Star Trek: Discovery offered Michael Dorn a Worf-related role but he said no - here’s why

Star Trek: Discovery is shaping up to be a bold reinvention of a classic series, but one New Generation alumni was offered the chance to boldly go where, uhh, he’s gone before – but turned down the opportunity. Set your phasers to sob.

Michael Dorn – better known as Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Trekkies – could have joined the cast as an ancestor to his iconic character but, according to Trek Movie, things fell apart over those sweet, sweet space dollars. In fact, Dorn was allegedly offered “less than one percent of what he made in his last contract as Worf.”

It would’ve been cool to see Dorn don the ridged head of Worf’s ancestors yet again, having done so in the sixth original series Star Trek movie, but it’s also refreshing to (hopefully) see the sci-fi space opera stand on its own two feet when Star Trek returns to TV screens this year for the first time in over a decade.

Want more Star Trek: Discovery space goodies? Here’s a breakdown of the Star Trek: Discovery teaser trailer

Image: Paramount

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in TV
Poker Face season 2
First Poker Face season 2 trailer sees Natasha Lyonne team up with Yellowjackets, Wicked, and Orange is the New Black stars, sets a May release date
Walton Goggins in The Righteous Gemstones
The final season of Fallout star's HBO comedy has debuted to a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel fans think that Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 just referenced Spider-Man's Miles Morales – but a key detail might have already debunked the theory
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again fans are reeling at episode 3's "brutal" ending: "It made me gasp in shock"
Daredevil's mask in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again's end credits just paid a perfect tribute to episode 3's slain character
George R.R. Martin
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has a new update on The Winds of Winter: "I wish it would come faster"
Latest in News
The Witcher 3
Resident Evil and Witcher 3 mocap director says video game industry layoffs have made it so "nothing is guaranteed," but AI won’t be replacing real actors "anytime soon"
Rift Apart
Retiring Insomniac boss says developers should still tackle new genres, but it's much riskier these days due to time and money
Atomfall screenshot
Atomfall dev doesn’t understand how massive development teams manage to keep organised: "How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it?"
Stardew Valley Baldur's Gate 3 mod Baldur's Village
Stardew Valley player bringing a bit of Baldur's Gate 3 to ConcernedApe's farming sim, now with Larian's seal of approval, says they've played over 1,500 hours and will improve the mod
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Monster Hunter Wilds' final boss is even cooler than we thought: series experts point out attacks stitched together from iconic monsters throughout the series
This is Spinal Tap
First Spinal Tap 2 teaser reveals release date for comedy sequel that’s over 40 years in the making