star trek generations worf bloody knee

The Best Worf Episodes Of Star Trek

The Klingons have undergone heavy changes over the course of the "Star Trek" story. They're more or less generic bad guys when they first appear in "Star Trek: The Original Series," whose only visible physical difference from humanity is their uniformly dark skin and hair. The films add ridges to their foreheads and give their attire a radical redesign, along with a new language. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" takes things further still: In this series, a Klingon serves aboard the new Enterprise. He quickly became a fan favorite. 

Worf, played to perfection by Michael Dorn , is often defined as a man split between two cultures. While he is a Klingon and feels a strong pull to Klingon culture and people, he was raised by humans. Almost all of the Worf-centric episodes of "The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" examine this inner struggle. What follows are our picks for the best Worf episodes of either of the two "Star Trek" series Worf calls home, presented in chronological order.  Spoilers ahead for various "Star Trek" shows and movies!

TNG: Heart of Glory

Airing in the latter half of Season 1 of "TNG," fans got the series' first truly Worf-centric episode with "Heart of Glory." After the Enterprise rescues a trio of Klingons from a damaged freighter, Worf discovers the survivors are lying about being attacked by Ferengi. The freighter they were rescued from was stolen, and it was damaged while battling and ultimately destroying a Klingon cruiser. The three Klingons — soon only two, as one succumbs to his wounds — believe the Klingon Empire has become weak because of its peace with the Federation, and wish to return to their people's ancient, warlike ways.

"Heart of Glory" is a critical and well-executed first step, not only in the story of Worf, but in the "TNG" era's redefinition of the Klingons. It's the first time we get to see Worf act as the warrior he's always yearning to be, and the first portrayal of the Klingons as a proud people with their own inviolate sense of honor. 

TNG: Sins of the Father

In Season 3's "Sins of the Father," Tony Todd makes his first of many guest appearances in the "Trek" franchise as Worf's brother Kurn. Kurn informs Worf that their late father Mogh faces accusations of treachery in the Klingon High Council. With Captain Picard serving as his second, Worf confronts the council, eventually uncovering the truth: It is the father of Duras (Patrick Massett), Mogh's primary accuser, who betrayed the Klingons to the Romulans. Mogh has been framed to keep the Empire from sinking into civil war. Wanting to maintain the Empire's peace while saving the life of his newfound brother, Worf accepts discommendation — basically, no longer being considered a Klingon to his people. 

For any fan of Worf, "Sins of the Father" can be tough to watch, even if you know what the future has in store for Worf and the Empire. Still, the episode is crucial in Worf's continuing story. It introduces us to Kurn, to the duplicitous Duras, and sets the stage for "Redemption," one of the best two-parters in all of "TNG." 

TNG: Reunion

First appearing in Season 2's "The Emissary," Suzie Plakson returns as the half-Klingon K'Ehleyr two seasons later in "Reunion." She's not alone: Following her brief tryst with Worf earlier in the series, K'Ehleyr has given birth to their son, Alexander. 

Meanwhile, the Klingon High Councilor K'mpec (Charles Cooper), knowing he has been poisoned and will soon die, appoints Captain Picard as the Arbiter of Succession. This is in the hopes that he will be able to ferret out which of the two Klingons vying to succeed him — Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) or Duras — has murdered him. In the investigation that follows, K'Ehleyr discovers the truth about Duras framing Worf's family for treachery in Season 3's "Sins of the Father." Duras silences her with a fatal stab.

In one of the most shocking moments in all of "TNG," Worf claims the right of vengeance and kills Duras on his own ship. It's one of the few moments in all of "Trek" in which Worf weighs the choice of acting as a Starfleet officer against acting as a Klingon warrior, and chooses the latter. 

TNG: Redemption

In "Redemption," a two-parter bridging the Season 4 finale and the Season 5 premiere, Worf fans finally get the payoff they've been waiting for since Season 3's "Sins of the Father." As the Arbiter of Succession, Captain Picard returns to Qo'noS to finalize the installment of Gowron as Klingon Chancellor . But when the sisters Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) challenge Gowron's claim with young Toral (JD Cullum), son of the late Duras, the seeds of civil war are planted. Worf takes the opportunity to reunite with his brother Kurn and convince Gowron to restore his family's name. An epic war story unfolds, eventually involving not only the Klingons and the Federation, but their shared foe, the Romulans. 

Of all the Worf-focused "Trek" episodes, "Redemption" is one of the heaviest in terms of how it impacts the overall narrative. Not only is Worf's discommendation finally reversed, we're introduced to recurring villains Lursa and B'Etor, who go on to bother the crew of "DS9," as well as appear in the 1994 film "Star Trek: Generations." Denise Crosby also makes her first appearance as Sela, the half-Romulan daughter of the late Tasha Yar.

