The Unique Sequence had the Klingons, “The Subsequent Technology” had the Borg, “Deep Area 9” had the Dominion, and now “Strange New Worlds” has the Gorn. Each good “Star Trek” present wants a memorable villain and, in the course of the ongoing voyages of Christopher Pike’s Enterprise, that honor falls to a gang of malevolent reptiles with extraordinarily icky reproductive habits.
The species has a protracted historical past within the franchise, having first appeared within the 1967 “Star Trek” episode “Area”, however they’ve had a substantial improve from the lizard man who as soon as tried to pummel James T Kirk to loss of life. So, because the Gorn proceed to torment the Enterprise within the second half of “Unusual New Worlds”‘ “Hegemony” two-parter, this is every thing you should find out about an alien foe with very sharp and really pointy enamel.
SET PHASERS TO CAUTION! SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU’RE YET TO WATCH “HEGEMONY, PART II” — head over to our information on How to Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 if you wish to take a look at the episode earlier than studying on.
Who’re the Gorn?
With the Federation not engaged in all-out warfare with the Klingons — that skirmish was wrapped up in “Star Trek: Discovery” — “Unusual New Worlds” has established the Gorn as the most important of all its Massive Bads.
They’re a particularly aggressive, technologically superior reptilian race hailing from the Beta Quadrant, and their authorities — the Gorn Hegemony — has designs on Federation territory.
The place have we seen the Gorn earlier than?
The Gorn first appeared in 1967, in a traditional episode from the primary season of the Unique Sequence.
In “Area”, the Enterprise travels to a Federation outpost on the distant world of Cestus III, solely to seek out it has been destroyed by a (actually) cold-blooded alien race. After James T Kirk and the remainder of the crew give chase to the enemy vessel, a super-advanced bunch of extra-terrestrials known as the Metrons (basically futuristic Romans) whisk the captain and his Gorn counterpart to a barren alien world. Their goal? For the representatives of those two “violent” and “restricted” species to settle their variations in hand-to-hand fight. The loser, and their ship, can be destroyed “within the pursuits of peace”.
Kirk finally wins after fashioning a rudimentary firearm, however opts to not end off his overwhelmed opponent. (Though Kirk is initially hellbent on destroying the Gorn vessel, the Metrons’ translation gadget reveals that the Gorn believed they have been those who’d been wronged, so have been merely defending their territory on Cestus III.) Kirk’s surprising mercy provides the condescending Metrons cause to consider that people won’t be so primitive in spite of everything, and the aliens counsel they might need to get again in contact sooner or later — although most likely not for a number of thousand years.
One other Gorn, Slar, turns up in prequel present “Star Trek: Enterprise” (although solely within the Mirror Universe), whereas a number of Gorn have cameoed in animated sitcom “Decrease Decks”.
Why do Kirk and Spock not recognise the Gorn in “Area”?
This can be a large thriller, because the Unique Sequence episode makes it very clear that the Enterprise crew do not know who they’re chasing.
The Enterprise’s well-known five-year mission kicks off in 2266, round seven years after Christopher Pike and the gang first engaged the Gorn within the “Star Trek” timeline. There is not any logical cause why Starfleet would maintain intelligence on such a harmful enemy hidden from certainly one of its prime commanding officers, so it is more likely it is a retcon instigated by the “Unusual New Worlds” writers’ room. It is arguably a forgivable one, too, seeing as canon prevents traditional antagonists just like the Klingons and the Romulans from enjoying a serious function on this period of Federation historical past.
The Gorn occupy a novel candy spot the place being each iconic and a thriller overlap. In addition they share three out of 4 letters with these legendary “Subsequent Technology”-era unhealthy guys the Borg, which can or might not be essential.
Why do the Gorn in “Unusual New Worlds” look so completely different to the Gorn within the Unique Sequence?
That is much less a retcon than an replace of the unique Sixties manufacturing design, as there is no escaping the truth that the Gorn who scrapped with Kirk in “Area” is solely a man in a lizard swimsuit.
The up to date, computer-generated variations in “Unusual New Worlds” look way more reptilian and alien, and even boast prehensile tails. They’re additionally a substantial improve on the CG Gorn who appeared in “Enterprise” episode “In a Mirror, Darkly” 20 years in the past.
Why are Pike’s Enterprise crew so terrified of the Gorn?
Bitter expertise.
Safety chief Lt La’An Noonien-Singh first encountered the Gorn as a baby when her colony ship, the SS Puget Sound, had a detailed encounter with the Hegemony. She was the one survivor after the Gorn took the entire colonists — together with La’An’s late household — to certainly one of their breeding planets.
The psychological scars of the expertise linger effectively into maturity, that means she’s the Enterprise’s reluctant skilled when the ship makes first contact with the Gorn in season 1 episode “Memento Mori“. Regardless of La’An’s prior data and experience, the crew barely escapes with their lives. Actually, the vessel remains to be present process repairs at Starbase 1 when the next episode, “Spock Amok“, will get underway.
In a while within the season (within the penultimate episode “All Those Who Wander“), the Enterprise encounters a bunch of Gorn hatchlings on a crashed spacecraft. This mission ends significantly badly for Aenar engineer Lt Hemmer (Bruce Horak), who will get contaminated by Gorn embryos however sacrifices his life to save lots of his crewmates.
The Gorn additionally make a nuisance of themselves within the season 2 finale “Hegemony“, attacking Parnassus Beta — a small colony simply outdoors Federation house — simply in time for an epic season-ending cliffhanger.
How do the Gorn reproduce?
That is arguably the scariest factor about them, as a result of within the eyes of the Gorn we’re all simply meals for his or her ravenous offspring — these aforementioned breeding planets exist for a cause.
Very similar to the Xenomorphs within the “Alien” franchise, Gorn must benefit from one other, warm-blooded physique to breed, and the method is equally deadly for the unlucky host.
Even child Gorn are able to spraying victims with a venom containing a wealthy broth of eggs, which can finally hatch in ugly vogue. Because of this Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) — contaminated when the USS Cayuga is destroyed by the Gorn in “Hegemony” — is seemingly dwelling on borrowed time.
How are they defeated?
Resilient, implausibly robust, and totally ruthless, the Gorn are greater than a match for the Enterprise in “Hegemony: Half II” — particularly with Admiral Robert April (Adrian Holmes) and the remainder of Starfleet holding again in an effort to keep away from all-out warfare.
With their backs in opposition to the wall, Pike and co exploit their concept that stellar flares dictate a Gorn’s looking and relaxation cycles, and use the ship to simulate a coronal mass ejection. In impact, they put the Gorn to sleep, a lot because the Enterprise-D did to the Borg in traditional “TNG” episode “The Best of Both Worlds“.
After all, their slumber is not going to final eternally, and Pike admits that, “I am unable to assist questioning if we did not simply create an issue for another person to unravel later.” All of which makes it even much less believable that Kirk and Spock do not acknowledge the Gorn once they present up in “Area”. It is nearly as if Gene Roddenberry and the remainder of the unique “Star Trek” writers’ room had no concept that, practically six many years later, the Gorn would as soon as once more be known as upon to terrorize the Federation…
New episodes of “Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds” debut on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Unique Sequence episode “Area” is on the market on Paramount+ within the US and UK, and Netflix within the UK.