Star Trek: Deep Space Ninechanged for the better in its fourth season, when Michael Dorn walked into Ops as Lieutenant Commander Worf. Appearing in a record number ofStar Trekepisodes, fromStar Trek: The Next Generation, toDeep Space Nine, toStar Trek: Picard,Worf’s status as the first Klingon in Starfleethas made him a staple of the franchise. OnTNG, Worf transformed himself from an intimidating loner to a father and a regular member of Commander William T. Riker’s poker games. OnDS9, Worf’s growth only accelerated.
InStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 6, Worf andLt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell)finally tie the knot in the episode “You Are Cordially Invited…” bringing their season-long romance to a head. In many ways, Dax is everything Worf is not: she’s brash, impulsive, lively, and utterly unwilling to conform to tradition. In other words, Jadzia Dax is the perfect complement for Worf’s formality. The two of them share one of thegreatest romances inStar Trek, and it is frankly bizarre thatnone of Worf’s friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation showed up for their wedding.
Star Trek’s In-Universe Reason Why No TNG Characters Went To Worf’s DS9 Wedding
It Was A Rushed Wedding And The Enterprise Was On Assignment
Lt. Commander Worf served with the crew of the USS Enterprise-D for seven years, and even after he transferred to Deep Space Nine, they would have remained his family - so, they should have been at his wedding. However, there are several reasons why the crew of the Enterprise could not have shown up. “You Are Cordially Invited…” takes place in 2374, right in betweenStar Trek: First ContactandStar Trek: Insurrection.The Enterprise was on assignment; it wouldn’t make sense for the Federation’s flagship to be diverted to attend a wedding,even for Lt. Commander Worf.
Another reason Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew may not have been able to attend is the timetable of the wedding itself. Understandably, Lt. Commander Worf wanted to include his son, Alexander Rozhenko (Marc Worden) in the ceremony as his Tawi’Yan, or sword bearer - the Klingon equivalent of a best man. ButAlexander was about to begin service on the Klingon vessel Ya’Vang,and Worf and Jadzia agreed to move up the timetable of the wedding. This change of schedule could easily have prevented characters fromStar Trek:The Next Generationfrom appearing at the wedding.
Paramount Could Not Make The Logistics Work
The in-universe reasons for Worf’s wedding were under the control ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s writers and Paramount executives.If the cast ofStar Trek: The Next Generationcould have appeared in the wedding scene, “You Are Cordially Invited…” would have been written to include them. Ultimately, their absence from Lt. Commander Worf’s wedding is better explained by out-of-universe filming logistics than in-universe contrivances.Cast members fromStar Trek:The Next Generationwould have been expensive to appear as guest stars onDeep Space Nine.
Michael Dorn appeared as Worf inStar Trek: First ContactandStar Trek: Insurrection, which took place during Dorn’s run onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Furthermore, Paramount prioritizedStar Trek: VoyageroverDeep Space Nine,andStar Trek: The Next Generationcharacters like Marina Sirtis' Counselor Deanna Troi were more apt to appear on Captain Kathryn Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) series. Ultimately, Lt. Commanders Worf and Jadzia Dax’s wedding was a highlight ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, with or without appearances from the crew of the USS Enterprise-E.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Cast
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
