Accidental Child-Killer Backstory: Worf is exceptionally rigid and uptight, rarely allowing himself to relax around others. It's eventually revealed that as a child he was much less self-controlled, until a collision with another boy during a soccer game. Klingons are physically much tougher than humans, and the other boy died, which made Worf realize he had to maintain strict control of himself to avoid hurting the humans around him.
Affectionate Nickname: Q calls him "Micro-brain."
Altenrate Self: As Worf became aware there exist alternate versions of himself from his home universe, especially confront his 'dark mirror' self who not only a loyal Klingon Warrior but a Regent of the Empire. He would have at first be proud of his Mirror version if it were not for his lack of responsibilities or short sighted.
Anything but That!: Very few things can make Worf nervous. Among them are tribbles, and the news that Keiko O'Brien is going to have another baby. "NOW?!"
Ascended Extra: Worf’s around to add a little color in the pilot, but doesn’t really contribute a great deal besides grunts... yet.
Bad Liar: Worf is terrible at poker playing because he can't conceal his frustration at being unable to play a winning hand (and thanks to his insistence that "Klingons never bluff"). He wears his heart on his sleeve.
Picard: Lieutenant, I order you to relax.
Worf: I AM RELAXED!! ...Yes, sir.
Badass Beard: Worf still has his, but interestingly it's also changed in the interim since Nemesis (and not just the hair color). It's now gone from the traditional Klingon-style beard Worf sported during TNG and DS9 to a more human-style goatee. Given Worf's post-Nemesis Character Development has seen him finally embrace and balance his human heritage, his new beard style could arguably be a symbol of that self-improvement.
Battle Couple: With Jadzia.
Being Good Sucks: Implied. While he's rightfully hailed as one of the Klingon Empire's greatest warriors, and one of Starfleet's finest officers (including the Captain of the Enterprise), Worf mentions to Raffi he has sacrificed a great deal (which includes being estranged from his own son for so many years, losing both of his lovers, being dishonored twice, and having lost his birth family).
The Big Guy: A big, badass Klingon security chief who mans the phasers. Unfortunately, this means that the Monster of the Week usually proves how dangerous it is by beating him up. If it can kick Worf's ass, then it must be serious!
Often commands the Defiant on missions Sisko can't take himself, the go-to guy when Klingons are involved, and generally a person you want on your side when the chips are down.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: With the exception of his adoptive human parents, who are embarrassingly proud of him. Worf's Klingon parents are dead, with his father posthumously branded a traitor. His wives have died, and he has a complicated relationship with his son Alexander. He's also at odds with both his brothers: his long-lost brother Kurn tries to bait Worf into killing him so he can die with honor after Worf's discommendation, and the Rozhenkos' biological son Nikolai is a Starfleet dropout who, during his one visit to the Enterprise, deliberately breaches the Prime Directive.
Birds of a Feather: He and Data bond over the fact they are both "outsiders" among their human co-workers.
Birthday Hater: Worf doesn't look forward to his birthday as he doesn't like to be surprised, and knows that his shipmates always want to throw him a surprise party.
Bizarre Alien Biology: Klingons have 23 ribs, 2 livers, an 8-chambered heart, and so on. This is Handwaved as backup in case anything goes wrong.
Bizarre Taste in Food: Crossed with Foreign Queasine, Worf has a very strange palate probably owed to Klingons not actually cooking their meals. A recurring gag is Worf's eating habits bringing about total bafflement to his friends. His own mother learned to cook Klingon blood pie but admitted she "never learned how to eat it." When he asks her to cook some when she comes to visit, she can barely hide her horror. The trope is also given a twist when Worf discovers that he loves prune juice and sees it as "a warrior's drink." He was also the only one to enjoy the botched omelettes that Riker made in one episode, though whether that speaks more to his taste buds or Riker's cooking skills is up for debate.
Born in the Wrong Century: Because they made love, Worf considers he and K’Ehleyr bonded for life (he makes the same mistake with Jadzia and Ezri on DS9 almost 10 years later, so he never learns), whereas she thinks the notion of marrying everyone you sleep with is absurd.
