gorn star trek

• Mirror Universe
• View history

The Gorn were a warp-capable , bipedal reptilian species from the Beta Quadrant . Their interstellar government was known as the Gorn Hegemony .

• 1.1 Life cycle
• 2.1 Mirror universe
• 2.2 Alternate reality
• 3.1 Starship classes
• 5.1 Appearances
• 5.2 Background information
• 5.3.1 Video games
• 5.4 External links

Biology [ ]

A Gorn skeleton

Gorn were a cold-blooded species, with green , rubbery skin , red blood , and an average height of approximately two meters . They tended to be many times stronger than most humanoids . While young Gorn were very agile and fast, adults tended to be slower and less agile but with greater stamina. Nonetheless, a single adult Gorn was able to dispatch a fully armed Starfleet landing party with ease. They, like most cold-blooded species, preferred warmer temperatures and hated the cold. The Gorn had at least two genders : male and female . Despite being reptilian , Gorn females appeared to have breasts , which were generally found on mammals . ( TOS : " Arena "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "; LD : " Veritas "; SNW : " All Those Who Wander "; et al. )

Some Humans had an instinctive revulsion to the Gorn, as they were a type of reptile , and thought them primitive or unintelligent. This was unwise, as the Gorn were at least as intelligent as Humans.

Through the eyes of a Gorn

Gorn ears were simple holes on the sides of their skulls , while their mouths boasted an impressive array of sharp teeth and their hands and feet possessed vicious claws . In the mirror universe , Phlox quipped that the Gorn were comparable to that of the extinct Velociraptor , based on one Gorn's size and bite radius . ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ") Some Gorn displayed eyes that were silvery and faceted, much like the compound eyes of insects , while others had typical humanoid eyes complete with pupils.

They also possessed incredible durability and were able to take an extreme amount of punishment. During a skirmish between Captain James T. Kirk and a Gorn captain , Kirk hurled a boulder at his opponent, only for it to bounce off the Gorn's skin. Later, he caused a giant boulder to roll down a mountain and hit the Gorn captain. Though this temporarily stunned him, he was not injured. Kirk finally managed to wound and disable the Gorn with a primitive cannon comprised of rope -wrapped bamboo as a barrel , with raw diamonds as projectiles and a homemade gunpowder mixture as propellant. ( TOS : " Arena ")

Life cycle [ ]

External effects of parasitic Gorn eggs

The Gorn hatched from parasitic eggs that incubated inside humanoid hosts. The maturation cycle varied depending on the species of the host, lasting months within an Orion but days within a Human . When ready, the hatchlings or younglings would rip their way violently from the body of their host.

A Gorn youngling

Newly emerged Gorn were white in color; they became green as they fed voraciously and grew rapidly in size, molting their skin in the process. The hatchlings were quadrupedal and exceptionally fast and strong, and possessed prehensile tails . They were uncontrollably aggressive toward other lifeforms and even members of their own species, fighting each other for dominance, which ensured that only the strongest and smartest survived. Even before they were fully mature, the hatchlings developed ducts by their mouths that enabled them to spit venom , which not only blinded their prey but also infected additional hosts with eggs. Because of their biological makeup both eggs and hatchlings were invisible to sensors . Despite their bestial nature, the hatchlings were highly intelligent and could prevent themselves from being sensed telepathically – evolutionary advantages that made them dangerous hunters.

The Gorn maintained breeding planets where they deposited sentient beings to be used as breeding sacs or hunted as food by the hatchlings. Adult Gorn periodically returned to the planets to harvest their young. ( SNW : " Memento Mori ", " All Those Who Wander ")

The Gorn could also become pregnant with live young, and Caesarean sections might be indicated. Births of eight children were known. The infants were apparently highly aggressive even when born in this manner. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

History and culture [ ]

A Gorn wedding ( 2380 )

Like many humanoid species , Gorn got married as well, as they had weddings , just as Humans and Vulcans did. ( LD : " Veritas ")

Of the Gorn, Orion privateer Harrad-Sar said in 2154 , " The less said about them, the better ". However, he did concede that the Gorn brewed the finest meridor in the five systems . ( ENT : " Bound ")

In 2256 , Captain Gabriel Lorca had a Gorn skeleton in a USS Discovery laboratory . ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ")

Unconfirmed First Contact report for the Gorn in the personnel file of La'an Noonien-Singh

Although unconfirmed at the time, the first encounter between the Humans and the Gorn occurred in the 2230s or 2240s , when the colony ship SS Puget Sound was captured and the entire ship's complement was deposited on a planetary nursery . According to La'an Noonien-Singh 's accounts, the Gorn would eat some of their captives alive, while other captives would have their bodies slit open and used as "breeding sacks,” and some captives would be hunted as a sport before being fed to infant Gorn. In accordance with some sort of ritual , the final survivor would be spared, only to be placed in a life raft and abandoned in space. The survivor was not expected to live. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

La'an explained to Captain Pike that there had in fact been multiple contacts with the Gorn by 2259 – including the attack on Finibus III that the USS Enterprise dealt with in that year – but they hardly ever left survivors and were therefore still listed as never officially encountered. ( SNW : " Memento Mori ") That same year, the USS Peregrine fell victim to Gorn hatchlings that unexpectedly emerged from refugees rescued by the crew. The hatchlings were neutralized by a landing party from the Enterprise . ( SNW : " All Those Who Wander ")

La'an, who had survived being hunted on one of their planetary nurseries, described the Gorn as "plain evil" and impossible to empathize with or come to an understanding with them, unrelenting when they hunt. Gorn considered warm-blooded species their prey. They employed ambush tactics and used injured prey as bait to lure in more. For example, they would allow a group of survivors to escape while attacking a Federation colony so they would call for help and bring in more prospective prey. They were even willing to sacrifice one of their own (or even one of their ships) to force their prey to reveal itself while it was hiding from them. Gorn were also willing to kill their own if they became weak or one of their ships became compromised by an enemy, making sure only the strongest survived. ( SNW : " Memento Mori ")

