The Interesting Backstory of Worf’s Ceremonial Sash

The Klingons were born on “Star Trek: The Original Series” as one of the primary villains to face Captain Kirk and the Federation. They evolved over the years as writers fleshed out their glorious history. Thanks to larger budgets, the look of the species also changed, starting with “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”  

Originally, Trek producer and writer Gene Coon created the race to be Russians in space for Kirk (William Shatner) to face in “Errand of Mercy.” By the time of 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” the Klingons were no longer just the Russian military. They were stand-ins for the entire Soviet Union and Communism, which was collapsing.

“Realizing that over the 25-year history of ‘Star Trek,’ the Klingons have been the constant foe of the Federation, much like the Russians and Communists were to democracy,” Leonard Nimoy told Mark A. Altman and Ed Gross. The duo interviewed Nimoy, who starred and produced “Star Trek IV” for their book “The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years.”

Even as the Klingons’ look and political stance shifted, they were still viewed as a menace in the TOS-era films and even on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” In 1987, Michael Dorn portrayed Lt. Worf, the first Klingon to join Starfleet and serve aboard a Federation vessel.

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Starfleet’s Very Own Klingon

Much has been written about Worf’s look in that first season of TNG and how it changed after that first year. One item pointed out more than once is the change from the golden sash to the metallic one. According to Memory Alpha, Worf wore the ceremonial sash, or “baldric,” which “contained the symbol of a Klingon House.”

When TNG Season 1 launched, Worf wore a golden baldric, the same one worn by Michael Ansara as Kang in “The Day of The Dove.” According to Trek fan lore, this baldric was packed away and brought out years later for Dorn to wear as Worf. 

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‘The Day of The Dove’

This certainly appears to be the case, as the golden sash worn by Dorn in 1987 looks identical to the one worn by Ansara in 1968. And according to “Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion,” written by Trek expert and writer Larry Nemecek, this is the same garment. Nemecek called it an “heirloom.”

But why did Worf stop wearing this baldric between Seasons 1 and 2? Fans have their theories, one of which was that when Worf changed departments (from command to operations), the producers didn’t like a gold sash on a gold uniform. 

That sounds plausible, but the real reason why Dorn wore a different baldric in Season 2 was because costume designer Durinda Rice Wood wanted him to have something different. Wood gave the Borg their iconic look and decided what hat Whoopi Goldberg would wear on her head as Guinan. 

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Star Trek: The Costume Designer

During the extra features on the “Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 2” Blu-ray, Wood explained that she “really” wanted to redesign the sash.

“What was so interesting was that [Dorn] loved it so much that it was kind of hard to get it from out of his grasp,” Wood said. “Once he got the new sash, he really began to love it, I guess. I think that he just gets attached to things.”

Wood said she was inspired to make Worf’s new sash from looking at items at hardware stores. 

“Those were just bicycle chains that I put together and then wove leather through them,” said Wood on the video. “I said ‘whoa, this looks really great,’ so we set about making it.’”

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