Star Trek’s Worf and Alexander were both raised by humans, but only the younger Klingon took a human name, causing friction between father and son.

There’s a perfectly good reason why Alexander Rozhenko (Brian Bonsall), the son of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) has a human name and not a Klingon one. Alexander was introduced in the TNG episode “Reunion”, and appeared in eight episodes of TNG and two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Worf and Alexander’s relationship was strained, as the youngster didn’t match up to his father’s idealized image of a Klingon Warrior. The boy’s human name likely exacerbated the complicated situation for Star Trek‘s favorite Klingon.

The son of the Klingon ambassador and Federation emissary K’Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson), Alexander was largely raised among humans. He did not have the traditional Klingon upbringing that Worf would have liked for his son. It’s interesting that, as a survivor of the Khitomer Massacre, Worf was also raised by humans, and so he clearly wanted Alexander to avoid the same pitfalls. Many of Worf’s problems in Star Trek were caused by the clash of his Klingon heritage and human upbringing, and this easily explains why he wanted something better for his son. Unfortunately, tragedy intervened when K’Ehleyr was murdered.

Why Worf’s Son Is Named Alexander Rozhenko

The reason why Worf’s son is named Alexander is explained in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 7, “Reunion.” During a confrontation between the former lovers, K’Ehleyr tells Worf that “He is also my son, and I am half-human.” K’Ehleyr was the daughter of a human mother and Klingon father, essentially the opposite of Star Trek: Voyager‘s Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson). This is why she settled on a human name for her son. However, as she was initially keeping Alexander’s existence a secret from Worf, the boy had not taken the surname Rozhenko at the time of “Reunion.”

After the death of K’Ehleyr, Worf felt that he was unable to care for Alexander, and so sent the boy to live with his grandparents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko, on Earth. This is why Alexander took the surname of Worf’s adoptive human parents, because he became a part of their family and enrolled in schools as such. Alexander’s human name and upbringing marked him out from other Klingons, which did prove difficult for both him and his father as he grew into a young man.

What Happened To Worf’s Son In Star Trek: TNG & DS9?

When Worf’s parents grew too old to care for a growing Klingon boy, Alexander returned to the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 10, “New Ground.” Alexander’s life on the Enterprise was almost cut tragically short when he was trapped in a burning science lab. Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) took it upon herself to improve relations between Alexander and his father in the wake of the fire, perhaps setting up Troi’s TNG romance with Worf. Alexander also teamed up with the de-aged Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to retake the Enterprise from alien hijackers in the episode “Rascals.”

After the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek Generations, Alexander returned to Earth while his father was stationed aboard Deep Space Nine. During the Dominion War, the older Alexander (Marc Worden) signed up with the Klingon Defense Forces. Explaining the apparently drastic change in Alexander’s aspirations from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ronald D. Moore stated that Worf’s son tried to become a warrior to get his father’s attention after years of estrangement. When they were reunited, father and son finally reconciled their issues, and at last Worf realized that he had to let Alexander carve out his own individual path.