Star Trek Reveals Worf's Shocking Reunion With His Son

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is all about legacy, introducing Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher's son, Jack Crusher, but Worf's reunion with his son, Alexander, is happening elsewhere in the Star Trek universe. SPOILERS follow for Star Trek #5, written by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, with art by Ramon Rosanas & Erik Tamayo, colors by Lee Loughridge, and letters by Clayton Cowles follow. In IDW Publishing's ongoing Star Trek series, the Bajoran Prophets returned Benjamin Sisko to linear time to investigate the deaths of several god-like beings. The mission leads Sisko into Klingon space aboard the USS Theseus. There, he reunites with Worf and discovers that Kahless II, the clone of the original Klingon Emperor Kahless, is behind the deicides.

Kahless is leading a movement called the Red Path. Sisko catches up with Kahelss' flagship inside a living god city. Kahless retaliates by sending a boarding party to attack the Theseus. Worf leads the security team in defending the ship but is shocked to discover that his son, Alexander Rozhenko, is among them.

Who is Alexander Rozhenko?

Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced Alexander in the Season 4 episode "Reunion." Alexander is Worf's son with K'Ehleyr, a Federation ambassador of half-human/half-Klingon lineage. Thus, Alexander is of mixed human and Klingon heritage. Though biologically more Klingon, which shows his appearance, Alexander spends much of his youth growing up in the Federation, either with his father aboard the USS Enterprise or with his adoptive grandparents on Earth.

Alexander and Worf's relationship is a rocky one. Worf wasn't there for Alexander's earliest years since K'Ehleyr kept his existence a secret. Like his mother, Alexander frequently felt confused about his identity, being different from his peers in the Enterprise classroom. Worf's dedication to Klingon culture at home, while Alexander needed to conform to Federation norms at school, only exacerbated the situation.

After years of shunning Klingon society, Alexander made a go of devoting himself to the Empire. He joined the Klingon Defense Force during the Dominion War, a choice he made without consulting his father.

The other Klingons saw only Alexander's human softness, and matters got worse when Worf came to serve aboard the same ship as the first officer. Although there was tension, Worf and Alexander managed to mend their relationship. Alexander's final appearance on Star Trek television came in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "You Are Cordially Invited," where he participated in Worf and Jadzia Dax's wedding ceremony.

Alexander's appearance in Star Trek leads to Worf's Star Trek: Defiant series

The Klingon boarding party, including Alexander, eventually returns to Kahless' ship. Sisko orders Kahless' vessel destroyed. Worf stops him, knowing that Alexander will perish and that an attack would mean war with the Klingon Empire. Worf's defiance creates a schism between him and Sisko.

Worf still intends to pursue Kahless but believes Sisko's commitment to the Prophets hampers his judgment. Worf departs the Theseus without ceremony, steals the USS Defiant from Starfleet, and assembles a motley crew of characters, including Ro Laren, to pursue Kahless by more subtle and clandestine means. That story continues in the Star Trek spinoff series Star Trek: Defiant. Both series are heading toward the first ever Star Trek comics crossover, "Day of Blood."

Why Alexander isn't in Star Trek: Picard Season 3?

Considering Star Trek: Picard Season 3's themes, it may seem odd that Alexander doesn't appear in the show. ComicBook.com had the chance to ask Michael Dorn, who plays Worf, about Alexander's lack of involvement in the series (and more).

"I think the producers had a discussion about that, and I was always open to it," Dorn said. "That definitely is something that could be explored. The only problem is with all of these things, even with Next Generation, you got seven actors. You can only do so much, and if you try to introduce other characters, you're going to sacrifice part of another storyline. It kind of ripples. Like, say that you drop something in a pond and the ripple effect is, okay, we want to talk about Alexander. Okay, that means that we can't talk about Geordi that much, or we can't talk about Crusher that much because they're taking up extra time. I understood it, but I thought that at some point if they continue this Next Generation thing, I think it definitely needs to be explored."

Star Trek #5 is on sale now. Star Trek: Defiant #1 is also on sale now.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 debuts new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+. The first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard, all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, are also streaming on Paramount+.