gorn star trek war

Gorn Hegemony

• View history
• 2.1 Background information
• 2.2 Apocrypha
• 2.3 External link

History [ ]

The Orion privateer Harrad-Sar had dealings with the Hegemony prior to 2154 , but declined to elaborate to the crew of Enterprise NX-01 , merely saying "The less said about them, the better." ( ENT : " Bound ")

Unconfirmed first contact report for the Gorn, found in the personnel file of La'an Noonien Singh

In the 2230s or 2240s , the Gorn attacked and captured the SS Puget Sound , a Federation colony ship , and deposited its crew and passengers on a Gorn breeding planet to be hunted for sport or eaten alive by their hatchlings . La'an Noonien-Singh was the sole survivor of the incident, and related the story to Starfleet ; this was the first documented encounter with the Gorn, although it was not considered an official first contact . ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

In 2259 , the Gorn attacked and massacred the colony of Finibus III , and then attacked the USS Enterprise when it arrived in the system. During the subsequent battle, the Enterprise was badly damaged and lost seven crew members, but managed to destroy three Gorn hunters before evading a destroyer using the system's black hole as cover. With the Gorn confirmed to be raiding targets in Federation space, Captain Christopher Pike resolved to be more prepared for the next hostile encounter. ( SNW : " Memento Mori ")

In 2259 , Federation star charts were denoting the location of the Gorn Hegemony in the Beta Quadrant. The lettering and border outlines were colored a shade of green . ( SNW : " Subspace Rhapsody ")

A Gorn Captain , a member of the Gorn Hegemony

Official first contact finally took place eight years later, in 2267 . This encounter with the Hegemony was also hostile, as the Gorn were claiming Cestus III – a world which was then occupied by a Federation settlement – as their own. Despite this, the two powers had resolved the conflict over Cestus III by the 2370s , when a Human settlement thrived there. ( TOS : " Arena "; DS9 : " Family Business ")

The Zhat Vash , a Romulan cabal , was said to operate in the Gorn Hegemony as of 2399 . ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

The name of this government was revealed in "Bound", although there was apparently no official UFP contact with the Gorn until Kirk's era. Federation-Gorn relations were described, in the Star Trek Encyclopedia , as "cordial" during the 2370s. The name "Gorn Hegemony" had been used in non- canon books and games for years before this episode was written, however.

The Gorn Hegemony symbol first appeared in canon in PRO : " Masquerade ", but originates in the 1997 Starfleet Academy video game.

Apocrypha [ ]

The Star Trek: Star Charts places Gorn Hegemony space in the Beta Quadrant , in the region of Gamma Orionis and the Delta Triangle . (page 64)

In the novel Articles of the Federation , one of the characters says that the crew of the USS Enterprise convinced the Gorn to join the Federation Alliance and fight against the Dominion in the war . This is from the graphic novel " The Gorn Crisis " by Kevin J. Anderson and illustrated by Igor Kordey . But in the game manual for Star Trek: Bridge Commander , it is stated that the Gorn sided with the Dominion . The Star Trek: Destiny novel Mere Mortals by David Mack establishes that the Gorn Hegemony had an embassy to the Federation located in Berlin and its head of government was the Gorn Imperator. In A Singular Destiny , the Gorn allied themselves with the Romulan Star Empire , the Tholians , and others antagonistic towards the Federation and Klingons.

In Star Trek Online , by the early 25th century , the Klingons had conquered the Hegemony after learning that their leaders had been replaced by Species 8472 infiltrators, and absorbed the Gorn into the Empire. The storyline of the game also states that a monarch, King Slathis, was the head of the government.

In the 2013 video game Star Trek , which is set in the alternate reality , the Gorn are given an origin story as an alien race originating from another galaxy and are portrayed as expansionists. One of the races subjugated to the Gorn are the Lymax ( β ).

The twenty-fourth issue of the Star Trek: Ongoing comic book series features a group of Gorn who had rebelled and settled on the planet Parthenon 559 wanting to live in peace. But because of the previous encounter as mentioned above, the Humans who came to mine the planet reacted with hostility. Kirk resolved everything and forced the Humans off of the planet after learning more about the Gorn in the process. The issue also potentially provides another origin story for the Gorn Hegemony.

