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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Published May 26, 2021

Wayward Sons: How Worf Helps Me Navigate Adoption

“Are you the son of Mogh?" "Yes, I am."

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From his first appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Worf is cast as an outsider. He’s the first Klingon in Starfleet, but even more than that, he is a Klingon orphan raised by Humans. He is different and that’s made clear from the beginning. In “Encounter at Farpoint'' Captain Picard orders Worf to take command of the Enterprise-D ’s saucer section, to which Worf objects immediately: It’s against the Klingon way to abandon his commanding officer. Picard gives him a stern talking to on duty, and already we can see that Worf is out of place. Throughout the rest of TNG’s run and later, stationed on Deep Space Nine , Worf grows with and towards his Klingon heritage, eventually finding his own relationship with his dual heritages. And yet, his Klingonness is never really his own. Even in that first “Klingon vs Human'' interaction in “Encounter at Farpoint'' we see that Captain Picard is using Worf’s identity against him. Picard’s appeal to Worf’s duty goes beyond just that of a Starfleet officer. If Worf were to disobey, he would not just face a probable court martial, but he would be an example of a stereotypical “bad” Klingon in the eyes of those around him.

I, myself, am an adoptee. I was born in Cambodia and when I was 3 months old my mother left me in an orphanage where I was adopted 3 months later and was brought to the United States.  Like Worf, I’ve spent most of my life trying to figure out what Cambodianness means to me, if and how it can coexist with my white, American upbringing. I’ve always identified myself with Worf, but what’s drawn me to Worf above the other “outsider” characters (Odo, Data, Spock, etc.) was the way his identity is informed and dictated by those around him. As a transracial adoptee , my identity is a series of choices I have made to balance — or not balance — what feel like two radically different sides of myself. I was raised and socialized in white suburbs, which shaped the way I saw the world and myself. I am fortunate enough that most people I encountered weren’t openly hostile or racist towards me, but I also have a vivid memory of looking into the mirror by the front door and knowing that I looked “wrong.” For most of my life, I chose my adoptive side. When I would make attempts to learn about or connect with my Cambodian past, it felt artificial at best, or at worst, dishonest and ungrateful. The Khmer images and items  I had felt like tokens that might as well have been from the Gamma Quadrant. Certainly, at least, they didn’t represent me. Over time, I’ve come to embrace more of my heritage through small items like jewellery, and using the name my mother gave me, but it has been a long and intensely personal process to reach that point.

Pure Klingon joy and the ability to just exist are rare things for Worf. His triumphs are often framed through the lens of his two identities. His abilities as a tactical officer are often implied to be linked to (if not resulting from) his Klingonness. Throughout Trek, the dominant narrative of the Klingon culture is one of ancient glory, exemplified through the belief in Kahless, contrasted with a recent history of bloody conflict. Cambodian culture is seen through a similar lense. On one hand, the ruins of the Khmer Empire, especially the Angkor Wat complex, spring to mind. On the other, the genocide of the mid 20th Century is always present. To exist and be joyous in Khmer identity, then, is an act of liberation, just as Worf’s pride in his bat’leth victory liberates him from being viewed by his peers solely as the representative of an old enemy who has now been civilized.

Being made to be a representative of a community, through no real actions of your own, is something I can relate to deeply. I’m all too familiar with the experience of meeting a new person, only to find out they want to tell me about their backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. Cool, I guess. People tell me how they were warned about leaving the paths for fear of landmines and how beautiful they found the landscape in the same breath because, at the bottom line, they are one in the same. It throws my perception of my own homeland into flux, alongside my entire concept of identity. And yet, through Worf, I’ve seen a character who faces similar struggles: alienation both from himself, and from two cultures he would like to call his own in different ways. Worf’s lifelong process of defining and accepting himself, fully and authentically continues to be an inspiration for myself as I work through my anxieties and hopes around my own identity, and what it means to be me.

Matthew (they/he) is a recent McGill University graduate with a BA in Religious Studies and Classics, now preparing to explore the final frontier (the future) and hoping to continue their writing and research. Follow them on twitter at @sadmattyh.

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

Dave nemetz, west coast bureau chief.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My thoughts exactly!

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

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The Best Worf Episodes Of Star Trek

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

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

TNG: Heart of Glory

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

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

TNG: Sins of the Father

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

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

TNG: Reunion

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

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

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

TNG: Redemption

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

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

TNG: Ethics

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

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

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

TNG: A Fistful of Datas

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

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

TNG: Parallels

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

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

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

DS9: The Way of the Warrior

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

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

DS9: Rules of Engagement

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

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

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

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

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

DS9: Soldiers of the Empire

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

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

DS9: You Are Cordially Invited

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

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

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

DS9: Change of Heart

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

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

DS9: Once More Unto the Breach

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

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

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

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‘star trek’ writer ron moore reveals fight behind classic ‘next generation’ episode.

As "Redemption Part I" turns 30, Moore shares why 'Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry pushed back against the Worf-centric story.

By Phil Pirrello

Phil Pirrello

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“When I started at Star Trek , the Klingons were already part and parcel of the franchise. But when you really broke it down, you didn’t know that much about them.”

Star Trek fans can thank writer Ronald D. Moore for helping us get to know more about the franchise’s iconic villains, as he was “the Klingon Guy” on Star Trek: The Next Generation whenever the series wanted to mine the popular alien race for more story and drama. Moore’s crowning achievement in that regard was “Redemption, Parts I and II.” “Part I” served as the season four finale in 1991 and the series’ 100th episode. In this epic installment, the Enterprise’s Klingon officer Worf (Michael Dorn) is forced to choose between Starfleet and his people when a civil war threatens to tear the Klingon Empire apart. This landmark episode, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on June 17, almost never happened — thanks in large part to an internal conflict behind the scenes that mirrored the one audiences would see onscreen.

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The source of this conflict? Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

“I remember that Gene was not fully on board with the idea,” Moore tells The Hollywood Reporter . “He didn’t really see Worf as a primary character. [ TNG ] was about Picard. He was the Captain. This was the first time that Next Gen — that Star Trek , really — had ever done a big war story like this. And this was going to be the series’ 100th episode on top of it. So, we had to fight somewhat to get the episode going.”

Executive producer Rick Berman and late TNG showrunner Michael Piller helped run interference on that front to get the episode greenlit, as they did earlier in season four for another Moore-scripted episode, “Family.” In fact, Piller and the staff originally planned for the “Redemption” Klingon civil war arc to be the cliffhanger for season three. But the episode was pushed in favor of what would become the popular Borg storyline “ The Best of Both Worlds .”

Once the episode was officially approved, Moore leaped at the chance to continue the Klingon world-building that he started with the Klingon-centric season three episode “Sins of the Father.” In fact, Moore’s first official writing assignment involving Klingons — apart from his Worf-focused spec episode, “The Bonding” — occurred very early in his tenure with TNG .

Recalls Moore: “Michael Piller — on my first week — because he knew I was a fan, and he was new to the show and Trek and was trying to get his feet under him, he said: ‘Just write me a memo on who the Klingons are.’ So I was like, ‘OK! I’m going to write you a memo on who the Klingons are.'”

That memo helped lay the foundation for “Redemption,” whose events would impact the next 30 years of Star Trek .

“[That is something] that I did not really expect,” Moore reveals. “It is kind of funny because, when I started at Star Trek , there were only a handful of episodes of The Original Series at the time that focused on them. And they make a cameo appearance, essentially, in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , and are the villains in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. They were just kind of ‘the bad guys’ of Star Trek . And you never really learn that much about them.”

