Summary
- Lieutenant Worf's character development on Star Trek: The Next Generation was made possible by the departure of another main character, Tasha Yar.
- Worf's role expanded after Tasha Yar's death, allowing for more stories and episodes centered around the Klingon character.
- Worf's popularity grew as he appeared in more Star Trek episodes than any other character, eventually leading to his inclusion in multiple series and further exploration of his internal struggle between Klingon and Starfleet identities.
Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) got the chance to grow into Star Trek's greatest Klingon after the tragic death of another main character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enteprise-D, TNG picked up about a century after Star Trek: The Original Series. While the Klingons had been the main antagonists for Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Starship Enterprise, the Klingon/Federation conflict had ended by the time of TNG. Although there was some lingering tension between the two species, they eventually became allies against even greater foes.
For most of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, Worf had little to do beyond standing in the background and dropping quippy one-liners. With Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) as Chief of Security, Worf's position on the Enterprise-D was originally not defined. Due to his Klingon strength, Worf was often used to show how powerful a potential enemy was. If they could take out Worf, then who could stand against them? Going just by TNG season 1, it would have been difficult to predict how far Worf would come. It was not until Tasha Yar was killed in TNG season 1, episode 23, "Skin of Evil," that Worf began to develop and grow as a character.