Break the Badass: As he eventually reveals, his time in the Jem'Hadar camp actually broke his spirit, and he had been on the verge of letting himself die in the ring, had Martok not noticed.
Bruiser with a Soft Center: Miles' baby can go to sleep in his arms... and initially, only his arms.
And he's always dreamed of a traditional Klingon wedding, with all the trimmings. (Although "soft" might not be the best word given the Klingon, but he's still quite a romantic.)
Brutal Honesty: He refuses to sugar coat anything, even being willing to tell a mortally wounded crewman that he's going to die rather than try to give him false hope.
Butt-Monkey: There's a reason why there's a trope called The Worf Effect.
Cargo Ship: Dax insinuated that Worf's first love is the Defiant. In a sense, he considers it his ship, not Sisko's. Makes sense really; it's a Federation-designed warship, the perfect fit for Worf. The fact that the Defiant is more spartan than other Federation ships makes her an even better fit for a warrior like Worf.
Catchphrase: He often says "Klingons do not [insert activity here].". It's practically TNG's version of Dr. McCoy's "I'm a doctor, not a...".
The Comically Serious: If he weren't such a humorless stick in the mud, then lines like "Sir, I protest! I am NOT a merry man!" wouldn't be so hilarious.
Commanding Coolness: He's the Strategic Operations Officer of Deep Space Nine, a somewhat malleable job title giving him authority over the Security office (to Odo's despair) and Ops. He also functions as the Number Two onboard the Defiant, a position that put him at odds with Kira, who held that title over the station itself, at least once.
Character Development:
Since his last appearance, Worf has gone from a Blood Knight all too eager for a fight, to a Klingon who now practices pacifism (although much like the Jedi he greatly admires, he can still fight but choses not to). Riker's a bit disappointed that his old friend won't bite back at his teasing when he actually gets to work with him again.
Another subtle example on Worf's part, but his long title makes mention of his human parents, as well as his Klingon family, revealing that he's come to embrace all sides of his life rather than just his Klingon heritage.
Culture Blind: Worf occasionally expresses bafflement at human culture in the first few episodes, but then it's established that he was raised on Earth by human parents, so his culture blindness gets dropped thereafter.
Culture Clash: Worf's very conservative Klingon beliefs occasionally put him at odds with Starfleet values and the rest of the crew. Ironically, they also occasionally put him at odds with other Klingons, who grew up with a much less idealized impression of Klingon culture.
Cultured Badass: He loves his Klingon Opera and love poetry.
Deadpan Snarker: It's not overt, but Worf gets a bunch of really great snarks out over the course of the series (they acquired the nickname "Worfisms"). Michael Dorn's incredibly dry delivery is a big part of it.
Q: I have no powers![...] What must I do to convince you people?
Worf: [matter-of-factly] Die.
Death Glare: According to his alternate-timeline descendants, he can kill people just by glaring at them. He doesn't exactly deny it.
Decomposite Character: Data, Worf, and Troi share Spock's persona from TOS. Worf takes Spock's token alien who's sometimes torn between his loyalties to his Federation comrades and his own people aspect.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Whenever his Klingon culture shows up, it's often at odds with standard human morality. Moreover, Worf's own idealized version of Klingon culture often clashes with the realities of life in the Empire, with most other Klingons regarding him as a hidebound traditionalist at best and a foolish naif at worst.
Delivery Guy: Delivered Keiko O'Brien's daughter Molly during a crisis that prevented her from getting to sickbay.
Worf: The computer simulation was not like this. The delivery was very orderly.
Keiko: (in labor pain) Sorry to disappoint!
Several years later, when he learns that the very same woman was "having a baby" again, his immediate response is an alarmed "Now?!", followed by informing Bashir and O'Brien that he'll be on shore leave around the delivery date, which is still several months away.
Determinator: Say what you will about Worf, but the man does not give up.
Famously stood his ground against ten Jem'Hadar warriors in a Forced Prize Fight. When he finally does hit the mat, it's his opponent who calls it quits.
Ikat'ika: I yield. I cannot defeat this Klingon. I can only kill him, and that no longer holds my interest.