TNG: Ethics

Worf's always known that he risks death every moment he serves as a Starfleet officer, but in Season 5's "Ethics," he faces something he finds much more terrifying: paralysis. When Worf and Geordi investigate strange readings in a cargo bay, a heavy container falls on Worf and crushes his spine, paralyzing him. Believing, as a Klingon, that life is no longer worth living, Worf asks Riker to help him commit Hegh'bat, Klingon ritual suicide. At the same time, Dr. Crusher and neurology specialist Dr. Russell (Caroline Kava) clash over the ethics of the radical procedure Russell wants to perform on Worf.

The "Star Trek" franchise is known for tackling difficult issues, and this episode is no exception. Out of all the episodes that focus on Worf, "Ethics" is doubtlessly the most controversial. Worf's story deals with euthanasia, while the conflict between Crusher and Russell tackles medical and scientific ethics. At the same time, considering Worf seems more willing to die than live with a disability, the issue of ableism is present as well. If there's any great weakness to the episode, it's that the futuristic new spine Worf receives offers a sci-fi easy button to a reflection of real life dilemmas. 

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

TNG: A Fistful of Datas

12 years before the Western series "Deadwood" premiered on HBO, Worf, Alexander, and Counselor Troi find themselves in the town of Deadwood in "A Fistful of Datas" ... or at least a holographic facsimile of it. Initially, it's just meant as a setting for Alexander's playtime. But a malfunction makes things a lot more dangerous as a number of characters on the holodeck become Western copies of Commander Data, including the ruthless villain Frank Hollander. 

While there are a good number of fans who groan at the mention of malfunctioning holodeck episodes, it's tough not to love "A Fistful of Datas." One of the half-dozen "TNG" episodes directed by Patrick Stewart, the story is lighthearted, fun, and packed with memorable moments. It's impossible not to laugh at Worf in his ridiculous hat, or Brent Spiner's perfect caricatures of Western archetypes. Considering the strange and often heartbreaking relationship between Worf and his son, it's also one of the most touching Worf-Alexander episodes in the franchise.

TNG: Parallels

In "Parallels," an episode from the final season of "TNG," Worf returns to the Enterprise from a bat'leth tournament and becomes unsettled by increasingly strange occurrences. Decorations in his quarters shift around, the guest list of the surprise birthday party he's dreading keeps changing, and, most shockingly of all, he learns Counselor Troi thinks they're a romantic couple. 

We eventually learn that on his way back from the tournament, Worf unintentionally piloted his shuttlecraft through a quantum fissure, which is causing him to shift through different realities. We see this reflected from scene to scene, and sometimes even from shot to shot. Decorations all over the ship change, different characters hold different positions, and in one case, Worf discovers Wesley Crusher still serving aboard the Enterprise, even though he hasn't been seen on the show since two seasons previous. 

"Parallels" give us a lot of fun alternate reality shots of the Enterprise crew, including a grizzly-bearded Will Riker from a universe where the Borg are the dominant lifeforms. But beyond that, of all the best Worf-centric episodes, "Parallels" is one of the few that doesn't revolve around Worf's inner struggles as a Klingon. 

DS9: The Way of the Warrior

In Season 4 of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Worf joins the series as its newest regular cast member. Still mourning the loss of the Enterprise-D in "Star Trek: Generations," Worf is summoned to DS9 to find out why a large Klingon fleet has arrived at the station. When he discovers the fleet's commanding officer General Martok (J.G. Hertzler) plans to invade the neighboring Cardassian Empire, Worf once again finds himself choosing between his loyalty to his people and his duty as a Starfleet officer.

"The Way of the Warrior" is not only a great Worf episode, it's a game-changer for "DS9" and "Trek" as a whole — perhaps the only Worf episode to cause more ripples across the franchise's continuity than "Redemption." It lays the foundation for Cardassia's entry into the Dominion in Season 5 of "DS9," sets up a rivalry between Worf and Gowron that doesn't end until the latter's death in the final season, and temporarily ends the long peace between the Federation and the Klingons . It also introduces us to Martok (though this version ultimately proves to be a Changeling in disguise), and gives us one of the franchise's most impressive portrayals of a large-scale space battle. Not to mention, it's a start-to-finish love letter to fans of the Klingons.  

