Just on the heels of learning the Star Trek: Picard spinoff would've centered on Worf's son Alexander, we're getting another story about how The Next Generation star Michael Dorn accidentally impacted a major storyline involving the character. It turns out Dorn had a role to play in the death of K'Ehleyr, Alexander's mother, and it all happened because of a joke.
The actor told the story during a recent appearance on Dropping Names With Brent And Johnny, and lamented that he got actress Suzie Plakson "fired" from what could've been a long-running role as Worf's former lover and Alexander's mother. She only lasted two episodes on TNG, as Dorn said he made a poor joke to a writer that led to K'Ehleyr getting killed off:
I feel bad about that. Maurice Hurley came to me... and he says, 'Hey, Michael, you know, I'm trying to figure out this thing. What would just piss Worf off more than anything else?' I just made a joke like, 'Well, you know, kill his old lady. I don't know.' She did the show, it was a great show but she got killed at the end.
K'Ehleyr died in "Reunion" (currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription), and Alexander was sent to live with Worf's adopted parents but would return to spend time with his father. It does make me wonder what might've happened had the show kept her around, and if Worf would've eventually gotten back together and had his entire family on the Enterprise.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about K'Ehleyr was her dual Klingon and human heritage, which was later explored with the Voyager character B'Elanna Torres. WhatCulture states that K'Ehleyr actually served as an inspiration for B'Elanna, as the writing team wanted a Klingon on the ship but did not want to create a character who felt too similar to Worf. That's not a bad legacy to have, considering a lot of people would rank B'Elanna among Star Trek's best characters.
Michael Dorn felt bad about Suzie Plakson losing her role as K'Ehleyr, but it is worth noting the actress played other roles in the franchise. She played a Vulcan in TNG, a Q in Voyager, and an Andorian in Enterprise. Sure, those weren't as meaty roles as the one she had playing Worf's former fling, but it's not like he put her out of a job for good!
She may not make the list of most memorable guest stars of The Next Generation, but Dorn made sure to shout her out during his appearance on Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes' podcast. It's always great to hear these actors get together, as it feels there is a limitless number of stories they could tell from the set of their acclaimed sci-fi series. For example, I don't think I could ever hear enough about how the actors used to wrestle in between takes.
The best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many other shows are available to stream on Paramount+. This is one of those shows where you can throw on any episode and have a blast watching, so don't feel like you have to start with Season 1!
