Startrek.com chats with Michael Dorn about his iconic role as Lieutenant Commander Worf, his favorite Star Trek episodes and more. Subscribe to the Star Trek channel HERE: / @startrekofficial #StarTrek
I think it's the positives of black people. I'm 35 and i can't shave because if I do it makes my wife feel like a pedophile. And I get carded constantly.... we age well, when we take care of ourselves. I mean look at Sade and Angela Bassett.
Patrick Stewart may look young and good for his age now, but when he started playing Picard in 1987 he was 47 years old and while he looked very fit and good in many ways, the fact that he was very bald and what little hair he had left was white/gray made him look much older, he was bald and gray even at 35 years old in the 70´s which you can see in videos here on youtube. Im slightly older than he was in 1987 and i still have most of my hair (not perfect of course) and my hair more has single gray/white hairs, my beard is graying more though. Its mostly genetics though and you cant help it, some go bald in their early 20´s and even gray in their 20-30´s and some still have good hair when they are 80 or even older and keep the color for a long time. Patrick Stewart is one of those that pull off the bald look well especially now when he is completely bald, i wouldnt even want to imagine him with hair.
The episode in season 1 (code of honour?) with the two Klingon convicts, the one who dies is obviously just doing a Michael Dorn impression and it’s great.
We should recognize Christopher Lloyd as Commander Kruge in The Search for Spock as well. The first major portrayal of a Klingon after the original series ended.
...and Discovery has tried it's best to destroy the work done by Dorn and others in the last real Star Trek series. I can't believe they have not done a Worf Show yet?
This may be the first time I've seen an actor asked about favorite episodes, where he or she responded by highlighting an episode that didn't center on their own character. Very classy, Mr. Dorn.
Data: "To care for Spot you must feed him feline supplement 19, pet him, tell Spot he is a good kitty.... Worf: : " I WILL FEED IT!" Data: "Perhaps that will be sufficient"
DS9 had the best arcs because it wasn't episodic and was focused on the aliens coming to the station. The characters and stories really got to develop into legends today!
shurednichso I love how they made the Ferengi much more complex, not just the comic relief. Rom and Nog had some great character development in spite of being in a fraction of the episodes!
I don't know if I agree with that.. he started out a pretty irritating dick and went out the same way. You get to know him, he has clear character traits and clearly grows over time... but his arc is more like Conan the Barbarian than a more realistic, human character. (ie hero's journey, child to king...or at least, kingmaker) Most people chill out as they age, as they prove themselves in the world.. even the Klingons were trying to get him to lighten up constantly. It's just an odd way to write the character, but it does make for an easy source of conflict for plotlines. I don't think any of that is on MD, he played it believably throughout.
Roc bullshit, you’ve never seen DS9 if you believe that. Worf got his ass kicked all the time on TNG but on DS9 he was actually kicking ass and he got married and he lost his wife and we saw him deal with his son Alexander as a wimpy adult Klingon.
Worf was such a tragic carachter. The mother of his son died, his son denounced him. His wife Jadzia died, he had to turn his brother into someone else and denounce him face to face. Yet he maintains, yet he prevails. I have gained so much strenght in my own life from Worf, I can't even tell. Thank you Michael Dorn for portraying this lifechanging character for us. Peace. Out.
@@newworldsoldier81 ya hollyweird screws kids up. It full of pedophiles too. That's happened for over 100 years with child actors being rapped or abused. In the 1940s they would make the kids sit on blocks of ice or put them in dark rooms to mind
Best Worf lines that I can think of off my head: "Good tea. Nice house." Q: "What must I do to convince you? (that he is now mortal) Worf: "Die." "Sir, I protest, I am NOT a merry man!" Discussing sex with Riker: (Not Worf and Riker having sex, just talking about it in general. Don't be perverts. "I would have to restrain myself too much. Human females are too.....fragile." Data's dream sequence: Data: "It is a cellular peptide cake" Worf, with a mouthful: "Wif mint froshting." Meets Kira, who is wearing a giant medieval royalty hat: "........Nice hat." In the old West holideck episode: Worf: Counselor Troi, I need your- Troi: DURANGO! Here, I'm called Durango. Worf: Yes, of course. Counselor Durango. Assimilate this!
