Summary

• Lieutenant Worf's character development on Star Trek: The Next Generation was made possible by the departure of another main character, Tasha Yar.
• Worf's role expanded after Tasha Yar's death, allowing for more stories and episodes centered around the Klingon character.
• Worf's popularity grew as he appeared in more Star Trek episodes than any other character, eventually leading to his inclusion in multiple series and further exploration of his internal struggle between Klingon and Starfleet identities.

Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) got the chance to grow into Star Trek's greatest Klingon after the tragic death of another main character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enteprise-D, TNG picked up about a century after Star Trek: The Original Series. While the Klingons had been the main antagonists for Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Starship Enterprise, the Klingon/Federation conflict had ended by the time of TNG. Although there was some lingering tension between the two species, they eventually became allies against even greater foes.

For most of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, Worf had little to do beyond standing in the background and dropping quippy one-liners. With Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) as Chief of Security, Worf's position on the Enterprise-D was originally not defined. Due to his Klingon strength, Worf was often used to show how powerful a potential enemy was. If they could take out Worf, then who could stand against them? Going just by TNG season 1, it would have been difficult to predict how far Worf would come. It was not until Tasha Yar was killed in TNG season 1, episode 23, "Skin of Evil," that Worf began to develop and grow as a character.

TNG Killing Off Tasha Yar Gave Worf The Chance To Become Star Trek's Greatest Klingon

Worf was given more of the spotlight and TNG made the most of the Klingon.

Lt. Tasha Yar was one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's main characters, but she rarely had much to do in TNG's first season, which eventually led to Denise Crosby leaving the show. While it would have been nice to see more of Yar, her departure allowed for more stories to be told about the other characters, especially Worf. As TNG went on, it began producing more episodes that focused on individual characters. One week would be a Data (Brent Spiner) episode, and the next would focus more on Worf, for example. With one fewer character in the mix, Worf became a more central figure.

Star Trek: The Next Generation used Worf to expand the mythology and culture of the Klingons, which continued when Worf ed Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

After Tasha Yar's death, Lt. Worf took on the now-vacant Chief of Security position, a post he would hold for the rest of TNG. This allowed the Klingon to participate more in away missions and storylines throughout the show. In season 1, TNG was still finding its footing, and it was not until season 2 and beyond that the crew of the Enterprise solidified and came into its own. After Worf became Security Chief and Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) became the Chief Engineer, the pieces for the perfect TNG crew began falling into place.

Star Trek Is Unimaginable Without Worf Today

Worf holds the record for appearing in more Star Trek episodes than any other character.

Worf has become one of Star Trek's most popular and prolific characters. After the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf ed the main cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, becoming one of the only Trek characters to star in two different shows. On DS9, Worf gains more depth, finds and marries his true love Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), and truly comes into his own. In both shows, Worf often struggles to reconcile his Klingon roots and traditions with his Starfleet duties, and DS9 dives even deeper into this struggle.

After transferring to DS9, Lt. Commander Worf switches from the security track to the command track and takes on the role of Strategic Operations Officer.

Worf went from being the token Klingon on TNG to being the Star Trek character with more screen time than any other. Worf returned to the franchise in Star Trek: Picard season 3, now working in Starfleet Intelligence with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Commander Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes). Worf now says that he "prefer[s] pacifism to actual combat," but he still fights like a Klingon warrior when he has to. Although Worf has starred in three Star Trek shows and appeared in more episodes than any other character, there are still more Worf stories left to tell. Worf has certainly come a long way from the near-background character he was for much of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Picard are available to stream on Paramount+.