The Star Trek: TNG Cast Gave Michael Dorn's Worf Two Hilarious Nicknames
Patrick Stewart has had a long, storied, career bringing a gravitas he no doubt honed in numerous theatrical productions to high-profile projects in mega-franchises like "Star Trek" and "X-Men." He's accumulated many stories over his time in the entertainment industry, and he delves into a lot of them in the 2023 book, "Making It So: A Memoir." One of the most amusing anecdotes comes when he discusses the various nicknames the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" had for Michael Dorn as Worf.
The first nickname came from the character's physical appearance: "[Michael Dorn] had to stay in his ridged, heavy Klingon makeup, which took hours to apply and had inspired [Jonathan] Frakes's nickname for him: Turtlehead." The ridges on a Klingon's forehead may resemble a turtle's shell, but the other nickname they came up with for Worf has more to do with the character's fiery personality.
Klingons are warriors, and while Worf would often showcase restraint, he could also lose his temper. As Stewart relates, this inspired an inside joke: "Thanks to this disparity, we began using the term 'Worfland' to describe any situation where things were spiraling out of control or one person was in a bad mood and therefore emotionally unpredictable. 'Look out, it's Worfland!' became our shorthand for Proceed with caution." Now, we just need a Michael Dorn memoir to hear his side of the story and what he thought of these names.
One of Worf's nicknames is also a slur in the Star Trek universe
Star Trek primarily presents a utopian world, at least on Earth. To achieve even grander solidarity, the Federation sends crews throughout the galaxy in an attempt to bring peace to other planets. However, things can still get hostile out there, with it being clear racism (or speciesism, we suppose) still runs rampant. And Jonathan Frakes' nickname for Worf — Turtlehead — is technically a slur in the Star Trek franchise.
The term comes up in the 1991 Star Trek novel, "A Flag Full of Stars," where a student disrespects a Klingon teacher with the slur. Additionally, "Turtlehead" comes up again on an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager." The scene in question arises when the Vulcan Tuvok (Tim Russ) discusses the rage that lies within B'Elanna (Roxann Dawson), who's half-Klingon and half-human. Tuvok refers to her as "Ms. Turtlehead," which draws her ire. It's difficult to ascertain a timeline on whether the term originated in one of the Star Trek projects or if Frakes came up with it first, with word reaching other sources. But it's certainly not a nice thing to say to a Klingon in any regard.
As for Worfland, that one seems to still be mostly safe to say, as it more describes a feeling or situation. Throughout his time in the franchise, Worf has earned ample respect, even rising to the rank of Captain on "Picard." Michael Dorn has said he's game for a Worf spin-off, and if that ever comes to fruition, characters would do well not to make him angry with any silly names.