What we learn about the Klingons in “Redemption” is that the villainous Duras sisters are manipulating politics on their homeworld and working in secret with the Romulans to help their ascent to power.

“They are great characters; I really enjoyed writing them,” Moore says. “They were these big, Shakespearean characters that you could really take some big swings with. Michael was the one who initially came up with the idea of having these two sisters be the foil and the people pulling the strings behind this Klingon power grab.”

The siblings would go on to appear in the first Next Gen feature film, 1994’s Star Trek: Generations .

The character that Moore did have a hand in creating for the first half of this two-parter, the half-Romulan, half-human Sela (former TNG regular Denise Crosby), appears in the cliffhanger’s final scene, a shocker that TNG spent most of the season setting up. Sela — the offspring of an alternate timeline version of Crosby’s Tasha Yar character and a Romulan — first appeared in shadow during season four’s “The Mind’s Eye,” a Geordi [La Forge, played by LeVar Burton]-centric episode with a twisty, Manchurian Candidate -esque story where the Romulans conspire with Klingons in an assassination plot. Crosby had the idea for Sela during production on the classic season three episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” and Moore and the rest of the TNG writing staff used the events leading up to “Redemption” as a way to introduce fans to that character. In fact, Moore says that revealing Sela, and building up the Klingon mythos, was to use “Redemption” as a means to tear it all down.

“That was definitely the intent. It was like, ‘OK, now let’s just get into it.’ At that point in the series, we were at a place where we could really mess with it. Give them a civil war, and let’s really get into how the power struggles with leadership would really work,” says Moore. “And explore the great Klingon [family] houses, and the great dynasties and histories. Especially the rules of the planet and how they conduct warfare. I loved writing that two-parter. It was just really fun to go off into that world.”

Thanks to Moore’s work, the world he helped build still looms large in the Trek universe.

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Walter Koenig had a way to overlap his character with Worf's in The Next Generation

W ay back in 1994, Walter Koenig had a brief conversation with the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation about the possibility of a small part on the series. Though the cameo didn't happen, Koenig did appear on the first movie with The Next Generation crew—Star Trek: Generations. The part wasn't very big and didn't involve any interaction with Captain Picard or his crew. Koenig did have an idea of how to bring his character aboard the Enterprise that would have connected Chekov with Worf (Michael Dorn).

As everyone knows, Worf was raised by Russian parents, Helena and Sergey Rozhenko, after his Klingon parents were killed when he was very young. Being that Chekov was Russian, Koenig though that his character could have been friends with Worf's Russian grandparents. Worf might not have met Chekov when he was a child, but, if Koenig had been able to appear on The Next Generation, Worf could have contracted an illness that caused hallucinations. That would have enabled him to meet the man his grandparents befriended.

When I learned that Worf in fact had Russian grandparents, I constructed a back story that would have involved Worf and Chekov meeting. I'm a little hazy now, but it was Worf on the ship, he becomes infected with something, and he begins having visions, hallucinatory episodes, and that's how I was able to introduce Chekov into the story.Walter Koenig

The part Koenig envisioned could have been something similar to how George Takei and Grace Lee Whitney appeared in Star Trek: Voyager's third season episode, "Flashback." Because of mind melds, Tuvok (Tim Russ) flashed back to his time aboard the USS Excelsior when he was serving under Captain Sulu. This gave Takei and Whitney more than just cameo appearances.

Koenig did make a voice appearance in the final season of Star Trek: Picard as President Anton Chekov, but his character has not returned to Star Trek otherwise. With the prospect of William Shatner returning as Captain Kirk thanks to de-aging technology, the same could happen with Koenig. In fact, a Trek series or movie could put the two of them together again for a great nod to the fans.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Walter Koenig had a way to overlap his character with Worf's in The Next Generation .

Den of Geek

Aliens Inspired One of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s First Characters

Early plans for Star Trek: The Next Generation had very different conceptions of the main cast, including a security chief inspired by a space marine from Aliens.

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Yaphet Kotto as Jean-Luc Picard? Wesley Snipes as Geordi? Jenny Agutter as Dr. Crusher?

Gene Roddenberry considered all of these actors for Star Trek: The Next Generation before casting Patrick Stewart , LeVar Burton, and Gates McFadden. However, the most surprising alternate idea for a TNG character involved Tasha Yar, the ill-fated security chief aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise .

The Tale of Macha Hernandez

The TNG series bible, released before the show premiered as a guide for writers and actors, describes Yar in terms similar, if not completely one-to-one, with the character we know from the series. “Born at a ‘failed’ Earth colony of renegades and other violent undesirables, she escaped to Earth in her teens and discovered Starfleet, which she still ‘worships’ today as the complete opposite of all the ugliness she once knew,” the description explains.

Portrayed by Denise Crosby, Tasha Yar did show great loyalty to Picard and the Enterprise , even if that loyalty fell short of “worship.” And though we knew she had a terrible childhood, the full details wouldn’t be known until the season four episode “Legacy.”

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But the very first description written for Yar in preparation for auditions was very different. So different, in fact, that she wasn’t even called Tasha Yar.

“LT. Macha Hernandez – 26 year old woman of unspecified Latin descent who serves as the starship’s security chief,” read the first casting call for TNG . “She is described as having a new quality of conditioned-body-beauty, a fire in her eyes and muscularly well developed and very female body, but keeping in mind that much of her strength comes from attitude. Macha has an almost obsessive devotion to protecting the ship and its crew and treats Capt. Picard and Number One as if they were saints.”

If a space-fairing Latina warrior with muscles and an attitude sounds familiar, it should.

Macha Hernandez’s description also matches Vasquez, the standout space marine from Aliens . Portrayed by Jenette Goldstein, who also appeared in director James Cameron ‘s Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Titanic , Vasquez was the standout in a space marine corps filled with colorful characters. While the other marines struggled to shake off their cryosleep (save for Al Matthews’ Sgt. Apone, of course), Vasquez starts doing pull ups and fending off dumb jokes from Hudson ( Bill Paxton ).

Every single line that Vasquez delivers is an all-timer. When the xenomorphs descend upon the marines and overwhelm them, Vasquez shouts “Let’s rock!” and starts blowing them away. She’s got a fantastic final line, telling Gorman (William Hope) just before they both die in an explosion, “You always were an asshole.”

Unsurprisingly, the first actor the producers considered for the role of Macha was Goldstein, but how the heck would a character like that fit on the deck of the Enterprise ? Especially while Roddenberry was in charge? After all, the man was famous for restricting conflict among the crew, which accounts for many of the bumps in TNG ‘s infamously uneven first season. It’s hard to see how even a TV-softened version of Vasquez could work on TNG .

Part of the answer is in the casting announcement. Macha is loyal to the Federation and Picard. So while there would surely be moments in which Macha would have leaned toward violence, a word from Picard would have made her stand down, as often happened with Worf.

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Beside Goldstein, another early frontrunner to play the character that would become Tasha Yar was Marina Sirtis. No, the English daughter of Greek parents isn’t at all Latina. But for television producers of the 1980s, brown hair was enough to signify “unspecified Latin descent.” And Goldstein isn’t actually Latina either despite playing a Latina woman in Aliens .

Interestingly, the original description for Deanna Troi said the character was a “cool, Icelandic blonde, almost Spock-like,” according to Crosby . “Marina [Sirtis] was reading for Tasha. Somewhere, about the second or third audition, Gene Roddenberry had this idea: Let’s just switch them and see what happens.”

