The Untold Truth Of Star Trek's Worf

Worf looking away

"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.

Worf (Michael Dorn) looking stoic and hued blue and yellow, in front of a background with the Federation logo repeated

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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 and Picard stand on a Bird of Prey for a Klingon ceremony in Sins of the Father in Star Trek: The Next Generation

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.”

Kurn (Tony Todd) talking to his brother Worf (Michael Dorn) in profile in the Enterprise bar

“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 .

An older Worf (Michael Dorn) standing and talking to Picard (Patrick Stewart)

“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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Star Trek: Things You Didn’t Know About Worf

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

Humanizing the bad guy isn't easy, but some great writing, a stellar performance by Michael Dorn, and some Star Trek magic made the Klingons likable. After decades of portraying Klingons as the foils to the benevolent Federation, the bane of Starfleet, and even inherently evil, Star Trek came of age and started to take a more nuanced view of other races in the galaxy.

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Worf is one of the most distinctive characters in Star Trek, and most viewers can identify him no matter what show they're watching. He appears in a few, with The Next Generation as the first step in a long career that includes the classic movies with the cast from The Original Series, several Deep Space 9 episodes, and various other properties in the Star Trek IP.

6 House Of Martok

One of Worf's many titles was "Of The House of Martok," but he wasn't born into this house. The head of this house, Martok, was not of noble birth himself but had earned the title because of his distinguished military career. He used his position of power to elevate those that he deemed worthy of a similar honor, and that was the main motivation behind offering Worf a place in his house.

This was related to the period when Worf was serving as commander aboard the IKS Rotarran during the Domnion War at General Martok's side. The General was impressed by Worf and his battle prowess and intelligent planning on several occasions.

Worf's invitation to the House of Martok made perfect sense, but it had a domino effect that would lead to some drama later when the new addition to the family decided to marry Jazida Dax, a Trill. The matron of the House of Martok had some misgivings about the marriage, and the Deep Space Nine episode "You Are Cordially Invited" explores the details of that particular story.

5 Rokeg Blood Pie

It's common knowledge that Worf was raised in two different cultures, first by his biological Klingon family and then by humans. The result has been a varied and often odd taste in cuisine, such as Worf's affinity for prune juice and his favorite dish of all time, the Klingon delicacy Rokeg Blood Pie.

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Of course, a Klingon dish would contain blood, and for a human, it isn't even that strange, but not for those of the vegetarian persuasion or just the squeamish in general. There are recipes on Earth for blood pudding in several Terran cultures. Worf's human mother cooked up her own variation for her adoptive son.

There are several versions of Rokeg Blood Pie people have and can make in real life, so there might be a non-animal-product version out there somewhere. They include ingredients like heavy cream, nutmeg, onions, and the main ingredient, which is often pig's blood, stands in for the blood of a Targ.

4 Sang Klingon Operas

Most people are surprised that Klingons even have something as romantic as operas in their stoic, warlike culture, but the fact is that this is a very demonstrative race when it comes to certain passions when it comes to both love and war. Opera is also a perfect medium for Klingon entertainment, especially the old-school ones about epic and often fantastic deaths and battles.

Worf was shy about his love of opera, especially since he liked to sing it, but he had some decent talent and did it anyway. He and Ezri Dax had a moment of connection when she tries to guess what opera he was singing while stranded in an escape pod during the events of the DS9 episode, "Penumbra."

3 The Art Of Mok'bara

Mok'bara is a martial art as well as a form of meditation that is said to calm the nerves and clear the mind. This might seem contradictory to a non-Klingon mind but it makes perfect sense to Worf, which is why he was a master of the art and taught those who wanted to learn. His classes on the USS Enterprise included most of the command crew, including Deanna Troi, William Riker, and Beverly Crusher.

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Several moves in Mok'bara resemble Tai chi chuan, a martial art that originated in China. Riker demonstrated a few similar moves in the TNG episode, "Second Chances." There's also a Vulcan martial art called Sha'mura that's similar but has evolved to be less about combat and more about relaxation and exercise.