A Gorn in an EV suit battles Lt. Spock aboard the USS Cayuga

Later that year, a Gorn attack ship was identified near the Galdonterre system , causing Admiral Robert April to fear that a war between the Federation and the Gorn was coming. ( SNW : " The Broken Circle ") This was part of a larger buildup of Gorn forces on their border with the Federation as tensions increased between the Federation and the Gorn Hegemony . In response, the Federation developed better weapons and technology to combat the Gorn and the Gorn protocols which Lieutenant Erica Ortegas dubbed "break in case of Gorn." ( SNW : " Hegemony ")

Eventually, the Gorn attacked the colony of Parnassus Beta which was just outside of Federation space, destroying the USS Cayuga in the process, although most of the crew were on the planet's surface at the time. The Gorn Hegemony then sent a message to Starfleet Command with a demarcation line through the system, placing Parnassus Beta on their side of the line. With Starfleet wanting to avoid possibly triggering a war over a planet that was out of their jurisdiction, the Enterprise snuck a landing party down by having it play dead amongst the Cayuga 's debris field. On the surface, La'an noticed that the Gorn were exhibiting strange behavior such as their juveniles cooperating instead of fighting each other for dominance, suggesting that something else was going on beyond usual Gorn activities. The landing party encountered Lieutenant junior grade Montgomery Scott who had been aboard the USS Stardiver one system over studying solar flares when the Gorn had attacked and destroyed the ship. As the system's red supergiant had begun emitting coronal mass ejections right before the Gorn had attacked, Scott suspected that something about the flares had lured them out while Sam Kirk compared it to locusts having their swarming instincts triggered by environmental factors. With the Gorn communicating through light, Kirk suggested that they had some kind of an ingrained sensitivity to it that somehow triggered their actions.

Eventually, Lieutenant Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel were able to restore comms and transporters by crashing the wrecked saucer section of the Cayuga into the Gorn tower . However, a Gorn destroyer and several hunters attacked the Enterprise with more ships on the way. Although the Enterprise tried to beam out the surviving colonists and the landing party, the Gorn got to them first, leaving Pike with a tough choice as Starfleet ordered the Enterprise to withdraw immediately. ( SNW : " Hegemony ")

Kirk fighting the Gorn captain

In 2267 , the Gorn attacked, with impunity , the Federation colony and outpost on Cestus III . The Gorn saw the strike as a preemptive move, since they regarded the Cestus system as part of their territory. The Enterprise pursued a Gorn starship from Cestus III into a previously unexplored region of the galaxy, near 2466 PM . There, both starships were immobilized by the Metrons , who transported Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain to a planet's surface where the two captains were instructed to settle their differences in a "contest… of ingenuity against ingenuity, brute strength against brute strength." Although the Gorn captain was physically stronger than Kirk, Kirk was able to construct a makeshift cannon out of materials on the planet's surface and defeat the Gorn. When Kirk showed mercy to his defeated opponent, the Metrons sent both captains back to their respective ships and transported the Enterprise out of the area. ( TOS : " Arena ")

While on the Enterprise in 2268 , Benjamin Sisko admitted to Jadzia Dax that he would like to ask Kirk about the fight with the Gorn captain during this encounter. ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

A Gorn served on the ruling council of the pocket dimension Elysia , in the late 23rd century . It is unknown how long members of his species had been trapped in that universe . ( TAS : " The Time Trap ")

A Gorn chef on Starbase 25

By the 2380s , relations between the Federation and Gorn had seemingly improved. By 2381 , some Gorn resided on Federation Starbase 25 , including a Gorn chef who operated the restaurant Mr. Krada Leg . ( LD : " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ") In 2384 , a Gorn starship was among those that came to the aid of Federation vessels hijacked by the living construct . ( PRO : " Supernova, Part 1 ")

In the wake of The Burn , the Gorn attempted to artificially create a wormhole , resulting in the destruction of two light years of subspace . ( DIS : " That Hope Is You, Part 1 ")

Mirror universe [ ]

In the mirror universe , a Gorn named Slar was a slave master working for the Tholian Assembly in 2155 . He was in charge of the workers assigned aboard the USS Defiant until the crew of the ISS Enterprise took it over following the Battle of Vintaak . Slar was suspicious of Terrans and vicious when it came to dealing with them. He was ultimately killed by Jonathan Archer . ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

A century later, in 2257 , a Gorn skull was on display aboard the ISS Shenzhou . ( DIS : " The Wolf Inside ")

Alternate reality [ ]

In the alternate reality , first contact between the Gorn and the Federation had taken place prior to 2259 , as Dr. Leonard McCoy recalled having performed a Caesarean section on a pregnant Gorn. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Technology [ ]

As of the late 23rd century , much of Gorn technology was on par with that of Starfleet . A Gorn ship was almost as fast as a Constitution -class starship , which would have to push its engines to a dangerous point to overtake a Gorn ship.

Their weapons were described as "like phasers , only worse" by a survivor of the Cestus attack. This description may have been colored by fear, as they were later described as disruptors .

Gorn ship-to-ship communication

Gorn ships would employ visual communication in the form of light signals when in visual range of each other. ( SNW : " Memento Mori ")

Gorn shields were capable of enduring an initial full barrage of phaser and photon torpedo fire, with little or no appreciable damage.

They had transporter technology, and possessed voice duplicator equipment that was at least good enough to fool a casual listener.

