MICHAEL DORN Reveals the True Relationship Between STAR TREK Cast Mates

[@alpharius9x660]

Can I just say, How good Michael looks at 71.

[@politan83]

Seriously!

[@sebastianoleary2743]

Maybe all that makeup and prosthetics worked as moisturizers, lol.

[@AssNutz]

B.D.C.

[@PatrickOMulligan]

Black don't crack.

[@BonzoKilbourn]

He said a cancer scare sent over to the vegan diet.

[@darthhodges]

Marina Sirtis has said that if someone tried to write a "tell all" book about the making of Star Trek TNG it would have to be titled "We Got Along Famously and We're All Still Best Friends".

[@Ad-fu3wi]

Hilariously wholesome

[@DeadCat-42]

I've been fortunate to meet her several times (she told me I had 'pretty eyes" and gave me an autographed picture) she's just as warm and nice as you would imagine.

[@dmac3183]

As long as you agree with her politics.

[@chriskoschik391]

@@dmac3183that, unfortunately, is a later development. She’s pretty disgusting now. I’d say that TNG and DS9 were a gilded age of Star Trek production.

[@dmac3183]

@@chriskoschik391 I was hooked, every Wednesday at 6pm, back in the old days when you had to wait. Incredibly long seasons by modern standards.

[@GotDangJosh]

Micheal Dorn is eternally 35 years old. And I love that they focus on lifting each other up! What a fun show & thank y’all for the interview.

[@BackwardGalaxy]

I love that they all enjoy each other. It's really special.

[@alyzu4755]

My college roommates and I watched TNT religiously from the beginning. I remember we saw a picture of Michael Dorn without his makeup and were amazed at how handsome he was and still IS. ❤️ Also, back in the early 90's I went to a convention where Patrick Stewart appeared. Someone asked him about his favorite performance on the show and he went on to sing Michael's praises, talking about his development of Worf's character over time, how subtle it was, and how much he admired him.

[@dongquixote7138]

It's nice to see him in his human makeup.

[@Rogers_Ranger]

man in a bear suit ...lol

[@VoodooMcVee]

Yeah, they did a really good job covering up those ridges.

[@sureshmukhi2316]

​@@VoodooMcVeemaybe he got infected with the virus that removed the ridges. 😄

[@junbh2]

And his voice, too.

[@Fyrehart97]

Dorn whinced because he's the funniest. I've seen the outtakes. "I never played with boys--" "That means you, Mister Worf!" "S***!" *runs off screen in panic* 🤣🤣

[@christopherhughes3895]

The outtakes are hysterical 🤣

[@jarrertfan1988]

I read Wil Wheaton's book, Still Just a Geek, and he agrees: they're still close to this day

[@JelloFluoride]

Their relationship absolutely shined through in the series. They were a family and we were lucky enough to watch them work together.

[@ssjwes572]

That "lighting in a bottle" is one of the reasons why I loved the show so much. When you watch the bloopers you can tell they all had fun. The drama on the old show kind of took the shine off of it over the years. I like them all as well but was sad they didn't all like each other.

[@KaleRylan]

