Star Trek boss Alex Kurtzman was pitched a “dramady” all about Worf

Often, Star Trek shows like Next Generation and Deep Space Nine struck gold by putting the ultra-masculine and battle-hardened Lieutenant Worf into situations that took him entirely out of his element. Actor Michael Dorn always rose to the occasion, relishing each opportunity to show his comedic talents as the grumpy but lovable Klingon. But what if that had been taken as the basis for an entire show?

Star Trek boss Alex Kurtzman has now revealed that exact pitch was made to Paramount by Graham Wagner, producer of HBO’s Silicon Valley. Speaking with The New York Times, Kurtzman says the show would have been “incredibly funny, poignant and touching,” using the proposed “dramedy” as an example of the range of stories Star Trek can tell.

"Anything goes as long as it can fit into the Star Trek ethos of inspiration, optimism, and the general idea that humankind is good. So comedy, adult animation, kids’ animation — you name the genre, and there’s probably a ‘Star Trek’ version of it."

Kurtzman also talks a bit about Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, two new Trek series joining Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount+, all of which have very different tones. “If it were up to me only, I would be pushing the boundaries much further than I think most people would want,” he said. “I think we might get there. Marvel has actually proven that you can. But you have to build a certain foundation in order to get there, and we’re still building our foundation.”

We Want Worf

The character of Worf has long been a popular name choice among fans for a spinoff, with Michael Dorn often saying he’d love to return to the franchise. Back in 2015, he even fronted a #WeWantWorf campaign that aimed to get a series made by utilizing social media.

The campaigners, who struck a light-hearted tone by encouraging fans to buy mini-muffins to send to network executives, were hoping to see the further post-Nemesis adventures of Worf, who by then had been promoted to Captain.

The campaign didn’t succeed, but Dorn has continued to push for the series, winning the support of former Next Generation costar Marina Sirtis. Speaking with The Big Issue over in the UK last month, Sirtis called the proposals “a really good idea.”

"I think personally, it should be a Worf show. First of all, he’s a really popular character. And it’s never been done before – to have it about the Klingon Empire instead of the Federation with the Klingons as like, recurring. Have it be about the Klingon Empire and how they deal with stuff. I think it would be great."

All that said, the character has yet to make another appearance in the series. It seems natural that he might turn up on Star Trek: Picard, but Dorn went on record with StarTrekMovie.com in January to say he wasn’t interested in a cameo role due to the extensive makeup and prosthetics required for the role as the Son of Mogh:

"I don’t like to say yes or no. It really depends on quite a few things. It depends on the role. It depends on how they want to present it. The one thing you have to realize is that I have to get into makeup. You are talking about three hours. For me to do that, it really has to be kind of worth it, you know what I mean? I don’t want to get in makeup and just stand around and scowl at people."

We’ll say it again: We want Worf.

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