2 Kindred Warriors

One of Worf's first real friends aboard the USS Enterprise in The Next Generation was the head of security, Natasha Yar. After she passed away, the holographic message she left behind described him as a "kindred spirit" in the sense that they were both orphaned as children and grew up to be warriors.

The two of them had a few meaningful interactions before her absence compelled him to take over her job. It was a promotion, and one that integrated him more deeply into human society, but it was still apparent that Yar's death had a profound effect on him.

1 Has Allergies To Cats

Most of the characters on the Enterprise interacted with Data's cat Spot a few times, either while they were visiting Data or babysitting the cat themselves. As is the way with felines, Spot was particular about the humans she liked. She adored Reginald Barclay but despised Riker , just to give some arbitrary examples that cat owners will understand.

Worf had another, more unique distinction. He was one of the few that she didn't seem to have strong feelings about either way, and he was also allergic to her. Spot was unlike other cats in the sense that she had always lived in space, but that didn't stop her from having this common effect on Worf.

MORE: Star Trek Picard: Things The Series Changed About The Starfleet Admiral

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  • Goofs There is speculation that the way the Ocampa are shown to have offspring is an impossible situation, as a species where the female can only have offspring at one event in her life would half in population every generation, even if every single member had offspring. While Ocampa females can only become pregnant once in their lifetime, if was never stated how many children could be born at one time. Kes mentions having an uncle, implying that multiple births from one pregnancy are possible.

Seven of Nine : Fun will now commence.

  • Alternate versions Several episodes, such as the show's debut and finale, were originally aired as 2-hour TV-movies. For syndication, these episodes were reedited into two-part episodes to fit one-hour timeslots.
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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

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

Memory Alpha

Worf (Colonel)

  • View history

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

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

History [ ]

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

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

Memorable quotes [ ]

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

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

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

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Colonel Worf publicity still

Colonel Worf publicity still

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

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

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

Michael Dorn receiving Colonel Worf appliances

Michael Dorn receiving his Colonel Worf appliances...

Michael Dorn as Colonel Worf on set of Star Trek VI

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apocrypha [ ]

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

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

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

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

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

External links [ ]

  • Worf (Colonel) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • Worf (Colonel) at StarTrek.com
  • 3 Star Trek: Discovery

Screen Rant

Every star trek character played by suzie plakson.

What do a Vulcan, a Klingon, a Q, and an Andorian have in common? Actress Suzie Plakson has played them all in her Star Trek guest appearances.

  • Suzie Plakson has played multiple characters in Star Trek, including a Vulcan, a half-Klingon/half-human, a member of the Q Continuum, and an Andorian.
  • Lt. Selar, portrayed by Plakson, appears in one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as part of the medical team on the USS Enterprise-D.
  • Miss Q, another character played by Plakson, appears in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager and has a romantic connection with Q in the Q Continuum.

Suzie Plakson has played four different Star Trek characters throughout her career. Because of the often elaborate make-up and prosthetics necessary for Star Trek aliens, actors can often portray multiple characters without causing confusion. Many actors, such as Jeffrey Combs, Vaughn Armstrong, and Marc Alaimo have taken on multiple Star Trek roles over the course of their careers. Suzie Plakson's Star Trek characters include a Vulcan, a half-Klingon/half-human, a member of the Q Continuum, and an Andorian. Plakson imbues each of her characters with a certain intensity that makes them incredibly compelling .

Suzie Plakson appeared in many individual episodes of television before landing the role of Meg Tynan in the CBS sitcom Love & War . Plakson also voiced Monica Devertebrae on Jim Henson's Dinosaurs , and appeared as Dr. Joan Golfinos in Mad About You. Plakson has since continued appearing in various television roles, including a fifteen-episode run as Judy Eriksen on How I Met Your Mother . Here are the four characters Suzie Plakson has played and in which Star Trek series she appears.