I still REALLY want a Star Trek: Worf series! Dorn is the best! He embodies the rationality of the Federation while also embracing the passion of the Klingon's. It was an amazing balancing act he did with the character.
@@paulheap1982 tell me, what is it about old, dying, incompetent Picard who gets shouted at and put down by literally every woman he meets, that you find appealing or even remotely relatable to the character we saw in TNG? Just curious.. 🤔
@@Joe0161 I'm just curious as to why you think it's every woman, but hey ho star trek has always been progressive. So yes, you have been watching it wrong, for less time than I have too.
You just assume that these actors will be so much like the characters they portray. Michael Dorn just feels so different than Worf in how he speaks, moves, and emotes. Even past the makeup it does feel like two different people. Worf is a great character that deserves to be revisited again.
Worf must be one of the greatest characters in all of star trek. He certainly had some of the best lines: "Perhaps today is a good day to die - prepare for ramming speed!"
What I liked best about Deep Space Nine is not only that we got a good story arc with the Dominion War, we also got to explore Klingon and Ferengi culture during run of the show.
DS9 is my favourite of all the ST series, I loved the Ferengi and Cardy influences in the show. And the characters were so well written, they weren't these perfect people who could do no wrong. Everyone had their demons and faults, and even the villains at times showed empathy and humanity and you understood their point of view
"Good tea... Nice house." It should be obvious that, Michael Dorn, is a phenomenal actor! He is a true character actor, which is as skilled as one can be, in the craft, and he accomplishes it beautifully! Anyone can recite lines and many very famous actors cannot change from role to role. They are always the SAME person. They're not character actors. When, Michael, portrays, Worf, he doesn't even need all the makeup. Just look at his eyes! He IS, Worf! He emotes and brings passion and life to the role! You can't learn that. You either have "it" or you don't. A great many don't, but, Michael, has "it" and he has it in great abundance! All Love to you, Michael! May you enjoy continued success and may you have no end of happiness and joy in your life! You've brought a lot of both to ours! Thank you! - 😃♉❤✌
I'd love a Worf series, but I don't think I want a show that involves the Klingon empire as a setting. I always found those episodes of TNG a bit tedious. Worf in a completely foreign setting where he's out of his element would be awesome.
@@jaimhaas5170 When I first started watching The Next Generation I had high expectations for Worf. But yes he is consistently almost useless in most battles with the exception of magically becoming extremely effective in battle only when the script insists upon it
@@johngoodman4829 very accurate observation. I remember thinking the first two seasons what a waste of time NGR was...but the writing and the action increased in later episodes and of course peaked with Borg.
How apologizes to Data is also great: "It is I, who has jeopardized our friendship, not you, if you will overlook this incident, I would like to consider you my friend". Ohhh honor chills.
@@Benjamin0119 As far as we know! Disco Season 2 Klingons looked alot closer to the ones in the TNG shows, but we're still not right for 23rd Century Klingons that's for sure. Should look like what they did in TOS .
shurednichso yeah I hated TNG when it first came out, it actually turned me off Trek, I thought Picard was a pompous dick. Voyager was pretty crap until Scorpion, there were a few good eps here and there. I’m actually one of the only ones that likes Enterprise it seems:)
Benjamin0119 there are Romulans with different foreheads based on what region of Romulus they come from, so I like to think that Klingons are diverse as well. The Klingons controlling the 12 houses during the Disco era get ousted by Worf’s type of Klingon by the TOS era (they had a virus that made them look like dark humans, but they were cured by TMP).
You always embodied masculine strength and honor in equal measure for me, a guy who never met his dad. All you guys and gals on tng were such superb role models to watch every week. I cannot express my gratitude for both the entertainment and the life education tng gave me. KAPLAH!!!!!! and thank you.
If there were no gravity.. THEN HOW COULD THESE MEN BE WALKING??!?!? ... They had gravity boots on dickhead 😂😂😂😂😂... He aint read the discovery packet for that case 😂😂😂. I would have asked for a mistrial and fired his ass if i was Kirk.
