John Savage) and the Equinox crew have had a harder time in the Delta Quadrant than Voyager, with more damage, fewer starting resources, and fewer opportunities to make friends along the way. Ransom's survival tactics include sacrificing innocent nucleogenic life forms for a more efficient form of fuel, which Janeway finds hard to stomach, and decides that Ransom needs to be held accountable for defying Federation ideals, regardless of how badly the Equinox is damaged.

Although Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) suggests that the Equinox might be in the Delta Quadrant on a rescue mission to find Voyager, the USS Equinox's specs don't fit the profile of a starship that would be assigned to a long-range mission. The explanation of how the Equinox arrived in the Delta Quadrant in the first place seems fairly simple, because Captain Ransom tells Janeway that the Equinox was also abducted by the Caretaker , just like Voyager, but the Equinox has only been in the Delta Quadrant for 2 years, and Janeway destroyed the Caretaker's array 5 years earlier.

Seven of Nine

Debuts in star trek: voyager season 4, episode 1 "scorpion, part 2".

When Captain Kathryn Janeway allies with the Borg in order to secure safe passage across Borg space, Janeway refuses the cursory assimilation that the Borg want to use to communicate with Janeway and Voyager's crew, and instead requests a speaker for the Borg, citing the existence of Locutus (Patrick Stewart) as precedent. Seven of Nine , Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01, is selected as the Borg drone to act as liaison between the Collective and Voyager, likely because Seven of Nine had once been a member of Species 5168, like most of Voyager's crew -- in other words, human.

Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier" provides even more detail of the Hansens' fateful journey.

After Seven's link with the Collective is severed, more information about Seven's human origin comes to light. In Voyager season 4, episode 6 "The Raven", when Voyager nears the Hansens' ship, the USS Raven, memories of Seven's early life surface, revealing that Seven had been six-year-old human Annika Hansen , the daughter of Magnus Hansen (Kirk Baily) and Erin Hansen (Laura Stepp), Federation scientists who were studying the Borg when they were assimilated. Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier" provides even more detail of the Hansens' fateful journey, showing the Raven arriving in the Delta Quadrant by following a Borg Cube through a transwarp conduit.

10 Ways USS Voyager Changed In Star Treks Delta Quadrant

Star Trek: Voyager links back to the greater Star Trek universe with people and starships from the Alpha Quadrant. Connections to the familiar were especially important early on, because Voyager 's place in the Star Trek franchise was established and aided by the legitimacy these finds offered. Later, when the USS Voyager used the Hirogen communications array to communicate with Starfleet Command, links back to the Alpha Quadrant were plentiful again, not only to prove that the USS Voyager was closer to home, but to help Star Trek: Voyager maintain connections to Star Trek and carry the franchise in its final years.

Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Voyager

Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo

Release Date May 23, 1995

Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure

Network UPN

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga

Rating TV-PG