Worf Is The John Wick Of The Star Trek Universe, According To Michael Dorn
The character of Worf, first played by actor Michael Dorn in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," always stood apart from the other characters on the show. Not only was he the sole Klingon on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, he was the first Klingon every to enter Starfleet. His culture — devoted to honor and combat — often left him isolated. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) was intimidated by the violence contained in Worf's calisthenics programs on the holodeck. In one episode, it took a great deal of research from peers to know that Worf, notoriously closed-off, required a particular Klingon pain-based coming-of-age ritual. Quick to action, often suspicious, and appealingly complete, Worf was compelling in how standoffish he was.
Worf was also easily the most violent member of the Enterprise crew, often eager to engage suspects or invaders. As a Klingon, he believed that hand-to-hand combat was the best way to feel alive, and that death during battle was noble and desired. Often, to show how powerful a combatant was, Dorn — or perhaps more correctly, Dorn's stunt double — was frequently thrown to the ground.
Worf also stood out in that he could easily have lived in an action movie. In the utopian future of "Star Trek," unabashed, action-ready badasses are rare, and while often containing fights and violence, "Star Trek" might be best seen as anything but an action series. In recent seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Picard," a goodly number of characters are murderers, and it feels wildly inappropriate. In the second episode of season 3 of "Picard," Worf proves that he is still handy with a sword. That feels more appropriate.
In a new interview with SFX Magazine, Dorn agrees, feeling that Worf is essentially the John Wick of "Star Trek."
They killed my targ
Most of "Star Trek" is marked by formalism, most often populated by characters who are deeply engaged in protocol. A Starfleet officer is often devoted to the ship and to the chain of command before they concern themselves with personal matters. It's tempting, then, to assume that most "Star Trek" characters, even when off-duty, are well-behaved and devoted to duty. That was certainly true of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) who, even when on vacation, had to be talked into putting down "Finnegans Wake" and having some more raucous fun.
And it's also true of Worf who, thanks to his strict honor code, would easily grow into a deeply principled action hero, willing to step forward and get the job done. Dorn began to see parallels in the more recent Worf and other notable action heroes of recent cinema. He said:
"I just hit on this recently. ... Because of this season, I think Worf should be a character like Jack Reacher or John Wick or the Equalizer. It just hit me that that's kind of who he is. I always thought that Worf had a place in some show, maybe not even the lead, but just as a character where he's prominent."
Jack Reacher, created by author Lee Child, was a former commander who had taken to hard-fisted freelance work. He appeared in two movies and a TV series. John Wick, as many know, is the title character from a series of hit action film starring Keanu Reeves, and appears to be the world's most capable assassin. The Equalizer, a.k.a. Robert McCall, was the title character from a 1985 action series that would be adapted into a series of action films starring Denzel Washington in 2014.
In all cases, they are resolute badasses. Like Worf.
He's not out for revenge
Unlike John Wick, however, Worf has seemingly aged past the need for revenge. In the previews for the new season of "Picard," in fact, Worf claims to have now accepted the cause of pacifism. He does, however, still travel with a sword, implying that he's much like Kane from "Kung Fu." He'll refuse to fight as a matter of course, but is highly skilled at it, should the situation call for it. In short, Worf is a beacon of justice. Dorn said:
"I'm going, you know, Worf is like a Jack Reacher, the Tom Cruise movies, or John Wick, where he's not out for revenge, but he basically goes around the universe making things right. That's where I think he'll end up."
Going by mere appearances alone, Dorn might perhaps know his character better than any other actor in "Star Trek" history. Thanks to his central role in both "Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Dorn has appeared in more episode than any other non-voice performer (Majel Barrett's computer voice is the only character in more episodes than Worf). It's also a fitting choice that Worf should be involved in a profession — Starfleet Intelligence — that will allow him to take extreme action against criminals and ne'er-do-well while still engaging in formalism and protocol. He is no bounty hunter or assassin. The spirit of the character, it seems, is still alive.