As the Star Trek universe continues to expand, a show about Captain Worf would be the perfect spinoff for Paramount+. Worf is one of the best-known and most beloved heroes from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Played by Michael Dorn, the gruff and noble Klingon warrior was a mainstay on TNG before he successfully jumped to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for seasons 4-7. Worf also starred in all four Star Trek movies starring the cast of The Next Generation.
Worf is among the handful of TNG main characters who didn't appear in Star Trek: Picard season 1, which was a disappointment to Trekkers. Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner reprised their roles as Will Riker, Deanna Troi, and Data, respectively, and John de Lancie will return as Q in Star Trek: Picard season 2. However, Michael Dorn hasn't made a canonical appearance as Worf since Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. Before the final TNG movie, Worf was a pivotal figure as he was the nexus of the franchise's exploration and expansion of the Klingon culture. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended, Worf became the Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Homeworld but he was back on the Enterprise for Nemesis a couple of years later. Star Trek: Picard's tie-in novel The Last Best Hope revealed that Worf succeeded Jean-Luc Picard as Captain of the USS Enterprise-E but that has yet to be canonically established on Star Trek: Picard.
A recent NYT feature spotlighting Alex Kurtzman re-upping his deal with ViacomCBS to oversee the Star Trek franchise until 2026 revealed that Kurtzman received a pitch for a Captain Worf show from Silicon Valley's Graham Wagner. Kurtzman described Wagner's Captain Worf pitch as "incredibly funny, poignant and touching" although he didn't say it was going to go into development. However, Michael Dorn has also pitched an idea for a Captain Worf series, although it's not clear if Dorn and Wagner's ideas are the same show or are separate projects starring everybody's favorite Klingon. Wagner is also known for his comedic writing on Silicon Valley and Portlandia and it sounds like his Captain Worf pitch is a comedy or a hybrid comedy/drama.
However, Dorn has been speaking publicly about his elevator pitch for a Captain Worf show and the beloved TNG actor's idea involves Worf as the Captain of a Klingon ship, not the Enterprise. Dorn's idea involves the Klingons realizing their Empire is in trouble with dwindling resources (not unlike the premise of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which Dorn cameoed in) so Worf suggests that the Klingons let aliens serve in the Empire, starting with Starfleet Officers. Worf then has to command a ship of hybrid aliens that travels to trouble spots throughout the Klingon Empire quelling uprisings and resolving conflicts in a classic Star Trek manner. It's the perfect premise for another TNG spinoff — and there's already a built-in audience thanks to Dorn's devoted fanbase.
Michael Dorn holds the record of starring in more episodes of Star Trek than any other actor and his prospective return as Worf would be an exciting prospect for fans. Worf is certainly due for a comeback. A Captain Worf show would also garner eyeballs of fans who can't get enough TNG nostalgia and Dorn's premise sounds more like the episodic Star Trek that many older Trekkers prefer as opposed to the serialized, action-packed style of Star Trek: Discovery.
Unfortunately, there's no reported movement on a Captain Worf series as of yet. Star Trek's slate is currently packed with Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Discovery, Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds all hitting Paramount+ in the latter half of 2021 and 2022. Still, there are always possibilities. Michelle Yeoh's Section 31 show and a youth-oriented Star Trek Academy series are reportedly in development and it's possible Captain Worf could eventually join Paramount+'s Star Trek universe in the next couple of years.
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