Yeah, and often didn't like their parts that much either. Nichelle Nichols had to be convinced not to quit by Marin Luther King Jr. of all people, Walter Koenig has been fairly open that he liked his part on Babylon 5 better because he got to do more actual acting. I'm not sure what Takei thought of his part, but his feud with Shatner is legendary, as is Doohan's. I don't think any other crew in trek has quite that level and breadth of drama that I know of. Some of the other shows had feuds (Kate Mulgrew and Seven's actress whose name escapes me right now), but not usually just the whole cast kind of disliking each other and the parts they're playing. It's a testament to all of them as actors that the show and the movies work as well as they do.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@KaleRylan We have to remember too, actors in the 60s grew up at the tail end of the depression. they had that attitude of "if any one of us screws up, we all starve." And Shatner had that real dog pack leader mentality of taking charge, too. His understanding was that he was the 'leading man' and it was up to him to carry the show, so his attitude made sense. He didn't expect people to bow and scrape or kiss his ass, just be deferential and show respect, and he thought he was keeping them in line. He did, after all, have the most lines, and had to work the hardest as those lines constantly changed. In his mind, he HAD to act like that, to keep everyone's confidence that their meal ticket wouldn't dry up on his watch. Then only later did he realize "oh, it's an ensemble. I'm part of a team. everybody is important" and he changed, and he made up with everyone. And there were still bumps in the relationship, but he learned. Similar to when he was rude to Wil Wheaton, you can tell he wasn't thinking "i'll tear this kid's confidence down" rather "I'll show this kid I really am the god he thinks I am, so he doesn't go away disappointed" It's tricky. The differences in cultures and ways of thinking between people make truly getting along difficult back then and impossible now.

[@Zikar]

I never realised how much he put on Worf's voice

[@snapicvs]

Agreed. I expected his speaking voice to be closer to Worfs. If i overheard him talking at a restaurant I’d have no idea who he was.

[@KairuHakubi]

and in season 3 of Picard you could hear the age in his voice, he can't QUITE do it the same anymore, but that's still him.

[@junbh2]

​@@KairuHakubiWell, it's OK for Worf to have aged a bit too.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@junbh2 exactly. though we saw others living to be over 200, so.. hard to call.

[@VonJay]

loved the look they gave him in picard season 3.

[@anonemus2971]

They were a crew. You could see the chemistry from the very first show.

[@lindamawdsley6130]

Sounds like the cast was just the perfect mix, probably soul family😊

[@wayneevans2660]

Brother Dorn, you are the absolute best! You will always be the son of Mogh to me. A ferocious man of faith and a deeply skilled warrior. Worf is the man!

[@barnbum5585]

Worf is my favorite Star Trek NG character. And Michael Dorn is awesome!

[@Basta11]

Its nice to know how professional they were as actors was a reflection of how professional the crew of the Enterprise seemed to me. Even where they expressed disagreements, they conducted themselves in a very professional and mature way, not too much drama nor ego.

[@KaleRylan]

They were also apparently just fun people. I remember hearing somewhere that the DS9 crew was much more of a just a job until Dorn came on board and couldn't understand why they weren't having more fun and got them all to lighten up. That might be anecdotal though.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@KaleRylan Yeah he said the showrunner had a very different attitude and things were kept a lot less lighthearted behind the scenes, and he adjusted.

[@cejannuzi]

In real life he is so unlike Worf. So it makes me appreciate just how deep he was into his character.

[@darkangel_1978]

I met Jonathan Frakes earlier this year, and he was absolutely lovely.

[@RobotechLegos]

It comes across. Their chemistry as a team is what I come back to still.

[@lyarrastark6254]

Worf is still my favorite character in the Star Trek universe. Thank you, Michael Dorn. 🖖

[@daviddavies3637]

The transformation of Worf from Season 1 TNG was stunning. Initially, he looked completely out of place with poor scripts and really crappy prosthetics. But over time they managed to fix him to become one of the best characters in the history of Star Trek. Once they gave Michael Dorn something to work with, the real Worf finally came out.

[@nangaleema]

Omg Star Trek TNG talk! This interview made me subscribe. 💖

[@Brook11223]

Because of Star Trek we got Gargoyles: The Animated Series.

[@seamusburke639]

Is there a story behind that casting? The only reason it isn't full on TNG is because Patrick never guest-starred.

[@Brook11223]

@@seamusburke639 Patrick Stewart missed out not sure why probably busy but also to tell a serious story Greg Weisman wanted to work with the best dramatic actors and realized at that time Star Trek: TNG and the original series had good serious actors to convey a story which helped the show becoming successful especially during the first 2 seasons.

