Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Picard Season 3The loss of the USS Enterprise-E while under the command of Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) confirms a warning from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). Prior to his promotion to Captain of the USS Enterprise-E, Worf served under two of Starfleet’s greatest Captains, Benjamin Sisko and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Both men gave Worf valuable counsel and helped him find a place for himself that honored his Klingon heritage while respecting the rules and regulations of Starfleet. Starfleet’s first Klingon rose up the ranks until he earned himself a red command uniform in DS9 season 4.
Worf got his first taste of command in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 17, “Rules of Engagement”, but it ended with him facing court-martial and extradition to the Klingon Empire. Captain Sisko successfully defended Worf against the charges of destroying a Klingon freighter and killing over 400 civilians by proving the accusations to be false. Despite this valuable lesson, and a warning from Sisko, it’s clear that there was still much to learn about command when Worf succeeded Picard as Captain of the Enterprise.
Worf’s Enterprise-E Disaster In Picard Confirms Sisko’s DS9 Warning
Reflecting on his first, ill-fated, command of the USS Defiant, Worf observed that “Life is a great deal more complicated in this red uniform“. Sisko wryly acknowledges this by quipping that, when Worf earns his Captain’s pip he’ll wish he’d “gone into botany“. Worf’s first posting as Captain was to the USS Enterprise-E, where life seemingly got even more complicated in the red uniform, resulting in the loss of the Federation flagship. Worf’s defensive assurance that whatever disaster befell the Enterprise-E wasn’t his fault, unfortunately, suggests the opposite.
It’s interesting that, while still a Captain in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Worf wears the yellow field jacket of Starfleet’s security and science divisions. As a Starfleet Intelligence officer, it’s clear that Worf hasn’t made the shift into botany, but the yellow field jacket does confirm Sisko’s warning to a certain degree. By putting Worf in a yellow field jacket, the Picard writers’ room and costume department imply that, following the Enterprise disaster, he’s reverted to the Starfleet division in which he was always more comfortable.
Did Enterprise-E’s Disaster Inspire Worf’s More Peaceful Life?
In “Rules of Engagement,” the Klingon prosecutor, Ch’Pok (Ron Canada), aimed to prove that it was Worf’s Klingon bloodlust, rather than his duty as a Starfleet officer, that drove his command decisions. Sisko later heard that Worf’s Klingon problems and his thirst for vengeance against the Klingon Empire did indeed lead to the destruction of the – thankfully empty – freighter. It’s possible, therefore, that Worf’s Klingon bloodlust also played a part in the situation that led to the destruction of the Enterprise-E. This would explain why Worf spent decades “working” on himself, embracing a more pacifist lifestyle as a “warrior for peace“.
The loss of the Federation’s flagship under Worf’s command would certainly have raised eyebrows at Starfleet Command, so maybe Worf’s self-improvement was initially ordered by his superiors. By happy coincidence, the pursuit of a more centered and peaceful outlook finally resolved Worf’s Klingon heritage and human upbringing. Worf’s new outlook has also had a hugely positive impact on his Starfleet Intelligence partner, the troubled Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), improving her relationship with her estranged family. It’s a testament to the faith and guidance of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Captain Sisko that, decades later, Captain Worf provides similar wise counsel to the next generation of Starfleet officers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.