From Macha to Tasha

When Denise Crosby became the frontrunner for the Security Officer, not even the most incurious casting director could see her as someone named Macha Hernandez. Instead, the show rewrote the character as the Ukrainian-descended Tasha Yar. With the Hernandez connection severed, most callbacks to Vasquez disappeared as well. Yar became a tough character who was told to stop fighting much more than she actually fought, unfortunately turning her into a bit of a boring presence on the Enterprise deck. Yar died an ignoble death in the 23rd episode of season 1, “Skin of Evil,” but it’s hard to begrudge all involved for abandoning the character.

Of course, Crosby did get to return in various forms throughout the show’s run, getting a proper send off for Yar in the wonderful “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and then getting to play the fun villain Sela. And Goldstein eventually found her way to Starfleet too, as a science officer aboard the Enterprise -B in Star Trek Generations and voicing the Enterprise computer on Short Treks .

Even better, the other attempt to pull from Aliens was much more successful. Roddenberry and the other TNG creators loved Lance Henriksen’s gentle but still uncanny take on an android as Bishop. They looked to that quality for Data, which they first found in actor Mark Lindsay Chapman before going with Brent Spiner . Spiner proved to be the ideal choice, not just because he brought Bishop’s disquieting kindness to Data, but also because he could expand on the character to make him unique and not just knock-off.

With time and the right casting, would Macha Hernandez have also become a distinct and beloved character? Maybe under Yaphet Kotto’s Picard and alongside Wesley Snipes’ LaForge.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired Nov 3, 1990

When the leader of the Klingon High Council dies, Picard finds himself in the middle of the struggle for the now-vacant position. Meanwhile, Worf reunites with a past love, only to find he n... Read all When the leader of the Klingon High Council dies, Picard finds himself in the middle of the struggle for the now-vacant position. Meanwhile, Worf reunites with a past love, only to find he now has a son. When the leader of the Klingon High Council dies, Picard finds himself in the middle of the struggle for the now-vacant position. Meanwhile, Worf reunites with a past love, only to find he now has a son.

• Jonathan Frakes
• Gene Roddenberry
• Thomas Perry
• Patrick Stewart
• LeVar Burton
• 15 User reviews
• 8 Critic reviews

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Worf

• Doctor Beverly Crusher

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Ensign Wesley Crusher

• K'Ehleyr

• K'mpec

• Alexander Rozhenko
• (as Jon Steuer)

• Security Guard

• Transporter Technician Hubbell

• Klingon Guard #1

• Klingon Guard #2

• Enterprise Computer
• (uncredited)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia This is the first time a bat'leth is seen, mentioned or named. In subsequent episodes and spin-offs, this becomes a major part of Klingon culture.
• Goofs When Gowron meets K'Ehleyr in the observation lounge, the camera points toward the ceiling. The top of the wall/set is briefly visible in the upper right corner of the screen, showing that there is no ceiling.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [after Worf has refused to meeting K'Ehleyr with regard to his dishonor] Lieutenant, you are a member of this crew, and you will not go into hiding whenever a Klingon vessel uncloaks!

Lieutenant Worf : [agrees] I withdraw my request, sir.

• Connections Referenced in Star Trek: The Next Generation: Firstborn (1994)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews 15

• Feb 17, 2017
• November 3, 1990 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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• USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel
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Alexander Rozhenko

• View history

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 ")

• 1 Early life
• 2 Aboard the Enterprise -D
• 3 Service to the Empire
• 4 Personal interests
• 5.1 K'Ehleyr
• 5.3 Deanna Troi
• 6 Alternate realities and timelines
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2.1 Portrayals
• 7.2.2 Aging
• 7.2.3 Production notes
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

Early life [ ]

Alexander was conceived during a brief encounter between Worf and K'Ehleyr when, in 2365 , the ambassador came aboard the USS Enterprise -D in an effort to defuse a potential crisis presented by the return of a Klingon K't'inga -class battle cruiser , the IKS T'Ong , that had been dispatched decades before as a sleeper ship . ( TNG : " The Emissary ", " Reunion ") After the crisis was successfully resolved, K'Ehleyr departed the Enterprise . ( TNG : " The Emissary ") She concealed her pregnancy and the birth of Alexander from Worf. ( TNG : " Reunion ") Alexander was born on the forty-third day of Maktag , stardate 43205 . ( TNG : " New Ground ") Worf later stated to Miles O'Brien that he never saw his son when he was a toddler, and that it was " something I will always regret. " ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ")

Alexander's conception and birth were finally revealed to Worf by K'Ehleyr approximately one year later, when she returned to the Enterprise as part of a contingent representing K'mpec in his efforts to persuade Jean-Luc Picard to act as the Arbiter of Succession for the Klingon Empire . Until that point, Alexander had lived with his mother, not knowing who his father was.

Despite a coy attitude meant to antagonize Worf, K'Ehleyr wanted Worf to acknowledge Alexander as his son. Worf was reluctant to do so because of his recent discommendation and the dishonor that Alexander would be forced to share as a result. However, despite his concerns, Worf was forced to acknowledge the relationship of K'Ehleyr and Alexander to him when K'Ehleyr was killed by Duras because she had been investigating the circumstances surrounding the Khitomer Massacre and Worf's discommendation.

Although Worf took custody of Alexander following K'Ehleyr's death, he was sent to live on Earth with Sergey and Helena Rozhenko , Worf's adoptive parents, who were identified as his grandparents . ( TNG : " Reunion ")

Aboard the Enterprise -D [ ]

Alexander in 2367

Alexander was brought back onboard the Enterprise -D one year later by Helena Rozhenko. During his time on Earth, Alexander had had problems adjusting. Though smart and high-spirited, he was not always truthful and was sometimes difficult to control. Helena and Sergey believed that Alexander's behavior problems were not unusual for a boy of his age, but could only be solved by the presence of his father. Helena also admitted that the two of them were too old and ill-equipped to raise a Klingon child, even one who was ¼ Human . ( TNG : " New Ground ")

Alexander wasn't a "typical" Klingon child, considering that he had lived with Humans for most of his life. Initially, the adjustment to living on the Enterprise was very difficult. Much to his father's dismay, Alexander displayed tendencies toward telling lies and even was guilty of small instances of theft . Even after his father disciplined him, Alexander's behavior was a problem in school, causing Ms. Kyle to report to Worf that his defiance, along with continued theft and lying, was disrupting the class. His disobedience to Worf and disregard for the instructions of his elders and ship's regulations eventually came to a head when Alexander was nearly killed in a fire in the ship's biolab. ( TNG : " New Ground ")

Alexander eventually settled into life on the ship and made friends, but the adjustment took time. Deanna Troi took a special interest in the child and his difficulties adjusting to the ship and his father. The two developed a strong relationship, so much so that Worf asked the counselor to be Alexander's guardian when it appeared he might die following a dangerous medical operation. ( TNG : " Ethics ") Alexander was also friendly with Counselor Troi's mother, Lwaxana Troi , who came aboard the Enterprise in 2368 to be wed to Campio . In their brief time together, Alexander and Lwaxana spent time together on the holodeck and became good friends, much to his father's dismay. ( TNG : " Cost Of Living ")