[@Ottophil]

@@Brook11223it was dumber than that gargoyles was just across the hallway at paramount. Really. Thats all.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@Brook11223 The story Greg told is that they wanted Patrick, but his agent demanded too much money. Frakes and Sirtis offered to talk to him, but Greg didn't want to mix business and friendship like that, which is very professional. Like what if he hated it? What if he wanted to quit, and now he's only done it at a lower pay because his friends asked him to? But the sad thing is, he would have loved it. He ended up getting into voiceover later, and totally loved it. Macbeth would have been fantastic voiced by Pat, but John Rhys-Davies did such a good job that we don't have to be that disappointed.

[@Brook11223]

@@KairuHakubi That would been amazing had Patrick Stewart voice Macbeth because his voice is commanding just like Rhys Davies, but in the end like you said Rhys Davies was great as MacBeth and he is a Star Trek alumni who guest starred in Voyager portraying Leonardo Da Vinci.

[@KK-71]

Would be interesting to see how his time on DS9 compared to TNG.

[@kevinslagle9481]

Always loved Michael Dorn's character

[@TheMulToyVerse]

I will never not love the outtake of “they’re on the ship; they’re fine… (Dorn + Burton turn to each other *HIGH-FIVE* … resume position)

[@blutobutt9169]

One reason this group of actors has gelled into an ersatz "family", is that the characters they were playing were also friends - a family - a crew - and that friendliness onscreen became internalized in the actors themselves.

[@browningcq]

Holy crap. It took me 3 minutes to realize that he was being interviewed by Lex Luthor rofl!

[@singular_t]

The whole time i'm like, who is this random KZbinr and why is Michael Dorn there, then the moment he said Smallville I gasped and yelled LEX LUTHOR at my phone lmao.

[@socialkidmusic]

I never realized how much the actor changed his voice for wharf.

[@aldolajak1267]

Michael Dorn's smile is only surpassed by that of Minnesota Twins All Star Tori Hunter.

[@philosopher1a]

Re" everybody new their lines" ahh I've seen teh blooper reel lol

[@robertfindley921]

Michael Dorn was great in Next Gen. Some of the lines they gave him were simplistic and almost disrespectful. But he easily carried several episodes. He's in my top three characters of the series.

[@VonJay]

loved him in picard season 3

[@Ben1159a]

Dorn literally is Mr. Star Trek.

[@jeffreywebb4029]

Lol, I was always under the impression that he resented his character and was anoid That this was what he was known for. But he seems very down to earth. Glad I watched this.

[@KaleRylan]

I'm sure he's gone in cycles, but on the whole he's very proud of worf.

[@Zindo.Majesty.HisMajesty]

Mr Dorn is a great actor

[@pullingweeds]

I still find it cool that he had his on F-86 jet that he flew.

[@Strideo1]

It's Michael Dorn! The star of I Am Weasel!

[@fredericrike5974]

That seems to be the magic- from the first, most of the casting was from "up and commers", hard workers to begin with. People like that, in any profession tend to get along- even though they may have some very different personal outlooks. It begets a "We can do this" attitude- and with ST's continual use of characters from a place far far away, the writers needed all the character development assistance they could get. As a result, the entire crew got to do much of what they thought showed them best- and it showed in the ratings. Michael, you did a fantastic job of portraying both the your honor and tempered with your upbringing with earthers- it made you different from every other Klingon, yet even they respected you. And you could say much the same for all of ST's cast members.

[@Rogers_Ranger]

we still need a Captain Whorf series and this is viable if they do Legacy with Seven

[@notcherbane3218]

It's so weird to hear him talk, because his voice so much deeper in character

[@christopherjohnson2171]

Luling, TX is a great town.

[@cindywomack1113]

Shame that Michael Dorn and Marina Siritis' romcom didn't get funded. I would've like to see it.

[@tisFrancesfault]

Its always good to be in an environment where if you're, or your colleagues are being a dick, for that to be called out quickly. Often its just a case of frustration manifest (for whatever reason), and being checked by those that you like and respect winds your neck in. Unchecked, it stops being a case of doing something dickish to just becoming a dick and everyone is worse off for it.

