QoSlIj DatIvjaj, Michael Dorn (today, December 9, 2023, marks the actor’s 70th birthday)! Several months before the February 2023 premiere of Star Trek: Picard’s third and final season on Paramount+, the streamer has released first-look images to TVLine of Dorn as Worf, Son of Mogh.

Dorn will be reprising his role as Worf in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard. Although details surrounding Worf’s return are still shrouded in mystery, the Klingon Starfleet officer was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s chief security officer after the untimely death of Tasha Yar. Indeed, Worf was so popular with Trekkies that the network decided to add the fan-favorite Klingon to its fledgling spin-off series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in an effort to boost ratings (and the character swap worked, even if it made plotting the TNG movies extra tricky). As a result, Dorn has appeared on-screen as Worf 282 times and counting (175 episodes of TNG, 102 episodes of DS9, and five movies), meaning that the actor has appeared as the same character in more Star Trek films and movies than any other actor in the franchise. A tweet from the official Star Trek Twitter account can be found below.

In April, Paramount+ announced that Dorn would be reprising his role as Worf in the third season of Picard. However, as seen in the first look image, the Son of Mogh will be carrying a new weapon for his return, a Kur’leth blade, designed by Star Trek visual effects guru Dan Curry, who also designed the Bat’leth blade.

Denise Crosby Teased Tasha Yar’s Return in Star Trek: Picard

     Paramount

Worf wasn’t the only chief security officer serving on the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in TNG. The series also introduced Natasha “Tasha” Yar, portrayed by Denise Crosby, who was head of the Bear Pack until she was unceremoniously killed off by a science fiction monster of the week. However, during an August 2022 panel discussion at 56-Year Mission: Las Vegas, Crosby had good news for Tasha fans, revealing that both former Enterprise-D security chiefs will appear in Picard’s third season.

“I don’t want to give away too much. But I’m going to tell you that you will see Tasha Yar, but I’m not going to tell you how. You’ve got to watch,” Crosby told a fan at 56-Year Mission: Las Vegas.

Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard will premiere on Thursday, February 16, 2023, on Paramount+.