Star Trek: Picard's Michael Dorn Is Open To A Worf Spin-Off In The Future
There are many things a Klingon does not do, and retirement is one of them. That's what Michael Dorn is saying about the potential for a Worf-themed "Star Trek" spin-off after his return to the franchise in "Star Trek: Picard." The final season of the Patrick Stewart-starring Paramount+ series is something of a reunion for the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" cast and marks the first time Dorn has donned his Klingon makeup in roughly two decades.
In an interview with Trek Movie, Dorn reaffirmed his enthusiasm for keeping Worf onscreen, an idea he's been floating since well before he was invited back to Federation space with "Picard." After clarifying that it depends on what the writers come up with, Dorn said, "If it's a 'Next Generation' thing, I don't need to be the star. But I want whatever he does to be really interesting. If that's the case, then I am all in."
Picard's plot overruled Worf's original idea for a spin-off
Michael Dorn has in fact been attempting to make a Worf-centric "Star Trek" series a reality for quite some time. In 2015, the actor made the rounds with press touting his concept for a show that would feature Worf as the captain of his own starship. Yet in what became an increasingly ironic situation, Dorn was notably absent from the first two seasons of "Star Trek: Picard," even as his former castmates filed through for various cameos. Even those who hadn't asked for another Starfleet posting were present, with Data actor Brent Spiner playing both his original android and its inventor Noonien Soong in Season 1 and an ancestor of Soong in Season 2.
But as Season 3 of "Picard" aims to send Stewart off from the "Star Trek" franchise and the towering legacy of Jean-Luc on a high note, Dorn is back in the fold. However, his character's arc in the final season of "Picard" effectively overwrites the idea he conceived for a Worf-centric show. "Interestingly enough," Dorn told Trek Movie, "what I envisioned was quite different than what we have seen. And so I would have to go back and rework that whole pilot that I pitched."
So what would Dorn base a prospective Worf show around? "It's funny," he said, "the only thing that I think would be their beginning point or their jumping-off point is that Worf has gray hair. You start there, and then you go from there."