Things Star Trek Fans Would Want To See In A Worf Series Or Movie

For fans who love the Star Trek era of the '80s and '90s, the past couple of years have been exciting. In early 2020, Star Trek: Picard premiered with Patrick Stewart reprising his signature The Next Generation (TNG) role of Jean-Luc Picard for the first time since 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis. Between Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks – whose season 1 finale includes some voice cameos from the TNG cast – Trekkies have gotten to see (and hear) a lot of old friends.

So far, however, there's been no sign of the man who's appeared in more Star Trek than any other actor — Michael Dorn as the Klingon Worf. Dorn was a series regular in all seven seasons of TNG and four seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), and he appeared in all four of the TNG films. He even showed up as Worf's ancestor in 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. 

While we haven't seen the son of Mogh for some time, if Dorn has his way, we aren't through with Worf just yet. In a January 2021 interview with Horror Geek Life, Dorn said he's been campaigning to bring Worf back. Specifically, Dorn wants either a solo Worf series or a movie. We love the idea, and it got us wondering what that might look like. So here's what we think Star Trek fans would want in a Worf film or TV show. 

If you're a TNG fan who pays attention, then one of the things you absolutely must know is the simple truth that Worf is always wrong. Throughout the series — particularly in the earlier episodes — the Klingon is always suggesting courses of action to superiors like Captain Picard and Commander Riker, and he's almost always told no. More often than not, Worf's suggestions include either taking a more heightened security posture toward potential threats or outright attacking the object of concern. 

If Worf gets his own series or movie, then the Klingon finally needs his chance to cut loose without serving as some kind of cautionary tale for the audience. That's not to say a Worf vehicle should be nothing but nonstop warfare. After all, whether the main character is a Klingon or not, Star Trek isn't Starship Troopers. But giving the Klingon a chance to act like the Klingon he imagines himself to be would be refreshing. 

We would also hope this would mean doing away with the Worf Effect trope, i.e. the tendency for Worf to be the first person rendered helpless by the antagonist in order to establish that they're a threat. 

One of the most glaring narrative threads in all of Star Trek could and should be resolved in any solo Worf story.

In the season 4 DS9 episode "Sons of Mogh," Tony Todd makes his final appearance as Worf's younger brother, Kurn. Kurn is depressed and suicidal because the House of Mogh is deemed a disgrace by the Klingon chancellor, Gowron. Worf ultimately asks Dr. Bashir to erase Kurn's memory. Once the procedure is performed, Worf has an old friend of his father convince Kurn that he's actually the friend's son who has amnesia. Worf's brother is given the new name Rodek so that he can live as a Klingon without disgrace. 

Even if you ignore the obvious ethical questions, the subsequent events in Worf's life bring up big issues regarding Kurn's fate. The Klingon Empire's view of Worf changes drastically during the course of DS9. For example, in the season 5 episode "Soldiers of the Empire," General Martok invites Worf into his family, giving the hero a new beginning in the empire, free of disgrace. This invitation is likewise extended to Worf's son, Alexander, in season 6's "Sons and Daughters." 

So why doesn't Worf invite Kurn into the House of Martok? There may be a good reason, but the fact is we never get an explanation. So any Worf series or movie should either reunite the sons of Mogh or at least explain why the reunion doesn't happen.

Considering that Worf almost always seems more willing to wade into a bloody battle than have a candlelit dinner, fans might not associate the Klingon with romance. But the reality is Worf is quite a romantic character, but sadly, a number of his relationships have ended in the worst kind of tragedy. 

For example, he's dating Deanna Troi in TNG's final season, though clearly this ends since Troi marries Will Riker in Nemesis. He's briefly obsessed with the Klingon Grilka in the season 5 DS9 episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places," although she's more interested in the Ferengi bartender, Quark. And K'Ehleyr, the mother of Alexander, is murdered in the season 4 TNG episode "Reunion."

Worf is also part of one of the most tragic romances in Star Trek history. In "You Are Cordially Invited" — the first DS9 episode following Starfleet's retaking of the station from the Dominion — Worf marries the Trill scientist Jadzia Dax. But the pair don't get very long to enjoy their wedded bliss. Jadzia is murdered by the notorious Star Trek villain Gul Dukat in the season 6 finale. 

