When popular characters from earlier film or series days are brought back for a revival, it is often a challenge for the German localization, even with the local dubbing work, to reclaim as many well-known speakers from back then as possible to make the nostalgia festival perfect in the translation also close by. If the returnees seem as concentrated as they did in the third season of “Star Trek: Picard”, that doesn’t make this task any easier.
As not only Picard (Patrick Stewart), Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Deanna (Marina Sirtis) and Data/Lore (Brent Spiner), but also for the first time Geordi (LeVar Burton), Beverly (Gates McFadden) and Worf (Michael Dorn) ) Decades After the end of the cult series “Spaceship Enterprise: The Next Century” aka “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the latest companion movie “Star Trek: Nemesis” are now celebrating their comeback in “Picard”, it is in most fallen, but actually managed to bring back their well-known German voices. However, Riker and Worf are an exception…
Worf is back!
After a reunion with Riker, Beverly and Deanna in the first episode of the last “Picard” season, the remaining “Next Generation” veterans are now gradually joining the cast. At the very end of Episode 2, Worf (Michael Dorn) appears. A highlight for many Trekkies, the Klingon is an absolute fan favorite after all and with a regular role in two series (namely “Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine”) and four feature films, he is also the “Star Trek” character with the most appearances in the franchise.
In this country, however, fans have to get used to Worf sounding slightly different now. After Riker got a (more or less) new speaker (as we reported in detail), Worf now also has a new voice. The reason for this is unfortunately more tragic than with Riker, whose former spokesperson Detlef Bierstedt only steps back when it comes to dubbing. Worfs spokesman Raimund Krone died in 2021 at the age of 75.
This is Worf’s new spokesperson
Follow in Raimund Krone’s acoustic Worf footsteps Tilo Schmitz, who as the German voice of the villain Gul Dukat in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” could even gain relevant “Star Trek” experience with another role. He is best known as the lead voice of Ving Rhames (“Pulp Fiction”), Ron Perlman (“Hellboy”), Michael Clarke Duncan (“Sin City”) and Dave Bautista (although he does not voice the latter in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” movies).
Unlike Jonathan Frakes, whose current “Picard” counterpart Tom Vogt Riker has voiced in three “Star Trek” films, Tilo Schmitz is now a complete Worf newcomer, even though he’s lent his voice to Worf actor Michael Dorn at least twice before (in one episode each of the mystery series “Outer Limits” and the animated series “Megas XLR”). In any case, with Tilo Schmitz they now have a dubbing professional in-house who also fits the role of Worf very well and who hopefully can make up for the painful loss of Raimund Krone. Still, it will probably reassure all Trekkies that the two remaining “Next Generation” returnees won’t have to put up with such lineup changes in the coming weeks.
The third season of “Star Trek: Picard” continues with episode 3, which will be released in Germany on March 3, 2023 on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+.