Ever since the late 1960s,Star Trekhas been a staple in the science fiction world. Not only do many consider it the pinnacle of the genre, but it has also been the mainstream founding father to the plethora of space-faring shows and movies that have been created since. Out of the 12 different TV shows (and 13 movies), the franchise continuously delightedaudiences with impressive futuristic technology, philosophical andpolitical quandaries,and of course, and large array of interesting and diverse alien races. The fan favorite, meme famous, Gorn, are one such race — but who exactly are they?
The Gorn are a Jurassic-looking species that first appeared on the small screen duringThe Original Seriesin the episode “Arena.” This was the first time an encounter with the Gorn by a member of the federation was recorded — this is important to remember for later. As such, nothing was known about them at the time, and the episode played into this mystery quite well. They took on the persona of the ferocious monster that lurks in the dark, having torn through a Federation compound on Cestus III without being seen by the crew of the Enterprise. Despite their ruthless, animal-like attack on the outpost, they Gorn were shown to be fairly intelligent beings, having lured Kirk and his crew to the planet with a fake invitation.
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As the episode continues, Kirk takes on the responsibility to avenge the victims of the Gorn attack, and pursues their ship into an unexplored area of space. While giving chase, another adversary enters the rink, a highly advanced species called the Metrons. They capture the two ships and, while holding the two crews’ lives in their hands, have no desire of violence, instead being disgusted at both the Enterprise and the Gorn’s taste of it. They view it as a primitive character flaw, but, rather ironically in retrospect, decide that to solve the two parties' grievances, they would drop both captains on a nearby planet and get them tofight to the death. Very diplomatic.
It’s here that audiences, as well as Kirk, get their first proper look at what the Gorn look like. For the late 60s, their design was pretty good:a humanoid (of course) giant lizard, with green scaled skin, sharp teeth, and wild dragon-like eyes. Not only were they ferocious-looking, but as the Gorn captain and Kirk fight, it’s apparent that even without their technology the Gorn are strong, and Kirk is nearly killed. In trueStar Trekfashion, however, strength is shown to not be the most important factor in conflict, and Kirk evades his foe. Using his Starfleet training and his natural wits, he scavenges parts together he finds on the planet and builds himself a weapon — a cannon of sorts. With this, he can finally take down his foe… right?
This is Kirk, however, a strong leader with a sharp mind and a heart of gold. He is the pinnacle ofwhat the Federation should be about, and symbolizes everything thatStar Trekteaches. Instead of resorting to violence, he uses the weapon to get the Gorn to surrender, and spares his life in hope that perhaps in the future, the Gorn might join the Federation.
Despite this ending to the episode, the Gorn have never really been a large part of the franchise since then, and have somewhat descended into legend. They ironically don’t appear in any of the timeline preceding shows likeVoyager, DS9,orNext Generation(although they do briefly appear in themixed-reviewedStar Trek: Lower Decks), where their appearance might work with regard to honoring the canon and their first contact. Instead, they have only featured in shows that are set before theOriginal Series, because if there’s something aStar Trekwriter thrives on, it’s making things difficult.
The Gorn appear within the Mirror Universe duringEnterprise,which is set around about 100 years beforeThe Original Series.Using the mirror universe allows for the Gorn to be introduced without causing continuity issues, allowing them to interact with the Federation years before they should according to the Prime timeline. A similar thing happens in Discovery, but this time is much more subtle, taking the form of an Easter egg more than an actual appearance. During the first season, a Gorn skeleton can be seen in the background of the office of Captain Lorca. SinceDiscoverynot onlytakes place in the Prime timeline, but is also set before the events ofThe Original Series,this might be seen as a continuity error — however, as Lorca actually comes from the Mirror universe, this error can be easily explained away.
More exciting for longtime Gorn fans, however, is their presence within thenew seriesStrange New Worlds, who are bringing them back in a much larger way. To avoid continuity issues, the federation and Pike’s crew cannot physically or officially meet the Gorn beforeThe Original Seriesepisode, but security officer Noonien-Singh (not Khan Noonien-Singh, but La’an Noonien-Singh) has first-hand experience. Her entire family was wiped out by them, leaving her as the sole survivor. While not breaking canon yet,the latest episode ofStrange New Worlds“Momento Mori”might be pushing the limits a little, as they encounter a Gorn ship.
How much the Gorn will feature in further episodes is unknown, but it’s apparent that this race’s almost cult-like following byStar Trekfans is thriving on their inclusion again into the show, after years of being pushed to the sidelines. Whether the writers are using them to appeal to the fans to draw more people in, or whether they are series about using them as the formidable foe the series deserves, is yet to be known, but either way it’s great to have the giant lizard back.