DS9: Rules of Engagement

Things get even more tense between the Federation and the Klingon Empire in "Rules of Engagement," which sees Worf accused of purposely destroying a Klingon transport filled with defenseless civilians. Ron Canada plays the cunning Klingon advocate Ch'Pok who arrives on DS9 to argue for Worf's extradition to the Klingon Empire. Captain Sisko represents Worf in the proceedings, which ultimately reveal the entire incident was staged in order to win a propaganda battle against the Federation.

Even though the plot proves to be a frame job, the details uncovered by Ch'Pok bring to light just how close violence waits beneath Worf's surface. Not only does Worf physically attack Ch'Pok, we learn that during one of Worf's favorite holodeck simulations, which recreates a famous Klingon battle, he regularly orders the slaughter of the (albeit holographic) women and children of the conquered city. Worf gets a well-deserved dressing down from Sisko, and takes an important step in his personal evolution.

DS9: Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places

In the "DS9" Season 3 episode "The House of Quark," Klingon Grilka marries Ferengi bartender Quark in a desperate bid to keep control of her family's house. When she returns two seasons later in "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places," Worf is smitten by her, but she only has eyes for Quark. In an homage to Edmond Rostand's 1897 play "Cyrano de Bergerac," Worf takes it upon himself to teach Quark how to woo Grilka. He writes poetry for the Ferengi, and even uses tech to manipulate Quark's body during a bat'leth match.

Not only is the episode hilarious, "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" diverts wonderfully from its source material. By the end of the episode, Worf finds himself with his true love: Jadzia Dax, who has been waiting for the Klingon to make a move since the previous season. 

DS9: Soldiers of the Empire

In Season 5's "Soldiers of the Empire," Worf and Jadzia Dax are loaned out to the Klingons to serve under General Martok aboard the Rotarran, where they learn Martok's long imprisonment by the Dominion has made him skittish. Time and again, Martok refuses to act correctly according to Klingon standards, eventually going so far as to order the ship to abandon survivors of a damaged Klingon cruiser. With the crew close to mutiny, Worf has no choice but to challenge Martok to a death duel for leadership. In the ensuing melee, Worf purposely allows Martok to win, risking a killing blow to help jumpstart his friend's warrior instincts. 

"Soldiers of the Empire" is a perfect example of what a smart choice it was to add Martok to the series. Not only does it give Worf a chance to interact with more Klingon characters, it gives us the opportunity to see Worf unburdened by the constraints of Starfleet, acting as a Klingon officer would be expected to act on any imperial ship. When Worf challenges Martok, it's not for ambition or bloodlust — it's as much a part of his job as it would be to run practice drills or submit crew assessments.

DS9: You Are Cordially Invited

In Season 6's "Sacrifice of Angels," Starfleet takes DS9 back from the Dominion. In the following episode, "You Are Cordially Invited," Worf and Jadzia take advantage of the break in fighting to get married.  

This blessed event is endangered when the ritual demands of Martok's stern wife Sirella (Shannon Cochran) prove too much for Jadzia. In the meantime, Bashir and O'Brien, who believed they'd be enjoying the Klingon version of a bachelor party when Worf invited them to join him on the ritual path of Kal'Hyah, endure four days of fasting, bloodletting, and other forms of torture.

When it comes to Jadzia's resistance to Sirella, "You Are Cordially Invited" offers one of the few examples of Worf butting heads with his Par'Mach'kai and proving to be the one acting more like a grown-up. Moreover, the yearning for vengeance Bashir and O'Brien express for the tortures of Kal'Hyah is hilarious. Finally, not only is this the last time we get to see Worf's grown son Alexander (Marc Worden) in the flesh, it's one of the only times we get to see him happy. 

DS9: Change of Heart

When a Cardassian spying on the Dominion for Starfleet needs extraction in Season 6's "Change of Heart," Worf and Jadzia must rendezvous with him on the planet Soukara and bring him safely to Federation space. In order to avoid enemy detection, they need to land 20 kilometers from the rendezvous, then make their way through dense jungle. Along the way, the pair ambush and kill a Jem'Hadar patrol group, but Jadzia is badly wounded. They try to journey together regardless, but it soon becomes clear Worf either must leave Jadzia to die and complete the mission, or abandon the mission and save Jadzia . In the latter case, the spy — and his intel — will be lost.

The fact that "Change of Heart" works as well as it does is a testament to Worf's evolution. If this were about any other character in the franchise, there would never be a question as to whether or not they would leave their romantic partner behind. But when "Change of Heart" aired in 1998, fans had known Worf for 11 years, through two series and two major motion pictures. Knowing how seriously Worf takes his duty, you know what it means for him to make the choice he ultimately does, rendering it that much more powerful.