If a Worf series or movie is on the horizon, it would be good to see the Klingon find love again ... and maybe this time without having to see his new lover cruelly ripped away from him.

Worf doesn't have a great track record with his family. Along with the bizarre choice to memory-wipe his brother, there's the abandonment of his son, Alexander. After the events of 1994's Star Trek: Generations, Worf leaves Alexander on Earth with his adoptive human parents, deciding that because the boy has no interest in becoming a warrior, he would be better off raised by someone else. Resentful at this choice and wanting to prove himself to his father, in the season 6 DS9 episode "Sons and Daughters," Alexander surprises Worf by serving aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, the IKS Rotarran, where Worf serves as first officer. 

Worf and Alexander have a rough road when it comes to reconnecting, and it isn't helped by Worf's combat prowess failing to pass on to his son. Eventually, Worf confronts the reality that he's been an absent father and vows to do better. The episode ends with a ritual where General Martok welcomes Alexander into his House, along with Worf.

If we're lucky enough to get the continuing adventures of Worf, then we hope Alexander isn't forgotten. Worf's failures with his family have left deep impressions on his legacy. If that legacy is going to continue, then fans are going to want him to be a better dad. Alexander doesn't need to be a major character in a Worf series or movie. He doesn't even necessarily have to make an appearance. But at the very least, we need to know Worf hasn't once more forgotten his only son.   

One of the best things about Michael Dorn joining the cast of DS9 is that it gave fans a chance to see something they didn't get much with TNG – Worf spending time with other Klingons. Sure, there's the occasional TNG episode when Worf gets to interact with other Klingons briefly, but it's the exception rather than the rule. This changes in a major way in DS9's fifth season when General Martok is tapped to lead the permanent Klingon military presence on the space station. Along with great scenes with Martok, Worf also gets to fight a number of times alongside Kor, the legendary Dahar Master whose time in Trek dates all the way back to the very first appearance of Klingons — the season 1 Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Errand of Mercy." 

Now, Worf isn't your typical Klingon. Before the events of TNG, he'd spent most of his life among humans. But if he gets his own solo adventures on the big and/or small screen, it would be a great opportunity to see him interacting with other Klingons more. Now that we think of it, it would be great to see the Klingon spending time on an actual Klingon world. When he joins DS9, we hear about him hanging out with Klingon monks on Boreth, but beyond a few scenes in TNG of him with the Klingon High Council, we never see him on the homeworld of Qo'noS. 

In Star Trek: Nemesis, the android Data sacrifices himself for his captain and crew. In the theatrical version, we aren't told the fate of Spot, Data's cat and one of Star Trek's greatest pets. However, the special edition DVD of the film includes a deleted scene in which the cat chooses Worf as his new companion. As Worf and Geordi clean out Data's quarters, the cat jumps into Worf's arms. The Klingon says, "I am not a cat person." Smiling, Geordi answers, "Looks like you are now."

It's surprising considering one of the funniest Data/Worf scenes in TNG. In season 7's "Phantasms," Data suffers waking nightmares and attacks Counselor Troi. Picard confines him to his quarters, and Data — worried he might unintentionally harm his cat — asks Worf to take care of Spot. But Worf clearly feels unsure how to care for a feline. So the android unleashes a list of instructions, including, "And you must talk to him. Tell him he is a pretty cat. And a good cat." In perfect, stoic Worf form, the Klingon responds simply, "I will feed him."

Assuming a potential Worf series or film would be set around the same time as Star Trek: Picard, it's likely Spot crossed the kitty rainbow bridge long ago. But it would be great to at least get some kind of canonical acknowledgement that Worf became Spot's new caretaker after Data's death, particularly since the Nemesis scene establishing it was cut.

One possible plot point for a new Worf vehicle could be the return of an artifact the Klingon discovered shortly after he joined the cast of DS9 — the legendary Sword of Kahless.

In the season 4 episode of DS9 named after the weapon, Worf, Kor, and Jadzia Dax go on a quest to the Gamma Quadrant to recover the artifact. Unfortunately, members of the treacherous House of Duras also discover its location and pursue the heroes after they find the blade. While trying to escape, Worf and Kor are seduced by the power and glory that the weapon represents. They both act paranoid, eventually seeming more than willing to murder each other for it. Realizing what the sword is doing to them — and figuring it may very well do the same to the Klingon Empire if they return with their discovery — Worf, Kor, and Dax agree to release the sword into space, reasoning destiny will bring it to whoever is meant to find it. 