In his confrontation against a Pure Combine (specifically a Kilominitic), known to be much stronger than the average Klingon, he was able to take one down TWICE his height in combat and killed the officer.
Disappeared Dad: Both his dad and his mom were killed in the massacre at Khitomer when Worf was six.
Disappointing Heritage Reveal: Worf grew up with an idealized image of the Klingon Empire and its culture due to being a Klingon raised by humans. He eventually has to confront the reality that the Klingon Empire is mired in realpolitik, corruption, and schemes concocted by Klingons who lack honor.
Drill Sergeant Nasty: A mission to Ty'Gokor gives Worf the chance to have his own marching parade of Klingon officers (a surgically-altered Sisko and company) and to abuse them for acting like nancy-boy Starfleet officers. Odo makes a skinny and rather sorry Klingon and O'Brien can barely stifle his laughter. Sisko at least manages to act believable.
Drink-Based Characterization: Despite the Klingons' preference for bloodwine, firewine, and other badass beverages, Worf's favorite drink is the very human prune juice. It shows just how much humans and the Federation have rubbed off on him.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Worf isn't actually a bad guy, but he is an example of Good Is Not Nice. He is, however, softer around his adoptive parents.
The Eeyore: To other Klingons; he doesn't even think Klingons laugh. Worf doesn't realize this until he's in the company of other Klingons, and they treat him as a stuffy stick-in-the-mud. Guinan sets him straight, telling him that Klingons aren't honor-bound automotons. Guinan: You know, I had a bet with the Captain that I could make you laugh before you became lieutenant commander. Worf: Not a good bet today. Guinan: I've seen you laugh. I like it. Worf: Klingons do not laugh. Guinan: Oh, yes, they do! Absolutely they do. You don't, but I've heard Klingon belly laughs that'd curl your hair!... Your son laughs. He's Klingon. Worf: He is a child and part Human! Guinan: That's right. And you're not; you're a full Klingon, except... you don't laugh.
The Exile: When Worf stands against Gowron in defiance of his decision to attack the Combine that he considers suicidal (in so doing, destroying the Empire's relationship with the Federation), the Chancellor exiles him and strips his family of title, land, and honor. He would be allowed to return later and restored his House, when Martok adopts him into his house as a brother.
Fantastic Racism:
Worf completely loathes the Romulans, chiefly because his parents died in the Khitomer Incident and his family was later discommendated thanks to their machinations with a Klingon traitor. He flatly refuses to give a dying Romulan a blood transfusion to save his life (in fairness to Worf, the Romulan in question said he'd rather die than take blood from a Klingon) and also shuns a Klingon woman he was initially attracted to after learning she is actually half-Romulan. However, numerous characters routinely call him out on this attitude. He manages to cooperate with two Romulans to escape a Dominion prison camp and by the last movie, he (begrudgingly) praised the Romulans who helped them for their honor. There have also been times he equally loathe the Combine for their cries agains this people after their betrayal.
He's also frequently on the receiving end as a result of being a Klingon.
Fish out of Water: Upon leaving the Federation to fight in his people's civil war, Worf comes to learn that the Klingon culture he has idealized all his life isn't quite what he wants or expects.
Fish out of Temporal Water: More comedy as Worf fails to summon the ‘turbolift’ or answer the telephone in "The Royale" (his gruff "HELLO!" is precious).
Following in Their Rescuer's Footsteps: After the Khitomer massacre, Worf was rescued and adopted by then-Chief Petty Officer Sergei Rozhenko. Like his adopted father, Worf went on to join Starfleet; according to his adoptive mother Helena, Worf getting his commission was the proudest day of Sergei's life, and Sergei never misses a chance to express pride in his son becoming an officer.
Freudian Excuse: Worf's Fantastic Racism towards Romulans is born of them having murdered his parents when they attacked the Khitomer Outpost.
Good Old Ways: Worf is something of a romantic in the way he adheres to Klingon rituals that even his own people aren't naive enough to follow.
Happily Adopted: As a child he was adopted by human parents and treated him as he was one of their own. After Gowron disbanded his house, he was invited to join Martok's. As far as Worf and Martok are concerned, they're brothers.
