Dorn Narrates History Channel Voodoo Documentary

Michael Dorn (Worf) narrates a new documentary, Voodoo Secrets, which debuts next month and attempts to dispel misinformation about Voodoo - an ancient religion that may predate Christianity.

The History Channel will air the documentary, in which experts explain how Voodoo has been maligned and persecuted, often reduced in the popular imagination to spells, curses zombies and pincushion dolls. In fact, Voodoo began at least 5,000 years ago on the west coast of Africa. A segment in modern-day Benin shows the religion as it is practiced today and where historical moments pertaining to Voodoo are discussed. The cameras witness an event rarely seen by outsiders, a ceremony with animal sacrifice.

"Voodoo might have remained in West Africa if the evils of the slave trade hadn't brought it to Haiti and later the United States and other parts of the world," writer and producer Paul Sauer told the Trek Nation. The documentary also investigates alleged Voodoo spells that were blamed for sinking a ferry in Haiti and for Marie Laveau, the "Queen of Voodoo" in New Orleans, protecting two men who had been sentenced to die on the gallows in 1850.

Sauer said that when it came time to find a narrator, "I wanted something that could convey power, the supernatural, compassion, and a sense of mystery. I heard only one voice in my head - Michael Dorn's." Though he had only seen a few Next Generation episodes, he felt that Dorn's voice made an instant, indelible impression upon him as a listener and he prevailed upon David Frank of Indigo Films and The History Channel to allow him to hire Dorn, whom he felt delivered a "fantastic performance" which made Voodoo Secrets "a more powerful and dramatic show."

"He was extremely professional and a joy to work with," Sauer said of Dorn. "He was able to affect his voice in certain places to imbue it with a touch of Rod Serling for a few of the more mysterious moments. I think if there's ever another Twilight Zone, Michael would make a great host."

Voodoo Secrets premieres on The History Channel on Sunday, May 1st at 9 p.m. EDT.

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