CBS has been announcing new Star Trek projects left and right as of late, and one veteran franchise actor believes it's time he got a show of his own. Michael Dorn is on a mission to get his memorable Klingon Worf his own standalone adventure, and he's thinking now is the perfect time for it to happen. Dorn shared a lot about his long-gestating spinoff idea in a recent interview, explaining why the current political climate makes his spinoff a winner.
The Klingon Empire has had to evolve and change and they don't like that, and they're fighting it every step of the way. They've had to introduce aliens into their society. Just like our world now is becoming a global world where it's not just like, 'Oh we're Californians and that's all that really matters.' We're talking about something here and it affects China. This is, I think, perfectly timed and placed. You're not stepping on anybody's toes, and I always thought the Klingon Empire was a great empire to write about because it's Shakespearean.
Michael Dorn is seemingly making a connection between Klingons accepting foreigners into their empire, and the U.S.' hot-button immigration issues. Dorn told Inverse that parallel lies between a nation of people who are cemented in their ways coping with their society becoming increasingly global. Within Star Trek, that narrative could presumably have equal representation from both sides of the argument, with Klingon culture typically against outsiders, while Worf is a Klingon raised by humans.
It's a concept that could wrinkle some foreheads, although the Star Trek franchise has rarely shied away from covering controversial subjects. A politically relevant Klingon spinoff might fit in well with CBS All Access' current Trek projects that aren't Discovery, which include a Jean-Luc Picard adventure and an adult-geared animated comedy about lowly bridge crew members.
Michael Dorn's plan is to have this pitch developed in an episodic style similar to the Star Trek: The Next Generation. That may convince otherwise wary traditional fans to watch, since Discovery is fully serialized in its storytelling.
For Star Trek fans searching for something new from the franchise, Michael Dorn teased his Klingon series idea would differ from a Federation-based show. Hand-to-hand combat wouldn't be out of the ordinary, for example, and nor would assassinations or attempted coups within the Klingon empire. That species, in general, is pretty hardcore, so it stands to reason a TV show centered wholly on them would be a more extreme in some ways than the average Trek project.
Michael Dorn has been attempting to get a Worf Star Trek series of some sort made for a while. Three years ago he started a #WeWantWorf movement in an effort to catch the attention of the franchise's powers that be, and it appears this effort may be more of the same. In his past discussions about the project, Dorn visualized Worf as a captain and stated the timeline would be set after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but before Star Trek: Nemesis.
While Michael Dorn is still trying to sell his idea for a Worf spinoff, CBS All Access is gearing up for the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 on Thursday, January 17. For a look at the shows that will be arriving on television before and after its aired, visit our fall and midseason premiere guides.