[@whatwasisaying]

My favorite Worf episode is Parallels.

[@TonyB2279]

Imagines a world where Rosenbaum lets someone answer one question before asking three others...

[@jokerz7936]

They're great guys but Michael and Dominic Keating from Star Trek Enterprise who does a podcast with his former castmate Connor Trinneer have a bad habit of talking over their guest.

[@mrfish4lyfe]

best. cast. ever

[@ferrarriohh]

Honestly, I always thought it'd be Brent Spiner as the onset comedian. I think his Night Court appearances made me think he was a cut up

[@lanceyoung9955]

I wonder if there was a similar dynamic on DS9.

[@DeMan59]

I read that Avery Brooks was not really a pal. He didn’t hate anyone but he wasn’t the most social person. Also Alexander Siddig and Colm Meaney weren't the best friends they played on the show. And there was also allegedly some on the cast and set who thought that Terry Farrell lacked professionalism, saying she would often show up unprepared. Although there were no flat out feuds I don’t think it was the same dynamic.

[@benjaminleinen]

From what I’ve read it was a very serious set.

[@jonathanbair523]

From what I hear, TNG was known as "The most unprofessional group to work with" as soon as the camera stopped they joked and goofed off till the camera was back on...But they always knew there lines and when it was time to work they worked there butts of, but when they had a brake well biggest set of goofs you could get together... I loved hearing in one of the cons they had told how Patric would be such a stick in the mud about no goofing off and he turned out to be one of the biggest goof offs like making faces at the rest of the cast when he had his back to the camera...

[@thelaughingrouge]

Michael out here ageing like a Klingon, you can't tell me my man is in his 70s!

[@dragonchr15]

he immediately corrected the host when he mispronounced gates' first name....lol

[@RW-kn3xp]

when good people find more good people.

[@damaniqphillip2756]

Nice

[@196cupcake]

I hope you can get Marina on the podcast at some point.

[@LyricBossYT]

Marcus, i see u

[@alexsummers9140]

Rosenbaum, did you ask how Dorn changed DS9 for the better when he came on the show as a regular?

[@wyldelf2685]

Will someone gift Rosenbaum a DVD set of the complete series of ""StarTrek- TNG"" please , , 😢👀

[@dalesutaria8559]

Did you guys ask about Patrick Stewart yelling at the cast and crew right after season one ended for being "unprofessional"?

[@One.Zero.One101]

That gets asked at literally every single convention. And I think it was just the main cast.

[@harrypothead42024]

Star Trek would be a much worse franchise without Michael Dorn

[@steves3422]

Keeps trying to get some negative -- way to not take the bait Mr. Dorn -- well done.

[@JelloFluoride]

I. AM. Weasel!

[@dfgndfghdfghdfgh]

Wtf I've known about Word and I Am Weasel for 20 something years and I never knew they were the same

[@michaelbruchas6663]

He has an “audio book narrator” easy to listen to voice….

[@kellywilliam3708]

Ive never liked Worf, but i love Michael Dorn

[@mrluke8264]

Mike IS Worf

[@tabxtra7057]

Marina I am doing my SH** :)

[@Blessed372]

😂😂😂

[@thecaptain5026]

This interviewer is trying so hard to get something controversial out of this.

[@HerbieBancock]

This guy lives in a mirror universe where somebody actually watched Smallville and he's going to make sure everybody knows it.

[@OldSaltyChip]

I hate host who try to feed the guest answers.

[@mattcat83]

Host is trying to stir up stuff.

[@marcoschavarria3232]

Nah, they had to have some beef some competitive nature to the cast.

[@stevencramsie9172]

You’re just assuming that, because whenever those situations do arise, it always gets put out there for the world to find out about. Nobody has ever challenged the TNG cast’s notion of how close they were and still are. And there’s nothing wrong with that

[@marcoschavarria3232]

@stevencramsie9172 how about Voyager? I heard there was some drama with Captain Janeway kate mulgrew, and when they brought in actress Jeri Ryan's seven of nine ?