DS9: Once More Unto the Breach

The first named Klingon to ever appear in "Star Trek: The Original Series" is Kor, played by John Colicos. Not only does Kor reappear in "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (voiced by James Doohan), Colicos reprises the role three times in "DS9." His final, heroic appearance arrives in Season 7's "Once More Unto the Breach."

As Worf is about to leave with Martok on a new campaign aboard the Ch'Tang, Kor visits Worf and asks for his help finding a place in the Klingon fleet. Unfortunately, Martok holds a fierce grudge against Kor for barring him from the Klingon Defense Force when he was younger. Regardless, Martok grudgingly allows Worf to appoint Kor as third officer. Most of the Ch'Tang's crew idolize Kor at first, but things change when it becomes clear Kor is suffering from dementia, often forgetting where and when he is. 

Along with taking a harsh look at how the elderly can be made to feel obsolete by the young, "Once More Unto the Breach" delves deeper into the character and history of Kor and acts as a wonderful send-off for the franchise's first Klingon. If you're a "Trek" fan who doesn't feel something as the Klingons sing in honor of Kor's sacrifice at the episode's end, then you need to turn up the temperature in your chest, because your heart is frozen solid. 

How Star Trek's Worf wasn't a wuss thanks to Michael Dorn

The star of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" talks about his first years on the show, how he turned Worf into a lovable character and why he loves his Tesla Model S.

As part of our coverage of Star Trek's 50th anniversary , I talked to a dozen cast members from across the franchise about everything from Star Trek's inclusive message to whether they really could speak Klingon.

When Michael Dorn was getting ready for his role as Worf on " Star Trek: The Next Generation ," the showrunners barely told him anything about his character.

Well, that's not entirely true. He did get one hint from Gene Roddenberry, the former airline pilot who dreamed up Star Trek. "Gene just said, 'Make the character your own,'" Dorn said.

Worf was born to a warrior race of aliens called Klingons. They routinely went to war with the United Federation of Planets, the organization upon whose Enterprise starship the show took place. Now, Worf was going to be a member of the crew.

Dorn as Worf. It may look simple, but that forehead took hours to put on.

Dorn though it would make sense a Klingon would find it hard to be accepted.

So, while watching his colleagues act out scenes without him, Dorn noticed the camaraderie developing among the characters. He decided to do something different -- make Worf an outcast.

Dorn took many subtle actions to make Worf feel out of place. For the character's voice, he spoke in lower tones and in a more deliberate way. He also made Worf seem more anxious to go to battle than the rest of the crew, always the first to warn that an alien wasn't trustworthy or that they should be ready to fire on a likely adversary.

The result was that Worf was a commanding presence. But Dorn was worried it wouldn't last. The security officer he played was routinely beat up by aliens invading the ship. Soon, he believed, the audience wouldn't trust that Worf was a capable warrior.

Roddenberry reassured him the scenes weren't meant to make Worf look weak, but rather to make the invading aliens look strong. Still, Dorn protested. So they found a compromise. Worf would use sword-like weapons in battle, making him seem more capable and harder to defeat.

After some research, Dorn and the show's visual-effects producer, Dan Curry, invented the bat'leth , a double-sided scimitar-like weapon. They also created a form of Klingon martial arts with which to use this new weapon in battle.

The bat'leth has since become one of the most iconic pieces of Star Trek lore.

Skipping the scary stunts

After Dorn and Curry came up with an idea about how a battle should unfold, they'd bring it to the stunt choreographers. Worf may have always been a man of action, but Dorn, the actor, wasn't always willing to do the stunts.

Click for full coverage.

In one episode, " Ethics ," some cargo fell and landed on Worf, paralyzing him. Dorn remembers that for the scene, the camera crew wanted to show the viewpoint of the barrel as it fell. "This 500-pound camera is coming down," he remembers, "and they said, 'Don't worry, we know what we're doing.'" Dorn opted to use a double.

Dorn, now 63, went on to become one of the most prolific actors in the Star Trek universe . He signed on as a regular on "The Next Generation," which ran from 1987-1994 and then " Deep Space Nine ," which ran from 1993-1999. He ultimately appeared in 277 episodes by one count. He's also appeared in five movies: " The Undiscovered Country ," " Generations ," " First Contact ," " Insurrection " and " Nemesis ."

Getting into makeup for the character helped Dorn become one of the most well-informed actors on the set. It took two and a half hours in the makeup chair for a prosthetic forehead to be painstakingly attached to his own, giving him plenty of time to read the Los Angeles Times cover to cover and finish the crossword puzzle.

What made Worf popular, Dorn thinks, wasn't how he was different from his shipmates, but how similar he was. The Sting song in which he sings, "I hope the Russians love their children too," is how Dorn said he thought of Worf's character. "I keep that with me -- of course they do, everybody loves their children." Even the Klingons.