While onboard the Enterprise , Alexander at one point developed a Deadwood holodeck program with the help of Reginald Barclay in 2369 . Despite his efforts to find extra duties for himself, Worf agreed to participate in the program as a means of interacting with his son and improving their relationship. To his surprise, Worf enjoyed the program, especially his role as the sheriff with Alexander as his deputy . Initially, the program was too easy and Alexander was disappointed, so he ordered the difficulty level be reset to four, forcing his father to expend more effort in apprehending the criminal characters. At the same time, Lieutenant Commanders Geordi La Forge and Data were conducting an experiment which went awry and influenced the program. The main characters took on the appearance and abilities of Data, and the holodeck safeguards were removed, making the 19th century firearms lethal and placing Alexander in jeopardy. Alexander eventually escaped, but he worried that the episode would mean his father would never again visit the program. His father assured him that, if the town of Deadwood were to be threatened again, they would need a sheriff … and a deputy . ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ")

In 2369 , Alexander helped Captain Picard and others regain control of the ship from DaiMon Lurin . The captain, along with Ro Laren , Keiko O'Brien , and Guinan , had passed through a molecular reversion field that had reverted them to a stage of physical youth. Blending in with the ship's civilian children, they re-took the ship. Alexander participated in their plan by distracting several of their guards and stealing items from sickbay . ( TNG : " Rascals ")

Alexander and his counterpart from the future

In 2370 , an adult Alexander, who had traveled back in time from forty years in the future , made contact with Worf and Alexander, posing as K'mtar , gin'tak to the House of Mogh. In an attempt to change history, he tried to convince Worf that his young counterpart needed to be trained in the ways of a Klingon warrior . When it became apparent that his counterpart was not willing to do so, however, he attempted to kill him, only to be stopped by Worf. He explained to Worf that, in his time, Worf had been assassinated on the floor of the High Council , due to Alexander's attempts at bringing peace to the Empire . Wishing to prevent this future, he had traveled back in time in an attempt to ensure that his counterpart would not grow up to be a diplomat, but rather a warrior who could fight at his father's side. Worf told him that, now that he had disrupted the flow of history, his death was no longer a certainty, and that he would be proud of his son no matter what path he chose to follow. After hearing these words, the adult Alexander departed, but not before expressing his love for his father. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Following the destruction of the Enterprise -D in 2371, Worf sent Alexander back to Earth to live with his foster parents while he journeyed to Boreth during an extended leave from Starfleet. Upon returning to active service, he chose to leave Alexander on Earth, believing he was far happier there than he was living with him. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Service to the Empire [ ]

In 2374 , after years of avoiding Klingon culture, Alexander enlisted in the Klingon Defense Forces at the height of the Dominion War . He was given the rank of bekk and assigned to the IKS Rotarran under General Martok and Worf, where he manned the ship's sensor console . He had severe trouble serving with other Klingons, as he was unskilled as a warrior and displayed many Human traits that the other crew members found soft and disgusting.

Alexander's adjustment to life among Klingons was difficult. He was unable to offer a full explanation for his change of heart to either Worf or Martok but seemed to recognize, as he reached Klingon maturity, that his path lay with his people. Though none questioned his commitment, his combat skills were sorely lacking, and his lack of knowledge of Klingon customs hurt his standing on board. Upon being reunited, Alexander was emotionally cold towards Worf and was resentful and bitter at being abandoned by his father. Alexander also corrected Worf in conversation when Worf referred to his adoptive parents as Alexander's grandparents. ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ")

Moreover, his presence on the vessel proved a trial for Worf and a source of resentment among the crew. At Martok's urging, Worf attempted to mend his relationship with Alexander, both as a father and a first officer . Martok advised Worf to let matters essentially tend to themselves; that Alexander would find a place on the ship, and by extension, learn about Klingon culture along the way. Though he might suffer some broken bones, as well as other injuries, he would survive. When Alexander forgot to clear a battle simulation from the sensors, he called an alert, believing they were under attack. When the mistake was realized, the crew laughed. Martok told Worf the crew had accepted Alexander, and Worf replied yes, as the ship's fool.

Tension continued between Alexander and Worf when Martok agreed to Worf's request to have Alexander transferred off the ship at the next opportunity, due to Alexander's inability to master basic combat skills and his ongoing resentfulness towards Worf, which clouded his judgment as well as his lack of a real answer when Martok challenged his motivations. All of these made Martok believe Alexander unfit for battle. Alexander accused Worf of never accepting him. The Rotarran was attacked shortly after. While attempting to make repairs, Alexander managed to lock himself into a corridor, the ship's fool once again. When Worf observed the affection the crew held for Alexander and his own graceful acceptance of the role, Worf changed his mind about transferring Alexander off the ship, telling Alexander, " I cannot fix the mistakes I have made, but from now on I will stand with you. I will teach you what you need to know to be a warrior, and you will teach me what I need to know to be a father. " Alexander challenged Worf by saying, " Let's see if you mean it. " Eventually, the two reached a full reconciliation that led to Alexander joining the House of Martok . ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ")

Alexander continued his service aboard the Rotarran and strengthened his relationships with his fellow Klingons. He continued to make mistakes, such as flooding an entire corridor with superheated hydraulic fluid. This did not strain his position within the ship, however, as the crew considered him a good luck charm; the more mistakes Alexander made, the fewer they would make in battle. Later that year, along with most of the Rotarran 's crew, he transferred to the IKS Ya'Vang , where he hoped the goodwill toward him would continue. ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

By 2375 , Alexander had been made the Ya'Vang 's weapons officer due to their being shorthanded. ( DS9 : " Penumbra ")

Personal interests [ ]

Alexander in his "Deadwood" holoprogram

Worf considered Alexander to be more Human (in personality and interests) than Klingon and tried desperately to change him. ( TNG : " Reunion ", " New Ground ", " Cost Of Living ") It wasn't until the revelation that K'mtar was actually an older Alexander from an alternate future that Worf began to accept his son for who he was. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Alexander had a fondness for jazz music due to the influence of William T. Riker , and much to the annoyance of his father. ( TNG : " Phantasms ")

Alexander also had a fondness for the Wild West and often played in holodeck scenarios. ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ")

Although clumsy with a bat'leth , Alexander had some proficiency with the d'k tahg when dueling with rival Klingon officer Ch'Targh . ( TNG : " Firstborn "; DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ")

K'Ehleyr [ ]

Alexander only knew his mother briefly, but his love for her, and hers for him, remained with him his entire life. Likewise, her death marked him forever. It was the first time Alexander had seen death, and the powerful image of Worf over the bloody body of K'Ehleyr was particularly difficult for him. ( TNG : " Reunion ")

Many years later, the fear of losing his father in the same way that he had lost his mother haunted Alexander and drove him to travel back in time in order to prevent his father's death. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Worf and Alexander

From the beginning, Worf had a hard time adjusting to the presence of Alexander in his life. He was particularly distressed that K'Ehleyr had not taught the child anything of Klingon tradition before her death. His distress was made even more acute by Alexander's continued insistence that he had no desire to become a warrior. ( TNG : " Reunion ")

After Alexander came to live on the Enterprise , Worf was shocked to discover his son lied often and even stole objects. Despite his efforts to teach his son the values of Klingon society through traditional stories, such as the story of Kahless and Morath , Alexander did not take readily to the lessons. For a brief time, Worf considered sending Alexander away from the Enterprise to a Klingon school. Eventually, he decided against this, unable to part with his son, and offered Alexander the greater challenge of remaining onboard with him. ( TNG : " New Ground ") Still, it was the thought of his son that caused Worf to abandon thoughts of ritual suicide in 2368 and choose a risky surgery when he was paralyzed in an accident. ( TNG : " Ethics ")

In 2372 , Worf brought an image of Alexander to starbase Deep Space 9 when he was stationed there. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ") However, Alexander's relationship with Worf had not improved and he elected to live on Earth with the Rozhenkos rather than join his father on DS9.

