How Star Trek Wasted Its Best Supporting Character

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 25 seconds ago

As great as main characters Star Trek: The Next Generation yes, the supporting characters often steal the show. This includes Alexander, the presumptuous child of the only Klingon in Starfleet. It later appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Ninebut that show effectively wasted this amazing supporting character because we saw that Alexander was nothing more than a dumbed-down version of his father, Worf.

Alexander becomes Worf

If it’s been a while since you watched Star Trek: The Next Generationyou may need a brief primer on the relationship (familial and otherwise) between Alexander and Worf. Despite serving in Starfleet, Work was very devoted to maintaining the Klingon way of life, and tried to raise his son the same way. Unfortunately, Alexander is a quarter human, and between his genetic heritage and being raised on a ship full of humans, he grew up acting anything. but Klingon. When Alexander appeared later Deep Space Ninehowever, he had become a Klingon soldier (albeit a rather clumsy one).

There are plenty of reasons Star Trek the fans didn’t like what happened to Alexander on Deep Space Nineincluding the fact that he is now nothing more than a clumsy punch and still has a terrible relationship with Worf. However, my problem with this story is much simpler. Alexander should never became a Klingon soldier because it shows that the writers stopped developing his character into anything other than a more crappy version of his father.

Disappointed Klingon

For this Star Trek fan, Alexander’s evolution (more like devolution) into a Worf clone is especially disappointing because we rarely get to see non-warrior Klingons. Sure, there are a few scientists here and there, but mostly we see warriors who want nothing more than to die in an honorable manner. Given that something as vast as the Klingon Empire would require countless other types of citizens (farmers, engineers, diplomats, and even writers) that we don’t see as often, it would have been great to see Alexander explore one of these options.

More relevantly, Star Trek: The Next Generation spend enough time establishing that Alexander absolutely different from Wolf. In fact, his entire arc made him perhaps the most unique Klingon we’ve ever seen. However, by the time DS9 ended, he was just another soldier who had come to grips with the warrior culture of his race.

Also, if Star Trek: Deep Space Nine if Alexander had explored a different path, Worf’s beliefs about the Klingon way of life might have been challenged in some worthwhile ways. The writers got great stories out of the inherent tension between Worf’s warrior heritage and the Federation’s hippie ethos, and in TNGwe saw that tension reflected in his relationship with his son. But by DS9, the family drama was replaced by Alexander trying to follow in Worf’s footsteps, and while a son desperately chasing his father’s approval might be realistic for many viewers watching at home, the whole story crisps of wasted potential.

It is possible that Star Trek: Deep Space NineWriters couldn’t think of another way to bring Alexander back…certainly, it took plenty of creative effort (including disrupting the shaky peace between the Klingons and the Federation) to bring Worf back in a forceful way. But speaking as a fan, I’d rather not see this amazing supporting character come back at all than be completely ruined by his return. Also, the kid was already stuck with Worf as a father… that was punishment enough for life, and sticking him with a terrible character and forgettable arcs on top of that seems cruel and unusual.