Star Trek: No, Michael Dorn Isn’t Back as Worf in Picard

Several members of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast will reprise their roles for Star Trek: Picard, but Michael Dorn isn’t one of them. Dorn played Starfleet’s first Klingon officer, Worf, in The Next Generation. Speculation about his return to the role sprouted after his signature seemed to appear on a Star Trek: Picard crewmember’s wrap gift. But a representative for CBS, after conferring with Picard‘s casting team, confirmed to Newsweek that Dorn will not be getting back into character as Worf for Picard. There was no mention as to whether the signature that sparked this speculation belonged to Dorn, as suspected.

The signature appeared on a slate given to Picard cinematographer Philip Lanyon as the show’s first season wrapped production. The slate was signed by members of the Picard cast “including some fo the original #TNG cast,” according to Lanyon.

Fans were able to identify the autographs of returning stars Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Data), Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker), and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager), as well as new Star Trek stars Alison Pill and Santiago Cabrera. Some unidentified signatures are believed to belong to lesser-known stars Isa Briones, Harry Treadaway, and Eva Evagora.

That left a signature unclaimed. Fans compared it Dorn’s signature and it seemed to be a match. That would make Dorn the only former The Next Generation star to sign the slate that hadn’t been announced as returning in Picard, which led to speculation that he had a so-far unannounced role in the upcoming series.

Some fans speculated it may have been a cameo role, which is why it wasn’t announced. But Dorn has said in the past that he wouldn’t spend the hours needed to applying Klingon makeup for such a small part in the series.

“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.”

Dorn does feel like there could be a future for Worf in the new Star Trek universe. “I am trying to get them to do my Worf pilot,” Dorn said at Keystone Comic Con in Philadelphia in August. “I wrote it in 2012-13, and it’s been going like this: a lot of interest, no interest, a lot of interest, no interest … A guy who was a producer at this one place that I was pitching it came up to me before the meeting and [said], ‘I gotta tell you, your character meant so much to me’ … It fits so well into this new Star Trek universe. It just fits right in there. We’ll see.”

Are you disappointed to hear Michael Dorn won’t be back as Worf in Star Trek: Picard? Let us know in the comments. Star Trek: Picard premieres on CBS All Access in 2020.