That decision haunted both Alexander and his father. Alexander felt that, because he had not been the son that Worf wanted, he had been rejected, and Worf acted as if he had no son. This rejection continued to divide father and son when Alexander came aboard the Rotarran . He declared that he had no family or House and that any honor earned would be his own. Worse, his obvious lack of combat skill and previous declarations to never be a warrior led Worf to accuse him of being ill-suited for life during the war, and eventually tried to transfer him off the ship. Alexander refused, and the confrontation between the two was only resolved after the rest of the Rotarran crew began to accept Alexander. ( DS9 : " Sons and Daughters ")

Not long after, the two continued to mend their relationship, when Worf asked Alexander to act as his Tawi'Yan , or swordbearer, during his wedding to Jadzia Dax . Alexander was honored, even more so because it was clear that the couple had altered their plans in order to include him in the wedding before he transferred to the Ya'Vang . ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")

Deanna Troi [ ]

During his stay on the Enterprise -D, Alexander looked up to Counselor Troi, and Worf had considered her to be the closest thing to a mother that Alexander had. Worf asked the Troi of an alternate quantum reality to be Alexander's Soh-chIm , which meant that, if anything were to happen to Worf, Troi would take custody of Alexander. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

The elder Alexander, as K'mtar, suggested to the younger Alexander that he had female cousins around his age on Qo'noS , possibly the daughters of Kurn , as K'mtar said he had no male heirs. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Alternate realities and timelines [ ]

In 2370 , when Worf returned from a bat'leth tournament on Forcas III , Worf encountered a quantum fissure and began switching places with other versions of himself in alternate quantum realities. In some of the realities experienced by Worf, Alexander didn't exist. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

Alexander Rozhenko from 2410 , as K'mtar

In 2410, Alexander traveled back in time forty years into the past, made contact with Worf and Alexander, posing as K'mtar, gin'tak to the House of Mogh. In an attempt to change history, he tried to convince Worf that his young counterpart needed to be trained in the ways of a Klingon warrior. When it became apparent that his counterpart was not willing to do so, however, he attempted to kill him, only to be stopped by Worf. He explained to Worf that, in his time, Worf had been assassinated on the floor of the High Council, due to Alexander's attempts at bringing peace to the Empire. Wishing to prevent this future, he had traveled back in time in an attempt to ensure that his counterpart would not grow up to be a diplomat, but rather a warrior who could fight at his father's side. Worf told him that, now that he had disrupted the flow of history, his death was no longer a certainty, and that he would be proud of his son no matter what path he chose to follow. After hearing these words, the adult Alexander departed, but not before expressing his love for his father. ( TNG : " Firstborn ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Reunion " (Season 4)
• " New Ground " (Season 5)
• " Cost Of Living "
• " Imaginary Friend "
• " Rascals " (Season 6)
• " A Fistful of Datas "
• " Firstborn " (Season 7)
• " The Way of the Warrior " (only in a picture) (Season 4)
• " Sons and Daughters " (Season 6)
• " You Are Cordially Invited "
• " Change of Heart " (only in a picture)

Background information [ ]

Portrayals [ ].

Alexander was portrayed, in all, by five different actors: Jon Steuer ("Reunion"), Brian Bonsall (seven episodes from TNG Season 5 through TNG Season 7), James Sloyan ("Firstborn"), unknown actor (in a photograph: "The Way of the Warrior" and "Sons and Daughters"), and Marc Worden ("Sons and Daughters", "You Are Cordially Invited", and in photograph: "Change of Heart").

According to the call sheet , Alexander's makeup in The Next Generation episode "Cost of Living" was applied by makeup artist Tania McComas .

For the adult alternate future version of Alexander, Rick Berman and Michael Piller were hesitant to cast James Sloyan in the role in "Firstborn", coming as it did so soon after the actor's first appearance as Doctor Mora Pol in the DS9 episode " The Alternate ". However, Jeri Taylor convinced them that the Klingon makeup would hide this fact, making Sloyan less recognizable. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 292)

As was also seen with another Klingon, Toral , this serves as an example of the phenomenon commonly referred to as Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome . Being portrayed by four different actors over an eight-year period, the presentation of Alexander appears to establish that Klingon youths mature more quickly than Humans do.

In his first appearance in the mid-Season 4 episode "Reunion", Alexander was described in the script as "a Klingon boy", specifically, "the boy should look about five Human years old." It should be noted that Alexander was conceived a year and a half prior, near the end of TNG Season 2 . The Alexander's future self (in "Firstborn") from recalled that he had been three at the time of his mother's death, alluding to the fact that one Earth year was roughly equal to about three Klingon years.

His later appearances, beginning in mid-Season 5 through Season 7 , he grew at a "normal" rate. His age was not specifically addressed in any of these episode's scripts, with exception to a note in the mid-Season 7 episode "Firstborn", which stated that his friend, Eric Burton , as "about Alexander's age"; Burton was previously established in the script for " Masks " as being twelve years old.

Alexander then served on the Rotarran (in DS9), appearing to be the size of a mid-teenager, despite actually being age eight. In fact, according to the script, he was described both a "whiskerless youth" and as a "tall, thin, beardless young Klingon […] on the cusp of manhood." Ronald D. Moore directly addressed the seeming age discrepancy while talking about "Sons and Daughters": " We're pegging Alexander as being roughly the equivalent of a thirteen to sixteen-year-old Human male, although his actual age is much younger. Hey, Klingons mature faster, okay? " ( AOL chat , 1997 )

From an alternate production standpoint, Steve Oster explain that " [t]he role demanded a lot of time on the set. And the amount of time you have with a minor is very restrictive. Add to that the fact that Klingon actors need to go through three hours of makeup in the morning, and suddenly you have very little time with your actor. So his age was important. Also, we kept in mind the fact that if the actor was too young, Worf would seem too harsh. He'd come off like an abusive father, rather than a father who wants the best for his son. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 490)

Production notes [ ]

Alexander was further referenced in the first draft script of the DS9 Season 4 episode " Body Parts ", where Worf remarked that, since he was sent back to Earth, " He is happier. I am happier, and there is much less noise. "

Apocrypha [ ]

The novel A Time for War, A Time for Peace established that, upon Worf's return to Starfleet, he nominates Alexander to succeed him as Federation ambassador to the Klingons. When Alexander asks why, Worf simply tells him that he once had a vision of Alexander's future (referencing "Firstborn") and Worf says Alexander's service to the galaxy will be one worthy of song. Alexander also appears in the two novels of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Left Hand of Destiny .

In Star Trek Online , set in 2409, players of the KDF faction encounter Alexander (under his "K'mtar" alias) on Rura Penthe , where he was imprisoned while attempting to discover a conspiracy against the House of Martok. With the player's aid, Alexander discovers that the House of Torg, whose members included the warden of Rura Penthe, were the masterminds of the conspiracy, aided by Romulan agents of the Tal Shiar . After Alexander and the player bring the evidence to the Klingon High Council, Chancellor J'mpok discommendates Torg and his entire House on the spot. When Torg attempts to kill Worf in revenge, Alexander sacrifices himself to save his father, thus preventing the fate that K'mtar had warned of in "Firstborn".

In Star Trek (IDW) , Alexander, frustrated with Worf's seeming ignorance of him, joins Kahless II's god-killing cult and pitting him against his father and other Starfleet members. Ultimately, Worf is able to rescue his son, but is left with a bitter frustration. His story continues in Sons of Star Trek as he, Jake Sisko and Nog are transported to an alternate universe by Q Junior to help put their problems in order.

