By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Worf is one of the most popular characters in Star Trek, and for good reason: appearing in three shows and four movies as his iconic character, Michael Dorn has spent more time on screen in this franchise than any other actor. Fortunately for him, the writers really liked Worf, giving him interesting stories that revolved around his tumultuous family history and the disintegrating Klingon society. They also cast Troi and Jadzia Dax (two hot fan favorites) as his romantic partners.
At the time, combining a war-like Klingon with an emotional Betazed and an ancient body-transformer almost felt like a mistake. However, Star Trek: The Next Generation he missed the opportunity to give this character a partner that no one would see, and fans would probably still be picking their jaws off the floor, all these decades later. You see, there was once a plan to hook Worf up with Selar, the Enterprise’s resident Vulcan doctor!
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It all started with the TNG script “The Emissary,” a Season 2 episode where Worf falls in love with the future mother of his child, K’Ehleyr. The actors worked well on screen together, which is in part due to actors Michael Dorn and Suzie Plakson having amazing chemistry. But there were other women who would fall in love with him The Next Generation again Deep Space Ninethe decision to pair Worf with another Klingon was less obvious.
That’s exactly how Tracy Tormé feels about this decision. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, Tormé was ahead of his time TNG writer responsible for such landmark episodes as “The Schizoid Man.” While the story has some strong qualities, many fans love one thing about this episode above all else: Suzie Plakson, making her Star Trek debut as Dr. Selar, Vulcan’s chief medical officer for Dr. Beverly Crusher.
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While Selar ended up being a very minor character, Tormé originally wanted him to be Worf’s crush. Unfortunately, his plans were thwarted when the TNG crew began work on “The Emissary,” a script that called for Worf to fall in love with a Klingon woman. In a way, you can say that the producers compromised: because he had impressed them so much as Dr. Selar, they ended up hiring Suzie Plakson to play K’Ehleyr.
However, Tormé was not impressed, later calling the decision to pair Worf with another Klingon “obvious.” He summed up his objection to the point succinctly: “If it was Vulcan, it would be a lot more fun.” You have a real point here, especially considering that the cool and rational Vulcans are in stark contrast to the hot-blooded and passionate Klingons.
After butting heads with popular TNG show creator Maurice Hurley enough times, Tormé left the show after Season 2. However, the spirit of his idea of pairing Worf with someone completely different from him continued. This is part of why the writers ended up hooking her up with Deanna Troi: the quiet, emotional Betazed was the last person fans expected to end up with a ship’s Klingon. Deep Space Nine he took this idea even further, having strict control over Worf dating and eventually marrying the free-spirited Trill who just wants to have fun.
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As for Dr. Selar, never appeared on screen again, although the Vulcan doctor has been mentioned by name several times over the years The Next Generation. However, the late, great Star Trek writer Peter David gave Selar a bigger role, making him Excalibur’s medical officer in his unauthorized New Frontier series of books. There, he finds himself a surprising romantic partner: Burgoyne 172, a hermaphrodite alien who comes out as shy.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Worf, and his love life is one of the things that made this hulking Klingon so compelling. But I have to admit, it would have been fun to see her dating a Vulcan, especially played by the insanely talented Suzie Plakson. Fortunately, he would continue to love Star Trek for years to come, each time as a completely different character. But these very different roles all have something important in common: each was more epic than the last!
