Worf Is A Changed Klingon On Star Trek: Picard Season 3 And No One Likes It (Except Us)

This article contains spoilers for season 3, episode 6 of "Star Trek: Picard," "Bounty."

Fans who have been watching "Star Trek: Picard" are already well aware that the Klingon warrior Worf (Michael Dorn) has changed quite a bit since we last saw him in "Star Trek: Nemesis," but the rest of the crew he worked with on the U.S.S. Enterprise weren't quite up to speed. After helping to uncover more information about the weapons at the Daystrom Institute and the possible motives and plans of the terrorist Changelings, Worf and his work partner, Raffi (Michelle Hurd), convene with Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart), Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), and Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick), and it's the first time some of these old comrades have seen each other in a long, long time. Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) is overwhelmed with joy, giving Worf a big hug even though Riker reminds her that he's "not a hugger." It's an awkward reunion for Seven and Raffi as well, as they didn't leave their romantic relationship on a great note in season 2, so everyone's a little unsure of themselves in an already tense situation. 

What no one could have expected was that Worf's pacifism and new ways would annoy the heck out of Riker so much, or that it would be so much stinking fun to watch them butt heads in a very non-Klingon way. When the two team up, along with Raffi, to go get the superweapon out of the super-warehouse below Daystrom, there's a lot of charming and authentic banter between them, and it helps keep the fanservice-filled episode aloft. 

When Worf and Picard first reunite in the teleporter room of the Titan, Picard mentions that it's been a long time since they last saw one another, and Worf knows the exact time: 11 years, 5 months, 4 days. In those 11 years, he's had some contact with Riker through calls and video messages and Riker has sent him sour mead from Chateau Picard once a year, but the two have still missed a lot of one another's lives. While Picard seems shocked at Worf's appreciation for sour mead, he explains that "it is quite tart, sir." Given the Klingon's love of cranberry juice, it makes total sense that he would love a sour and slightly sweet alcoholic beverage. Mead is also the drink of Vikings, who bear cultural similarities to Klingons, but I digress. 

Much more surprising to everyone is that Worf has adopted a new life code that revolves around pacifism. That's right, a peaceful Klingon. Riker cannot even begin to believe that this could be true and questions his old friend with a simple "whoa, seriously?," to which Worf replies with an extremely on-brand "I just said it." Worf has never been one to mince words, but then again, he shows later in the episode that he has been working on more effective communication with non-Klingons.

If someone on the Enterprise of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" or the titular space station of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" needed a blunt, honest opinion, they could always go to Worf. The Klingon officer may have been raised by humans, but he didn't have much of a filter or patience for human social norms, which meant that he could be hilariously frank. Even that seems to have changed, as he reacts to the awkwardness between Raffi and Seven by trying to comfort them with an anecdote about how he has "gone into battles with lovers countless times" and "it can be therapeutic." While he definitely went into battle with his Par'Mach'kai, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) on a few occasions, this seems like a pretty strange reassurance for Worf to say. When Seven interrupts him to explain that she's not coming along, Worf sighs and explains:

"That is a relief. I was practicing deceit. Breakups on my home world seldom end without bloodshed."

Worf is trying to practice deceit, people! He's learning how to lie in order to prevent hurting other people's feelings. This Worf cares about people's feelings. Given his track record of being a stubborn, bull-headed dork used to getting his own way, that's pretty impressive. Honestly, Worf has grown and become a much more healthy, whole person, though there is still a sadness that lingers in him (likely grief over Jadzia, which never fades completely). One person doesn't like this more mature Worf, however, and that's Riker.

Poor Riker is absolutely flabbergasted by the change in Worf, trying to reconcile the pacifist sorta-samurai in front of him with the wild, grumpy barbarian he once knew. When Worf explains his commitment to pacifism, Riker sees it as an omen that they're all going to die, and he jokes as much. Joking has been his way of handling stress since "Next Gen," and he continues to joke by teasing Worf when he's startled by a genetically engineered "attack Tribble" being held in the basement at Daystrom. Worf, truly a changed man, points out that Riker finds "comfort in humor and humor in other people's discomfort." While he's not wrong, Riker is shocked, wanting to know why his old friend doesn't poke back like he used to. 

By the time Worf says that they will enter the dangerous, AI-booby-trapped room as "friendly energy," Riker has had enough. He mutters that he doesn't understand the world anymore, and even ends up finding comfort in the fact that the returned Moriarty (Daniel Davis) is still a jerk and therefore "consistent."

Despite all of this weirdness between Worf and Riker, the latter still sacrifices himself and gets captured by the enemy to save his Klingon comrade, along with Raffi and an android that's part Data (Brent Spiner). That sacrifice in turn makes Worf swear an oath to Picard that he will find Riker and bring him home. Even though these two men don't quite understand one another anymore, there's still a lot of love and respect there, and their friendship will endure.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Picard" premiere Thursdays on Paramount+.