Gorn ground tactical units utilized powerful disruptors, capable of completely disintegrating targets at ranges of between 1,200 and 1,500 yards . Their sensor technology may have been less effective than that of the Federation, as they had some difficulty targeting a landing party during their ambush at Cestus III.

The Gorn were able to home in on signals from a tricorder , allowing them to "bracket" the user with fire. ( TOS : " Arena "; SNW : " Memento Mori ")

Starship classes [ ]

• Gorn destroyer
• Gorn hunter
• Gorn starship
• Gorn warship ( mirror universe )
• Slar ( mirror universe )
• Unnamed Gorn

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TOS : " Arena "
• TAS : " The Time Trap "
• ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "
• " Context Is for Kings " (skeleton only)
• " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry " (skeleton only)
• " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad " (skeleton only)
• " Much Ado About Boimler " (model only)
• " Veritas "
• " No Small Parts " (model only)
• " Mugato, Gumato " (model only)
• " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers "
• " The Inner Fight "
• " Memento Mori " (ships only; no visual contact)
• " All Those Who Wander "
• " Hegemony "

Background information [ ]

The original Gorn without its outer costume

The cast list in the final draft script of "Arena" described the Gorn as " a large (six foot four) lizard-like creature, well-muscled, very strong. " When the Gorn first appeared in the scripted events of the episode, the description of the alien read, " It is a lizard, who walks like a man… two-legged, two-armed, a thick glistening scaly hide, the size of a man with outstanding musculature… a wide mouth full of sharp teeth, a ridge of hard plate running down his back, even a prehensile, thick, strong tail. He is wearing a garment like a short robe [....] He does not wear shoes of any sort. " Detailing other aspects of the Gorn's anatomy, the script later referred to the creature as having shoulder blades as well as eyes that at one point "glitter[ed]" and the script further stated, " He has two tiny earholes on his head, where a Human being's ears would be. " The script also described the Gorn's voice, as heard through his Metron communicator , as "harsh, whistling, hissing" and deemed his strength to be comparable to that of a grizzly bear .

The original Gorn was played by several people, including Bobby Clark , Gary Combs , and Bill Blackburn . The voice was provided by Ted Cassidy .

The Gorn's costume was designed by Wah Chang , who also created the M-113 creature (aka the "salt vampire"). ( The Art of Star Trek , p. 34; et al. ) The Gorn captain in "Arena" was intended to not be particularly agile, with the episode's script stating about the Gorn, " It moves slowly, awkwardly, " and referring to the creature as "sluggish" and "lumbering". " He's big and awkward… That all fits the costume, " said Bobby Clark , who wore the reptilian suit. " Because the costume was thick rubber, it had big muscles – you couldn't bend your arms. You couldn't walk fast because the feet would hold you back. You couldn't run, because you'd be walking like you had two swimming fins on your feet. And we were walking in brush a lot, so that was tough… [The producers have] said several times that, in their estimation, it was the slowest fight they'd ever seen. Well, yes, it was slow. If it was fast, it would've been the funniest fight they'd ever seen. " ( SFX , issue #200, p. 135) Michael Westmore attributed the slowness of the alien to the makeup design for what he termed "the lumbering Gorn." Westmore commented, " For all his mobility in Wah's costume and props, the Gorn, because of the heavy rubber appliances and the thick wet suit, is relatively slow and cumbersome […] even though the Gorn was a very advanced creation for his time. " ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , p. 43) Dan Curry agreed that the Gorn suit "was very bulky and very hard for the actor to move around in." ( Inside the Mirror Episodes , ENT Season 4 DVD special features)

A Gorn appears on the cover of A Child's Garden of Lifeforms in Our Galaxy , a book that was designed by Doug Drexler for DS9 : " Time's Orphan ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 579))

One day shortly before 14 May 2001 , someone asked Archer actor Scott Bakula about the Gorn. " I hadn't thought about him in a long time, but oh, my gosh, it was just so terrible, " said Bakula, remembering the relatively primitive special effects used to depict the alien in "Arena". ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 135 , p. 25)

The Gorn were originally planned to be featured as the villains in the 2001 Star Trek: Enterprise first season episode " The Andorian Incident ". One reason why their role in the story was replaced with the Andorians was that the Gorn, unlike the Andorians, were considered to be unable to talk. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 136 , p. 37) Near the end of Enterprise 's first season , staff writer Michael Sussman offered, " Before we decided to have the Andorians, we all talked about doing the Gorn [....] But when we looked at the show, it was decided by Rick [Berman] and Brannon [Braga] that it was pretty clear that Captain Kirk's run-in was the first time anyone had seen a Gorn. So, as much as we would love to use them, it doesn't fit with what's been established, so they're kind of off the table for us. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 11 , pp. 48-49) Subsequently, Berman didn't, however, completely rule out the possibility of including the Gorn in Enterprise . On the contrary, he declared, " The Gorn are certainly a possibility. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 101 , p. 18) In fact, prior to the Gorn's appearance in " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ", Enterprise 's writing staff spent much time trying to find some means of including the Gorn into the series without violating continuity. ("In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" audio commentary , ENT Season 4 DVD ) David A. Goodman was one production staffer who spent a lot of time developing a Gorn episode of Enterprise . ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 118 , p. 15)

The mirror universe setting of the "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter finally allowed for the Gorn's inclusion in ENT. ("In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" audio commentary , ENT Season 4 DVD ) " Yeah, we had to get a Gorn in there, " noted Manny Coto . " I always wanted to do a Gorn. " ("Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise , Part Two: Memorable Voyages", ENT Season 4 Blu-ray special features) On the other hand, Garfield Reeves-Stevens remembered, " The Gorn is the one [alien] they almost didn't have [in the 'In a Mirror, Darkly' two-parter] and we put on an impassioned plea to have it and Manny capitulated. Manny wondered if it was integral to the story and we mounted a defense for it. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 69)

As described in the final draft script of "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", the Gorn were "giant reptiles" with three clawed fingers and "razor-sharp teeth." Slar was also scripted to be wearing "the Gorn equivalent of an EV undersuit." As for Gorn language, the script commented that, immediately before being shot by Archer, Slar was "cursing at Archer in his own tongue."

