DS9 ruined Alexander Rozhenko

[EJA]

There were hints on TNG that Worf's son Alexander could grow into quite an interesting character in future. But then the writers of DS9 decided to bring him into the show, and, IMO, completely botched the character, turning him into a bungling, Clouseau-type figure who was hopeless at everything and suitable only for derision. I feel that he could have been so much more than the pathetic comedy character we ended up with. How do others feel?

[Satyrquaze]

Alexander was what, maybe ten years old by the time of Worf and Jadzia's wedding? The Klingon lives to be what, 200 years old barring death in battle? Plenty of time for him to grow into a great character.

[Gul Re'jal]

I liked Alexander. Finally not a super-hero-honourable-blah-blah-blah Klingon, but someone completely different. I found him very "refreshing".

[Satyrquaze]

Well said, Gul Re'Jal!

[EJA]

I just don't like the way he was made to look pathetic and stupid.

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Given his start on TNG where he was an annoying soap opera element introduced to fill airtime, pathetic and stupid would have been an improvement anyway.

[cwalrus2]

I'm not convinced it ruined him. On TNG, Alexander embraced "human" values and pretty much rejected all things Klingon so of course when he gets older and makes a foolhardy decision to join a Klingon crew in the middle of a war to get daddy's attention, he's going to be out of place and bubbling. There's nothing in TNG that would lead me to think that Alexander's appearance in DS9 is out of synch with the character other than the obvious bump in his age to make him older. He really should have still been in the 10-13 year old range, but i guess with trek you can just say that he appears older because that's how Klingons age.

[AJBryant]

cwalrus2 wrote:

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other than the obvious bump in his age to make him older. He really should have still been in the 10-13 year old range

Hey, it works in soap operas. Heck, it's a well-known trope.

[macloudt]

cwalrus2 wrote:

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I'm not convinced it ruined him. On TNG, Alexander embraced "human" values and pretty much rejected all things Klingon so of course when he gets older and makes a foolhardy decision to join a Klingon crew in the middle of a war to get daddy's attention, he's going to be out of place and bubbling. There's nothing in TNG that would lead me to think that Alexander's appearance in DS9 is out of synch with the character other than the obvious bump in his age to make him older. He really should have still been in the 10-13 year old range, but i guess with trek you can just say that he appears older because that's how Klingons age.

I think you've nailed it. Alexander must know that he's not really fit to serve on a Klingon ship, but not only is he hoping to look better in his father's eyes by embracing his Klingon heritage; in Starfleet he'd be in his father's shadow, and probably run the risk of constantly being compared to his father. Worf has his flaws but he's an excellent officer, and Alexander may fear that he can't fill those size 18 boots of his father's.

[Nightdiamond]

I found it strange the way they just left off with him without another word after the wedding episode.

It would have been interesting to have a few more episodes with him, or at least have a part in the finale.

[Cyke101]

Alexander's about on par for DS9's bumbling youth factor. Jake made some poor decisions, Alexander was inept, Baby-turned-Adult Molly was horribly out of place intentionally, and even Nog's development depended on constantly trying to live up to expectations. They're all young, they're allowed to mess up, that's part of life.

[Saquist]

Gul Re'jal wrote:

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I liked Alexander. Finally not a super-hero-honourable-blah-blah-blah Klingon, but someone completely different. I found him very "refreshing".

EJA wrote:

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There were hints on TNG that Worf's son Alexander could grow into quite an interesting character in future. But then the writers of DS9 decided to bring him into the show, and, IMO, completely botched the character, turning him into a bungling, Clouseau-type figure who was hopeless at everything and suitable only for derision. I feel that he could have been so much more than the pathetic comedy character we ended up with. How do others feel?

I think both of those positions are a bit extreme.
Alexander didn't have a father for most of his life and his mother was dead...raised by his grandparent in an Earth Society...I think the awkwardness was a given and like most boys he wanted to be like the father he didn't really know because most us hold our fathers...(or at least want to) in high esteem worthy of emulating.

I think Alexander was properly done. For some young men it takes all their youth to figure out who they are after a bad beginning like he had.

[DS9 Gal AZ]

I don't think they neccessarily ruined Alexander. True, they aged him about 10 years, which is a common soap opera trope, but that can be explained through fanwank: Klingons mature more rapidly than humans, and Alexander is mostly Klingon (they did the same thing with Naomi Wildman on VOY and explained her rapid aging as inheritance from her Katarian father, because Katarian children conveniently mature faster than human ones).

And yes, when we saw Alexander as a child on TNG he wanted nothing to do with Klingon culture and being a warrior, but given his father pretty much ignored him after TNG, maybe he subconsciously felt he was being punished by daddy for not embracing Klingon values, and so did a 180. Unfortunately, since he didn't keep up with the little training Worf gave him in his childhood he was woefully underprepared for combat. At least he got his father's attention, which he was understandably desperate for. Also, as he got older I'm sure he realized how very 'not human' he was and maybe regretted turning away from Klingon culture, because he probably didn't fit in very well on Earth.

Frankly I'm glad they brought Alexander on, even if it could have been handled a little bit differently. It's better than just forgetting/ignoring the fact that Worf had a son, which they'd already done for long enough.

[Saquist]

I concur...
I would not have like him to have been ignored.

[TiberiusMaximus]

He was annoying, yes, and I wanted to shove him out of an airlock, but then again I felt the same way about Bashir at the beginning of DS9. Bashir became a much more interesting and likable character, though, and Alexander still had that potential on DS9. It would be interesting to see how his character would develop after that, and if he ever found a balance between his Klingon and Human heritage.