Star Trek‘s Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) could appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – with a twist – thanks to a franchise loophole. There’s a century between the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) in SNW and those of Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the problem has been dealt with before. While making Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Nicholas Meyer decided to put TNG‘s Worf into the movie. When he was reminded that Undiscovered Country was set in the 23rd century, the character was changed to be Worf’s grandfather, Colonel Worf, who was a defense attorney for Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley).
Although it was little more than a cameo, Michael Dorn loved meeting the Star Trek: TOS cast in their final movie together. Dorn also shared a scene with his future Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-star, Rene Auberjonois, who played the villainous Colonel West. Casting the TNG and DS9 actors in Star Trek 6 was a great way to pass the torch from one generation to the next. With Michael Dorn now one of the forebears of 2020s Star Trek, there’s a neat way that he could jump back in time and connect the TNG era with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
RELATED: Worf Actor Remembers “Spectacular” Star Trek Movie With Original Series Cast
Star Trek’s Weird Loophole For Worf To Appear In Strange New Worlds
Nicholas Meyer’s Colonel Worf character is the ideal way for Michael Dorn to appear in a future episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The only issue would be that Michael Dorn is a few decades older than he was in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, while Colonel Worf would be a few decades younger in SNW. In the age of digital de-aging technology, it’s not an insurmountable challenge for Michael Dorn to reprise the role of Colonel Worf. The only issue would be whether the Strange New Worlds budget stretches to de-aging Dorn, and whether it would be deemed worthwhile.
It’s also possible that Colonel Worf could be recast with a younger actor, like the other Star Trek: TOS characters in Strange New Worlds. Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) is becoming an expert in Klingon culture and diplomacy, so perhaps Spock could cross paths with a younger version of Worf’s grandfather. Forming a connection between Spock and Colonel Worf in Strange New Worlds could also shed new light on why Worf’s grandfather was specifically chosen to represent Kirk and McCoy. If he’s an old friend of Spock, then he could have accepted the role as a favor to the Vulcan.
Other Ways For Worf To Appear In Strange New Worlds
Time travel could bring Worf to Star Trek‘s 23rd century, or vice versa. After all, the Klingon is already well-versed in 23rd century history after visiting the era of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Now that Star Trek: Picard has revealed that he’s working as a freelancer for Starfleet Intelligence, he could be tasked with a dangerous time travel mission that puts him in the path of Pike’s Enterprise. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 revealed that the scars of the Federation-Klingon War are yet to heal, and throwing the first Klingon in Starfleet back to that time could make for a fascinating story.
Pairing Worf up with Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), the so-called “Butcher of J’Gal” could help the Starfleet medic to reconcile his anti-Klingon prejudice. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 revealed that there are plenty of people who wish to restart the Federation-Klingon War. Against that backdrop, a malevolent time traveler could go back to the 23rd century intent on using advanced technology to trigger another war. Sending Worf back in time would stop the plot to change history, and prove to officers like M’Benga that a peaceful future with the Klingons is worth fighting for.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
A spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a television series that takes place before the events of the original series and follows Captain Christopher Pike as he mans the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The show focuses on this previous crew of the Enterprise as they explore the galaxy with returning characters from Discovery.