Initially, the production crew were perplexed as to how they would create the Gorn required for "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II". Michael Westmore explained, " With the Gorn… in the beginning, they didn't know what direction we were gonna go in. Are you going to put a man in a suit? And if we do, what modifications are you going to make, so it doesn't look like the original one […] which was very bulky and very hard for the actor to move around in? We played around with the idea, and we all came… Basically, all of us came to the same conclusion. If we want to do something that's new and that's still à la Gorn, it's going to have to be an optical – not a man in a suit. " ( Inside the Mirror Episodes , ENT Season 4 DVD special features) This method of creating the modernized Gorn would allow it to have much more freedom of movement than had been possible with its predecessor in the original series. ( ENT Season 4 DVD text commentary )

A starting point for creating the ENT Gorn was concept artwork by Dan Curry. " We looked at the Gorn from the original series, " he explained, " and then I did some sketches on how the Gorn might look more reptilian and made anatomical changes in the skin [....] After I did the sketches we turned that over to the makeup department under Mike Westmore's supervision and Earl Ellis sculpted a maquette of the Gorn. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 69) The maquette created by Ellis – a sculptor in Westmore's makeup department – measured eighteen inches and was made from clay. This potential Gorn design was further developed with input from producers Manny Coto, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga . Westmore later echoed their advice, saying, " 'Well, maybe it should be a little bit more of this. The shoulders should be a little bigger. Maybe the chest should be a little bigger. It looks too much like a Human. Can you extend the torso?' " As the final maquette was a very useful starting point for the creation of a digital model, the maquette was given to Dan Curry who, in turn, gave it to digital effects supervisor John Teska at Eden FX . Teska was then able to transform the design into a fully animated computer-generated Gorn. ( Inside the Mirror Episodes , ENT Season 4 DVD special features)

Meanwhile, footage of Stunt Coordinator Vince Deadrick, Jr. , playing the Gorn – dressed in a fitted black leotard outfit that had white grid marks on – and acting alongside Scott Bakula , was filmed. ( Inside the Mirror Episodes , ENT Season 4 DVD special features) After the same shots were repeated without Deadrick playing the Gorn, the computer-generated version of the alien was added into the shots, replacing Deadrick's movements. ( ENT Season 4 DVD audio commentary ; Inside the Mirror Episodes , ENT Season 4 DVD special features)

For close-up shots of the Gorn's alien hands, a pair of Gorn gloves were especially designed by Michael Westmore's makeup effects department. ( Inside the Mirror Episodes , ENT Season 4 DVD special features)

Ultimately, Manny Coto had mixed feelings about how successful the Gorn in "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" had been. " I wish our little Gorn had looked a little better than it did, " he critiqued, " but I would have loved to have done more Gorn stuff in season five, which would have been fun to explore [....] I think we had talked about doing Mirror-Universe Gorns. Uh, you know, expand that whole thing. " ("Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise , Part Two: Memorable Voyages", ENT Season 4 Blu-ray special features)

The Gorn were referenced in an ultimately omitted line of dialogue from the first draft script of Star Trek Nemesis , in which Picard, delivering his best man's speech at the wedding of Riker and Troi , recalled that Riker's bachelor party had included "three Andorians, two Tellarites and a Gorn." According to an interview given by John Logan to Star Trek Communicator ( citation needed • edit ) in 2003, the scene was not in the final version of the film.

The Gorn prisoner cut from Star Trek

A Gorn was among multiple individuals Barney Burman and his company, Proteus Make-up FX Team , created for Rura Penthe prison scenes in the film Star Trek , footage that was ultimately cut from the movie's final release . Including the Gorn was the idea of Sculptor Don Lanning , who had spent the past year and a half sculpting surgeries for television series Nip/Tuck . " I immediately wanted to revisit the Gorn from 'Arena', " he said, " because I had just spent a lot of time sculpting realistic stuff, so I was ready for some hard-core fantasy! " Hired onto the production in the role of key sculptor, Lanning was permitted his wish of furthering a redesign of the Gorn. This developed into one of two sculptures which he worked on whenever he got some down time, the other being the M-113 creature . " The Gorn was our best effort to revisit the original material, " observed Lanning, " and I think it was very successful. " Lanning was left with the impression that the Gorn was removed from the film because Director J.J. Abrams and others on the production staff wanted the upcoming film to concentrate on newer aliens. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2014 , pp. 135 & 137)

Gorn EV suit

The Gorn EV suit was also discussed in TRR : " Hegemony ".

Apocrypha [ ]

The Star Fleet Battles and Federation Space board games, published by Task Force Games , indicated that a Gorn confederation formed when three separate but nearly identical sentient species, each having developed on a different planet (Gdhar I, Gdhar II, and Gdhar III, presumably in the Gdhar system) joined into a single political entity. The Gorn are a civilized and cultured race. The Star Fleet Battles game universe refers to an initial brief conflict between two hotheaded starship captains over what was then considered a misunderstanding (an indirect reference to the events in "Arena"). This conflict was resolved peacefully and led to the Gorn being a close ally of the Federation. It is said to be one of the few alliances in the SFU that is apparently based on mutual trust, respect, and desire for friendship as opposed to political convenience (see also Star Fleet Universe ).

