A TV Trope
When, for the purposes of character development, you pit an established "strong" character against a newer one and have them lose, in order to emphasise the threat that the new character poses. However, when this trick is overused to the point that the previously established "strong" character begins to seem weak, that character has been "Worfed".
This term derives from Lieutenant Worf, the Security Officer onboard the Enterprise in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Worf is a Klingon; an alien species known for its physical power, aggression and warrior mentality. Worf is repeatedly pitted against various enemies who, despite his supposed strength and prowess, would then comfortably defeat him; thus establishing the implied level of danger the crew faces. Over time, The character of Worf became essentially a joke; you could expect him to get bodied every time a new threat turned up that week.
Eventually Worf's reputation would be redeemed in later episodes, and in the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; his character receiving some badly needed development over the course of several years until he reached the stage of becoming one of the most beloved and recognised characters in the franchise.
When, for the purposes of character development, you pit an established "strong" character against a newer one and have them lose, in order to emphasise the threat that the new character poses. However, when this trick is overused to the point that the previously established "strong" character begins to seem weak, that character has been "Worfed".
This term derives from Lieutenant Worf, the Security Officer onboard the Enterprise in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Worf is a Klingon; an alien species known for its physical power, aggression and warrior mentality. Worf is repeatedly pitted against various enemies who, despite his supposed strength and prowess, would then comfortably defeat him; thus establishing the implied level of danger the crew faces. Over time, The character of Worf became essentially a joke; you could expect him to get bodied every time a new threat turned up that week.
Eventually Worf's reputation would be redeemed in later episodes, and in the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; his character receiving some badly needed development over the course of several years until he reached the stage of becoming one of the most beloved and recognised characters in the franchise.
First Person:"I see that Superman is getting slapped around in this week's DC comic. So much for being the World's Strongest."
Second Person:"I know, right? The writers seem to be Worfing him every time they create some new, random villain".
Second Person:"I know, right? The writers seem to be Worfing him every time they create some new, random villain".
by Calledwylch May 16, 2025
Get the Worfingmug.