Star Trek: Gene Roddenberry Didn't Care About One Major TNG Character

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" is heavily lauded, with many characters earning acclaim, from Patrick Stewart's verbose Captain Picard to Jonathan Frakes' flirtatious William Riker. Still, many undoubtedly have a soft spot for Worf (Michael Dorn), an outsider on the crew who attempts to maintain his composure at every turn. Dorn even came back to reprise the character across "Star Trek" media, including "Picard" Season 3. As such, it may be surprising to hear that franchise creator Gene Roddenberry didn't see Worf as all that important. 

"The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J.J. Abrams" by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross chronicles the legacy of the franchise after "The Original Series." The book contains a fascinating quote from Ronald D. Moore, who wrote the Season 4 finale, "Redemption, Part 1." Worf plays a prominent role in the story, ultimately resigning from Starfleet by the episode's end. But all the attention on Worf didn't sit well with Roddenberry. "I was with [producer] Rick [Berman], and he said Gene [Roddenberry] wanted to throw the script out," Moore explained. "I couldn't believe it, and Rick said, 'Well, Gene doesn't think that Worf is a major character on the show ... Gene doesn't want to do a whole cliffhanger about him.'"

Bear in mind, this was Season 4 at this point, so Worf was firmly established as being pretty integral to the crew. Moore continued that Berman went back to talk with Roddenberry, and while he doesn't know what happened, it was decided that Worf's story could stay.

Gene Roddenberry having an issue with Worf being notable on the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Season 4 finale is interesting because the character had many significant episodes before that. This includes Season 1, Episode 20 — "Heart of Glory" — where several other Klingons hijack the USS Enterprise-D and attempt to get Worf to join their side as he's one of them. Klingons were originally introduced on "The Original Series" as a warrior race prone to violence, but Worf was different. He was orphaned very young and raised by human parents, so he has such a divergent personality. That's part of the appeal of Worf — he shows how any given group of beings can contain multitudes.

Roddenberry may have just wanted Worf on the crew to fill out the ranks, but Michael Dorn and the writers of "The Next Generation" fleshed out the Klingon into one of the most recognizable and beloved figures in the franchise. Numerous outlets, from CBR to TheWrap, have ranked Worf among the best characters ever to appear in the franchise. And Worf's influence extends even beyond "Star Trek." Michael Dorn portrayed the character in an episode of "Webster," where the titular character winds up on the USS Enterprise-D in a dream. Plus, Dorn showed up in "Ted 2," where he plays a guy named Rick dressed in Worf prosthetics at Comic-Con.

In a franchise as massive as this one, Worf has truly stood out and lasted the test of time. Roddenberry may not have cared about Worf on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," but legions of fans still do.