Remember meeting Michael Dorn when I was a kid at an air show. He had gotten out of his jet and my father walked with me up to meet him for a picture. Michael was the gentle giant to me a small kid and I asked him to say something in his Worf voice for me and without missing a beat he switched voices and asked, “What would like me to say?” I remember being so excited and happy. Have the photo to this day. Much respect and love to Michael Dorn.
Too much money grabbing an licensing in media. Limited time to make a buck with your creation! 20years tops, after that free creative reign for new content using the setting that worked so well before. As someone commented before, Worf's blend of rational and impulsive was a pleasure to watch!
It was a different time, and the franchise has had to evolve to accommodate modern day audiences and expectations in order to stay relevant. If you don't like it, you have your box sets sitting on a shelf to enjoy. The rest of us can enjoy both.
Steven Cramsie “Evolve?” What an absolute joke. In no way is this modern JJverse lens flare trash an “evolved” version of Star Trek. It’s a de-evolution into anti-Trek. Nothing more than generic edgy melodramatic action schlock made to rake in cash from the dumb, short attention span masses. How sad that you think Star Trek in the modern day has to be reduced to a dumbed-down level of poor writing and characters to stay relevant. I completely disagree.
billyboyjennings No, I think you honestly believe that watching a bunch of middle-aged actors in jumpsuits stumbling around recycled sets mumbling technobabble and Shakespeare is something that mainstream audiences in 2020 want to see. TNG was a lot different than TOS, and old timers whined and complained in 1987 too. Honestly, if the world is passing you by, then you’re probably wasting your breath complaining about it on here.
I really liked the TNG and DS9 episodes that were focused on Klingon issues. The whole ordeal with Worf and Kern and their father, the succession of Chancellor after K'mpec is poisoned to death and the episodes with Worf and Martok doing Klingon stuff. It was great.
Wouldn't it be cool if Worf ended up being the captain of the Enterprise (whether it's E or even F)? I see that some people have already been thinking of the idea. It would be just as cool if the proposed idea for "Captain Worf" series could be revived as a show about Worf leading the next next generation of the USS Enterprise, a Klingon as a Starfleet captain, that would be awesome.
In the Star Trek Picard prequel comic, the newly promoted Admiral Picard leaves the Enterprise to take command of the USS Verity to lead the evacuation of the Romulan Star Empire. (Picard doesn't stay on Enterprise because Starfleet thinks the Romulans don't want another Enterprise in Romulan space since that usually ended bad) Anyway: Picard then makes Worf Captain of the Enterprise and tells the Admiralty that this is the ultimate sign of peace: 100 years prior, the Klingons and the Federation were almost at constant war. Now, a Klingon commands the flagship of the Federation.
I'm also a huge Gargoyles fan and I loved Michael's voice work doing the voice of Cold Stone and Taurus. Thanks for uploading this and keep on Trekking to the stars!
Absolutely loved this video! Worf is, without a doubt, my all-time favorite Star Trek character; Mr. Dorn’s talent floored me every time Worf was on screen, and his performances often had me crying both tears of sorrow and laughter. I’ve been watching Star Trek: Picard, and seeing so many other beloved actors and actresses from the various Trek shows has me wishing for a few episodes with my favorite Klingon!
Michael Dorn. I love you, dude! I traveled 3 hrs in pouring rain to see you at a Conference in Philly and they did autographs before we arrived and you had left!! I bought your 8x10 glossy and mailed it to you at studio. 5 months later, you had signed and mailed it to me! Thank you so much!
They said before Picard premiered that it was NOT a sequel to TNG in terms of structure and feel, so if you were expecting a starship-based "alien planet of the week" type show? That's on you.
@@stevencramsie9172 Just as DS9 was a departure from the "Starship-based alient planet of the week" construction, and yet remained a wonderful show. Picard is just plain garbage writting, real life propaganda and utter destruction of a franchise half a century old. With a Worf show, doing such crap would have waaaaay harder, and perhaps Michael Dorn would not have tried to embed 21st century political propaganda in a fictional 24th century universe.