The graphic novel The Gorn Crisis is the story of Jean-Luc Picard 's attempt to ally with the Gorn in the Dominion War despite a Gorn civil war . The novel Articles of the Federation followed up on this and stated that the Gorn fought in the Dominion War on the Federation's side. The crew of the USS Enterprise -E helped to convince them to join the fight against the Dominion . In A Singular Destiny , the Gorn joined the Typhon Pact ( β ) – an alliance including the Romulan Star Empire , the Breen Confederacy , the Tholian Assembly , the Tzenkethi , and the Kinshaya ( β ) which was set up in competition with the powers of the Khitomer Accords .

Sisko gets to meet the Gorn captain from "Arena" in the short story "Where I Fell Before My Enemy" that was published in the first Strange New Worlds anthology.

According to The Worlds of the Federation reference book, the Gorn homeworld is called Gornar, also known as Tau Lacertae IX.

The Gorn appear in the FASA RPG adventure book Demand of Honor , where their government is called the Gorn Alliance and their homeworld is called S'sgaron.

In the Star Trek: The Original Series - Core Game Book , the Gorn homeworld was called Agornu.

In the twenty-fourth issue of the Star Trek: Ongoing comic series set in the alternate reality , the Gorn return following the events of the 2013 game. The Gorn featured were a more peaceful faction who separated from the Armada during the Milky Way invasion where they settled on the planet Parthenon 559, but came into conflict with a Federation mining team there. After learning the settlers attacked first and that the Gorn only attacked in self-defense, Kirk placed the planet under quarantine , deciding it was best to leave the Gorn alone.

According to the Star Trek Adventures - Beta Quadrant sourcebook, there are multiple species of Gorn. The Ssessekh are the Gorn seen in The Original Series and the Russth are the Gorn seen in Enterprise . Agornu, Garag, Gornar, Koreb, Shekkis and S'sgaron are all names for the Gorn homeworld used by different Gorn species.

Video games [ ]

The Gorn are playable races in several Star Trek video games. These include Star Trek: Starfleet Command , Star Trek: Tactical Assault , Star Trek: Klingon Academy , and Star Trek Online . The game manual for Star Trek: Bridge Commander mentions the Gorn were allied with the Dominion during the Dominion War.

In Star Trek: Klingon Academy , the Gorn are available as a playable race in Skirmish and Multiplayer modes. According to the game's manual, their government is referred to as the "Gorn Kingdom", rather than the more common Gorn Confederation. They are engaged in a mutual exchange agreement with the Federation, and as such their vessels are equipped with similar technologies, such as phasers and tractor beam weapons. Like the other non-campaign races in the game, the Gorn possess fewer ship classes than the Klingons or the Federation.

The Gorn are also a playable race, and allies of the Klingon Empire , in Star Trek Online . When designing a Gorn character, only the male gender is selectable. Gorn are also the enemies faced during many Federation missions, and some employ a rock-throwing attack reminiscent of the battle between Kirk and the Gorn captain in "Arena". Furthermore, in Star Trek Online , the Gorn engaged in late- 24th century war against the Klingon Empire. The Klingons eventually prevailed – allowing the Gorn to maintain their rule over their space – but, in exchange, made allies. In this continuity, the insect-like eyes seen on the Gorn captain from "Arena" are explained as a set of eyepieces that give a tactical heads-up display. The tie-in novel The Needs of the Many reveals that the difference between the Gorn seen in The Original Series and Enterprise is part of a caste system; the silver-eyed, five-fingered Gorn are from a warrior caste, while the gold-eyed, three-fingered Gorn are members of a technological caste.

The Gorn of the alternate reality

The Gorn are the villains of the 2013 Star Trek game set before Star Trek Into Darkness , featuring fifteen varieties of male and female Gorn ranging in size, intelligence, and color, designed by Neville Page . [1] They are depicted as originating from another galaxy which they have conquered by the time they reach the Milky Way Galaxy via a wormhole created by a terraforming device on New Vulcan . The Gorn utilize a mind controlling virus to turn enemies on each other, practice bio-enhancement , and just as in the film, McCoy mentions they are viviparous . He recounts Hikaru Sulu having stunned a pregnant female while on the surface of the Lymax planet, necessitating McCoy's medical intervention to deliver the babies.

External links [ ]

• Gorn at StarTrek.com
• Gorn at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Gorn at Wikipedia

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds': Who Are the Gorn?

Who are the mystery aliens pursuing the Enterprise?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recently released its fourth episode, "Memento Mori," and with it, used its prequel status to return to an iconic piece of Star Trek lore dating back to 1967. This episode doesn't shy away from saying the infamous species' name, either. However, revisiting the Gorn isn't all that surprising, considering Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh ( Christina Chong ) revealed the heartbreaking backstory that found her a victim of the ruthless species, even if that wasn't quite the lore the audience was expecting based on the character's name. But fifty-five years is a long time, so if you don't remember everything about the antagonistic species, nobody would blame you. So, who are the Gorn?

The Gorn are an intelligent, bipedal, and reptilian species that are incredibly hostile and unfortunately warp-capable with technology on par with The Federation's. Thanks to Lower Decks , the assumption can be made that they have at least two genders and that marriage is a part of their reptilian culture. The species are very durable, strong, and have incredible stamina, however, this also makes them slower and less agile creatures. While the eye appearance of the reptiles' eyes varied among the species, they had razor-sharp teeth, holes on the side of their heads for ears, and claws on their hands and feet. The Gorn are carnivores.

RELATED: How ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Perfectly Balances Classic and New Trek

Until Strange New Worlds , it was assumed that the first contact with the Gorn was with Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ), but we now know of at least two previous interactions. The first occurred in the 2200s when the reptilians captured a human colony ship and transferred the entire complement to a facility where they were used as live food or breeding sacks. According to the Gorn's culture, the last surviving person is jettisoned into space aboard a life raft, allowing for Lt. Noonien-Singh's survival and rescue by Una Chin-Riley ( Rebecca Romijn ). Later, the Gorn attempt to lure The USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ) into a trap, but thanks to the previous experience of Lt. Noonien-Singh, the Enterprise is able to evade capture, destroy one of the ships, and escape.