External link [ ]

• Gorn Hegemony at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 Ancient humanoid

'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.

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Published May 31, 2022

Strange New Worlds 101: The Gorn

Who are the mysterious Gorn?

StarTrek.com / Rob DeHart

Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode four to follow!

Welcome back to Strange New Worlds 101, where we break down an Easter egg or topic from the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . We’ve investigated the origins of the Prime Directive, looked at the history of the Kirk family, and debated the merits of the Federation banning genetic engineering. This week, we’re looking at one of Captain Kirk’s most iconic foes, who also happens to be a presence in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds … the Gorn.

Let’s face it, even if you haven’t seen every episode of Star Trek , you’ve probably at least seen clips of the fight where Kirk faces off against the Gorn captain in the The Original Series episode “ Arena .” The episode, which marks the first appearance of the Gorn in the canon, centers on a Gorn attack on a Federation outpost on Cestus III, due to viewing the outpost as the Federation encroaching on their territory. The Enterprise pursues their ship to an unknown part of the galaxy, where the Metrons beam both the Gorn captain and Kirk to a nearby planet for a fight to the death. Kirk ultimately emerges triumphant and, in a move of compassion, argues for the Gorn to be released as well. This becomes a famous encounter in the world of Star Trek , with Captain Benjamin Sisko excitedly saying he wants to ask Kirk about it when he and his crew time travel back to the events of “The Trouble With Tribbles.”

StarTrek.com

Following that episode, the Gorn have made scattered appearances throughout canon. In The Animated Series episode “The Time Trap,” a Gorn serves as a member of a council made up of various species in the pocket dimension Elysia, though the episode doesn’t provide any context for how long they have been trapped in that dimension. In other animated canon, Star Trek: Lower Decks not only features a Gorn wedding — which looked to be the event of the century — but a Gorn chef running a food cart on Federation Starbase 25.

In the Mirror Universe, years before Kirk would encounter the Gorn, Captain Jonathan Archer encountered a Gorn in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “In a Mirror Darkly, Part 2.” Discovery ’s Mirror Universe episodes (and characters from the Mirror Universe) also referenced the Gorn as well, though none really appeared in the show’s early seasons.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has the specter of the Gorn hanging heavily over the crew, in particular the Security Chief La’an Noonien Singh. La’an’s family and their colony ship were captured by the Gorn and deposited on a Gorn nursery planet. La’an watched as her entire family were killed; as the sole survivor, La’an was placed on a life raft and abandoned in space, where she was found by a ship that Una Chin-Riley was serving on.

In the latest episode, “Memento Mori,” the Gorn come after the Enterprise when they respond to a distress call from a colony, reminding La’an of that traumatic experience. Though she and Spock, along with the rest of the crew, are able to successfully evade the Gorn and save some survivors from the colony, La’an theorizes that this is a sign that the Gorn are poised to move further into Federation space.

What will happen next to the crew of the Enterprise ? Is La’an correct in her theory that the Gorn pose a bigger threat? We’ll have to watch more to find out, but in the meantime, let us know on social what your theories and thoughts are!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Sets Up A Terrifying Conflict We've Never Seen In The Franchise Before

Spoilers for "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" follow.

In the season 2 premiere of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" — "The Broken Circle" — Spock (Ethan Peck) gets his shot at commanding the Enterprise. Specifically, while Captain Pike (Anson Mount) is away, Spock and his command staff commandeer the ship to intercept a distress signal from La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) in Klingon territory. Along the way, the Enterprise crew prevents a war with the Klingons from igniting.

Admiral Robert April (Adrian Holmes) lets Spock off with a warning. The episode's final scene reveals this wasn't just in recognition of the crew's good work or because the Admiral was feeling magnanimous. No, Starfleet needs all hands on deck because a Gorn attack ship was spotted entering Federation space.

