10 Star Trek Actors Whose First Appearances You've Totally Forgotten

9. Michael Dorn As Colonel Worf

Colonel Worf
Paramount

Whilst Michael Dorn had been playing Worf on TV for a few years before the making of Star Trek VI, The Undiscovered Country marks his first appearance in a Star Trek movie until 1997's Star Trek: Generations. Whilst it's not explicitly stated on-screen, Dorn is playing Worf's grandfather in the film. This fact was later confirmed by the actor himself and the publicity materials surrounding the film.

Colonel Worf was the Klingon defence laywer for Kirk and McCoy when they're framed for the murder of Chancellor Gorkon. He couldn't save the pair from a guilty verdict, but spared them from the death penalty. Later, it's Colonel Worf who unmasks the real perpetrator of the vast conspiracy against the Klingons and Starfleet. Whilst integral to the plot, Dorn's appearances are fleeting, and it's easy to forget he appeared alongside these Original Series legends.

Dorn is one of the most prolific Star Trek actors, with Worf (or his grandfather) appearing in five feature films, all seven seasons of The Next Generation, four seasons of Deep Space Nine and multiple video games. He's surely due a comeback in either his own spin-off series or as a guest on Picard, Lower Decks or Prodigy.

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Citizen of the Universe, Film Programmer, Writer, Podcaster, Doctor Who fan and a gentleman to boot. As passionate about Chinese social-realist epics as I am about dumb popcorn movies.