Michael Dorn addresses Worf’s future after bringing the character back in Star Trek: Picard season 3. The first Klingon warrior to join Starfleet, Worf formed a key part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV and movie cast, also becoming one of the few TNG characters to cross over to the spinoff show Deep Space Nine. It was therefore no surprise to see Worf back in the fold for Star Trek: Picard, as the Paramount+ series mounted a full-on TNG reunion. Picard season 4 has not yet been confirmed.
It’s yet to be seen whether TNG’s noble Klingon will make another appearance in the Star Trek universe, but Worf actor Dorn is leaving the door wide open for that to happen. Dorn spoke to Star Trek Explorer about Picard season 3’s poker game wrap-up scene (an homage to TNG’s classic finale “All Good Things…”), and whether viewers will see Worf in action again (via TrekMovie):
“When we did the first one on The Next Generation, that card game, you knew that we were saying goodbye to these guys in this genre. We went straight from shooting The Next Generation finale to shooting the first movie. We got that. I never thought that this was going to be a goodbye. I didn’t think so, but the thing was, they just let the camera roll. We were out of character a lot and being ourselves. The one thing I tell everybody is that you never say never in Star Trek. You just never say never. It’s one of those things where it’s going to be around at some point.”
Dorn emphasized that he will “never say never” with Trek, but also cautioned that getting a new project together is never easy:
“Again, I would never say never, I would never say, ‘Oh, this is it’ at all. But, many things have to happen for Worf to come back. It takes twenty things falling into place, and ,in this business, you just don’t have that sort of a system anymore, where there’s that one creative guy who goes, ‘You know what? We need this. Make it happen,’ or ‘Oh, that’s not a bad idea. Let me hear it.’ It’s a different world, and I don’t know what it means anymore. And I actually am slowly but surely retiring.”
What This Means For Worf’s Star Trek Future
Worf Continued To Evolve In Picard Season 3
Worf’s presence on the Enterprise bridge in TNG afforded writers the opportunity to explore the Klingon race and its mysterious, honor-based culture, while setting up loads of comic relief moments as the stoical Klingon reacted with bemusement to human behavior. In Picard, Worf had become an operative for Starfleet Intelligence, and had surprisingly set aside his violent Klingon ways to embrace pacifism. Worf was still alive at the end of Picard season 3, and still friends with his old Enterprise crewmates.
At one time there were rumors of a possible Worf spinoff (rumors mostly stoked by Dorn himself), but a show centered on the character would likely be a non-starter in the current climate.
Going by his new remarks, it seems that if Star Trek comes calling again, Dorn will answer. At the same time, Dorn sounds less-than-optimistic about a new, interesting Trek project coming along. He laments the changes in Hollywood, where singular creative voices now struggle to be heard. It sounds as though Dorn is ready to hang it up, but again, he leaves the door open on playing Worf one more time. Rumors have circulated of a Picard sequel show titled Star Trek: Legacy, but there has been no solid news about such a project.
Our Take On Whether Worf Will (Or Should) Return
Worf Spinoffs Have Been Rumored In The Past
There will always be a place in the Star Trek universe for Worf, a beloved character who has provided a lot of memorable moments over the decades. Dorn’s performance as Worf has remained locked in over all those years, a truly admirable acting feat, and Dorn himself seems to never lose enthusiasm for donning his Klingon makeup and exploring his signature character.
Worf has indeed been explored a lot across multiple Star Trek shows and movies, and it can be argued that the character’s possibilities have all been exhausted. At one time there were rumors of a possible Worf spinoff (rumors mostly stoked by Dorn himself), but a show centered on the character would likely be a non-starter in the current climate. Star Trek: Picard season 4 is not happening yet, but if it does come to pass, Worf would be a welcome addition to the cast of characters.