The Gorn are a reptilian race dating back to the Original Series episode "Arena," where Captain Kirk (William Shatner) battled a Gorn captain. After being mostly left out of past "Trek" iterations, "Strange New Worlds" has given the Gorn more spotlight . They are depicted as savage raiders who reproduce like Xenomorphs (i.e. with living beings as incubators). La'an's backstory is she was abducted in a Gorn raid and then rescued as a child.

The Gorn were the villains of two season 1 episodes — "Memento Mori" and "All Those Who Wander" — so further conflict with them makes sense. As for "Arena" treating the Enterprise's encounter with them like a first contact? "Strange New Worlds" uses canon as only loose guidelines .

If war does break out between the Federation and Gorn later this season, this won't be the first time "Star Trek" has chronicled an ongoing war. The last two seasons of "Deep Space Nine" were taken up by Dominion War, about an alliance of the Federation, Klingons, and eventually, Romulans fighting against the Cardassians and the eponymous invaders from the Gamma Quadrant. "Star Trek: Discovery" also featured a brief war between the Federation and Klingons; that war and its lingering scars are the crux of "The Broken Circle."

However, both "Deep Space Nine" and "Discovery" were rather dark, serialized series; a war plot fit into the pre-established show. The question then becomes, what kind of "Star Trek" show does "Strange New Worlds" want to be? So far, it's been back-to-basics; the series is about the Enterprise having adventures on the edge of the galaxy, encountering heretofore undiscovered phenomena along the way. The problem the Enterprise crew faces in any particular episode is what's important, not the connective tissue between those episodes.

We've never seen the Federation and Gorn at war with one another in "Star Trek" before. With what "Strange New Worlds" has been like so far, I'm willing to bet that record won't be broken — at least not for very long.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is streaming on Paramount+.

Legacy Effects wizard J. Alan Scott on creating the Gorn for 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' (exclusive)

The Academy Award-winning creature designer discusses the show's Gorn-centric season finale.

Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" just wrapped up its impressive second season showcasing the intrusion of a particularly combative enemy species.

The finale episode, titled " Hegemony ," ended in an unsatisfying cliffhanger that upset some faithful fans after a brilliant season filled with entertaining episodes like "Ad Astra per Aspera," "Among the Lotus Eaters" and the historic singing and dancing chapter, " Subspace Rhapsody ."

Despite some narrative hiccups in that climax, there's no argument regarding the return of the Gorn and the reveal of the snarling, 7-foot-tall (2.1 meters) alien decked out in an ultra-cool Gigeresque spacesuit.

Related:   ' Star Trek' streaming guide: Where to watch the 'Star Trek' movies and TV shows online

The Academy Award-winning visual effects studio Legacy Effects was responsible for hatching the principal onscreen villain for "Strange New Worlds" using a clever synthesis of old-school puppetry, modern 3D fabrication, digital modeling, cutting-edge animatronics and suited-actor practical effects.

From screeching Gorn hatchlings to crawling younglings to a full-sized bipedal Gorn clad in a gothic environmental ensemble complete with an illuminated helmet, showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers chose wisely when deciding to use the angry reptilian monsters as the show's primary antagonists.

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Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

We spoke with Legacy Effects co-founder J. Alan Scott — whose mindblowing resume includes everything from "Jurassic Park," "Galaxy Quest" and "Real Steel" to "Pacific Rim," "Avengers: Infinity War" and "The Expanse" — about the genesis of the Gorn and how his team created the terrifying cinematic magic.

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Space.com: As a Hollywood creator working in creature effects for over three decades, what inspired you about the form and function of the Gorn?

J. Alan Scott:   What's nice for us is that the reveal of what we've been developing for two seasons now is that we still haven't revealed the full creature yet, so we now have another opportunity to do that. We originally designed it for Season 1 and then they wanted to inch into it and wanted to tease and build up the expectation, which for me is a great horror trope. The anticipation and the anxiety of it is much better than the reveal. But you still have to show it.

With my roots with "Jurassic Park," when they said they wanted a horror episode — and I'm a huge horror fan and love the idea of scaring people — to take what was in broad daylight at Vasquez Rocks with the original " Star Trek " episode's Gorn, there's no scare factor there. It was great, but what would they have done if the series could have supported a horror episode?