The Federation made contact with the species when they attack a colony/outpost on Cestus III, a system in what the Gorn considered their territory, in Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Arena." When USS Enterprise pursues a Gorn vessel, another alien, a Metron, transports both Kirk and the Gorn Captain to a deserted planet where the iconic fight scene takes place. Kirk eventually wins, but instead spares the Gorn. The Metron is surprised but impressed, deciding to spare The Enterprise while still sending them thousands of light-years away from that sector of space.

A Gorn was next seen on The Animated Series episode, "The Time Trap." He was seen on a ruling council of a pocket reality, implying that some of the species became separated from the whole. It's important to note that generally The Animated Series isn't included in the recognized Star Trek canon. The Gorn are also in several Lower Decks episodes. In addition to the huge marriage revelation, the series also gives fans an amazing tidbit of information: A Gorn resides on Starbase 25 and is a chef at 'Mr. Krada Leg'.

Finally, a Gorn named Slar is also used in Enterprise 's "In A Mirror Darkly, Part 2" to help contextualize the mirror universe and show how brutal and violent the alternate reality is. Slar is a slavemaster for the Tholian Assembly, leading a salvage mission of the USS Defiant (NCC-1764), a ship from the prime universe, stuck in the mirroring one. When Terrans also board the ship, Slar attempts to keep control of the ship but is killed by Captain Jonathan Archer ( Scott Bakula ) in the process. Star Trek: Discovery also shows that because of the size and might of the species, it isn't unusual for members of The Terran Empire to take their skeletal remains as trophies, as seen on Georgiou's ( Michelle Yeoh ) ISS Shenzou.

The Gorn may not have a history as complex as the Andorians or Bajorans, but the Gorn rightfully earned their place in Trek lore even just by being the first thing that comes to many people's minds when mentioning Star Trek or Captain Kirk. The inclusion of this species in La'an's backstory gives the opportunity to flesh out this species even more in Strange New Worlds , potentially providing more context for the goofy fight that aired over 5 decades ago.

Screen Rant

Complete history of the gorn in star trek.

The Gorn have become one of the Federation's most formidable foes in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Here's everything we know about them.

• The Gorn Hegemony is a powerful and mysterious governing body of cold-blooded reptilians with advanced technology and superior physical capabilities. They communicate through light and are difficult to track.
• In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, tensions between the Federation and the Gorn escalate when the Gorn attack a Federation colony. Captain Pike and his crew face off against Gorn forces, leaving them at a disadvantage.
• While the Gorn were initially portrayed as aggressive and territorial in their first appearance in Star Trek: TOS, later appearances and Strange New Worlds indicate the possibility for peace between the Federation and the Gorn, suggesting a potential shift in their behavior.

The Gorn made their first appearance in the iconic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Arena," but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has introduced a whole new version of the vicious reptilians. After Starfleet learns of the existence of the Gorn in Strange New Worlds , they begin developing weapons and technology to defend against them. As the tensions between the Federation and the Gorn increase, Starfleet begins to fear that war looms on the horizon. The Gorn have proven to be a formidable opponent for the Federation, but not much is known about their lifestyle and culture.

The Strange New Worlds season 2 finale, "Hegemony," adds fuel to the fire when the Gorn attack a Federation colony on the planet Parnassus Beta. The Gorn claim that Parnassus Beta is in their territory, and they send Starfleet a communication establishing a demarcation line. Despite Starfleet's orders to remain on their side of the line, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and a landing party slip past the Gorn to rescue the survivors trapped on the planet. "Hegemony" ends with the USS Enterprise facing off against a Gorn destroyer and three Gorn hunters, leaving Captain Pike outgunned and unsure about his next moves.

Everything Known About The Gorn Hegemony's History In Star Trek

Not much is known about the Gorn, but their governing body is referred to as the Gorn Hegemony, which was known to the Orion Syndicate as early as 2154. The technology of the Gorn seems to be similar to that of Starfleet and the Gorn themselves are stronger, faster, and more resilient than humans. Neither Gorn eggs nor hatchlings appear on sensors, making them nearly impossible to track. While the Gorn's method of communication is not yet fully understood, they seem to communicate with one another using light. Because the Gorn rarely leave survivors, their earliest encounters with the Federation have gone largely unrecorded.

Related: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Gorn Explained By Legacy Effects Co-Founder

The Gorn are cold-blooded lizard-like reptiles who originated in the Beta Quadrant. They reproduce by laying eggs within a humanoid host. To maintain a steady supply of hosts, the Gorn establish breeding planets where they deposit captured humanoids to hunt for sport and to be used as incubators. Even from a young age, Gorn can spray venom that infects a host with eggs. After a host becomes infected, Gorn hatchlings will soon burst from their body, killing them instantly. Vicious and territorial, Gorn hatchlings begin competing for dominance soon after they are born.

The Gorn's First Appearance In Star Trek: TOS

In the Prime timeline, the Federation does not officially encounter the Gorn until 2267 as depicted in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Arena." When Captain Kirk and his landing party arrive on the planet Cestus III, they discover that the Federation colony there has been completely destroyed and the Gorn lie in wait. As the Enterprise pursues the Gorn ship, they enter an uncharted area of space and encounter an advanced species called the Metrons. The Metrons deposit Captain Kirk and the Gorn Captain on a planet, saying that they will destroy the ship of whichever Captain loses the fight. Kirk eventually defeats the Gorn by creating gunpowder with materials found on the planet. Because Kirk stops short of killing the Gorn Captain, the Metrons return the Gorn to his ship and praise Kirk's mercy.