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Dorn still acts, though he spends more time these days in stage plays. He's currently preparing for a production of "Antony and Cleopatra" in Orlando, Florida.

Here are edited excerpts of Dorn's answers to our warp-speed (make that Worf speed) round of questions.

What piece of Star trek tech do you wish we had today? I'd like a warp drive. I'm a speed freak (he's also a pilot). I love jets, and the faster the better. To take off from where I live and go around the moon in 10 minutes or so, that'd be pretty cool.

What's your favorite piece of real-world tech you have today? The smartphone is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I was dating this lady in Seattle. I was in Germany at a convention and we were Skyping. Then I said, "I've got to go downstairs because they have this party that they have for the actors, and I have to go make an appearance." She goes, "Take me down with you." So I leave the room, go down in the elevator, I'm talking to her the whole time, go into the party, and I'm showing her the party on the phone. And that to me is insane.

Worf in action with his bat'leth.

But I gotta tell you, I just got a Tesla S. And that is an amazing piece of machinery. It's a little egotistical because I'm driving on the freeway and I'm looking around going, 'I can smoke everybody on this freeway.' If there's a Bugatti or something like that, OK maybe not. But everybody else, I can just smoke them.

Who's your favorite captain? I love Kirk for the time, but I think Patrick (Stewart, who played Jean-Luc Picard on "The Next Generation") is probably the archetypal captain I think there would be if Star Trek was real. That's the kind of guy that you would have.

He became more like a hero type later on in the movies and the latter stages of the TV show. But at the very beginning, he was a guy that sat and he asked for opinion. He got something from everybody and then he made up his decision from there. He was very cerebral, I think that's what it would be.

I also liked him because he wasn't a big guy. But his being, who he is, his outer-ness, made him seem a lot taller. You really didn't see him as shorter than you. And that to me is part of it. That you don't have to have a full head of hair. Or you don't have to be 6'1" or 6'2" to be in command. I think he epitomized that whole thing.

Did you ever have to learn Klingon? No, no. There's a dictionary -- a Klingon-to-English, English-to-Klingon dictionary. So, you never had to speak it. And they don't do a lot of Klingon talk on the show. You know, there's not paragraphs of dialogue or soliloquies and things like that in Klingon.

Except for when they translated Hamlet. But we didn't have to say it on the show. You had a line here and a line there, so that was kind of it. You didn't have a chance to really learn.

Star Wars or Star Trek? I was a big fan of both but...they couldn't be more different. Star Wars was just a different feel altogether. It was so smart. That exciting and epic moment when Vader comes on the scene -- I mean, have you ever seen anybody more evil? You know? It was just great.

After the second one, he says, "Luke, I am your father." I'll be honest, I think the whole audience was like, "My God!" I didn't see it coming.

There's definitely room for both. Star Trek and Star Wars are two different things.

Stellar cosplay warps into Star Trek anniversary convention (pictures)

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Generations.....Worf's Bloody Knees

• Thread starter Borjis
• Start date Dec 16, 2008

Vice Admiral

• Dec 24, 2008

I've seen this movie a bunch of times and I don't recall ever noticing that... had to look at it again to see.  

Fleet Captain

Ziz said: They were on the holodeck, remember? How the hell could it be wet paint? Click to expand...

• Dec 25, 2008

It was Worf's promotion. He had them deactivate the safeties so he actually stood a chance of breaking his neck (again) on the plank while going though a silly hazing ceremony.  

Peach Wookiee

Cuddly mod of doom.

^ lol!  

Director of Comedy

• Dec 30, 2008

I remember someone asked about this in the Old Magazine "Star Trek: Communicator" basically saying that it was due to the fresh paint job, but if people wanted a non behind the scenes explanation, they could always assume he was attacked by sharks.  

cardinal biggles

And his dancing teeth.

Riker: Computer, release sharks, authorization Riker Alpha Three. Computer: Unable to comply. Holographic sharks are considered an endangered species. Riker: Well what do we have then? Computer: Sea bass. Riker: Riiiiiiiiight...  

^ La Forge: Commander, I think there's a malfunction in the holodeck. Those Sea Bass are mutated. Data: Indeed. Based on how they are attacking Commander Worf's knees, they would appear to be ill-tempered.  

Rear Admiral

Argus Skyhawk said: The boat on which it was filmed had wet paint. You aren't supposed to notice that it got on the actor's pants. The paint wasn't on Worf's knees; it was on Michael Dorn's knees. Click to expand...