External links [ ]

• Alexander Rozhenko at Wikipedia
• Alexander Rozhenko at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Alexander Rozhenko at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

• Fandom Sortings

Sorting “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Characters into Their Hogwarts Houses

by Laurie Beckoff · Published May 24, 2024 · Updated May 17, 2024

Star Trek: The Next Generation brought the sci-fi franchise into the 24th century with a whole new cast of characters aboard the USS Enterprise . While the original series only features three crew members in the opening credits, the following series has a more robust ensemble, where each character has a chance to shine and show their colors. And what colors are those? The Sorting Hat hitches a ride aboard the Enterprise -D to find out.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard – Ravenclaw

While Captain Picard is a brave and noble leader, he is an artistic soul at heart who always tries to appeal to reason. He is an accomplished diplomat, able to outwit his opponents and deliver powerful and convincing speeches that turn the tides of complex political situations. He enjoys archaeology, music, classic literature, and solving mysteries on the holodeck. Picard is a true Renaissance man.

Commander William Riker – Gryffindor

Riker is a maverick. His swaggering confidence, the way he swings one leg over the back of a chair, his popularity with the ladies, and his loyalty to his captain (but willingness to challenge him) all point to Gryffindor. Riker is always ready to lead an away team into possible danger and take command when needed. He loves a challenge, and his red uniform suits him as a Gryffindor.

Lieutenant Commander Data – Hufflepuff

It might be tempting to place Data in Ravenclaw due to his intellectual prowess, artistic interests, and curiosity. But Data was programmed to be highly intelligent, and Dumbledore says that “it is our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities” (CoS 333). Although Data claims to not experience emotion, his passion is learning about human nature and attaining a level of humanity for himself. He is fascinated by social interactions and seeks to understand love, humor, and grief. Duty is of the utmost importance to him, and he consistently proves himself to be a dependable officer and friend, his loyalty to his captain and crew only wavering when his moral compass directs him elsewhere.

Doctor Beverly Crusher – Gryffindor

Doctor Crusher is the Hippocratic Oath come to life. She will do anything to help anyone and fight anyone who stands in her way, including her own captain. When Bev sees suffering, she’s there with a medical tricorder in hand, a caring bedside manner, and a voice to advocate for her patients. She believes in doing what is right no matter the risk to herself, even in a war zone.

Counselor Deanna Troi – Hufflepuff

As both ship’s counselor and a half-Betazoid empath, Deanna is all about helping people work through their emotions. She literally feels for others. Like any good therapist and Hufflepuff, she is patient and accepting of the time people need to open up and heal. You can trust Deanna to take your feelings seriously, not judge, and keep your secrets.

Lieutenant Worf – Gryffindor

The entire Klingon ethos is Gryffindor: glory, honor, courage. Klingons do not flee in the face of danger but charge toward it. Worf is steadfast in his commitment to his captain, crew, and culture. When he is conflicted between Starfleet and Klingon expectations, he aims to find the most honorable path forward. He is willing to sacrifice his public reputation to maintain personal honor and do what is best for his homeworld, though he can also be stubborn and aggressive.

Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge – Ravenclaw

The chief engineer is the Enterprise ‘s ultimate problem-solver, always devising an ingenious solution to avert disaster in half the time it should take. When strange occurrences plague the ship, he is determined to find a scientific explanation. Geordi tends to befriend cybernetic lifeforms – namely the android Data and the Borg Hugh – because he has the open-mindedness to accept them and the patience and ability to explain humanity to them.

Wesley Crusher – Ravenclaw

Wesley is a prodigy – even compared to Mozart – and can understand scientific concepts far beyond his years, making him a valuable asset to the Enterprise at a young age. Often dismissed due to his youth and overeagerness, his hypotheses often turn out to be correct. In leaving Starfleet and becoming a Traveler, he recognizes the great potential of the universe beyond what most people imagine.

Guinan – Ravenclaw

The bartender of Ten Forward comes from a race of long-lived listeners. She is immensely wise and often able to help Enterprise crew members just by asking the right probing questions, challenging them to reexamine their preconceptions. Plus, she has great fashion sense.

Q – Slytherin

Q is a pure agent of chaos. He is the Peeves of the Enterprise , showing up to make mischief whenever he pleases. He has a superiority complex, seeing humanoids as puny compared to his omnipotence. They are merely his playthings, and he is their judge. Q will put the Enterprise through hell to make a point. In his mind, the ends justify the means. And the means are fun.

What do you think? Is this where the Sorting Hat would place the characters of The Next Generation ?

Laurie Beckoff

My Harry Potter journey began in 2000 when I was six and continued through a bachelor's thesis and master's dissertation on medievalism in the series. I'm a Gryffindor from New York City with a passion for theatre, fantasy, Arthurian legend, and science fiction.

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Johnson Space Center

The voyages of the Starship Enterprise came to a sudden and premature end on June 3, 1969, with the airing of the final episode of the Star Trek original television series. Ironically, the show’s cancellation came just six weeks before humanity embarked on its first voyage to land on another celestial body. Although the show ran for only three seasons, it generated a devoted fan base disappointed by the cancellation despite their write-in campaign to keep it on the air. But as things turned out, over the decades Star Trek evolved into a global phenomenon, first with the original episodes replayed in syndication, followed by a series of full-length motion pictures, and eventually a multitude of spin-off series. With its primary focus on space exploration, along with themes of diversity, inclusion, and innovation, the Star Trek fictional universe formed a natural association with NASA’s real life activities.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first had the idea for a science fiction television series in 1964. He presented his idea, a show set in the 23 rd century aboard a starship with a crew dedicated to exploring the galaxy, to Desilu Productions, an independent television production company headed by Lucille Ball. They produced a pilot titled “The Cage,” selling it to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) network that then bought a second pilot titled “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” NBC introduced the show to its fall 1966 lineup, with the first episode “The Man Trap” airing on Sep. 8. To put that date in perspective, NASA launched Gemini XI four days later, one of the missions that helped the agency achieve the Moon landing nearly three years later. Meanwhile, Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise continued its fictional five-year mission through the galaxy to “seek out new life and new civilizations.” The makeup of the Enterprise’s crew made the show particularly attractive to late 1960s television audiences. The major characters included an African American woman communications officer, an Asian American helmsman, and a half-human half-Vulcan science officer, later joined by a Russian-born ensign. While the show enjoyed good ratings during its first two seasons, cuts to its production budget resulted in lower quality episodes during its third season leading to lower ratings and, despite a concerted letter-writing campaign from its dedicated fans, eventual cancellation.

Despite the show’s cancellation, Star Trek lived on and prospered in syndication and attracted an ever-growing fan base, turning into a worldwide sensation. Often dubbed “trekkies,” these fans held the first of many Star Trek conventions in 1972. When in 1976 NASA announced that it would name its first space shuttle orbiter Constitution, in honor of its unveiling on the anniversary of the U. S. Constitution’s ratification, trekkies engaged in a dedicated letter writing campaign to have the orbiter named Enterprise, after the starship in the television series. This time the fans’ letter writing campaign succeeded. President Gerald R. Ford agreed with the trekkies and directed NASA to rechristen the first space shuttle. When on Sept. 17, 1976 , it rolled out of its manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California, appropriately accompanied by a band playing the show’s theme song, it bore the name Enterprise. Many of the original cast members of the show as well as its creator Rodenberry participated in the rollout ceremony, hosted by NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher . Thus began a lengthy relationship between the space agency and the Star Trek brand.