Interestingly, when Kirk confronts the Gorn Captain, the Gorn maintain that they only attacked Cestus III because it was in their territory. From the Gorn's perspective, it looked as though the Federation was invading. Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) both acknowledge that the Federation may have been the one in the wrong. Not only does this suggest these particular Gorn to be less vicious than the ones in Strange New Worlds , it also suggests that peace between the Federation and the Gorn may be possible.

The Gorn's Other Star Trek Appearances

After their first appearance in Star Trek: The Original Series , the Gorn show up on several different Star Trek series. A Gorn named Slar appears in one episode of Star Trek: Enterprise , "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II," but this entire episode occurs within the Mirror Universe. Slar kills several members of the ISS Enterprise crew, before eventually being killed by the Mirror Universe version of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) . A Gorn skeleton appears in the menagerie of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) on Star Trek: Discovery, establishing, again, that some Starfleet officers knew of the Gorn before Captain Kirk's famous encounter.

The Gorn appear briefly in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1, episode 8, when Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) inadvertently ends up on a desert planet in the middle of a Gorn wedding ceremony. This scene is shown in a flashback as Rutherford recounts a particular day's events, so it's unclear how much of it is accurate. A couple of different Gorn can be seen on a Starbase in the background of the Lower Decks episode "An Embarrassment Of Dooplers," suggesting that relations between the Gorn and the Federation will not always be hostile.

The Gorn's Retcons In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Aside from a few brief appearances across other shows, the Gorn do not make a major return to the Star Trek franchise until Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Strange New Worlds has given more information about the Gorn's history and biology than any other Star Trek show. Despite the fact that the official first contact with the Gorn did not occur until the events of TOS' "Arena," Strange New Worlds establishes that the Federation knew of the Gorn long before that.

In Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 4, "Memento Mori," Enterprise Security Chief La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) reveals that she was the only survivor of a Gorn attack. When she was a child living on the colony ship the SS Puget Sound, Gorn invaded the ship, eventually killing everyone on board aside from La'an. After the Gorn had killed the other passengers, La'an was sent into space on a raft as part of a Gorn ritual. She was then rescued by the Federation starship USS Martin Luther King Jr.

In "Arena," it seemed as though none of the Enterprise crew members were familiar with the Gorn, but Spock (Ethan Peck) goes up against Gorn in both "All Those Who Wander" and "Hegemony." Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) also aid in the fight against Gorn. "Hegemony" introduces the young Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn), who not only builds a trap to catch Gorn, but also figures out how to sneak past their ships. All of these characters would be on the USS Enterprise in "Arena," but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can still offer an explanation for this apparent canon discrepancy.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Jan 19, 2020

The Gorn Identity

53 years of "Arena" in pictures.

StarTrek.com

The Gorn is 53 years old. Actually, he’s probably much older than that, but Star Trek fans first met the big, lumbering green guy in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Arena,” 53 years ago today.

The Gorn, in his birthday suit, on the set of “Arena.”

The Gorn costume was created by Wah Chang while actor, stuntman and Star Trek convention favorite Bobby Clark actually got into the character to play the Gorn. “[Director] Joseph Pevney hired me as a stunt actor,” Clark told StarTrek.com in a 2011 interview. “Now, for ‘Arena,’ I was hired as an actor who could do my own stunts. That’s how I’d say it. Regardless of what the critics say about the fight with Bill Shatner, I think the Gorn was pretty interesting. I was supposed to be cumbersome, I was supposed to be awkward and I was supposed to be slow. That was the reptilian nature of the Gorn. But, definitely, I was hired as an actor who had the capability to do the stunts.” Clark, for the record, went on to appear in three other TOS episodes: “The Apple,” “Mirror Mirror” and “The Return of the Archons.”

The Gorn return to action, albeit cartoon style, in “The Time Trap,” an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series that aired in 1973.

The Gorn figured into a number of Star Trek books and video games, but didn’t return to live-action television until the Star Trek: Enterprise Mirror Universe episode, “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II.” That was stunt coordinator Vince Deadrick, Jr. in the costume, with his performance enhanced by VFX.

Let’s not forget that there was a whole 96-page Wildstorm graphic novel devoted to the Gorn, The Gorn Crisis.

The Rura Penthe prison sequence in Star Trek (2009) also initially included a Gorn, but the creature hit the cutting room floor.

William Shatner and the Gorn reunited in 2013 for a very funny commercial touting NAMCO Bandai’s Star Trek: The Video Game .

And, of course, there are Gorn characters in Star Trek Online , where they are a playable race and belong to the Klingon Empire faction. The Phalanx Science Vessel, Draguas Support Vessel and Varanus Fleet Support Vessel are the only playable Gorn ships in-game, though there are Gorn-style C-Store costumes for the Vo'quv Carrier and Vor'cha Battle Cruiser.

Get Updates By Email

Gorn, Explained: A History of the Star Trek Aliens

The Gorn are one of the most famous aliens in Star Trek. Here is everything to know about the reptilian humanoid alien species.

Gene Roddenberry's space opera franchise Star Trek is filled with iconic aliens: Klingons, Andorians, Romulans, Betazoids, Orions, Changelings, Vulcans, and the Borg, to name a few. Many of them have been explored in great detail through various Star Trek series and films. Still, one particularly infamous and hostile species remains relatively unknown in live-action media: The Gorn . First introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series , these reptilian humanoid aliens are best remembered from the 1967 episode "The Arena." It is one of the most notable episodes in Star Trek history, mainly due to the slow and sluggish movement of the creatures' leader and its over-the-top combat with Captain Kirk, which rendered the scene unintentionally comedic.

