Was Worf a Good Father?

[Doc Mugatu]

Oh dear, I'm really surprised so many consider Worf to be a bad father, lol. I guess maybe this really says a lot about just how bad my father is, if I'd rather be Worf's child. For me because of my upbringing, I guess I'm really able to appreciate those things Worf did do for his son that would've really meant a lot to me, and I guess I sort of feel he started out as a very reluctant father but his journey ending in "Firstborn" was towards him realizing what a good father is, which is to accept your child as he or she is and not what you want them to be, which to me still makes Worf a great father in the end.

First, I am sorry your childhood wasn't what it should have been. You definitely deserved better.

What I am seeing in your post though goes more to the point of you feeling Worf was not as bad as your father, however, that does not equate to Worf being a "good" father either by human or Klingon standards. Worf's neglect made Alexander insecure, inept and resentful. Not to mention desperate to the point fool hardiness to try and get some affection and respect. Alexander eventually rights himself but I would say that had more to do with people other than his father.

 

[DonIago]

I still hope one day there will be a story detailing older Alexander's perspective on events leading up to "Firstborn".

In my personal fanon it was Q who sent him back in time.

 

[suarezguy]

He tried but ultimately probably wasn't good. He made too little effort to shield that he usually didn't want to spend time with him and that he really primarily admired warrior skills rather than anything else, too much pressure.

"Firstborn" was particularly unpleasant as it seemed by the end of "A Fistful of Datas" Worf and Alexander had reached some good compromise/connection and then "Firstborn" reversed that to just say they hadn't at all, or like it was making their relationship worse so that when it returned to where it was before that could somehow feel like progress.

 

[HugeLobes]

I think it's more the fault of bad writing than bad parenting. I don't think the writers really thought through the impact of introducing a son for Worf. He couldn't be on the ship or even frequently seen, so poor fatherhood was kinda foisted on Worf. DS9 writers seemed happy to forget Alexander existed most of the time, which I'd say was a good thing!

If not for the constraints of the show, I feel Worf would have tried much harder with Alexander and been an excellent father.

 

[TribbleFeeder]

I think it's more the fault of bad writing than bad parenting. I don't think the writers really thought through the impact of introducing a son for Worf. He couldn't be on the ship or even frequently seen, so poor fatherhood was kinda foisted on Worf. DS9 writers seemed happy to forget Alexander existed most of the time, which I'd say was a good thing!

If not for the constraints of the show, I feel Worf would have tried much harder with Alexander and been an excellent father.

I agree, I think the writers got lazy and just dropped the ball. I wish they would have made it work. I think there was a lot of potential there!

 

[HugeLobes]

I agree, I think the writers got lazy and just dropped the ball. I wish they would have made it work. I think there was a lot of potential there!

Yeah, it would have been a nice opportunity to add depth to Worf's character in TNG, but ultimately you're always going to be dealing with a child actor. Also, I think TNG's episodic format would have been an issue when writing a Worf/Alexander plot.

Alexander would have got in the way on DS9, in every sense. I like my Klingons in very small doses.

 

[TribbleFeeder]

Yeah, it would have been a nice opportunity to add depth to Worf's character in TNG, but ultimately you're always going to be dealing with a child actor. Also, I think TNG's episodic format would have been an issue when writing a Worf/Alexander plot.

Alexander would have got in the way on DS9, in every sense. I like my Klingons in very small doses.

Yeah, I think the child characters on DS9 were quite different. Alexander was much darker. I don’t know if he would have fit in but I think at the very least it would have been nice for him to spend time with other species and be surrounded by others who weren’t human. He just needed stability. I felt for him, truly.

 

[HugeLobes]

I think if Worf had been there from the beginning it might have worked. Possibly a nice addition to the Nog/Jake friendship, although I love that relationship so much it pains me to imagine something ruining it.

I felt for him, truly.

Yeah, he wasn't even a good Klingon

 

[TribbleFeeder]

I think if Worf had been there from the beginning it might have worked. Possibly a nice addition to the Nog/Jake friendship, although I love that relationship so much it pains me to imagine something ruining it.



Yeah, he wasn't even a good Klingon

He never stood a chance. Stuck between two worlds.

I agree, Nog and Jake had such a heartwarming friendship. They really needed each other. It might not have worked out as well with another confused teen in the mix.

 

[HugeLobes]

I agree, Nog and Jake had such a heartwarming friendship. They really needed each other. It might not have worked out as well with another confused teen in the mix.

Yeah, leave well enough alone.

God, I haven't even watched DS9(or any trek) in ages and I really want to now. DS9 did relationships so well!

 

[TribbleFeeder]

Yeah, leave well enough alone.

God, I haven't even watched DS9(or any trek) in ages and I really want to now. DS9 did relationships so well!

They really did. Even the characters I didn’t “love” were well written and had serious character development. For example, I wasn’t a fan of Kira but I know she had a good character arc and a deep backstory. Even the minor characters were well done.

 

[HugeLobes]

For example, I wasn’t a fan of Kira but I know she had a good character arc and a deep backstory.

Loved her. Hated her in a relationship with Odo.

K, I'm watching DS9. God, it's 6am. Pass the Raktajino.

 

[TribbleFeeder]

Loved her. Hated her in a relationship with Odo.

K, I'm watching DS9. God, it's 6am. Pass the Raktajino.

It’s 1 here. Pass the bloodwine!

 

[Gary Mitchell]

It would have been interesting if Alexander had been on the station during "Time's Orphan"; to see his reaction when Worf was helping to take care of Kirayoshi and hoping to prove to Jadzia that he would be a worthy father.

 

[DonIago]

Apparently Worf's only a good father to children who haven't learned to talk back yet.

Though now I kind of wish the episode had mentioned Alexander even as a throwaway.

 

[Mojochi]

To be fair, Worf as the caretaker of something or someone? You couldn't do better. The guy would probably die before failing.

Worf as a mentor? Hell, it even took the adult Sito Jaxa some time to figure out wtf he was on about lol

 

[Brass]

I'd have to agree with most in the thread. Worf isn't necessarily going out of his way to be a bad father, he just isn't a good one. I think the real tell is Alexander is MIA once DS9 starts up. He was probably in his late teens early 20s then?

Really bad time to be absent. Having him with his human parents as a young boy seems like less of a big deal to me. Not that the enterprise didn't have a daycare, it clearly did.

Worf being embarrassed about his son's growing pains on Martok's ship in DS9 highlights the impatient and sometimes uncaring side of Worf.

 

[Farscape One]

There is a line that Worf said to O'Brien when Kirayoshi was a baby and couldn't sleep, and O'Brien had to take time off to rock him asleep, just as O'Brien himself fell asleep. I think it was in "BUSINESS AS USUAL".

"I never got to see Alexander at this age. You are a fortunate man, Chief."

That tells me he did regret some things and choices he made while Alexander was on the Enterprise. Had he been with Alexander as a baby, I believe things would have been a little smoother for both of them.

 

[DonIago]

^I'd forgotten about that line, so thank you. It's a bit more of a throwaway than I'd prefer, but at least it's something.

 

[GulBahana]

That's what I've always liked about his character are his flaws in personal relationships. He was physically tough but emotionally sensitive and avoided dealing with issues. I think that's why he sent Alexander away because he wasn't confident in his ability to be a parent.