During the development of the space shuttle in the 1970s, the need arose to recruit a new group of astronauts to fly the vehicle, deploy the satellites, and perform the science experiments. When NASA released the call for the new astronaut selection on July 8, 1976, it specifically encouraged women and minorities to apply. To encourage those applicants, NASA chose Nichelle Nichols, who played communications officer Lt. Uhura on the Starship Enterprise, to record a recruiting video and speak to audiences nationwide. She came to NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston in March 1977, and accompanied by Apollo 12 and Skylab 3 astronaut Alan L. Bean , toured the center and filmed scenes for the video in Mission Control and other facilities. NASA hoped that her stature and popularity would encourage women and minorities to apply, and indeed they did. In January 1978, when NASA announced the selection of 35 new astronauts from more than 8,000 applicants, for the first time the astronaut class included women and minorities. All distinguished themselves as NASA astronauts and paved the way for others in subsequent astronaut selections. Nichols returned to JSC in September 2010 with the Traveling Space Museum, an organization that partners with schools to promote space studies. She toured Mission Control and the International Space Station trainer accompanied by NASA astronaut B. Alvin Drew . She also flew aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) airborne telescope aircraft managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, in September 2015.

Meanwhile, the Star Trek brand renewed itself in 1979 as a full-length motion picture with the original TV series cast members reprising their roles. Over the years, several sequels followed this first film. And on the small screen, a reboot of sorts occurred in 1987 with the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a new series set in the 24 th century aboard the Enterprise-D, a next generation starship with a new crew. That series lasted seven seasons, followed by a near-bewildering array of spin-off series, all built on the Star Trek brand, that continue to this day.

James Doohan, the actor who played Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, the Starship Enterprise’s chief engineer, had early associations with NASA. In April 1967, Doohan visited NASA’s Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center in California, spending time with NASA test pilot Bruce A. Peterson. A month later, Peterson barely survived a horrific crash of the experimental M2-F2 lifting body aircraft. He inspired the 1970s TV series The Six-Million Dollar Man, and the show’s opening credits include film of the crash. Doohan narrated a documentary film about the space shuttle released shortly before Columbia made its first flight in April 1981. In January 1991, Doohan visited JSC and with NASA astronaut Mario Runco (who sometimes went by the nickname “Spock”) toured the shuttle trainers, Mission Control, and tried his hand at operating the shuttle’s robotic arm in the Manipulator Development Facility. In a unique tribute, astronaut Neil A. Armstrong , the first person to step on the lunar surface , spoke at Doohan’s retirement in 2004, addressing him as “one old engineer to another.”

George Takei, who played Enterprise helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu, and his husband Brad, visited JSC in May 2012. Invited by both Asian American and LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Groups, Takei spoke of leadership and inclusiveness, including overcoming challenges while in Japanese American internment camps during World War II and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He noted that Star Trek remained ahead of its time in creating a future when all members of society could equally participate in great undertakings, at a time when the country struggled through the Civil Rights movement and the conflict in Southeast Asia. The inclusiveness that is part of NASA’s culture greatly inspired him. JSC Director Michael L. Coats presented Takei with a plaque including a U.S. flag flown aboard space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-135 mission. He also visited Mission Control and spent some time with Robonaut.

Leonard Nimoy played the science officer aboard the Starship Enterprise, the half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. The actor watched in September 2012 when space shuttle Enterprise arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, on the last leg of its journey to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, where it currently resides. “This is a reunion for me,” observed Nimoy. “Thirty-five years ago, I met the Enterprise for the first time.” As noted earlier, the Star Trek cast attended the first space shuttle’s rollout in 1976. Following his death in 2015, European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti paid tribute to Nimoy aboard the International Space Station by wearing a Star Trek science officer uniform, giving the Vulcan greeting, and proclaiming, “Of all the souls I have encountered … his was the most human.”

Captain James T. Kirk, played by actor William Shatner, a life-long advocate of science and space exploration, served at the helm of the Starship Enterprise. His relationship with NASA began during the original series, with references to the space agency incorporated into several story lines. In 2011, Shatner hosted and narrated a NASA documentary celebrating the 30 th anniversary of the Space Shuttle program , and gave his time and voice to other NASA documentaries. NASA recognized Shatner’s contributions in 2014 with a Distinguished Public Service Medal , the highest award NASA bestows on non-government individuals. NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Communications Robert “Bob” N. Jacobs presented the medal to Shatner. The award’s citation read, “For outstanding generosity and dedication to inspiring new generations of explorers around the world, and for unwavering support for NASA and its missions of discovery.” In 2019, Shatner narrated the NASA video We Are Going , about NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon. He has spoken at numerous NASA-themed events and moderated panels about NASA’s future plans. On Oct. 13, 2021, at the age of 90, Shatner reached the edge of space during the NS-18 suborbital flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle, experiencing three minutes of weightlessness.

Elements of the Star Trek universe have made their way not only into popular culture but also into NASA culture. As noted above, Star Trek fans had a hand in naming the first space shuttle Enterprise. NASA’s Earth observation facility aboard the space station that makes use of its optical quality window bears the name the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF). The connection between that acronym and the name of a Klingon officer aboard the Enterprise in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series seemed like an opportunity not to be missed – the facility’s official patch bears its name in English and in Klingon. Several astronaut crews have embraced Star Trek themes for their unofficial photographs. The STS-54 crew dressed in the uniforms of Starship Enterprise officers from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, the second full-length feature motion picture of the series. Space shuttle and space station crews created Space Flight Awareness (SFA) posters for their missions, and more than one embraced Star Trek themes. The Expedition 21 crew dressed in uniforms from the original series, while the STS-134 crew chose as their motif the 2009 reboot motion picture Star Trek.

As much as Star Trek has influenced NASA, in turn the agency has left its mark on the franchise, from episodes referencing actual and future spaceflight events to NASA astronauts making cameo appearances on the show. The first-season episode “Court Martial” that aired in February 1967 featured a photograph of the December 1965 Gemini VI launch adorning a wall aboard a star base. In the second-season episode “Return to Tomorrow,” airing in February 1968, Captain Kirk in a dialogue about risk-taking remarks, “Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn’t reached the Moon?” a prescient reference to the first Apollo mission to reach the Moon more than 10 months after the episode aired. Astronaut Mae C. Jemison , who credits Nichelle Nichols as her inspiration to become an astronaut, appeared in the 1993 episode “Second Chances” of Star Trek: The Next Generation , eight months after her actual spaceflight aboard space shuttle Endeavour. In May 2005, two other NASA astronauts, Terry W. Virts and E. Michael Fincke , appeared in “These are the Voyages…,” the final episode of the series Star Trek: Enterprise.

In the 2016 documentary “ NASA on the Edge of Forever: Science in Space ,” host NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover states, “Science and Star Trek go hand-in-hand.” The film explores how for 50 years, Star Trek influenced scientists, engineers, and even astronauts to reach beyond their potential. While the space station doesn’t speed through the galaxy like the Starship Enterprise, much of the research conducted aboard the orbiting facility can make the fiction of Star Trek come a little closer to reality. Several of the cast members from the original TV series share their viewpoints in the documentary, along with those of NASA managers and scientists. Over the years, NASA has created several videos highlighting the relationship between the agency and the Star Trek franchise. In 2016, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden led a video tribute to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the first Star Trek episode.

