Star Trek’s Best Character May Have Just Delivered The Greatest Self-Intro Of All Time
Worf introduced himself on Paramount+'s Picard with the greatest monologue and one of the best moments in Star Trek history.
While Star Trek: Picard might not be the best-received Star Trek series, many fans love it for nostalgia, bringing back Patrick Stewart as the much beloved Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Those nostalgia-hungry fans were pleased to see another much-beloved character, the Klingon Worf played by Michael Dorn, appearing in the third and final season of Picard. Even better, the character’s reintroduction hits all the right notes.
Take a look…
If you’re a Star Trek fan, but don’t know about Worf, then you’re not actually a Star Trek fan, and you should immediately turn in your nerd card. Those who know about Worf will recognize him as the proud, headstrong officer who is often the first to resort to violence but is constantly forced to go against his aggressive nature thanks to Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s more diplomatic themes and plotlines.
The sudden, hilarious shift from Worf’s boasting about his lineage to his offering of chamomile tea without missing a beat is a perfect way to reintroduce the character to new viewers and longtime fans alike.
Tea had a recurring presence in Star Trek: The Next Generation, with Captain Jean Luc Picard frequently asking the replicator to produce “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot.” Worf, as you might guess, is no stranger to tea himself, though his appreciation of it can be a bit more… straightforward than you’d commonly expect. Below is an example…
It’s not just the humorous transition to offering tea that makes the scene so satisfying, however — it also gives insight into Worf’s depth by providing a brief summary of his history. It hints at his Klingon parentage (son of Mogh House of Martok) and his human upbringing (son of Sergey house of Rozhenko). The passion and confidence behind Worf reciting his lineage stands out due to his upbringing, long a source of internal conflict since he was raised mostly among humans.
Throughout The Next Generation, Worf is forced to prove that he’s a “real” Klingon to the traditional warrior race. Complicating his relationship is the meddling of the House of Duras, which framed Worf’s father as a traitor to the Empire and dishonored his entire family. The Season 4 finale of The Next Generation, “Redemption,” was a turning point for the Security Officer, and his actions in that episode still reverberate through his grand introduction in Picard.
He mentions his conflict with the Klingon Duras family, once shameful as now an honorific, “Bane of the Duras Family.” Worf killed Duras, son of Ja’rod, for murdering his mate K’Ehlyer, in honorable combat. At the time, it was a sacrifice for Worf, giving up a chance to expose Duras’ actions against his father to avenge his love.
That honorable killing set the stage for Gowron to ascend to Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. As he boldly declared, Worf ultimately killed Gowron, again in honorable combat, after accusing him of “leading without honor.” Relive Worf’s epic battle with Gowron below…
In killing Gowron, the Starfleet Officer saves Martok and countless other Klingons from a suicide run, adding to his amazing legacy and yet another bonafide he should shout whenever he enters a room.
Worf’s character was so popular with fans that he was not confined to just Star Trek: The Next Generation and the series’ four films (including the incredible First Contact). He also became a regularly-occurring character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, first appearing in season four and then staying for 102 episodes until the series’ second-to-last episode. Michael Dorn also lent his voice to Worf for three separate episodes of Family Guy.
Worf is far from the only nostalgic callback that Picard has treated fans to. Jeri Ryan has returned to her role as the liberated borg drone Seven of Nine, John de Lancie has a recurring appearance as the nigh-omnipotent extra-dimensional being Q, and Gates McFadden has once again reprised her role as Dr. Beverly Crusher. Wil Wheaton even briefly appeared as fans’ least favorite The Next Generation character, Wesley Crusher.
So far, only three episodes of Picard have been released, with Worf playing a pivotal role in episodes 2 and 3. Given that the previous two seasons were ten episodes long, there’s a good chance we’ll see Worf continue appearing in most of the remaining seven episodes.
While Star Trek: Picard might be ending this season, there are plenty of other ongoing Star Trek projects for fans to look forward to. Star Trek: Discovery‘s fifth and final season is set to be released in 2024, and the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks has its fourth season in production. Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also have new seasons under production, both of which are scheduled to be released this year.