Imagine that another company took over the Star Trek franchise. Gave us a Worf series, perhaps a captain of a Klingon vessel, a series with cool battles and politics and interactions with DS9 characters, a mention of Sisko’s return, interactions with Voyager characters too, and of course TNG characters, perhaps even show Seska again and glimpses of the utopia that is The Federation - bright scenes, happy people, wonderful technologies... little morality plays, showing both sides of an argument - and hope in how resolutions can be made. This series would let us enjoy the positive and hopeful vision of the future we all crave. Stories that were well throughout and made sense. No fantasy elements, just sci-fi. Oh imagine. We can but imagine. Alex Kurtzman, if you ever read this - what you are doing is unforgivable - you are BLATANTLY being vindictive and trolling fans. I, myself, am gay, in my 30s, from an ethnic immigrant minority background, all the boxes that tick your ‘woke boxes’ but the trash you produce makes me want to vomit. GIVE US BACK OUR TREK!
I agree with everything you say, BUT...a lot of the problems with the current shows is copyright. CBS owns the rights to the tv shows and Paramount owns the rights to the movies. The Enterprise-E first appeared in movies, so Paramount owns that. The Borg and Romulans first appeared in the tv show, so CBS owns that. So although Worf appeared in the shows (CBS), the Klingon design (the forehead) first appeared in ST1, (owned by Paramount). Which is why the Klinorcs of STD looked so different, CBS didn't have the license to make them proper. So sadly, a tv show by CBS featuring Worf, or even klingons will never happen. Ever. And as a side note, I hate Alex Kurtzman and wish him to spend an eternity on Rura Penthe.
I met Michael Dorn at a sci-fi convention back in the 90's when I was a kid. He was SUPER NICE! Truly one of the friendliest celebrities you will ever meet! He even walked right up to me and shook my hand while speaking in his Worf voice, "Hi there! I'm Worf!" I also got to meet Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Scott Frakes that same day and they were also very outgoing. It was very cool!
Man Michael Dorn is a cool guy. We recognized him in Vegas in a hallway and he spotted my Klingon tattoo and stopped and talked for about 10 minutes! Very awesome celebrity encounter, and I am the biggest fan of Worf. I have the Klingon imperial insignia tattooed on my shoulder, this is what started our conversation in the hallway. A Klingon-centered Star Trek show is something I brought up to him, he's 100% on board they need to do it! Star Trek: Worf, come on that would be the best of them all!
He's a real actor, isn't he. So different in his real life activity from Worf. I loved Worf yet Michael Dorn is a real person with a more expressive personality :)
Michael Dorn is awesome and this interview is great...but Worf started on the Enterprise as a Lieutenant junior grade, not an ensign. Sorry, couldn't help myself... :-)
Thank You :) I thought so too....had to pause the clip to stop and think....I thought to myself "That does not sound right" plus the clip showed 2 pips on his collar so I figured it was Jr Lt. :) lol
In 2364 (Far Point)he is a Lt. Jr grade but we do not know the back story of what he was doing in the time between 2361 when he graduated Star Fleet and the mission to Far Point. He could have been assigned to the Enterprise as an ensign on a previous commissioning and shakedown mission. Stardates (40759 to 41148) And this seems to be alluded to because Picard and Riker are the only ones in the script as "new" members of the crew.
@@michaeljorgensen790 How dare you apply logical thinking to this. :) jk lol Excellent answer, I like that very much actually. I have never thought to much of Worf before TNG. :)
I love what he said about going into makeup. He had talked to one of the actors in "Planet of the Apes". What do you think about for the three or so hours in the chair. "The money".
You rule Michael! That whole TNG cast helped make my childhood awesome. It still blows me away how as a kid I just wanted to watch a show about spaceships and aliens but the whole time so many philosophical lessons and titbits of wisdom were getting planted into my young mind. Later in life I would find so many instances where some part of my thinking here or there had been shaped by star trek TNG, and I'm a better person for it.
Thank you Mr Dorn for being an amazing part of my childhood! Me and my mom used to watch TNG every night! I can still hear her say: “uh oh….. he just made Worf mad!”