• Dec 31, 2008

In universe, Riker knew precisely what he was doing. It was revenge...  

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

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

by Dylan Roth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Why A Controversial Star Trek: TNG Season 3 Episode Was Banned In The UK

34 years later, star trek's most disappointing tng character exit still hurts, recasting star trek: the next generation for a movie reboot.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's  Lieutenant Worf might have had Klingon blood in his veins, but his Starfleet training and his adoptive human parents instilled in him a sense of forethought that served him well. He knew that not every challenge could be solved with his fists, or his trusty Bat'leth, which meant brainpower would have to do the trick.

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Worf made a number of incredibly smart decisions during the course of the show that not only averted catastrophes, but helped him grow as an officer, a father, and a Klingon warrior. As such, he became one of the most unique of his kind; a man who could fight to the bitter end and just as easily as outthink his enemies.

Killing The Klingon Fugitives

In the season 1 episode "Heart of Glory," audiences got a crash course on Klingon culture when the Enterprise brought three on board. Worf soon learned that they had commandeered a freighter in an attempt to strike out on their own, in direct opposition to the Empire.

Rather than fall prey to their promises of glory and battle, Worf stuck to both his Starfleet training  and his honor as a Klingon warrior. When it became clear that he couldn't talk their leader down, he shot him dead, much to the approval of a Klingon commander who had come to take them back to the homeworld.

Bonding With Jeremy Aster Through Klingon Custom

When young Jeremy Aster's mother was killed during an away mission accident in the season two episode "The Bonding," he withdrew into himself out of grief. He was later approached by what appeared to be his mother, but it was in fact an alien entity that had taken pity on him, and wanted to ease his sorrow.

Picard convinced Jeremy that the illusion of his mother would bring him nothing but emptiness. Later, Worf encouraged Jeremy to bond with him as a blood-brother, under his family's name. This act gave a young boy a sense of belonging, and societal support.

Accepting Discommendation And Exile

When Worf's father was accused of collaborating with the Romulans during the infamous Khitomer Massacre, he set out to clear his family's name. In the process, he discovered that Worf's father had been scapegoated by the Klingon Empire, to cover up the actual collusion between the Romulans, and the House of Duras.

Knowing that if the secret got out, that it could trigger a civil war within the Empire, Worf decided to accept discommendation, which effectively meant exile from his people. It was the hardest decision of his life, but it saved the quadrant from plunging into a costly and violent war, making it one of Worf's most badass moments on the show.

Raising Alexander On Board The Enterprise

After being exiled, Worf was reunited with his lover K'Ehleyr, who also brought Alexander, his young son, on board. A shocked Worf struggled with the notion of his son being forced to accept blame for his father's dishonor, though K'Ehleyr insisted that she didn't care.

When K'Ehleyr began poking around classified Klingon files to find out why Worf was exiled, she drew the attention of Duras, who killed her in cold blood. Worf got his revenge, but Alexander was suddenly left without a parent. Alexander went to live with Worf's adoptive human parents for a short time, but they realized he needed a father and a role model. The decision to raise him on board the Enterprise was turbulent and challenging, but Worf ended up cementing one of the most important relationships of his life .

Fighting In The Klingon Civil War

When the Klingon Empire was threatened with civil war, Worf decided to leave Starfleet, and serve on his brother's vessel under Chancellor Gowron's banner. The decision was a smart one, as the Romulans were ready to seize a key moment, and gain a foothold on the sector.

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Thanks to Worf's bravery, his honor was reinstated, his discommendation lifted, and his father's name cleared of the lies that Duras had spread. It also brought stability back to the Empire and drove out the Romulans who were collaborating with the Duras family.

Refusing Commander MacDuff's Orders

When the crew of the Enterprise had their memories wiped by alien technology, they were left in disarray. The aliens then deposited one of their own, disguised as Commander MacDuff, a fictional character designed to manipulate them into destroying their greatest enemy.

MacDuff tried to play on Worf's warrior instincts in an effort to gain his loyalty, but when the time came to fire on their vastly inferior enemy, he refused. This was a test of character for Worf, who was prone to going on the offensive during the slightest threat. Here, he stayed his hand, and kept his cool, saving many lives in the process.

Choosing Life Over Suicide

When Worf's spinal column was shattered during an accident, he was left permanently paralyzed. Under Klingon culture, ritual suicide was the only answer, which many considered one of his worst moments on the show . The trouble is, Worf had a young son to think of; one who wasn't interested in adhering to notions of Klingon warrior honor, or duty.