Happily Married: To Jadzia until her untimely death.
Has a Type: His son's mother was a Klingon/Human hybrid with a smart mouth and was the Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire. His later wife Jadzia was a Trill whose previous host was also the Federation ambassador to the Klingons (possibly K'Ehleyr's immediate predecessor?). She adopted Klingon ways of living so much she might as well be a reverse hybrid - with a smart mouth.
Hates Small Talk:
So much that he successfully gets himself excused from a reception that will be full of it.
'Nice planet' is his impression of the Edo homeworld. When invited to tea, he hazards, 'Good tea. Nice house.' He always was a succinct one.
Heartbroken Badass: Worf was, quite simply, devastated after Jadzia is killed. He didn't suffer that much even after K'Ehleyr was murdered by Duras and his performance of the Klingon Death Ritual over her body is one of the few times he actually weeps.
Henpecked Husband: The ladies in Worf's life exist to torment him. For his own good, it seems. K'Ehleyr was a proud iconoclast who refused to run her life on Worf's terms. Busybody Deanna is always on hand to embarrass and cajole Worf into admitting his anxieties. Jadzia Dax flat-out admitted that she likes to troll Worf and didn't require encouragement from O'Brien in that department.
Honor Before Reason: Nothing is more important to him than his honor. Every time he's forced to sacrifice something to preserve it he considers it to be Worth It, no matter how high the cost. Unfortunately, his brother Kurn suffers for this even more than Worf does.
Humble Hero: By Klingon standards, at least. Martok comments at least once that Worf seems to have learned modesty from The Federation.
I Am X, Son of Y: "I am Worf, son of Mogh!" (In Klingon, "Son of Mogh" translates as "mogh puqloD".) He later expands this to include his adopted father as well.
Identical Grandson: There was hints of a Klingon defense attorney who made an earnest but futile attempt to argue on Captain Kirk's behalf during his mock trial in Klingon captivity. The defense attorney's name? Colonel Worf, making him the grandson and was named after him. Later making a moment of meeting his grandfather who barely survived and astonished to see the common traits.
Ignored Expert: He's the head of security, but when he raises reasonable objections he tends to be ignored or shot down with little more reasoning than 'Nah, don't feel like it,' which frequently puts the crew or ship itself in grave danger on a regular basis. For example in "Samaritan Snare" he objects to sending their chief engineer instead of a lesser officer or just sending the needed technical information, but his caution is ignored, getting Geordi captured. In that particular case, they were trying to assist a spacecraft run by a species that appeared to be rather... special, and didn't appear to be capable of hostility. Worf's warning was still valid, of course, but Riker (who was in command at the time, long story) thought he was overreacting...
Interracial Adoption Struggles: Worf, a Klingon, was adopted and raised by the Rozhenko family, humans with Russian ethnicity. The Rozhenkos wanted Worf to have a loving family, but they didn't want him to be ignorant of his Klingon heritage, either, so they tried to accommodate him by learning to make traditional Klingon dishes like rokeg blood pie. It's often noted that Worf is more serious and stern than most other Klingons, and this comes from a combination of him having actually studied the texts and history and taking them seriously, as well as an unfortunate incident in his past where he accidentally killed a young man during a sporting event, because his Klingon physiology meant he was far too strong to be careless around human beings. When he starts meeting other Klingons as an adult, he experiences some culture clash as the idealized version of Klingon culture he formed in his mind does not reflect reality.
Interspecies Romance: Earth females are too fragile for Worf and he has to restrain himself. Grrr! This doesn't stop him from pursuing relationships with Betazoids, Trills, and Klingon-Human hybrids.
I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
A non-romantic version. He allowed his brother Kurn to join the Alliance military with other Klingon warriors to fight in the Combine territories beyond their galaxy in his hopes of earning redemption and regain his honour, he felt this was the alternative to wiping his memories to start a new and wish his brother well.
While he's not thrilled about Ezri's romance with Julian, since Worf sees Bashir as Manchild who's beneath her, he ultimately gives Ezri his blessing and is happy for her.