In 2021, on the 100 th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s birth, his son Rod hosted a virtual panel discussion , introduced by NASA Administrator C. William “Bill” Nelson , about diversity and inspiration, two ideals the Star Trek creator infused into the series. Panelists included Star Trek actor Takei, Tracy D. Drain, flight systems engineer for the Europa Clipper spacecraft at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim , Swati Mohan, guidance and operations lead for the Mars 2020 rover at JPL, and Hortense B. Diggs, Director of the Office of Communication and Public Engagement at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mutual attraction between NASA and Star Trek stems from, to paraphrase the opening voiceover from the TV series, that both seek to explore and discover new worlds, and to boldly go where no one has gone before. The diversity, inclusion, and inspiration involved in these endeavors ensure that they will live long and prosper.

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Star trek is finally ready to embrace the real final frontier (not space).

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Seven of Nine Just Delivered Star Trek's Sickest Burn

Why it took star trek almost 24 years to visit the klingon home world, star trek confirms the harsh reality of seven of nine's life after starfleet.

• Star Trek introduces a horrifying new universe with exciting implications for the franchise as a whole.
• The multiverse concept plays a significant role in Star Trek , with alternate timelines and realities explored.
• Future Star Trek shows should embrace the multiverse concept to tell strong stories and expand the franchise.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Defiant #14!

Star Trek ’s famous opening sequence calls space “the final frontier,” but there are frontiers in the franchise that stretch beyond the galaxy and even the entire universe. Star Trek has utilized the multiverse concept since its earliest days, leaning into it even more in recent years. In Star Trek: Defiant #14, a new (and horrifying) universe is revealed, although it has exciting implications for the franchise as a whole.

Star Trek: Defiant #14 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. Worf and the Defiant’s crew are facing a potential invasion from the “Conspiracy” parasites. Spock attempts a mind meld to learn more, but he is taken over and leaves Worf. Spock makes his way to the Starbase’s power center, cryptically mentioning “the door” opening. As the issue unfolds, it is revealed that the parasites are not from the same universe as Worf and Spock.

Instead, they are from a reality where they are the dominant life form.

The "Conspiracy" Aliens Are Only the Tip of the Star Trek Multiverse

In addition to multiple universes, star trek has many alternate timelines.

Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first season episode “Conspiracy,” the parasites wormed their way into Starfleet’s upper echelon. Picard and the crew of the Enterprise are able to stop them, but the episode ends on an ominous note: the parasites sent a signal to…somewhere. The episode never received a follow-up, and became one of the franchise’s biggest dangling plot lines. Previous issues of Star Trek: Defiant hinted the parasites originated from outside the universe, and this issue seems to confirm that. It adds an even darker layer to the parasites, making them even more alien.

This revelation also serves as a reminder that a multiverse exists in the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek has, on many occasions, played with the concept of alternate timelines. Episodes such as “City on the Edge of Forever,” “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” and “Year of Hell” took this particular concept and spun gold out of it. The entire Kelvin series is also alternate timelines. Star Trek has sometimes used the terms “universe” and “timeline” interchangeably. Some refer to JJ Abram’s films as either “the Kelvin Universe” or “the Kelvin Timeline.”

What distinguishes the two is that, with a few exceptions, the Kelvin Timeline unfolded in much the same way as the Prime did, in terms of personality and career choices. Shortly after the first Abrams’ Star Trek film in 2009, IDW launched a series that reinterpreted classic episodes using the Kelvin crew, meaning that events unfolded in both universes in similar fashions. However, Star Trek has also shown realities where everything is completely different, such as the popular Mirror Universe.

Star Trek's Mirror Universe is A Pop Culture Touchstone

Star trek's mirror universe has been featured in the comics as well.

Introduced in the episode “Mirror, Mirror,” airing during Star Trek’s second season, the Mirror Universe has become one of the most endearing in the franchise, and Spock, with his menacing goatee, has become the stuff of pop culture legends.

Introduced in the episode “Mirror, Mirror,” airing during Star Trek’s second season, the Mirror Universe has become one of the most endearing in the franchise, and Spock, with his menacing goatee, has become the stuff of pop culture legends. In the episode, an ion storm sends Kirk, Uhura, Scotty and McCoy to the Mirror Universe. They are horrified by what they found: the Enterprise was not a ship of peace and exploration, but an instrument of evil used by a fascist empire. The episode ends with Kirk placing the seeds of revolt in Mirror Spock’s brain.

The Mirror Universe returned during DC Comics’ Star Trek comic. In The Mirror Universe Saga, running through Star Trek #9-16 and written by Mike W. Barr and drawn by Tom Sutton, the Federation faces an invasion from the Terran Empire. Spock did not go onto implement reforms, and instead doubled down on his fascist ways. Thanks to Kirk and the recently revived Prime Spock, the Federation was able to defeat the Terran Empire, and the story ends with Mirror Spock finally joining the side of good.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Flipped the Script on the Mirror Universe

Idw's star trek comics gave fans mirror jean-luc picard.

While this would seem to bring the story of the Mirror Universe to a close, the concept proved too good to let go, and it returned during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s second season. In the episode “Crossover,” it was revealed Spock’s reforms worked—all too well. It left the Empire in a weakened state, and it was quickly overrun by the Cardassians and the Klingons. It would go on to appear in two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise and was a major part of Discovery’s first three seasons and will play a role in the forthcoming Section 31 movie.

The Mirror Universe was still not finished, however, and the comics once again picked up the story. In 2017’s Star Trek: The Next Generation: Mirror Broken, the Terran Empire still exists in the 24th century, albeit in a dilapidated and broken state. Now confined largely to Earth’s solar system, Captain Picard of the ISS Stargazer learns of a new and powerful weapon the Empire is building, one that may be able to restore its former glory. Picard, desperate to make a name for himself, steals the weapon, revealed to be the Galaxy-class Enterprise .

The Star Trek Multiverse Is a Scary Place

Between the "conspiracy" aliens and the mirror universe, it is a truly dangerous frontier.

Most heart-breaking of all was Barclay, who, in the Mirror Universe, was a scheming and cold-hearted man, seeking revenge on those who wronged his family.

IDW released several additional Star Trek: The Next Generation comics set in the Mirror Universe, and they painted a befittingly bleak picture. Deanna Troi, the ship’s empathic counselor, was reframed as the Inquisitor. Standing by Picard’s side, Inquisitor Troi scans everyone, ferreting out the loyal and the dissidents with ruthless efficiency. Most heart-breaking of all was Barclay , who, in the Mirror Universe, was a scheming and cold-hearted man, seeking revenge on those who wronged his family. The Terran Empire was no longer as mighty as it once was, but was still terrifying and disturbing.

The revelation that the “Conspiracy” parasites come from another world in the multiverse might seem to make the concept a terrifying one in the Star Trek mythos. Between the evil Mirror Universe and the utterly alien and disgusting parasites, it would seem the multiverse is full of unsavory characters, and the Federation would be best advised to abandon any research in this area. Yet this need not be the case, and indeed, it could open up new vistas in the Star Trek universe to explore. The franchise is built upon the concept of exploration, making this a logical next step.

Future Star Trek Shows Need to Lean More into the Multiverse Concept

The multiverse is a potentially infinite frontier.

The “Conspiracy” parasites emanating from another universe shows the strength of the multiverse concept as it pertains to the Star Trek franchise. The Mirror Universe has been a key component of the mythos for over 50 years. The “Conspiracy” aliens have been a part of the Star Trek universe for over 30 years, and making this established race part of the larger multiverse shows love for the concept. Future Star Trek media can use the multiverse as a springboard to tell some of the franchise’s strongest stories.

Star Trek: Defiant #14 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!