How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

4 tarah - star trek: enterprise, enterprise season 2, episode 15 ("cease fire").

In her single appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise , Suzie Plakson portrays an Andorian woman named Tarah who serves alongside Commander Shran (Jeffrey Combs) . When Shran and his forces reoccupy a Vulcan settlement, the Vulcans call for a cease-fire. Shran reaches out to Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) to help with the negotiations, despite protests from Tarah. Tarah believes that the Andorians should retake the planet by force and she attempts to sabotage the peace talks. Tarah and her followers attack Archer, Sub Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), and Ambassador Soval (Gary Graham), injuring the ambassador. Archer eventually captures Tarah, and Shran takes her into custody.

Tarah is the first female Andorian to appear in the Star Trek franchise.

3 Lt. Selar - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Tng season 2, episode 6 ("the schizoid man").

Lt. Selar is part of the medical team on the USS Enterprise-D, serving under the command of Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) . Although Selar only appears in one episode, she is referenced several times throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation and the character has popped up in numerous works of Star Trek tie-in fiction. In the TNG episode, "The Schizoid Man," Selar accompanies an away team to the home of celebrated Federation scientist Dr. Ira Graves (W. Morgan Sheppard). When Dr. Pulaski has to attend to another medical crisis, she says that Lt. Selar "has [her] complete confidence."

Tracy Tormé, the writer of "The Schizoid Man," originally wanted Lt. Selar to have a romantic relationship with Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn). However, this idea was nixed when Plakson was cast as Worf's former flame, K'Ehleyr.

After her arrival on the planet, Selar quickly determines that Graves is suffering from Darnay's disease, an incurable terminal illness. Selar endures Graves' leering at her, and Suzie Plakson imbues the character with a lot of personality in only a handful of scenes . After the away team returns to the Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) later calls Selar to his ready room to question her about what happened on the planet. Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) has been acting strangely since returning to the ship, and Picard has his suspicions as to why. When asked about her impression of Dr. Graves, Selar responds that "he seemed brilliant, egocentric, arrogant, chauvinistic," which also describes the way Data has been acting.

2 Miss Q - Star Trek: Voyager

Voyager season 3, episode 11 ("the q and the grey").

John de Lancie's Q loves getting under the skin of Captain Picard, but he also has a certain fondness for Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) of the USS Voyager. When the Q Continuum breaks out into civil war, Q kidnaps Captain Janeway, intent on making her the mother of his child. With Janeway and Q trapped in the Q Continuum, Suzie Plakson's Miss Q appears on Voyager to offer assistance . She reveals that she and Q had been involved in an on-again-off-again romance for billions of years, and she helps Voyager's crew travel to the Q Continuum to rescue Janeway and Q. After Q reconnects with his former flame, the two agree to conceive a child with the hope that the child will help bring the civil war to an end.

As revealed in Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 19, "Q2," Q Junior (Keegan de Lancie) turns out to be a bit of a menace, just like his father, and Miss Q later disowns him.

Every Q Star Trek Appearance Ranked Worst To Best

1 k'ehleyr - star trek: the next generation, tng season 2, episode 20 ("emissary") & season 4, episode 7 ("reunion").

Suzie Plakson returns in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, this time playing K'Ehleyr, the former flame of Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn). With a human mother and a Klingon father, K'Ehleyr feels trapped between two worlds, in much the same way that Worf often feels trapped between his Klingon heritage and his duties to Starfleet . While K'Ehleyr can fight as well as most Star Trek Klingons , she instead chooses to lean into her human side, holding little regard for Klingon values. In her first TNG appearance, K'Ehleyr is working as an emissary for the Federation, and she travels to the Enterprise to find the Klingon sleeper ship IKS T'Ong.