We never see the Sword of Kahless again, and a new Worf story could fix that. It could be interpreted as Worf betraying the reason he released it in the first place if he were to go searching for it, but if he were to come across it in the middle of space or find it in the hands of someone unworthy, the sword could make its way into his hands again without taking away from the earlier tale.

There's a dangling thread from Worf's story that could use a little maintenance. While it doesn't make or break the character's portrayal for us, it would be nice to see a solo Worf vehicle smooth out the rough edges. 

In the series finale of DS9, Worf is named the United Federation of Planets' ambassador to the Klingon Empire. Three years later in Star Trek: Nemesis, Worf is once again serving as an officer aboard the Enterprise-E. In the previous films, First Contact and Insurrection, devices are cooked up to explain why Worf — who was still a regular on DS9 at the time — is once again with his old crew. But in Nemesis, no explanation is offered.

Of course, there are plenty of possibilities. Since we first see Worf in Nemesis at Riker and Troi's wedding, it could be that he's still an ambassador, that he was a guest at the wedding, that he boarded the Enterprise to get there and back, and that he refused to be a passenger without working for his passage. It could also be that — particularly since he has a history of dealing with troublesome Klingons by killing them — things didn't work out with the ambassadorship. 

But regardless of the reason, Nemesis never offers us one. It would be great for a Worf solo project to take a line of dialogue or two to clear that up.

If Worf has an archenemy, it isn't any one man or woman. Instead, it's the House of Duras. After all, it's the House of Duras that betrays the Klingons at Khitomer when Worf is a child, leading to the deaths of his parents at the hands of the Romulans, along with thousands of other Klingons. And in the season 3 TNG episode "Sins of the Father," it's Worf's dead father who's falsely blamed for this treachery. Even though he discovers proof of the betrayal, Worf accepts discommendation — leaving him a disgraced non-entity in the Empire — in order to keep peace. On top of all that, it's Duras who murders Alexander's mother in season 4's "Reunion." 

Later, two sisters from the House of Duras — Lursa and B'Etor – become recurring villains who meet their explosive ends in Star Trek: Generations ... but not before damaging the Enterprise-D enough to ensure its destruction. And Duras' son, Toral, would lead the Klingons hunting Worf and his allies in the DS9 season 4 episode "The Sword of Kahless."

While plenty of the members of the House of Duras have fallen due to the actions of Worf and his allies, there's no reason to believe the treacherous Klingons aren't still out there. It would be satisfying to see Worf finally rid the galaxy of what may very well be the Klingon Empire's most despicable gang of crooks. 

We think fans would want and expect a new Worf story to focus on the eponymous Klingon rather than being a never-ending revolving door of nostalgic guest appearances. But just like Star Trek: Picard strikes a great balance between forging a new story while still having a few friends stop by, we wouldn't want the potential vehicle to be completely absent of Worf's old colleagues. 

High on the wish list of guest appearances would be Martok, who becomes chancellor of the Klingon Empire toward the end of DS9. And while we don't think a new romance between them would make much sense, we wouldn't object to a scene or two reuniting Worf with Ezri, the Trill who took on the Dax symbiont after the death of Jadzia. 

While, sure, Jonathan Frakes has already had a couple of chances to reprise his old role in both Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks, it's clear that during the course of TNG, Worf comes to see Riker as a brother-in-arms, and a reunion between them would be a welcome addition. 

When talking with Horror Geek Life in January 2021, Michael Dorn singled out 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as something he wouldn't mind modeling his return after. Talking about his ideas, Dorn said he wanted "a Worf TV series, and if not a series, then a movie like Rogue One, a kind of one-off, because I love Rogue One, I thought it was brilliant." Dorn went on to say that while he thought a lot of viewers weren't happy with so many heroes dying at the end of the film, he actually "loved that" about the story. 

Considering Worf's nature and how often he speaks of — like many Klingons — meeting his "glorious" death in battle, we think that any Worf solo project would absolutely have to end with the mother of all last stands, with Worf meeting his fate while covered in his enemies' blood. Yes, it would be sad, and we would miss him, but how else could the story of Worf end? More importantly, how else would he want it to end?