Why Star Trek: The Next Generation Changed Worf's Klingon Forehead Between Seasons
If you're a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fan, you're probably aware that the show went through a lot of growing pains over the course of its seven-season run — but one change shines above the rest: The tweaks made to Worf's Klingon forehead between Seasons 1 and 2 of "TNG." But why did the series change the character's facial design?
The decision was simple: The makeup team had no choice. Someone stole the prosthetic for Worf's forehead between the first two seasons, making it unavailable for use when filming started up again. The team went on to make a similar, but ultimately redesigned, replacement that would go on to be the definitive version of Worf's forehead.
The original forehead design for Worf, played by Michael Dorn, was the result of years of refinement across multiple "Star Trek" series. The signature Klingon character design was birthed from 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and continued to transform in style over the years. 1984's "Star Trek III: The Search For Spock" employed a design that ended up being the foundation for the prosthetics team on "The Next Generation."
The theft of Worf's prosthetic led to the design's evolution
The key difference between Worf's forehead between Seasons 1 and 2 lies in the fact that the first design had less structure in its ridges. When "TNG" makeup designer, Michael Westmore, and his team remade the prosthetic after it was stolen, they gave the ridges a clear pattern and more structure. The physical change was subtle, but not enough to go unnoticed. The "Star Trek" audience caught on, but the prosthetic redesign was not acknowledged by the show's canon.
Worf's forehead design continued to evolve beyond Season 2 — and some fans think a few of the changes could be related to a spinal injury the character suffers in the canon during Season 5. Whatever the cause, it was never directly addressed in the series. Interestingly enough, Worf wasn't the only Enterprise crew member who underwent a physical change going into Season 2. He was in good company with Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who showed up for the second "TNG" season with a full beard after spending all of Season 1 clean shaven. Considering how much was going on as the creative team got their bearings in the early days of the show, it seems like change was in the air.