Update August 13, 2023: This article has been updated by Mona Bassil with additional information following the season 2 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and with information from the series Star Trek: Lower Decks.

This cemented the Gorn as one of the most memorable aliens in the Trek universe. Despite that, the franchise has typically avoided bringing them back. While it makes sense for prequel series not to include them, it is odd how later Star Trek shows, like The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager , and Prodigy, never featured the Gorn. One of the more recent series, however, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which premiered on Paramount+ on May 5, 2022, has not only given an update on the Gorn but has also explored them in more detail and plans on making them an overarching threat for the series. Here is everything to know about the Gorn species.

Gorn History in the Star Trek Series

The Gorn are first introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Arena". They are still a mysterious species to the Federation, and Captain Kirk is forced to do battle with the Gorn leader in a fight to the death. Kirk believes the Gorn to be a violent and savage race that eradicated an entire Starfleet colony. While he has the chance to kill their captain, he spares him after he realizes that the previous attack on a Starfleet Outpost was simply an act of self-defense and that the Gorn and humans have more in common than they realize. This marks the official first encounter the United Federation of Planets has with this species.

Related: 23 Coolest Alien Characters in the Star Trek Franchise

The Gorn would later appear in an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series , as well as on Star Trek: Enterprise , which marked the first time the creature was portrayed with GCI. In order not to mess with the continuity of the original series and the subsequent first contact with Kirk, the Gorn seen on the prequel show, Star Trek: Enterprise , is set in the Mirror Universe, an alternate universe in Star Trek where everyone is either evil or has an entirely different character.

How Strange New Worlds Redefines the Gorn

The Gorn were planned to appear in both Star Trek: Nemesis and 2009's Star Trek reboot but were scrapped for unknown reasons. In Star Trek Into Darkness , Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy makes reference to performing a C-section on a pregnant Gorn, indicating they may have encountered The Federation earlier on in this new timeline.

The next major appearance of the Gorn would be in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, where they are a recurring foe. Set ten years before the events of TOS , Strange New Worlds slightly retcons the original series. Here, the alien species are a large part of the backstory for La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), who is the sole survivor of a Gorn attack when she was a child. This marks an unofficial first encounter with the species in the series.

The USS Enterprise , under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, first encounters a Gorn ship in the episode Memento Mori . The creatures are not seen, which seems to indicate that the aliens would be a recurring unseen foe throughout the series. But they reappear later in the season, in the episode "All Those Who Wander " , where various members of the Enterprise crew, including Spock, come face to face with the aliens. Unlike in the original series, these Gorn are depicted as smaller, more agile, and more animalistic. Henry Myers, the show's executive producer, told Variety , "I think audiences would have an instinctive organ transplant rejection to the classic version of the Gorn. Audiences now are sophisticated; they expect a certain level of effects work, of verisimilitude.” He was, of course, referring to the fact that the Gorn on TOS looked like giant lizards in fake rubber suits.

Related: Star Trek: How the 3 Animated Series Stack Against Each Other

The Season 2's action-packed finale, "Hegemony", it features the species decimating a human colony at the edge of Federation space, which they believe is part of their territory. They also plant a device that prevents any starship or shuttlecraft from beaming up trapped survivors, thus demonstrating superior dampening technology. While the episode begins with Captain Pike very clearly seeing the Gorn as monsters, the episode also looks to try to build the foundation for the Gorn being seen as a more advanced species in The Original Series.

Not only do the Gorn have their own fleet of ships, the young Gorn also appear not to be killing each other for dominance like it was believed they do, but instead working together. Pike comments on how there is more for them to learn about the Gorn. Audiences will likely learn more in season 3 as the finale of season 2 ended on a cliffhanger. Pike must decide between following Starfleet orders and retreating or going to save the rest of his crew who were beamed aboard the Gorn ship, including La'an Noonien-Singh.

The Gorn on Star Trek: Lower Decks

More recently, the species also appeared on the adult animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , a refreshingly comedic take on the Star Trek franchise that pays homage to its complicated history while cleverly poking fun at its most memorable chapters and characters. In season 1's eighth episode, "Veritas", Ensign Rutherford's cybernetic implant is in need of an update. To complete the process, the device occasionally has to shut down and reboot, causing Rutherford to suddenly collapse and wake up hours later. Consequently, he crashes on a barren planet and finds himself surrounded by the Gorn, who starts biting into him. It is a double crash because he has also interrupted a wedding celebration.

Design and Characteristics

The Gorn in the original series are a bipedal and large reptilian alien species. They are capable of space travel and seem to have their own civilization. They also appear to be an apprehensive species, as even later in the timeline of Star Trek, it is unclear if they ever joined Starfleet.

The Gorn on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are similar to the variant of the species introduced in the Kelvin timeline set Star Trek video game between the 2009 Star Trek film and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness . They are smaller, quadrupedal aliens that have a lot in common with the Xenomorphs from the Alien film franchise , including the practice of laying parasitic eggs inside a host that burst out of the victim's chest. They also no longer seem to have the sparkly eyes shown on TOS . Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds later found an explanation for this change in size. The smaller ones are the baby versions of the species, and audiences got to see Spock and Nurse Chapel fight a proper size Gorn which matched the size of the one Captain Kirk fought.

The Gorn have evolved and acquired the ability to evade Starfleet and other electromagnetic medical sensors, possibly indicating why the species has gone so long in the franchise without being seen. They grow quickly and will not hesitate to eliminate each other in order to establish dominance and strength. Strange New World also establishes that the Gorn are susceptible to the cold. It has done more to explain the Gorn than any other piece of Star Trek media since the creature first appeared, and hopefully, additional seasons will explore its culture and variants. The season 2 finale clearly hints that Trekkies will be seeing more of the Gorn as recurring villains in season 3.