Table of contents:
- 10 “A warrior does not let his friend face danger alone.”
- 9 “The Klingon doesn’t delay. It’s a tactical delay.”
- 8 “Klingons don’t pursue relationships. They conquer what they desire.”
- 7 “An individual’s personal space is a right.”
- 6 “And I’ll make it a triple.”
- 5 “You have never seen death? Then look, and always remember.”
- 4 “Thinking about what you can’t control only wastes energy…”
- 3 I’m Klingon. If in doubt, a demonstration can be arranged.
- 2 “I have slaughtered countless enemies over the years…”
- 1 “Today is a good day to die.”
across decades, Star Trek It introduced fans to many unforgettable interstellar worlds, and with these worlds emerged new cultures, genres, people, and tensions. In the beginning, Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise spend a lot of time juggling tensions with the Klingons, a kind of powerful Qo’noS warrior whose entire culture revolves around their love of violence, battle, and bloodshed. As great conquerors, the Klingons presented themselves as one of the most brutal and dominant military forces in the galaxy, and even after making a modicum of peace with them, tensions always remained high.
Despite the Klingon’s love of combat and war, they were an incredibly honorable species who held fast to their traditions. when Star Trek: The Next Generation Introducing Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), the first Klingon to join Starfleet, fans didn’t know what to expect. He was often very real when he spoke, quick-tempered and more than willing to engage enemy forces, but it wasn’t long before he became an honored member of the crew and a friend to many of his shipmates. Because of his turbulent family history, Worf struggled with fatherhood when it was unexpectedly exposed to him. He didn’t always know how to interact or bond with his son, Alexander, which sometimes led to tension between them.
Worf served on the Enterprise under Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) until its destruction, and after a brief period of self-reflection joined forces with Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) in Deep Space Nine to help him deal with the Klingons after the Cardassia invasion. became a fixture in DS9even falling in love with and marrying Trail Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), whose former host Curzon has a deep connection with the Klingons and love of their culture.
Across the franchise, Worf appears in more episodes than any other character, and fans never seem to get enough of him. No matter what position he found himself in, he always had something memorable to say. The default king of the amazing, the Stoic, until his reappearance in the final season of Star Trek: Picard Raise an abundance of hilarious quotes that will last forever.
10 “A warrior does not let his friend face danger alone.”
Season 5, Episode 17 of Star Trek: TNG He introduced a race called the J’naii. Once an intersex species, as it evolved, it became primal for one to identify using gender, but Commander Riker’s (Jonathan Frakes) interactions with a scientist named Soren incited physical attraction between the pair. Soren admits that although it is considered taboo among her people, she secretly identifies as female, but she can never reveal this because they would treat her against her will. When Soren is taken for an involuntary recovery, Riker schemes to rescue her and grant her asylum aboard the Enterprise, at which point Worf offers his presence to the surface. After all, there would be danger, and he would go against everything he believed in to allow his friend to face it alone.
9 “The Klingon doesn’t delay. It’s a tactical delay.”
When Riker (Jonathan Frakes) accused Worf of procrastination in Season 7, Episode 2, his clever Klingon response revealed why he took his time to “call.” Apparently Worf wasn’t a fan of the uniforms, because they reminded him too much of women’s dresses. While Riker admonishes him for his outdated sexual way of thinking, the pair exit the headquarters to meet the dignitaries on the plane. Calling procrastination a tactical delay might make it sound formal enough to be ignored when looking for a good excuse.
8 “Klingons don’t pursue relationships. They conquer what they desire.”
Worf speaks these words to Data after asking his advice on pursuing a romantic relationship with crewmate Jenna D’Sora in TNG Season 4, Episode 25. That seemed to sum up what one might expect from a Klingon love story, but when it came to his relationship with Jadzia Dax on DS9, it was hard to tell which was the conqueror. Worf was smitten with Jadzia in ways that would almost be hard to imagine had she not been on screen. While their marriage and relationship was deeply rooted in Klingon lore, Jadzia revealed a softer side to Worf that made him more loving.
7 “An individual’s personal space is a right.”
When news came out that the final season of Picard It will mark the reunion of the cherished TNG crew, and fans couldn’t wait to find out what happened to their favorite Klingon. Surprisingly, Worf has changed quite a bit since his last appearance. Following a Zen path and practicing peaceful meditation, he appears to be less quick to anger than old Worf, but still values his personal space. Given how much people are beginning to value their personal space during the COVID-19 pandemic, Worf’s timely reminder should keep everyone in check moving forward.
6 “And I’ll make it a triple.”
Worf has always had this way of speaking quite literally without giving much thought to how it might translate to others. So, when Riker tells Picard he won’t go alone into enemy territory, Worf chimes in with this hilarious line. Even Riker doesn’t know what to do with it, asking, “Do you even hear yourself?” While not many fans were enamored with the final season of Picardyou’ve done so much fan service with iconic Worf lines like that, that the glaring plot holes are much easier to overlook.
5 “You have never seen death? Then look, and always remember.”
No one in the galaxy has been more willing to become a father on their own than Worf. His approach to fatherhood has often been called into question by humans, which is strange since he was raised by humans himself after being orphaned. When the mother of his son Alexander was killed, he did not let the boy look away. He wanted him to remember what death was like and not be afraid. While this may sound startling, forcing a child to stare at death was a very Klingon reaction. Klingons don’t view death the way other cultures do, and while his son was part human through his mother, he was still a Klingon, and Worf tried to foster every chance he got.
4 “Thinking about what you can’t control only wastes energy…”
Despite his lack of skill as a father, Worf once gave Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) the best advice imaginable when he was anxious about facing his greatest fear of a psychological test. Pointing out that focusing on what one cannot control is a waste of energy, he added that he only created another enemy that needed to be fought. Despite his strong warrior demeanor, Worf openly admits to Wesley that his greatest fear was relying on others to keep him alive, and it was a fear he faced every day.
3 I’m Klingon. If in doubt, a demonstration can be arranged.
Because Worf was raised by humans and his father Mog was considered a traitor by his people, he faced much ridicule when it came to the Klingons. One of the most aggressive sources of ridicule was his brother Korn (Tony Todd), who constantly questioned his devotion to their heritage. Unafraid of coming face to face with his brother, it took a long time and many skirmishes before the two made peace with each other.
2 “I have slaughtered countless enemies over the years…”
When he met up with his old crew during PicardThere’s been talk of why some of them haven’t exactly connected over the decades since their last encounters. Worf had the most plausible alibi of all, telling them, “I’ve slaughtered countless enemies over the years and thought about sending you all their heads, but I was told that was… passive aggressive.” Even as an old Klingon seeking peace and zen, Worf’s unique and stoic sense of humor remains one of his most admirable qualities.
1 “Today is a good day to die.”
Among the Klingons, the words “Heghlu’meH QaQ jajvam” are easily uttered before going into battle. Roughly translating to “Today is a good day to die,” evidence of a Klingon willingness to give their all for the battle ahead, even their lives if necessary. Worf was actually the first Klingon to speak these words in TNG season 3, when he told his father’s toughest rival, “It’s a good day to die, Duras, and the day isn’t over yet.”
