How Michael Dorn cast Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

When Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987, it offered Trekkies a new character who went against everything they knew. In the original Star Trek, the dastardly Klingons were often offered as aggressive antagonists, usually appearing as the sworn enemy of the Federation. In The Next Generation, a Klingon — Worf, played by Michael Dorn — was part of the senior staff of the USS Enterprise-D. In the second season of the series, Worf even became the head of the ship’s security. The whole Klingon animosity, the Treks should have realized, was old-fashioned and even ill-advised. Peace was declared and the Klingons were now allies.

Of course, Worf was not the most sunny and peaceful character. He was often quick to suggest violent actions to his captain and often viewed all alien visitors with suspicion. Of course, as head of security, that was his job. Sometimes he got angry. Worf was also, for lack of a better term, a huge nerd. He was raised on Earth, specifically in Russia, by human parents and had to learn about his Klingon heritage from books and study. So he became a nerd for his unabashed pride, determined to have as little fun as possible. Even compared to other Klingons, Worf was silent and unflappable.

The character was so popular that he was eventually carried over to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, giving Worf four additional seasons to the seven he already had on The Next Generation. Michael Dorn has appeared in more Star Trek episodes than any other actor.

Dorn was certainly excited about the job and followed the role wherever it led. Even in the early days of Next Generation, he knew he was there simply to play Worf to the best of his ability. He was not at all concerned with his hero’s likability or personal history. U 2012 StarTrek.com interviewDorn admitted that he was only there to do a job and do it well. That was all.

Dorn was pragmatic when it came to his work on Worf. When Dorn was asked if he was concerned that playing in a large ensemble might dilute his character, Dorn said that it didn’t bother him. After all, Dorn admitted that he wasn’t a writer on the show, and all of Worf’s life choices would be out of his hands. He didn’t even do stunts. “I basically took it day by day,” he said. “The main thing for me was to play the part as well and as well as possible. I just didn’t think about the future that way.”

Two things: doing the part right and doing the job well. A healthy perspective for any job, really.

Dorn recalls that some of his colleagues did not share his views. Some of them, he said, wanted to play characters that the public would perceive as friendly. The idea was that if an actor played a friendly character, the writer would want to write more scenes for him. This was especially true in the early years of the show, when, Dorn recalled, everyone was still finding their footing. However, Dorne wasn’t worried about Worf’s future. He said:

“Everyone was running around. They were doing their jobs, but you could tell they were trying to build their future, mostly. You want to be friends with Date. You want to be friends with Geordie. You want to be friends with Picard. You want to get close to all these people because they feel that writers write about relationships, and if you have a relationship, they will write more about relationships for you. Personally, I just said, “Who cares?” I’m going to be this weird, angry, angry guy.’

Dorne’s dedication to being mean and furious seems to have paid off in the end.

Dorne, just by reading his lines and doing a good job, allowed Worf to develop as a character. Dorne brought his boisterous temperament to Worf, as well as his nerdy devotion to honor, and the writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation latched onto what he had in store. Dorn was happy to accept the Worf stories handed to him, knowing that the writers probably knew what to do with Worf in the long run. Dorn said:

“Thankfully, the writers picked up on it. All that they wrote about Worf being an orphan and being raised by Russian parents, it’s all the writers. I didn’t do anything about it. I just gave them a character, that’s all.”

Of course, that didn’t stop Dorne from running off with Worf. After Deep Space Nine came to an end in 1999, Dorn felt that Worf could easily continue his streak. By the end of his time on DS9, Worf had become a Federation ambassador to the Klingon homeworld, Qo’noS. Dorn wrote the entire pilot for the Worf series about how Qo’noS had to be rebuilt after the war and how the Klingons had to reluctantly accept the Federation as a huge galactic power.

This series was never realized, but Worf eventually returned. In the third season of Star Trek: Picard in 2023, Dorn played a grizzled Worf, who now works as an undercover agent for Starfleet rooting out non-Federation criminals. Star Trek can’t seem to do without Worf for long.