How George Wendt's Norm From CHEERS Inspired One of STAR TREK’s Most Lovable Background Characters
Did you ever watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and notice that walrus-faced alien who’s always sitting at the bar, quietly nursing a drink? Well, that Morn, and this silent space barfly was directly inspired by George Wendt’s beloved character Norm from Cheers.
His name was officially mentioned in the Season 1 episode “Vortex” and Morn was always seated at Quark’s Bar. Always drinking. Always... just kind of there. He was played by actor Mark Allen Shepherd, and he became one of the most endearing recurring presences on Deep Space Nine, racking up appearances in 93 episodes.
According to Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Morn was intentionally named and designed after Norm. While Norm would famously stroll into Cheers to enthusiastic cries of “Norm!” and proceed to spout dry funny one-liners and beer-soaked wisdom, Morn quietly occupied the same symbolic role.
Everyone knew him. Everyone had a story about him. Characters on the show often described Morn as chatty, hilarious, and full of gossip... even though we never heard him say a thing. It was a running gag.
Originally nicknamed "The Grinch" by the production crew due to his Seussian look, Morn's moniker was changed before filming. While his character never got any actual lines, the writers tried.
Behr admitted the writers repeatedly brainstormed bigger roles and actual dialogue for Morn, but the showrunners always cut those scenes before cameras rolled.
Still, Shepherd embraced the character. In a past interview with StarTrek.com, he recalled spending 12-hour days in full Lurian makeup and improvising small moments in the background of bar scenes.
Despite never speaking, Morn even showed up in crossover episodes of The Next Generation, Voyager, and Lower Decks.
One of his greatest moments came in the Season 6 episode “Who Mourns for Morn?”, which begins with his death. Or so we think. Turns out, Morn faked his death to flush out old criminal partners from a long-con robbery.
We learn he’d once robbed a bank, swallowed a fortune in liquid latinum, and stashed it in one of his stomachs. After some chaos, Morn casually strolls back into the bar, alive and bald (the latinum made him lose his hair), with a sheepish shrug that says: “What’d I miss?”
Shepherd said that Morn actually did have lines and recalls the joke he told in the show, saying: “Finalism finger fink. Obligatory quotient yokefellow, coconut kachina cosmological argument. Bank swallow fish story, inculpate minuteman. Stress certifier in lecithin. Hard-hearted dill, divine minded domineer, mind reader sextuplet, garden fly honey suckle garbage. Palter rimfire, green peace. Change is the ultimate solution.”
Yeah, it makes absolutley no sense.
Morn’s legacy lives on as one of Star Trek’s most amusing Easter eggs and background gags, a tribute to Norm, to bar culture, and to the idea that sometimes, being there is enough to become a legend.
Via: CinemaBlend