Mendon & Worf

[Yuri Nikolayev]

This is the one TNG episode where Worf is a royal dick, for no good reason.

Ensign Mendon does nothing to irritate Worf, yet Worf bullies him constantly.

And why would Mendon report to Worf for anything? Mendon is a sciences officer. Worf is security. Mendon would report to the Chief Sciences Officer, not Worf.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Mendon is assigned to bridge duty. Worf is the most junior officer on standard duty there. Think of him as the Supervisor. Data is the Assistant Manager, Picard is the Manager.

If Mendon were at a science station on a different deck, he never would cross paths with Worf and would pissing off the guest star, which wouldn't work for this story. There's no indication that Mendon has another commanding officer assigned. He's there to learn "Enterprise etiquette" as Worf says.

He's annoying Worf because keeps breaking protocol by going directly to Picard or skipping important steps. Worf retaliates by mangling his easy to say name.

"I am Men-Don."
"Ensign Mendin!"

 

[Warp Core Breach]

I always figured there was some sort of BDSM thing going on there.

 

[Mojochi]

You don't think something anomalously deteriorating the ship's hull is a ship's security concern? I'd sure feel less secure lol

Dude... Worf kicks the crap out of junior officers just to make a point of helping them, when he DOES like them

 

[DonIago]

"If you were any other junior officer I would kill you where you stand!"

 

[Yuri Nikolayev]

You don't think something anomalously deteriorating the ship's hull is a ship's security concern? I'd sure feel less secure lol

Dude... Worf kicks the crap out of junior officers just to make a point of helping them, when he DOES like them

Even when Worf used tough love with Ensign Sito, by staging that mock-physical exercise, he didn’t constantly belittle her up to that point. He actually tried to positively reinforce her. Picard and Wesley dealt with Mendon the right way, by understanding and explaining. Picard knows what the exchange program is all about, and when Mendon tells him that he’s only following his people’s regulations, Picard nods in understanding. You’re here to learn, and there might be missteps along the way.

 

[Starflight]

Yeah he's a prick here, I think it's just the writer-of-the-week not quite getting the character for whatever reason.

It seemed to me like Dorn tried to play it as comedy, but Worf's just being so pointlessly hostile that it's a really hard sell even for him.