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Michael Dorn discusses Worf’s journey to pacifism

Rachel Carrington
Rachel Carrington

Redshirts Always Die

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Michael Dorn speaks on stage during TCA Paramount+ “Star Trek: Picard” Panel at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 09, 2023 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Paramount+)

Michael Dorn returned as Worf in Star Trek: Picard, season 3, episode 2 “Disengage.” This post contains spoilers from that episode.

The Worf that arrived on scene to save Raffi from certain death at the hands of Sneed’s minions was extremely similar to the one we got to know on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Weapon in hand, he came in slicing and dicing, even taking off Sneed’s head before helping Raffi to her feet and to safety. But what about what Worf said in the official trailer for the third season of Star Trek: Picard? He’d chosen pacifism, but that doesn’t mean he won’t fight when necessary, according to Michael Dorn who spoke with TVLine about Worf’s journey.

"“He’s discovered a lot from The Next Generation to Deep Space [Nine]. There’s been a huge shift in who he is… He’s discovered that life isn’t about a goal or reaching a particular place. It’s about the journey.”"

Michael Dorn reassures fans that Worf has no trouble fighting when he has to.

And if there is anything that scene in Disengage showed us, it’s that Worf isn’t out of practice. Dorn says that Worf acknowledges now that there’s another way besides just “dicing people up,” and that is how he’s now on the pacifism journey.  But there is the slight problem of just how much Worf, being a Klingon warrior, enjoys fighting and how good he is at his particular set of skills.

"“The only issue with him is he really likes the combat… He is good at it, and he practices at it, too.”"

So I don’t think fans are going to have to be too concerned about not seeing the side of Worf we enjoy the most. The Klingon might have embraced a different side, but he is, and always will be, 100% Klingon. And Klingons know how to fight, and they aren’t afraid of dying. With all the danger that’s coming up in the rest of season three, this will come in handy.

Rachel Carrington

Rachel Carrington

Rachel has been one of the site experts for Red Shirts Always Die since November 2020. As well as being a fan of Star Trek (and having watched all iterations) and all things science fiction, she is a published author of fiction and a freelance writer whose work can be found in New York Times, Startrek.com, The Writer, and many other outlets. When she's not delving into Star Trek or marketing her current books, she's usually bingewatching British television, military shows, science fiction, and cop dramas, shopping for the latest vintage find, or enjoying a good cup of coffee in a unique coffee shop.