Technically, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) was the son of Mogh, but he was raised on Earth by Russian parents. Worf was one of TNG's original cast members, and he served for several years as the Chief of Security on the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Because Worf was raised by human parents and was the only Klingon in Starfleet, he felt disconnected from his Klingon heritage and sought out ways to honor his Klingon roots.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 2, "Family," Worf's adoptive parents, Sergey (Theodore Bikel) and Helena Rozhenko (Georgia Brown), visited him aboard the Enterprise following his discommendation from the Klingon Empire. Somewhat ironically, Worf eventually came to embody the Klingon ideal of honor better than many Klingons who had been raised among their own kind. After TNG came to an end, Worf transferred to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where he truly came into his own as a character. While almost all of Worf's TNG stories focused on his relationship with the Klingon Empire, DS9 revealed more about Worf as an individual.
Worf Was Raised By Russian Parents Before Star Trek: TNG
Worf Had A Strong Relationship With His Adoptive Human Parents
Worf was born on the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS and his father Mogh was part of the Klingon Empire's Great Houses. When Worf was five years old, Mogh moved his family to the Klingon colony at Khitomer. Thanks to information from the traitorous House of Duras, Romulan forces were able to bypass Khitomer's defenses and attack the colony. Worf's Klingon parents were killed in the attack, and Chief Petty Officer Sergey Rozhenko of the USS Intrepid found a young Worf and his nursemaid buried in the rubble.
Sergey and his wife Helena then raised Worf alongside their own son, Nikolai (Paul Sorvino). Worf grew up as the only Klingon in a small farming colony, which led to some conflicts between him and the other children. At some point, the Rozhenko family moved to Earth, likely settling in or near Russia, as Worf mentions camping in the Ural Mountains. When Sergey and Helena visit Worf on the Enterprise, he is initially embarrassed by their concern for him, but he comes to appreciate their genuine love and support.
Why Worf’s Son Alexander Has A Russian Last Name (But Worf Doesn’t)
Worf Was Always The Son Of Mogh, But Alexander Took The Rozhenko Name
Worf wanted to be as Klingon as possible, so he embraced his Klingon identity as the son of Mogh. Worf's son, Alexander (Brian Bonsall), on the other hand, was more connected to the human way of life. A few years after a visit from his former flame, K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson), Worf learned that he had a son. Half human and half Klingon, K'Ehleyr did not place the same importance on Klingon culture as Worf. When she began raising Alexander, she did not show him the Klingon way of living, which angered Worf.
After K'Ehleyr's death, Worf took custody of his young son but soon sent him to live on Earth with Sergey and Helena. It was likely during this time that Alexander took on the name Rozhenko. After about a year of taking care of Alexander, Helena returned with him to the Enterprise, saying that the young boy needed his father. Helena pointed out that she and her husband were too old and not properly equipped to raise a high-spirited young Klingon. Worf had his fair share of struggles raising Alexander aboard the Enterprise and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) regularly stepped in to help.
Worf’s Brother Kurn Was Raised By Klingons, Not Russians
Kurn Was Raised On Qo'noS By A Klingon Family
In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 17, "Sins of the Father," Worf's biological Klingon brother Kurn (Tony Todd) paid a visit to the Starship Enterprise. Kurn was an infant when his parents were killed at Khitomer, and he had been left on Qo'noS in the care of a family friend named Lorgh. Lorgh then accepted Kurn as his own son, and Kurn did not learn of his true parentage until he reached the Age of Ascension. By the time of TNG's third season, Kurn had risen to the rank of commander in the Klingon Defense Forces.
The late Tony Todd not only played Worf's brother, Kurn, but he also played an older Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4's classic episode, "The Visitor."
As part of Starfleet's Officer Exchange Program, Kurn visited the Enterprise to inform Worf that their father Mogh had been accused of betraying the Klingons at Khitomer. With the support of Captain Picard, Worf traveled to Qo'noS to defend his father's name and ultimately accepted discommendation to avoid a Klingon civil war. To avoid facing the same dishonor, Kurn continued posing as the son of Lorgh until after honor was restored to the Mogh family. Worf and Kurn did not always see eye to eye throughout their Star Trek journey, but they both believed in Klingon honor and represented their people well.