Immigrant Patriotism: Played with. He is loyal to the Federation and to the Alliance to the point of fighting against the Klingon Empire during later stages of the Duyi'zu Conflict until the Klingon Empire switched sides and joined forces. At the same time, he is obsessed with Klingon tradition more then most Klingons are.
I Hate Past Me: As he gotten older, Worf eventually started to develope this attitude about his past, younger self which he noticed in Raffi.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Worf's sense of klingon honor is inviolate. It cost him dearly in standing amongst his countrymen.
Ironic Fear: Poor Worf is stuck in the unenviable position of being the only person who is terrified of Tribbles.
Master Swordsman: Given that he earned first place in a tournament, can beat Jadzia in a friendly duel, Grilka's bodyguard in a real one (while piloting Quarks body instead of his own too), and actually kill Gowron in a Duel to the Death, he must be one of the best fighters to ever handle a bat'leth. Despite his prowess with the weapon, Worf seems to prefer using a mek'leth in combat, a machete-like weapon half the size (and therefore much easier to carry around).
he had even demonstrated to be very skilled in wielding a lightsaber in his duel with Anakin Solo and other Jedi during his visit to the Jedi Temples.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's not one for small talk, is Brutally Honest to the point of rudeness, and loathes Romulans, but he's also unshakably loyal to his friends and won't hesitate to lay down his life for anyone under his care and is capable of being very kind and gentle when he's in a good mood.
Large and in Charge: Commander of the Enterprise's security department, and at 6'3", is only surpassed by Commander Riker in height.
Leeroy Jenkins:
His Catchphrase is "It is a good day to die". Succinct and to the point.
His classic rant in "Where Silence Has Lease". Clearly Worf took a dose of Tasha Yar pills that morning and he recommends going to Red Alert when nothing of consequence has happened. When things get a bit surreal he goes bonkers again, declaring that ship has ‘ONE Riker, ONE Bridge! This is impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! ARGGGHHHHH’ which did his character no favors. Then again, he nearly blow a hole in the viewscreen when Q first appeared. "Explains something of why you defeated them." says Q of the Federation’s decisive victory over the Klingons.
FOR BATTLE COME TO ME!! cries Worf.
Worf has a refreshingly spotty record as a leader. In "Rules of Engagement", Sisko chews him out for firing on a Klingon vessel without verifying if there were civilians in the crossfire. During the inquisition which follows, Qu'nos sends an attorney to prosecute Worf for war crimes; he infers that Worf is ruled by his Klingon bloodlust and shouldn't have even been allowed in a Captain's chair.
In "The Bonding", Worf shows himself to be a man of integrity by telling Jeremy what happened to his mother because he was in charge of the away team. He wants to honour Lt. Aster by performing the Bonding ritual with Jeremy and taking the child under his wing.
Like Father, Like Son: Manages to take after both his fathers:
Like Mogh, he took a very active hand in Klingon politics, to the point that he puts himself in the position to appoint a Chancellor. He was also disgraced due to an injustice.
Like Sergei Rozhenko, he has a career in Starfleet wherein he discovers a son he never expected to have.
Martial Pacifist: He may have a pacifist mindset, and even become a Jedi Monk (albeit not in a official and full way), but he will take heads to protect his charges.
Missing Mom: We hear loads about his biological father, the famed Mogh. But his biological mother barely even gets a mention, not even receiving a name.
Momma's Boy: Worf absolutely loves his adoptive mother Helena Rozhenko. He insists that she makes the best rokeg blood pie in the entire galaxy, beat up five teenage boys he deemed "disrespectful" to her (with the implication that they had insulted her rather than him) at the age of 7, and one of his favorite places is her home of Minsk.
Mother Russia Makes You Strong: While being a Klingon already makes him strong, Worf mentioned that his adoptive father (who raised him in Minsk) took him camping in the Urals when he was a boy.
My Greatest Failure: It's later revealed in Deep Space Nine that part of the reason for his stoicism is because as a boy he accidentally killed another child whilst playing football. Since then, Worf vowed never again to lose control.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: And inverse of this. Most of the human characters only have Worf's view of Klingon culture to go on, so when other Klingons who have been living in that culture pop up, they're quick to point out (or show off) that he's been compensating. Notably, Worf's principled, disciplined, honorable nature clashes unpleasantly with the rest of the Empire when he serves in their military during the Klingon Civil War.
Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: Calling this proud Klingon a coward is a good way to commit suicide. It's a sign of just how nuts Picard is getting in First Contact when he does it, prompting a very calm yet very angry response from Worf.
Worf: If you were any other man I would kill you where you stand.
Odd Friendship:
He's fairly close friends with Riker despite Will's amiable personality contrasting with Worf's stoic one. As a result, Riker enjoys taking the piss out of Worf at times.
You'd think his friendship with Data would be odd, but both are socially awkward (due to Worf keeping his emotions in check and Data...well, having none) and have a hard time relating to humans, so why wouldn't they be friends?
Data: Did I say something wrong?
Worf: I don't understand their humor either.
They started off fairly prickly towards each other, but eventually the stoic badass warrior develops a strong friendship, and later on a brief romance with the gentle empath Deanna.
He greatly admires the Jedi as a whole, even when he didn't quite understand their beliefs and attitudes, and its this respect that causes him to form strong, though still strange friendship with a number of Jedi, Anakin among them.
An Odd Place to Sleep: Right from Day One, Worf has trouble adjusting to the morally-grey atmosphere on the station. Following a string of disasters, he decides that the only way to adjust to life aboard the station is to live outside it, and makes the Defiant his crib.
Offered the Crown: Played with. The Duras sisters attempt to convince him to change his loyalty to them, offering the older sister as his wife and him the Regency for their nephew, but don't directly offer to make him Chancellor of the Empire. Later, he actually becomes Chancellor for a brief moment through Klingon Promotion, but immediately abdicates for Martok, whom Worf believes is the most competent leader the Klingon Empire could have.
After his killing of Gowron he basically earned the right to rule the Klingon Empire. He chose wisely instead to hand it to Martok. A bit of running theme with Worf. Whenever he gets involved with Klingon politics, someone ends up owing their new position to him, usually because he's paved the way for them by killing someone. He was involved in the accessions of Gowron and Martok to the Chancellorship, the crowning of Kahless' clone as the ceremonial Emperor of the Klingon Empire, and his brother Kurn joining the High Council. A brief moment of Worf confiding in Ezri that his one regret was that his father wasn't there to see him, if only for a moment, standing at the very pinnacle of the Klingon Empire.
Only One Name: Worf names himself in the Klingon style, "Worf, son of Mogh," even though he was raised by human parents, the Rozhenkos.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Worf considers a fight lost, you know the situation is bad; in First Contact, with the Borg having overrun most of the Enterprise, it's Worf of all people who tries to drive home to Picard that the ship is lost and they should cut their losses and run, even arguing back when Picard tries to insist that they keep fighting.
Other Me Annoys Me: His Nuyi'zu counterpart, who lacks many positive traits and more of a wild Klingon without understanding and never takes responsibilities of his defeats or learns from them. Their confrontation for the first time was somewhat unexpected and easily bested his other self from his training as a Jedi Monk and from years of being a starfleet officer.
Parental Neglet: He wasn't the best father towards Alexander, essentially dumping Alexander to be raised by his adoptive grandparents. Even when Alexander eventually joined him on the Enterprise, Worf was at best emotionally distant. As usual, this is largely because of Worf's distorted sense of Klingon culture. He was more obsessed with ensuring Alexander didn't suffer his dishonor rather than being the father his son needed.
Parenthetical Swearing: He does this every few episodes, usually when speaking about something that offends his Klingon sensibilities, like diplomacy.
Patriot in Exile: Rather than bring down the Empire by revealing that Duras was the son of a traitor who colluded with Romulans to cause the Khitomer Massacre, Worf accepts discommendation, basically being declared an exile from Klingon society. He is later reinstated during a Klingon Civil War. He is then kicked out again by Gowron for siding with the Federation during the events of Deep Space Nine, before being re-reinvited by being adopted by Martok. Worf has a complicated history with his Klingon heritage.