@@Velimirius It's not SJW's sadly. It's the public that is completely okay with chaotic battles for the sake of entertainment. Making sense in the universe is irrelevant as long as there are bright lights and explosions.
@@Velimirius Oh look another fake Star Trek ""fan.""" Star Trek was SJW before there was even a word for it. Pieces of shit like you would have never been a Star Trek fan back in the day. Conservatives and right wingers ignored Star Trek for decades believing it was a "Communist Utopia" in space because any society not based on the accumulation of wealth and without racial/ethnic tensions was impossible in their tiny minds. Nowadays pieces of shit like you simply pretend to be fans all along but your anti-progressive / regressivist values give you away. You cannot be an Anti-SJW and be a Star Trek fan. You may as well be eating beef burgers and calling yourself a Vegan. It doesn't work that way.
Worf was always my favorite character on ALL the star treks, even when I was a little kid! Thank you Michael Dorn for portraying him so wonderfully and doing such a great job over the years, it meant a lot to so many people.
Michael! I grew up in the 60s and watched the original Star Trek and recently, my husband introduced me to Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns every night at bedtime and ice cream. You are my favorite character because of your semi-serious/comedic responses. Thank you!
Great interview, thank you. In watching Piccard, third season, I was really impressed with what Dorn did with the Worf character, not just rehashing the old character but having him grow and mature in an unlikely way. Worf falling asleep on the bridge cracked me up.
I’m hoping to see him and the Enterprise-E on part two of the season finale. Spoiler alert: A Romulan attack force of 218 vessels is headed straight for where Picard and his allies are. The synthetics have turned on him and thrown him in the brig. He’s going to need the Enterprise for this one, as well as someone to engineer a jailbreak for him.
ryanexpert Exactly. STP is in 2399, 20 years after NEM. In Star Trek: Countdown, a tie-in to the 2009 Star Trek film (and bits and pieces of Picard as well), the Enterprise-E was still active as of 2387 with Data, having been revived after successfully imprinting his neural network into B-4's existing CPU succeeding Picard as captain. (I know the comic isn’t in canon/continuity) (According to the press kit for STP Season 1, Picard left the Enterprise and was promoted to admiral in 2381, to assist the Romulan people.) So, it’s likely the ENT-F was being built but not yet christened as the Enterprise F yet until the early 2400s.
He did become a captain in the movie Star Trek: First Contact, so its officially there in cannon. If we ever got another tv series in the official cannon we might see captain Worf there, if it ever happens... instead of garbage like STD.
@@Bathoggywinger I mean it was a short lived rumor from 10 years ago. It could have been anything, from a TNG rehash to an advancement of his DS9 character. Personally I can imagine that the series explores him as a captain in Klingon service as part of a Imperial/Federal cooperation attempt, or he takes command over a bunch of misfit officers, helping them come to terms with whatever makes them stick out.
That was a sweet gig in retrospect. 30 years of conferences, movies, tv, games, etc. is a gravy train struggling actors dream of. I’m glad Mr. Dorn broke through as lieutenant Worf.
Is this taking the piss? You could have brought back Michael Dorn for a Worf series or had him in Star Trek Picard but didn’t. Instead what we get is STD which has been renewed now for a 3rd diabolical season. It’s time you gave the fans what they want! We want Worf!
The one thing I’ve always hated about the Klingons is that they have cloaked ships. Just seems cowardly and dishonourable to me, something a Romulan would have. Klingons should have garish ships that look menacing like giant beasts or dragons or something to terrify the enemy.
My introduction to Star Trek was an epic space battle, and an alien looking dude just yelling "Perhaps today is a good day to die...prepare for ramming Speed!". I was up late one night as a 10 y/o kid, doodling spaceships and reading books about space, had the TV on as background noise...accidentally stumbled across "First Contact" at that point, when I was changing channels. Coincidentally, my birthday is on "First Contact Day". I tuned into VOY around that time, near the end of Season 3, watched ENT from the pilot, and caught up with everything else in between as well as after. Gotta love Worf.