Later, K'Ehleyr returns to the Enterprise with her young son, Alexander (Jon Steuer), whose existence comes as quite a surprise to Worf. Although K'Ehleyr wants Worf to marry her and become a family with Alexander, Worf does not want to shame K'Ehleyr and Alexander with his discommendation from the Klingon Empire. K'Ehleyr later discovers that the notorious Klingon Duras (Patrick Massett) had conspired to shun Worf. When Duras learns what K'Ehleyr has discovered, he brutally kills her, leaving Alexander without a mother. Worf then kills Duras in retaliation, before claiming Alexander as his son. Worf's complicated relationship with Alexander becomes an ongoing story, and K'Ehleyr's death remains one of the most tragic losses in the Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Voyager , & Star Trek: Enterprise are all available to stream on Paramount+.

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COMMENTS

  1. Worf

    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 ...

  2. Worf

    Worf, son of Mogh is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise, portrayed by actor Michael Dorn.He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), seasons four through seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) and the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard, as well as the feature films Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek ...

  3. Michael Dorn

    Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor best known for his role as the Klingon character Worf in the Star Trek franchise, appearing in all seven seasons of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), and later reprising the role in Seasons 4 through 7 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995-1999) and season three of Star Trek: Picard (2023).

  4. Michael Dorn

    Michael Dorn. Actor: Star Trek: First Contact. Michael Dorn is an American actor from Texas. He is best known for playing Worf in the "Star Trek" franchise, the first Klingon character to be part of a television series' main cast. Dorn played the character regularly from 1987 to 2002, appearing in four films and 272 television episodes. Dorn has had more episode appearances than any other ...

  5. Tony Todd's 3 Star Trek Roles Explained

    Published Mar 9, 2024. Legendary horror actor Tony Todd played three different characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. Summary. Tony Todd played two iconic characters in the Star Trek universe: Worf's brother Kurn and Jake Sisko, Captain Sisko's son. Todd's portrayal of Kurn and Jake Sisko added depth to the ...

  6. The Untold Truth Of Star Trek's Worf

    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 ...

  7. First Contact: Michael Dorn AKA Lieutenant Commander Worf

    Startrek.com chats with Michael Dorn about his iconic role as Lieutenant Commander Worf, his favorite Star Trek episodes and more.Subscribe to the Star Trek ...

  8. Star Trek: Why Michael Dorn's Worf Record Will Never Be Broken

    In Star Trek's heyday in the 80s and 90s, a series tended to run between 20 and 26 episodes a season, and The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager all ran seven lengthy seasons. Worf had enough time on-screen to die four different times in Star Trek in various episodic plots. However, the newer series are much shorter and sparer.

  9. Star Trek: Voyager

    Star Trek: Voyager is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor.It originally aired from January 16, 1995, to May 23, 2001, on UPN, with 172 episodes over seven seasons.It is the fifth series in the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the ...

  10. Star Trek legend Michael Dorn reflects on Worf's final act in Picard

    Star Trek Picard season 3 is bringing back TNG's cast, and Worf (Michael Dorn) is the best of them as he pals around with Raffi, Jack (Ed Speleers), and more in the new episodes.

  11. Star Trek: Worf Lore

    RELATED: Star Trek: Voyager - The Best B'Elanna Torres Episodes Worf is one of the most distinctive characters in Star Trek, and most viewers can identify him no matter what show they're watching.

  12. Worf Actor Explains How Star Trek: TNG's Klingon Broke Roddenberry's Rule

    Michael Dorn, best known for playing Lieutenant Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation, discusses how the Klingon broke Gene Roddenberry's infamous 'no conflict' rule.Quickly proving a worthy addition to the USS Enterprise-D ensemble, Worf was the first Klingon in Star Trek to appear as a regular series cast member, going on to join the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast seasons 4-7 after TNG ...

  13. Ethics (episode)

    After Worf is paralyzed by a freak accident, his only hope may be a visiting doctor with questionable medical ethics. Lieutenant Worf and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge are in Cargo Bay 3 investigating strange readings. Their tricorders are unable to detect the exact problem. Worf is preoccupied with his loss to Counselor Deanna Troi in a poker game, and no one realizes that a large ...

