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After watching The Undiscovered Country I noticed that the advocate for Kirk and Bones during their trial is none other than Michael Dorn, a.k.a. Worf. During the trial I believe they even call the advocate Worf by name.

How can this be when Worf is alive and aboard the Enterprise D almost 70 years later? Is there any in-universe explanation for this, or any outside universe explanation for why Michael Dorn is in Undiscovered Country?

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  • 7
    It’s definitely not Worf from The Next Generation, because he was raised as a child by human parents on earth.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 10:11
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    Or so he claims.
    – Plutor
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 10:53
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    Similar question would be why is the President of the Federation working as helmsman on ... the Saratoga (I believe that was the name) in The Voyage Back?
    – Damon
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 14:28
  • 11
    ... or why Tuvok appears in at least four different roles under different names :p
    – Thomas
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 14:49
  • 11
    Changlings, all of them
    – user16696
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 19:32

2 Answers 2

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According to Memory Alpha;

Between the fourth and fifth seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dorn played Colonel Worf in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Although the relationship was not stated on screen, the filmmakers' intention was that the Star Trek VI character was the grandfather of the Next Generation character. (Star Trek Encyclopedia)

In an interview with Michael Dorn (seen at 1h20m32s) during The Undiscovered Country segment of the 25th Anniversary Special he states this relationship.

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  • His grandpa? Huh..
    – user931
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 17:51
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    @user931 This is not very surprising. In real life I look almost identical to one of my great-grandfathers.
    – Robert Columbia
    Commented Jan 11, 2017 at 15:59
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Appearences to the contrary (after all it's even the same actor) this is a different Worf than in TNG:

Although it was never confirmed on screen, publicity materials for Star Trek VI indicated that Colonel Worf was intended to be the grandfather of his Next Generation namesake, and the father of Mogh.

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    Same actor, yes, but different makeup. The forehead ridges are similar, but definitely not equal as on TNG's Worf. Compare this and this, for example.
    – O. R. Mapper
    Commented Mar 31, 2015 at 8:51