Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Finale – “The Last Generation”Star Trek: Picard season 3 saw beloved Klingon warrior Worf (Michael Dorn) reconsider his opinion on his favorite bladed weapon from his days on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Perhaps the closest thing Star Trek has to an action hero character, Lieutenant Worf was consistently presented as the muscle on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a physically imposing man always ready for a fight. He carried that reputation through his days on Deep Space Nine as well, often leading the charge in skirmishes against the Dominion.
Worf triumphantly returned in Star Trek: Picard season 3, now something of a warrior monk who considers violence a last resort. That said, the first thing he did in season 3 was decapitate a Ferengi named Sneed (Aaron Stanford) with a fancy new bladed weapon called a kur’leth. It was an instantly iconic moment for Worf, but it did call into question his current choice of weaponry.
How Worf’s Giant Picard Sword Reverses His DS9 Weapon Choice
Worf’s primary weapon for most of Star Trek: Picard season 3 was a new blade called a kur’leth. The kur’leth is a giant, anime-influenced sword that Worf carries on his back. And while Worf is often associated with the equally bulky and powerful bat’leth, he actually admitted to preferring a smaller, sleeker weapon on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Sons of Mogh,” Worf admitted to Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Ferrell) that he often preferred using the mek’leth, as it was lightweight and easy to conceal. Worf savaged plenty of Jem’Hadar soldiers with the mek’leth during the Dominion War. Worf also famously used the mek’leth against the Borg while spacewalking on the saucer section of the USS Enterprise-E in Star Trek: First Contact.
Worf’s New Sword In Picard Shows How The Klingon Changed
By the time of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Worf seemed less concerned with subterfuge than he once was. Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), Worf’s partner in his investigation on M’talas Prime, noted how conspicuous he looked on the grimy planet walking around in his best Klingon warrior garb. Similarly, he seems to no longer have a problem letting everyone know he’s carrying around a giant sword and knows how to use it.
Worf underwent some significant personal changes since he was last seen onscreen in Star Trek Nemesis. He embraced pacifism and self-acceptance, but lost none of his blunt personality in the process. Worf appears to be taking a similarly open approach to his weapon use, no longer feeling the need to hide his intentions. It’s yet another bit of subtle character development that made Worf one of the standout aspects of Star Trek: Picard season 3.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.