Dear Mr. Michael Dorn, Greetings. The part you played as Worf, Son of Mogh in ST: TNG and DS9 has helped me in so many ways in my life. Actually Worf's life story is similar to mine on earth. Worf gave me the courage to face difficulties in life and face danger in the eye, and win battles in life that my friends could not. Worf gave me the courage to face pain and fight it, with both patience and strength. Worf thought me how to be fair, try the impossible, and fight for the right cause in life, study hard, and live with honor. I owe my success in life to Worf, the Son of Mogh. Thank you so much for posting this video. Dear Mr. Michael Dorn and Mrs. Shari Redstone, Again, thank you so much for posting this video. We, the original Star Trek fans who followed the canon series (TOS, ST:TNG/DS9, Voyager and Enterprise, and all the movies up to Nemesis), very much miss you Mr. Michael Dorn. We need you to come back and bring honor to Star Trek, which has lost its way under the helm of Alex Kurtzman. Please come back. We would very much like to have a show to know what happened with Worf after he became the Federation Ambassador in DS9 with Martok. We would very much like you to direct and star in a Star Trek series with the real Klingons that we saw in ST:TNG and DS9, not the ones that Alex showed in ST:D. Could you please bring back the real Klingon honor Star Trek? I would subscribe to CBS if you would for the rest of my life (but not until you do).
Star Trek has always been American centric. Most sci-fi and fantasy overrepresent their own culture. It's the same reason why the world's greatest heroes in Anime/Manga are always Japanese.
Worf is a great example of how a character in a TV Series can transmit emotion through video. I was definitely drawn into his performances. He made another life form seem real and approachable. Worf empowered me to feel like a Clingon, (an ET) and he was a complete and good person. He was very different from me but he's the same in many ways also. I accepted him as he is and made him my friend. I really liked the way he looked too. Worf expanded my consciousness. And I am Very Grateful for that Michael I'm sure he has influenced others in this wonderful way too. Your performances were outstanding. Thank you and God Bless you and yours
Man, that was a great interview. I kept expecting you to be more Klingon in your delivery, but the sheer humanity of it made the Worf character that much more relatable.
The one and only Trek convention I ever attended had Dorn as a guest. My friends laugh at me to this day for not realizing that Dorn was black. When I told Dorn I had no idea that Worf was played by a black guy, he chuckled and took it as a compliment. He was truly a pleasure to chat with and very humble.
I met this guy while working as a dealer in Vegas, very nice guy and a great Actor. He did great work fleshing out what a Klingon is far beyond anything done before or since. (The new Klingons are an insult to all the great work this man did for the species)
His performance was iconic and actors strive to avoid copying another actor. Mr Dorn was so good it makes it difficult for others. Though I do love Roseanna Dawson’s take on the half Klingon on Voyager.
Michael, you made what it means to be Klingon! You are an amazing character in the Star Trek franchise! When they put you on DS9 it shocked my boots off! Your character reminded you of me, and how important it is to have honor, dignity, and respect for everyone including those weaker than me. Many say they like Picard, but I like Worf more! Worf was inspiring!
As much as I love Worf, I did wonder about what the acting process was for Michael Dorn. Worf is often held back in his emotions, and felt it is a super limited role, yet he somehow came through. It is very interesting to see how he process Worf, as a rock in a storm. This brings much clarity to what made Worf work so well in the show. I really appreciate how he found and worked on such subtle point and expanded onto it, which for others could have felt like a limiting role.
Everybody's favorite Klingon. He did far more than just play a role. He was instrumental in filling in the blank spaces in Klingon characterization, the culture. He turned Star Treks one time villains which you loved to hate into Star Treks surprise hero's which you hated to love but did.
Michael Dorn has given Star Trek and the Klingons so much through his performance. Worf is one of my favourite characters. So many times he has irritated me but thanks to MD for playing him faithfully. His strangest trait?! The love of prune juice of course.
Everytime I'm reminded of The Drumhead, I instantly think of Satie's tirade causing the head of Starfleet Security to wordlessly walk out of the proceedings. Such a powerful moment!