Politically Incorrect Hero: Worf's Fantastic Racism towards Romulans stands out in a supposedly much more open and understanding future. In his defense, his Freudian Excuse gives him a good reason to dislike the Romulans, and most of the Romulans he encounters don't give Worf many reasons to change his attitude.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: In his own words, "I am a warrior! I must show you my heart!"
Raised by Orcs: Inversion — a Klingon raised by humans. In a fairly effective Deconstruction of the trope, Worf was often more true to Klingon principles and culture than most Klingons, due to having had more of an incentive to stand up for his identity in an alien environment. Also because he didn't grow up in a Klingon environment, Worf is only aware of how Klingons are supposed to conduct themselves — other Klingons have learnt (as we all do) that there's honor and then there's the subtle compromises you make to get along in life. This leads to several Honor Before Reason decisions by Worf, as well as a lot of Culture Clash with more "modern" Klingons in the "Redemption" two-parter. It also leads to a Reconstruction, as his devotion to true honor leads to him defeating the corrupt Chancellor Gowron and installing the far more competent and honorable Martok in his place.
Rank Up: The crew held an elaborate ceremony to celebrate Worf's promotion to lieutenant commander.
Real Men Can Cook: He bakes Wesley a Tarvokian pound cake to celebrate his visit to back to the ship.
A Real Man Is a Killer: Worf has completely forgotten how to negotiate in Klingon politics. It's not about giving a stirring speech and bandying together to fight your enemy (that's the Starfleet way). No, it's more like standing on the deck of an old galleon and whoever takes their eye off the ball gets a bat-leth in the eye socket as they each try and succeed each other, everybody jostling for command. Worf was told he has no business putting on a Klingon uniform. However, Kurn shows up Worf by plugging a Klingon who was planning to stab his clueless brother. This guy needs to pick which side of the line he is going to stand on. That's his curse.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Being The Stoic and The Comically Serious, he's the blue oni whenever he's with anyone more gregarious like Jadzia, Garak, or Martok (or, hell, just about anybody except Odo).
Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
When Duras killed his beloved K'Ehleyr, Worf boarded his ship and killed him in the Rite of Vengeance.
When his second wife was murdered, he destroyed an entire Dominion shipyard in her honor. By causing a star to go nova.
Russian Guy Suffers Most: Worf, whose suffering put name to the Worf Effect, was raised by Russians. Well, Belarusians,but Belarusians are the most Russian-like non-Russians out there, to the point where a majority of ethnic Belarusians have Russian as a native language and Belarus was still part of the USSR when the episode introducing his parents was written and aired.
Sailor's Ponytail: After years of wearing a bob cut, Worf would start wearing his hair this way in season six's "Face of the Enemy", and would stay this way for the rest of the franchise. When undone, it turns into a Slipknot Ponytail.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Worf engages Duras in a duel to the death after he murders K'Ehleyr, Duras tries to talk him out of it by promising to clear Worf's name. Worf isn't having any of it. Duras: I'm the only one, Worf - the only one who can prove your innocence! Kill me and you're a traitor forever. Worf: Than that is how it shall be!
Sore Loser: You gotta love his way of dealing with the toy model he is making in "Peak Performance": he smashes it and tosses it in the trash, then tells Riker he will be irritated if he doesn’t get to a certain stage in the game with Kolrami because he has wagered on him.
The Stoic: Most of the time — that is, unlike most Klingons. This was explained in Deep Space Nine as being the result of constant self-control after he accidentally killed a human friend whilst playing football as a child. The only time this image cracks is when he slips into Unstoppable Rage. This was showcased quite heavily in "Heart of Glory", TNG's first Klingon-centric episode.
This Is My Chair: Worf has a very specific seat in the Defiant's mess hall, and he will not sit anywhere else. People who foolishly do sit in his seat are glared at until they move.
"Stop Having Fun" Guy:
Frequently falls into this. He usually comes off more as a humorless stiff than a badass Klingon warrior.
That super dramatic music when Worf heads off to stop Okona’s unending line of sexual conquests throughout the ship.
Straw Character:
Odds are that if somebody amongst the main characters was needed to take an unsympathetic position about a culture, species or anything else, that character would be Worf. His generally disapproving personality helps make it credible.