  14. Alexander Rozhenko

    Alexander Rozhenko, also known as Alexander, son of Worf, was the son of Starfleet then-Lieutenant Worf and Federation Ambassador K'Ehleyr; thus he was three-quarters Klingon. He was a member of the House of Mogh and the House of Martok. (TNG: "Reunion", "New Ground") Alexander was conceived during a brief encounter between Worf and K'Ehleyr when, in 2365, the ambassador came aboard the USS ...

  15. A STAR TREK TNG Crossover: When Worf Met Webster

    Webster is a family sitcom that aired from 1983 to 1987 on ABC, and then from 1987-89 in first-run syndication. The show was originally developed by ABC as a romantic comedy titled Another Ballgame starring real-life couple Alex Karras and Susan Clark. Karras was to star as former NFL player George Papadapolis (before becoming an actor, Karras ...

  16. Death Wish (Star Trek: Voyager)

    Star Trek: Voyager. ) " Death Wish " is the 18th episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 34th episode overall. The episode originally aired on February 19, 1996. The episode features a new member of the Q Continuum named Quinn, and appearances by Star Trek: The Next Generation ...

  17. Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series 1995-2001)

    Star Trek: Voyager: Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor. With Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill. Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

  18. Star Trek: Voyager's B'Elanna Is More Klingon Than TNG's Worf Ever Was

    Star Trek: Voyager's B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) acted more Klingon than Worf (Michael Dorn) ever did on Star Trek: The Next Generation, despite her mixed Klingon-Human heritage.Klingons are one of Star Trek's most recognizable alien species, and have a long and complicated history in the franchise.Known for their militaristic society and warrior-like personalities, the Klingons began as ...

  19. 8 Alpha Quadrant Things Star Trek: Voyager Found In Delta Quadrant

    Story by Jen Watson. • 2w • 9 min read. Star Trek: Voyager finds familiar things from the Alpha Quadrant in the Delta Quadrant, sparking important questions and connections. Encounter with ...

  20. Michael Dorn

    Michael Dorn (born 9 December 1952; age 71), born Michiel Dorn, is an actor, director, producer, and writer best known for his portrayal of Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and in four Star Trek films. He also portrayed Worf's namesake, Colonel Worf, in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Stated Robert Hewitt Wolfe, "Michael Dorn's a great guy and a ...

  21. Worf (Colonel)

    Sci-fi. Star Trek. Objection! Captain Kirk has not been identified as the assassin!Worf defending James T. Kirk Colonel Worf was a prominent Klingon attorney and diplomatic figure during the late 23rd century. In 2293, Worf represented Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy when they were put on trial on the...

  22. Suzie Plakson

    She played four characters on various Star Trek series: a Vulcan, Doctor Selar, in "The Schizoid Man" (Star Trek: The Next Generation); half-Klingon, half-human Ambassador K'Ehleyr in "The Emissary" (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and "Reunion" (Star Trek: The Next Generation); the Lady Q in "The Q and the Grey" (Star Trek: Voyager); and an ...

  23. Saru's Star Trek: Discovery Promotion Makes Him Even More Like Spock

    In Star Trek: Discovery season 5's two-episode premiere, Saru resigns his Starfleet commission to become a Federation Ambassador.There are multiple reasons for Saru's decision, including his romance with N'Var's President T'Rina (Tara Rosling). Saru's promotion follows in the footsteps of Star Trek: The Original Series' Spock, who made the same decision in the years after Star Trek VI: The ...

  24. Every Star Trek Character Played By Suzie Plakson

    Worf's complicated relationship with Alexander becomes an ongoing story, and K'Ehleyr's death remains one of the most tragic losses in the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Voyager , & Star Trek: Enterprise are all available to stream on Paramount+.