When we were designing, they had a couple rules. They wanted to tie it back to the original as much as you can. But the idea to make it a hard-R horror movie with carnage and blood and gore was for me — couldn't have been a better ask. The trick was adding technology and figuring out where they land. Which was different from the original show that was basically just a loincloth and a bandolier. It didn't really inform what they were capable of. 

Space.com: Take us through the developmental challenges in creating a hostile alien species beyond its humble origins in "Star Trek: The Original Series."

Scott: Since they'd already explored in Season 1 that they've got space travel and warp drive technology , the trick is, How do you make a monster that's sentient and intelligent? Can you talk with it? Does it speak? And that mix of horror and technology was a long exploration that culminated in the EV suit. I'm still looking forward to see if they wear armor. Do they have weapons? Do they wear sidearms? All that's going to come later. Do they use communicators? Are they using iPads? What are they using with their hands, and how do you do that when you got this thing that's supposed to be a ravaging beast? How do they interact with each other?  

They can't be screaming raptors all the time. But raptors are a great parallel. They have a culture, and there's a society there. Now add technology to that. Now how do we design the EV suit around that whole thing? You can only screw it up. That's the problem with something as iconic as the Gorn: You're being asked to recreate something, modernize it and do it in a respectful way, but also make it exciting.

You have to be very cognizant of whether it's going to be silly. The writers and the production team guide us through all of that. I'd love to say that these were all of my ideas. They're not. It's a visualization of a team of ideas. It's a balance and a little bit of exploration that unfortunately happens in a very quick timeline. It seems like it was two seasons' worth, but you really only get two months to build it in the end, and then there's no time to go backwards and change it.

Related: The best alien invasion movies of all time

Space.com: What was discussed for lighting schemes in the zero-G fight scene?

Scott: Yes, we have to work with the lighting team and the DP [director of photography] and the director on how much we're going to reveal. We actually had to alter the design of the helmet because the lighting wasn't quite right. The fixtures team came to us, and they got new LEDs and put them in there, and we had to change that a couple of times to get the right balance. It's not something that we can anticipate here, even though we'd sent up a mockup [to Toronto]. Uplighting was great because it makes a real spooky face, but then it wasn’t really enough of the eyes so we changed the helmet so we could hide LEDs inside to illuminate the eyes more. In that dark set, it pops, and you can see the teeth and eyes and the movement in there. You see the animal inside.

—  'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds:' Augments, Illyrians and the Eugenics Wars  

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Space.com: For "Strange New Worlds" Season 3, what can fans expect with the Gorn? Will we see them flying their strange starships and firing weapons?

Scott: We haven't shot it yet, but there have been discussions, and I'm looking forward to the same thing. We've seen their entire life cycle now, discussed and designed, so I love the fact that we're just inching into it. I'm looking forward to seeing it full-body. We've seen the EV suit, but we don't know what they look like inside yet. For Season 3 Episode 1, we're anxious and waiting almost as much as everyone who watched [the finale] last night!

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" Season 2 is streaming now on Paramount+.

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Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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Gorn Crisis

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• 2.1 Cestus III & Elkauron II
• 3 Aftermath

Prelude [ ]

Following the Federation 's first contact with the Dominion , the Gorn Hegemony agreed to talk at a summit in 2370 . The purpose of the summit was to avoid war between the Federation and the Hegemony. At the time, a militaristic faction of the Gorn known as Black Crest attempted to start a war between the two powers, knowing that a possible war was brewing between the Federation and the Dominion, knowing it would weaken the Federation. However, war between the two powers was averted thanks to actions Capt. Jean-Luc Picard , his crew of the USS Enterprise -D , and the Gorn leader, Keeyah .( TNG novel : Requiem ; TNG comic : " The Gorn Crisis ")

Coup d'etat [ ]

For the next four years, the Gorn and their empire were still at peace with the Federation. When the Dominion War started, Capt. Picard and the USS Enterprise -E were sent by Starfleet Command and the Federation in 2374 to establish diplomatic relations with the Gorn so they could join the alliance against the Dominion. However, the Gorn refused to talk face to face and the negotiations grew erratic with the ruling council. For two days the Enterprise waited for a response of some kind.