[@martynnotman3467]

​@@marcoschavarria3232jeri and Kate didnt get on as is pretty well known. But the real issues were on DS9 where a lot of the cast really didnt get on at all.

[@junbh2]

Competition doesn't need to cause beef. It can be fun and playful where everyone wants the others to do well too.

[@RedfishCarolina]

Plot Twist: Patrick Stewart really is Charles Xavier and has mind controlled them all to get along the whole time so that he could have his Picard spinoff

[@grzegorzstyrna26]

Klingons do not laugh

[@Otis151]

why are you fishing for dirt? i guess its good for clicks.

[@siggyincr7447]

Meh, vanilla press speak. Say nice things about the people you worked with. Avoid saying anything that could possibly offend, even if it means you aren't saying anything interesting.

[@razor6888]

Too bad Trek is dead... I met Mr. Dorn.. Good actor.. and portrayed a outstanding character... But Puckard was the final nail for me. A wonderful cast given a horrible story and direction. I want nothing to do with trek anymore... I watched the original series.... Its lost its way now. Shame.... it could have been great.

[@drstevej2527]

This is where you end up when you decide that you want to stop getting paid nice $ to do a supporting role on a successful tv show. MD never thought he was going to be a star and as a result he doesn’t have a YT show unlike the host.

[@Phoneybeetlemaniacxs]

I heard Patrick and Michael clashed according to Patrick bring an idiot

[@DichotomousRex]

I heard you're making shit up

[@Phoneybeetlemaniacxs]

@@DichotomousRex no I think Patrick admitted to it so no I didn’t

[@Phoneybeetlemaniacxs]

@@DichotomousRex Far from the character of Picard, who commanded the bridge of the Enterprise without question, Stewart was seen as an equal (and occasionally subordinate) to the actors he worked with and, in some cases, came into conflict with them. Stewart mentions in particular Michael Dorn, with whom he had many loud and vocal arguments on the set, and on one occasion seriously offended both Dorn and LeVar Burton by making a comment on the set seen as racist towards the two African American actors. Stewart stated that at the time he thought it was an innocent remark, but for years was haunted by the incident since he felt he had permanently damaged his relationship with these two actors From memory alpha

[@richardthompson6366]

Patrick got over it when the pay cheque's kept rolling in.

[@Quinn-e9c]

@@the_dead_man I remember a video of Brent Spiner at a convention recounting this situation. The cast were rowdy and noisy up until the director called "Action!", and then the switch flipped and they were in full acting mode. The director couldn't take it, went to the producer and said he wouldn't be back to direct any further episodes. The producer (Rick Berman, if I recall Spiner's tale correctly) pulled the cast into a meeting and told them they needed to tone it down because they were losing directors. Patrick went off on the group about needing to be serious and how it was embarrassing to him--a Shakespearian actor from London. Eventually, though--again according to Brent Spiner--Stewart became the worst of them for being silly and rowdy. He said, "We broke him."

[@Rogers_Ranger]

Jesus literaly no one cares about Smallville man , wow

[@MattLathrum]

He's relating it to his experience to connect with his guest.

[@brahsumatra]

No one hangs with Alison Mack? Oh wait never mind.🤔

[@5ilasTheViru5]

LIKING Lex Luthor is hard for me, but dammit if he isn't likeable.

[@Quinn-e9c]

Michael did a great job as a Lex Luthor that could have possibly become a good man had Clark been willing to trust him a bit earlier in their lives.

[@HyraxusPrimus]

​@@Quinn-e9cBased on the snippets of the CW I've seen, I'd argue his Lex still becomes a good man, considering he becomes President and Clark felt the world was safe enough to give up his superpowers.

[@jedifatty]

his voice compared to Worfs blows me away lol..