Michael Dorn’s Captain Worf Series Gains Support From Another Star Trek Actor
We deserve more Worf!
This article is more than 2 years old
For years, Star Trek actor Michael Dorn has pushed for a Worf solo series centered on his fan favorite Klingon character. While it has sometimes seemed like a pipe dream, there may finally be some momentum building. Fellow Star Trek alumnus Colm Meaney (who played Chief Miles O’Brien in both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine) recently spoke up on his support for a show and that he would be up for returning. A third Enterprise crew member, Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Counselor Deanna Troi) also gave an interview a few years ago in which she stated she would like to see a Star Trek: Worf and noting that there has never been a Star Trek property centered around the warrior race of Klingons.
If there ever was a time for a Worf series, this would be the time. We are currently in a boom time for Star Trek properties, with four different shows currently airing. Count ‘em: Discovery (a prequel to The Original Series), Lower Decks (an animated series focused on the non-bridge members of the crew), Picard (following Patrick Stewart’s character’s further adventures in time and space) and Prodigy (another animated series centered on younger characters on an abandoned ship). This makes it the most number of Star Trek shows ever concurrently on air at the same time (well, and streaming), and there is currently another prequel series in production. That show, Strange New Worlds, will focus on the original crew of the USS Enterprise, led by Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Oh, and it was just announced that the Chris Pine reboot series of Star Trek series of movies is finally getting a fourth installment.
First appearing in the premiere episode of The Next Generation, Michael Dorn’s Worf swiftly became a fan favorite. His character was an intentional inversion of the portrayal of Klingons in The Original Series, much as Patrick Stewart’s cerebral, reserved Captain Jean-Luc Picard was intended to contrast the macho swagger of Captain James Kirk (William Shatner). Departing from the characterization of Klingons as arrogant, deceitful enemies of civilization, Dorn’s characterization of Worf portrayed them as a martial, honorable species heavily inspired by the ancient Japanese samurai tradition. Over time, the character was used to delve into the history and psychology of Star Trek’s longest running alien species. Dorn currently has appeared in more episodes of Star Trek than any other actor, even without a potential Worf series.
Michael Dorn has spent years campaigning for a Worf series, and honestly, he deserves it at this point. If we are going to have an entire new show based around a tertiary character like Christopher Pike, whose biggest pop culture impact is inspiring this Futurama gag, we can have a show based around one of the single greatest and most complex characters the franchise has ever created. Not to mention, Dorn has already put in so many hours in a makeup chair for Star Trek, he should get a show just for that. Come on, Paramount. It’s your move.