A morally ambiguous doctor convinced Worf to undergo a radical, and dangerous procedure that would replace his spinal column. He nearly died during the procedure, but managed to recover. He then went through a difficult rehabilitation period in order to learn how to walk again, with Alexander at his side, happy to help.

Having Fun On The Holodeck

Worf was all business, almost all of the time, and the concept of leisure was a rather foreign one. He did spend time on the Holodeck, but mostly to hone and sharpen his exceptional combat skills by fighting a series of aliens and monsters. To Worf, it was a way to sate his Klingon bloodlust, without taking any innocent lives.

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Alexander, on the other hand, was fascinated with fictional interactive stories, including one that took place in Earth's wild west. Though initially reluctant, Worf joined him on the Holodeck, pretending to be the Sheriff of a local town. He quickly grew to love the role and managed to bond with Alexander at the same time, even if a computer glitch nearly got them killed.

Allowing The Kahless Clone To Represent The Empire

When the extremely influential Klingon named Kahless had seemingly returned to lead the Empire, nobody was more shocked than Worf, who was going through a bit of a spiritual crisis at the time. Gowron was enraged, believing this character of Klingon legend to be an imposter sent to supplant his authority, and claim the Empire for himself.

Eventually, the truth came out - Kahless was a clone of the original Klingon folk hero. Rather than expose the farce, Worf convinced Gowron to use him as a figurehead to inspire the entire Klingon people, and give them hope for a new age. Gowron reluctantly agreed, and another potential catastrophe was averted.

Working With His Brother To Relocate An Alien Race

Worf's human brother Nikolai Rozhenko was a loose cannon, but a good man at heart. He loved Worf but had fallen out of favor plenty of times due to his recklessness. It came to a pinnacle when Nikolai violated the Prime Directive by integrating himself too closely to the Boraalan people, including fathering a child with one of them.

When the Boraalan world was threatened, it became necessary to relocate them to another planet. This involved a careful smoke and mirrors game that took place entirely on the Holodeck, masquerading itself as a perilous trek to a new land. Worf decided to aid Nikolai by pretending to be a fellow Boraalan in order to save the people from annihilation.

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Published Jun 28, 2024

Deep Space Nine Examines the Gifts and Challenges of Non-Blood Family

Bonds forged in trials and tribulations can be just as powerful as those forged in the womb.

StarTrek.com

Lieutenant (now Ambassador) Worf might be one of the faces of Star Trek but, equally impressively, he's also one of the most uplifting depictions of cross-cultural adoption in popular fiction.

"Family"

In the world of Star Trek, the Klingon Worf was orphaned at a young age and adopted by Sergey and Helena Rozhenko. Despite some initial challenges, Worf eventually acclimated to his new surroundings and came to regard the two loving humans as his parents. So although the character was a man of two worlds when he was introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation , Worf was set in the family department. Until, that is, he appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

"In Purgatory's Shadow"

In Deep Space Nine, Worf meets General Martok and, through a series of life-or-death ordeals, the two Klingons end up inspiring and giving one another "a warrior’s heart," something of great importance in their culture. As thanks, Martok adopts Worf into his family, which seems to finally bring the warrior the sense of belonging he didn't realize he was searching for all this time.

His entry into the House of Martok didn't sever his ties with the Rozhenkos but rather revealed the unstoppable, inescapable pull of one's native heritage and culture. DS9 would revisit those themes many times throughout its run.

"Cardassians"

In the episode " Cardassians ," Deep Space Nine introduced Rugal, a young Cardassian adopted by a Bajoran family after the boy's race spent 50 years occupying and oppressing Bajor, which the family — unintentionally but still — burdened Rugal with.

At one point, Proka Migdal, the boy's adoptive father who despises Cardassians, actually questions if Rugal even is Cardassian because he spent most of his life on Bajor. And because that would be easier for him. But that’s the thing — Rugal is Cardassian. He will always be Cardassian. And trying to deny that very obvious fact while subconsciously filling Rugal's heart with hatred for his own people has done serious damage to the boy's psyche.

When we first meet him, the boy despises his own race and himself, and ends up attacking Garak, the only other Cardassian on the eponymous space station. There was never any doubt that Proka loved Rugal but that was not enough to suppress the latter's heritage and culture and should never have been attempted in the first place. The lesson here isn't that cross-cultural adoptions or non-blood bonds do not work, but rather that they come with their own, unique challenges. But as Deep Space Nine also shows, overcoming those challenges is worth it because of everything those relationships can give us.

"Second Skin"

In the episodes " Second Skin " and " Ties of Blood and Water ," the Bajoran Kira Nerys and the Cardassian Tekeny Ghemor grow close to each other to the point where they start to think of themselves as father and daughter.

