Summary

• Worf's Klingon heritage conflicted with his Starfleet duties, leading to touching moments like the bonding ritual with Jeremy.
• After Worf's mother's death, he bonds with Jeremy, who blames him, in a heartfelt and emotional episode of TNG.
• Jeremy's fate is never revealed after "The Bonding," as producers considered bringing him back but ultimately decided against it.

Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) had another "brother" on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he only appeared in one episode before being forgotten. As the only Klingon in Starfleet, Worf often struggled to reconcile his duties as a Starfleet officer with his Klingon culture. As Chief of Security on the USS Enterprise-D, Lt. Worf performed his role well and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) often encouraged Worf to explore his Klingon heritage. Throughout TNG's seven seasons, Worf learned more about his Klingon family, eventually meeting his biological brother, Kurn (Tony Todd).

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 5, "The Bonding," Worf leads an away mission during which archeologist Lt. Marla Aster (Susan Powell) is killed. Tragically, Aster had a son named Jeremy (Gabriel Damon) who lived on the USS Enterprise-D with her. Captain Picard delivers the news of Marla's death to the now-orphaned Jeremy, who struggles to express his grief and anger. Feeling responsible for Marla's death, Worf offers to perform a Klingon bonding ritual called R'uustai with Jeremy, which would effectively make them brothers in the eyes of the Klingons.

Worf Made Jeremy Aster Part Of His Family In Star Trek: TNG

The two completed the R'uustai, a Klingon bonding ritual.

As Worf was also orphaned at a young age, he understandably relates to Jeremy and wishes to help him. Jeremy, however, blames Worf for his mother's death. The boy's grief is further complicated when a non-corporeal alien takes on the appearance of his mother. With the help of Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Picard and Worf help convince Jeremy that the alien version of Marla isn't real. Having also lost his father on an away mission, Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) shares some of what he felt, which helps Jeremy begin to come to with his loss.

Worf, too, shares the story about how he lost his own parents, assuring Jeremy that his mother will live on in their hearts. Worf then offers to perform the bonding ceremony with Jeremy, saying: "You will become part of my family now and for all time. We will be brothers." Later, in Worf's quarters, Worf and Jeremy light candles in memory of their mothers, and Worf declares that their two families are now bonded. Although Jeremy's fate after "The Bonding" is never revealed on screen, Troi remarks that he has an aunt and uncle living on Earth, so he presumably went to live with them.

Why Star Trek: TNG Forgot About Worf's "Brother" Jeremy Aster

TNG's producers considered bringing Jeremy back but ultimately decided against it.

Although the R'uustai supposedly made Worf and Jeremy family, the boy is never seen or mentioned again on screen. According to screenwriter Ronald D. Moore (who penned the original script for "The Bonding"), Star Trek: The Next Generation's producers considered bringing Jeremy back, but there were a few reasons why this never happened. For one thing, serialization or continuity between episodes of television was still not commonplace during the early days of TNG. Most episodes were meant to stand on their own, and the idea of doing follow-up stories was not even discussed.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3 Blu-ray episode commentary, Ronald D. Moore says that he imagines Jeremy went back to live on Earth and sends Worf "occasional postcards."

After Worf's son Alexander (Jon Paul Steuer, Brian Bonsall) was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, adding more stories about Jeremy may have felt redundant. Moore also stated that he had not come up with any interesting ideas for Jeremy as a character, and he was not the biggest fan of the young actor who played him. While it might have been interesting to see a follow-up to Worf and Jeremy's story, "The Bonding" remains a solid episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with several great character moments and a rare glimpse into a more vulnerable side of Worf.