Entertainment
How Star Trek’s Sexiest Episode Fixed The Franchise's Biggest Missed Opportunity
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” This is something of a miracle episode, one which smashed together two very different ideas and had to be assembled by four different writers over Thanksgiving. Understandably, they thought it would be a disaster, but it wasn’t. In fact, “Yesterday’s Enterprise” went on to be one of the best (if not the best) episodes of the entire series. It never seemed like a story that needed any improvement. Nonetheless, the original script reveals a huge missing opportunity at the heart of this episode.
“Yesterday’s Enterprise” is about how a change to reality put Starfleet into a brutal war against the Klingon Empire. In the changed reality, Worf is nowhere to be seen because his people are bitter enemies of the Federation. Interestingly, the original script called for Worf to provide the voice of a Klingon commander attacking the Enterprise-D. That didn’t happen in this Next Generation episode, but Deep Space Nine capitalized on this missing opportunity in a big way. In the wildly sexy DS9 episode “Shattered Mirror,” we see Worf as the galaxy’s absolute kinkiest Klingon commander!
Today Is A Good Day To Dom
The plot of the TNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise” is that the Enterprise-C accidentally travels to the present day. Originally, it was destroyed defending a Klingon outpost, which helped the Federation broker peace with these warlike aliens. The ship traveling to the future changed reality, plunging the Federation into a bitter, losing war with the Klingons. Interestingly, the Klingons are mostly a faceless menace in “Yesterday’s Enterprise:” we see the brutal attacks of their ships, but we never see any of their commanders. We simply hear an anonymous Klingon towards the end of the episode, demanding that Captain Picard surrender his ship.
The shooting script for “Yesterday’s Enterprise” suggested that we have a very familiar Klingon voice demanding surrender. This section of the script has a note that reads “Possibly Worf?” Obviously, the writers thought it would be a fun revelation that the Worf of this alternate universe had become a very successful Klingon warrior. Sadly, the episode opted against doing so; years later, though, Deep Space Nine picked up the slack. The DS9 episode “Shattered Mirror” revealed that Worf was a bloodthirsty regent in the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance of the Mirror Universe. He is frightening and effective, but in one way, he is very unconventional.
I’m Sensing Great Freakiness, Captain
You see, Deep Space Nine chose to portray most of the Mirror Universe as outlandishly horny. This is most notable with Kira Nerys, whose alternate reality counterpart is a sexually voracious domme who prances around in a catsuit. Just when we got used to her walking bisexual disaster, “Shattered Mirror” introduced a version of Worf who keeps Garak chained down on the bridge. Like, the Cardassian has an actual collar, complete with a short leash that Worf frequently tugs on! It’s the weirdest petplay this side of Euphoria, and it pops up like a jump scare in the middle of an otherwise family-friendly sci-fi show.
Some Star Trek fans find the Mirror Universe episodes of Deep Space Nine a little too silly. If you don’t mind over-the-top goofiness, though, these stories are a little slice of sci-fi shlock perfection. Plus, one episode, “Shattered Mirror,” deserves extra props for finally showing us Worf as a brutal Klingon commander. His voice was written into the “Yesterday’s Enterprise” script, but Michael Dorn never got to speak the lines. Years later, Deep Space Nine showed us what a human-hating Worf would look like, all while making him the kinkiest Klingon this side of Risa.
Picard’s old buddy collaring a submissive Garak in front of the entire crew? That’s what I call 50 Shades of Earl Grey!