'Star Trek Next Generation' Reboot: Michael Dorn on Why We Need a Worf Show

The Star Trek universe has been expanding at a rapid pace, with a The Next Generation reboot starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a new animated series, and more — but what about the guy who’s been pitching a Star Trek spinoff for years. TNG star Michael Dorn says it’s finally time for the Worf-centric TV show we’ve been waiting for — and it’s more relevant now than ever before.

“This is, I think, perfectly timed and placed,” Dorn tells Inverse. “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.”

The series, which would star Dorn as the captain of a Klingon ship outside Starfleet jurisdiction, might also offer some interesting parallels between a changing Klingon civilization and the issues facing America today.

"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

“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,” Dorn says. “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.”

Star Trek has never shied away from political messages. The original series even featured TV’s first interracial kiss (maybe). Now, it sounds like the Klingon’s violent society could be a perfect parable for the U.S. in 2018, particularly when it comes to the issue of immigration.

Of course, this is also a sci-fi show. It’s got to be entertaining, but according to Dorn that won’t be an issue.

“Worf has always been the most macho of the characters and so we are going to have battles and hand-to-hand combat,” he says. “There’s gonna be talking, but there’s gonna be assassinations and coup attempts.”

The spinoff series would also follow a familiar episodic format.

“Worf is on a ship and he’s going out and all the adventures are happening with him,” Dorn says. “Every episode is like the original or Next Generation. It’s a self-contained episode that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And it says something.”

As for the possibility that Worf might make an appearance in the already-announced Next Generation reboot, Dorn wouldn’t rule it out, but he did have one big condition: It can’t just be a cameo.

“I’m only interested in if it’s something really interesting; if the character was a major part of the franchise or whatever the show is,” he says. “He’s not just going to show up, beat somebody up, and then go home.”

Related video: Can you spot all 40 Star Trek actors in Snoop Dogg’s ‘Unbelievable?’