Worf is all in favor of aborting an baby with no regard for Troi’s feelings whatsoever. Yes, she was violated by an alien lifeform, but that's still pretty harsh. He also agrees with O'Brien (and Quark!) that his rights as a father take precedence over Major Kira's as a mother.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: The Dominion War and the Combine's invasion of the Duyi'zu Milky Way did a number on his psyche and what was one of the reasons that caused him to go the Filo Universe to become a monk with the Jedi.
Token Heroic Orc: At the very start. This was the first time a Klingon was seen in an outright heroic role; in TOS they were Enemy Mine at best.
Trademark Favorite Food: Klingon bloodwine. He later develops a taste for prune juice once Guinan introduces him to it, declaring it to be a "warrior's drink." Apparently the two beverages taste somewhat similar, and the Federation eventually starts exporting prune juice to the Klingon Empire in large amounts. According to his mother, he is also very fond of her rokeg blood pie.
Tranquil Fury: Worf being angry and bellowing is just standard for him. It's when he gets angry and goes calm that you need to be afraid as seen when Picard calls him a coward in "First Contact" and Worf quietly tells him that were Picard any other man, Worf would kill him on the spot.
Underestimating Badassery: A Bar Brawl ensues when some Klingon warriors visiting DS9 decided to pick on Worf for his unlikely order of prune juice. Worf manages to use the Conservation of Ninjutsu for a change by handily mopping the floor with them.
Warrior Poet: Loves Klingon Opera, Klingon legends, and Klingon traditions.
Weaksauce Weakness: He's apparently allergic to cats.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Wait a minute, are there any proud fathers in the Trek universe? Ironically, his adoptive father, Sergei, is extremely proud of Worf's accomplishments.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Fighting Borg? No problem. Blowing up an Imperial Star Destroyer? Easy as pie. Going for a space walk? Suddenly Worf looks like he's rather be anywhere else. But for Tribbles... FORGET IT!!! Worf is shown to be very uneasy around Tribbles. This extends to the entire Klingon people: tribbles were such an ecological threat that the Klingons singlehandedly drove them to extinction.
Women Prefer Strong Men: Worf is the second physically strongest character after Data, able to hold a fight against multiple members of a species bred for war, proficient at hand-to-hand combat and pretty much an overall badass. While he gets beat up a lot, he gets compensation with the some of the hotter girls of the franchise (Deanna Troi, Jadzia Dax...) falling for him.
The Worf Effect: The Trope Namer. Any time the writers needed to show how much of a threat the new enemy was, they would have Worf rush it and immediately be thrown across the room. It's a wonder how Worf got any work after he left the Enterprise. Whenever anybody wants to beam the Captain away from the ship they seem to have no trouble whatsoever. There is a very amusing moment in DS9 where Odo lists a number of security breaches that occurred on the Enterprise under his watch. Worf protests that they were the exception rather than the rule. Re-watching the series would suggest that it's the other way around! He's often the first one to learn that the Borg have adapted to the available phaser frequencies.
Worf Had the Flu: The other Trope Namer, though oddly, Worf himself seldom encounters this trope, because otherwise it wouldn't be The Worf Effect if he was at half-speed.
You Can't Go Home Again: For a while, Worf was disgraced and exiled from Klingon space. Twice.
Younger Than They Look: As a race of warriors, Klingons age more rapidly than humans, to become battle ready more easily. Michael Dorn was thirty-five-years-old when he first started playing Worf, but the character was only twenty-four in the pilot episode. It's possible some mature-looking Klingons seen in the past were actually in the early prime of life, at least for their species.
You Remind Me of X: Worf arrives on the station at first facing the same doubts Sisko had in the beginning, considering resigning, being stuck in the past, etc. This is symbolized by Worf transferring to a red Command uniform.
You Shall Not Pass!: If there was still any doubt about Worf being a Klingon badass among Klingon badasses, he proves it by going through an endless battle royale with Jem'Hadar to ensure that Garak can contact their Runabout and they can escape. At first he is a fresh faced competitor but it isn't long before he is exhausted and beaten, yet still he heads back into the ring to buy them more time.
