When Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, one sign that times had changed for the Federation was the presence of a Klingon officer on the bridge of the Enterprise. The role of Worf was not intended to be as integral as it became. And certainly, in those early episodes of TNG, no one would have guessed that this would be the character that would log the most hours in the franchise, spanning two series for a combined 11 seasons plus four films.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing are joined by the man who made that happen, Michael Dorn. It was Michael’s mastery of the role that elevated Worf from token Klingon crewmember on TNG to one of most important players in the Dominion War on DS9. Michael talks to us about how his transition to Deep Space Nine came about, the differences between his character on TNG and DS9, what opportunities life on the Station provided, working with Terry Ferrell, what it was like to say goodbye to Worf, and more. He also shares his thoughts on Nemesis and Worf’s surprise visits to the big-screen Enterprise, and we discuss his new TV project Internity, which he is doing together with Marina Sirtis.

If you’d like to find out more about Internity and support the Indiegogo campaign, please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/internity-a-newbie-series#/

Chapters

Moving to DS9 (00:02:17)

Character Differences (00:11:31)

Evolving the Character of Worf (00:16:49)

Michael’s Favorite Worf Moments on DS9 (00:20:17)

A Difference in Sets (00:24:00)

Missed Opportunities for Worf (00:28:13)

Nemesis + Worf’s Surprise Visits (00:32:11)

Goodbye to Worf: Feelings When DS9 Ended (00:39:28)

Internity (00:41:07)

Closing (00:52:44)