In the end, though, the relationship doesn't become a symbol of how Bajor and Cardassia may someday get along. Instead, it almost collapses when Kira learns that Tekeny was part of a squad that razed a Bajoran monastery and killed 17 monks during the Occupation.

"Ties of Blood and Water"

Once again, real life in the form of divergent cultures, heritage, and history came between people from two different worlds. They were able to overcome it, though, because their relationship offered them closure. Tekeny had a biological daughter somewhere, who might or might not have still been alive, but since he himself was dying of an incurable illness in " Ties of Blood and Water ," he decided to make Kira the object of his fatherly affection in his final hours. Kira, similarly, needed a fatherly figure to get over the trauma of leaving her wounded father, who'd been shot by Cardassians, to die all alone while she was off trying to avenge him.

A big part of why Kira forgave Tekeny was to spend time with him and get a do-over on her biological father's death. Their motivation for finding family in each other wasn't exactly the purest, but that didn't make their bond any less special in the end.

"The Begotten"

In fact, some of the strongest non-blood familial relationships on DS9 started out on very shaky ground, like that of Odo and Dr. Mora Pol.

Odo, a Changeling shapeshifter, was found in his infant, naturally-gelatinous state and later experimented on by Dr. Mora, who didn't initially know that he was dealing with a sentient species. During their time in the lab, Mora subjected Odo to many, sometimes painful experiments while trying to teach him how to imitate humanoids and eventually live among us. He was instrumental in Odo's development during his formative years, and that makes him Odo's "father," a title that Odo rejects despite all available evidence, like how he always copies Mora's hairstyle when shapeshifting into a humanoid.

Odo and Dr. Mora are actually so similar, from their looks to their temperaments and mannerisms, that the original (but later abandoned) plan was for the late René Auberjonois to play both characters. Yet despite being well aware of their similarities, Odo remains antagonistic towards Mora for the longest time. Their relationship is evocative of a cross-cultural adoption where the parent made a lot of mistakes early on because their child was from a different world, which left its share of scars.

Ultimately, though, Odo forgives Mora after he has to take care of a baby Changeling in " The Begotten " and realizes just how much guesswork goes into parenting, even among the same species. The experience helps Odo see everything that Mora tried to do for him, and he finally acknowledges what a big fatherly impact the doctor had on him.

The final message of the episode, and perhaps even the entire series, is that, with enough work, the distinction between biological and non-blood families eventually becomes meaningless. It just doesn't happen overnight. But through patience, love, and goodwill, bonds forged in trials and tribulations can be just as powerful as those forged in the womb.

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Cezary Jan Strusiewicz (he/him) is a freelance writer and translator based in Japan and specializing in pop culture and history.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

Heart of glory (1988), michael dorn: lieutenant worf, photos .

Quotes 

Lieutenant Worf : You look for battles in the wrong place. The true test of a warrior is not without, it is within.

[he thumps against his chest] 

Lieutenant Worf : Here, here is where we meet the challenge. It is the weaknesses in here a warrior must overcome.

Captain Korris : No.

Lieutenant Worf : You have talked of glory and of conquest, and legends we will write.

Captain Korris : Yes. The birthright of every Klingon.

Lieutenant Worf : Yet in all you say, where are the words 'duty', 'honor', 'loyalty'? Without which a warrior is nothing!

Lieutenant Worf : Why do you mock me? Why do you wish to anger me?

Captain Korris : Only to see if it is still possible.

Lieutenant Worf : It is.

Lieutenant Worf : What burns in their eyes, fires my soul. I hear their words, and I see it all as it was. Part of me longs for that time.

Captain K'Nera : It's bred in the bone. We all do.

Lieutenant Tasha Yar : I thought for a minute we had a problem.

Lieutenant Worf : Oh?

Lieutenant Tasha Yar : Yes, it looked like Korris was going to hold that little girl as a hostage.

Lieutenant Worf : That is not our way. Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not.

[Worf has refused Korris's offer to join him] 

Captain Korris : You are a sham! My words were dust upon the ground. Your blood has no fire. You are weak like them! I don't care what you look like. You are no Klingon!

Lieutenant Worf : Perhaps not.

[shoots Korris] 

Captain K'Nera : How did they die?

Lieutenant Worf : They died well.

[Worf has expressed his gratitude to Captain K'Nera for offering him a position on his ship, which earns him inquiring looks from the entire bridge crew] 

Lieutenant Worf : I was just being polite, sir.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Ah! Commendable, Lieutenant.

[...] 

Lieutenant Worf : Really. I have no desire to leave the Enterprise.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [surprised about Worf's persistence]  Good.

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