The eternally expanding universe of Star Trek has seen a plethora of faces pass across the small screen. Memorable figures range from villains such as the Borg, to fascinating character arcs like that found in Rom’s story. Unfortunately there are some characters who, despite their connection with important protagonists, are completely forgettable. They often pop up in random episodes and generate a collective ‘ohh yeah’ from audiences. One such character is Alexander Rozhenko, someone whom casual fans might not recognize from name alone. So who exactly is he?
Alexander is a Klingon/human child. He appeared mainly in The Next Generation, but also in Deep Space 9. Going by name alone might leave casual fans confused about his connection to the programs. He is three-quarters Klingon, and one-quarter human, born to a Klingon and Klingon/human in the year 2366. The surname Rozhenko might ring a bell, but his Klingon surname provides a much bigger clue: Alexander, of the houses Mogh and Martok. He is none other than the son of the fan-favorite mighty Worf, often appearing alongside his father in various father-son related escapades. Yet, he is often pushed to the sidelines, despite his connection with such a pivotal character.
The main reason that Alexander's appearances were sparse, was that fans really did not like his character. They found him annoying and obnoxious, like a much worse version of Wesley Crusher, especially in his early appearances as a young child in TNG. This might have had something to do with him being a 12-year-old kid. Almost all kids this age on TV are annoying, but especially one with typical Klingon traits like inability to control their emotions. However, the character improved as he grew up. The appearances he made in DS9 were far more compelling, despite being so few. Still, he was underdeveloped, likely due to the writers chickening out after hearing the fans' reception of him. They removed him from further plots, never giving him the on-screen development he needed to make him more likable, something they did masterfully with the character of Nog.
The Rozhenko surname is Alezander's human surname. Much like Worf of the Klingon house Martok, Alexander carries the human surname Rozhenko, as this was the last name of the human family who adopted him at an early age: Sergey and Helena Rozhenko. It’s one of those details about Worf that is often forgotten, so mixed up with the strained, all consuming relationship he has with Klingon culture. Alexander has been played by four different actors over the 12 episodes he features in. Jon Steuer and Brain Bonsall played him as a young child. Marc Worden played him as a young Klingon warrior, and James Sloyan appeared as a fully grown Alexander in the TNG time jump episode “Firstborn.”
Alexander’s mother is K'Ehleyr, a half-Klingon, half-human ambassador for the Federation, who only appears in 2 episodes of TNG. While aboard the iconic USS Enterprise D trying to defuse a political situation between the Federation and the Klingon empire, she and Worf had a ‘brief encounter’ together. Neither of them felt that this fleeting moment of passion would lead to a more romantic relationship. Unbeknownst to Worf, however, she fell pregnant, and gave birth to Alexander without telling him. This caused him great pain later on when he found out. He reflects that he never saw his son as a toddler, ‘something I will always regret.’ He learned of his child when K'Ehleyr returned to the Enterprise and came clean, introducing him to Alexander.
The father and son had a fairly strained relationship at first. Worf did not want to acknowledge Alexander as his son, afraid that the recent discommendation he received from the Klingon empire due to a recent incident, stripping him of all honor, would then be passed to Alexander. This all went out the window, however, when K'Ehleyr was killed. Worf then took on the responsibility of caring for his newly found son.
Caring for him might be an overstatement, as the writers obviously did not want to have to write Alexander into all proceeding episodes, and did not want to change too much about Worf’s character. Worf decides it would be best for Alexander to live with his grandparents, Sergey and Helena, on Earth, hopeful that this would give him a better upbringing than that on board a spaceship (a wise decision that more parents aboard the ship should listen to).
Alexander's appearances over the franchise have been fleeting and varied. However, he never really played a huge part in the overall story arc for Worf, which seems odd considering that this is only son and heir. Many believe that there was a lot of potential for his character, and that while his appearances in TNG were often annoying, he was actually pretty good in DS9. His storylines in the latter were engaging enough to make fans want more. With Worf coming back for season 3 of Picard, maybe audiences will get more information about this lost character. Maybe he will even be part of the show (going some way to explaining Worf’s newfound pacifism). Or, perhaps Picard will completely forget about the character's existence, neatly brushing him under the rug like they have done before. Only time will tell.