Worley Thorne (born 1 June 1937; age 87) co-wrote the story and wrote the teleplay for the Star Trek: The Next Generation first season episode "Justice". Prior to this, he wrote the story "Are Unheard Memories Sweet?" for the abandoned series Star Trek: Phase II. Thorne took over on "Justice" following the departure of the original story writer John D.F. Black. (Creating the Next Generation, p.46)
Born in Manhattan, New York, and raised in the Bronx, Thorne graduated from the City College of New York with a Bachelor's Associates in English. He ultimately moved to Los Angeles, California, where he worked in publicity before pursuing a television writing career.
Other television shows for which Thorne has written include episodes of Cannon (1973 & 1974, former with Keith Andes, Susan Oliver and Meg Wyllie, latter directed by Lawrence Dobkin, with Richard Derr), The Bionic Woman (1976, starring Lindsay Wagner, directed by Leo Penn), Barnaby Jones (1976 & 1977, starring Lee Meriwether, former with Marcy Lafferty and George Sawaya), Westside Medical (1976, directed by Ralph Senensky), Charlie's Angels (1976, starring Kate Jackson, with Bibi Besch), and Dallas (1978 & 1979).
Most notably, Thorne wrote several episodes of Fantasy Island, starring Ricardo Montalban and Wendy Schaal. One episode he wrote, "I Want to Get Married/The Jewel Thief", guest-starred Leigh Taylor-Young; another, "The Swinger/Terrors of the Mind", was directed by Cliff Bole. Yet a third, "Crescendo/Three Feathers", guest-starred Skip Homeier and Monte Markham.
Thorne has spent four years teaching screenwriting courses at Columbia College in Los Angeles. He also served two terms as Governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is currently pursuing Master of Arts in English Literature. His episode of The Next Generation is his most recent television work.