During those two days, Warlord Slessshh , General Khaaarr and his Black Crest soldiers took control of the Hegemony. Khaaarr and his men killed all the ruling council members and destroyed the eggs of the political caste. Khaar then launched the Gorn war fleet. Capt. Picard then went down to the surface when one of the council members contacted Picard for help. Once there, Picard's away team found council member Roooxx who told of the Black Crest's plan to set up a military government. Roox plead with Picard to not let the Black Crest rule the Gorn. Another Gorn was able to tell Picard that a few eggs of the political caste had been hidden and were safe.

The Gorn war fleet then sent a ship that attacked the Enterprise though it was destroyed quickly. Meanwhile, Slessshh and his soldiers then went after Picard and his away team to take them as prisoners. Picard tried to reason with Slesshh, but Slesshh refused to agree to a alliance with the federation. Slessshh then contacted the Enterprise' s second officer, Lt. Cmdr. Data to order him to surrender or Picard and the away team would be killed. Data refused to do so.

Data, after reviewing data on the Gorn, decided to beam down unarmed and alone to challenge Slessshh to prove that the Gorn were wrongand the Federation strong. Slesshh accepted. Slessshh and Data the fought each other in combat till Data punched him out. Slessshh, as he promised, ordered his forces to stand down and return to base. ( TNG comic : " The Gorn Crisis ")

Gorn invasion of a human colony.

Cestus III & Elkauron II [ ]

Following the initial start of the coup, Slessshh sent Khaaarr to take his division to attack the Federation colony on Cestus II and the garrison on Elkauron II . Khaaarr's orders were to destroy any Federation outpost in Gorn territory. Khaar then sent one of his generals, Kressshh to attack the Cestus III colony. There they met little resistance, took many prisoners, and secured the colony in less than a day.

During Picard's negotiations with the Gorn, his First officer , Commander William T. Riker and a team of Starfleet engineers were then sent to help Klingon commander Qyrll and his crew of the IKS Gar'Tukh repair the Delblad Fortress . The fortress then came under attack by General Khaaarr's forces. Riker tried to communicate with the Gorn but they ignored him. Khaaarr then landed troops to attack. The Klingon and Starfleet crew fought hard against the Gorn troops. However, both the Klingon and Starfleet crews were force to evacuate back to the Gar'Tukh to continue the fight in space.

The Gorn then attempted to board the Gar'Tukh . The Klingons and Starfleet crew fought hard against the Gorn boarding party till Qyrll jettisoned tone of the explosive modules which gave them more time. Qyrll then decided to initiate the self-destruct sequence, but was stopped by Riker. Riker was then able to stop the Gorn by making the ship's environment too cold for the Gorn. After defeating the Gorn soldiers, Riker and both crews decided to thaw out the leader in order for him to surrender. Both crews then captured Gen. Khaaarr and awaited for orders from Slessshh( TNG comic : " The Gorn Crisis ")

Aftermath [ ]

Following the withdrawal of all Gorn warships back to their territory, Slessshh was spared by Capt. Picard who convinced his soldier to not kill him. Picard was able to convince the Gorn to join their alliance to fight the Dominion. However due to the turmoil and work to do in their society, they could not help Starfleet fight the Dominion right away. Fortunately, their continuity was assured when the Enterprise' s counselor, Cmdr. Deanna Troi found the last eggs of the political caste. ( TNG comic : " The Gorn Crisis ")

Thanks to the efforts of Capt. Picard and his crew, normal diplomatic relations were created by the end of decade.( TNG novel : A Time to Heal )

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• 3 J.P. Hanson

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The history of ‘Star Trek’s’ Gorn, from styrofoam rocks to big green xenomorphs

The Gorn. Since debuting in the 1967 Star Trek episode “The Arena,” they’ve been called a lot of things. “Weird.” “Iconic.” “Weirdly iconic.” Thanks to their striking combination of Ferrigno-green slabs of thigh beef and Spirit Halloween-level facial features, the Gorn have taken up a special place in the hearts of Trekkies, representing a threat whose level of seriousness lay somewhere between tribbles and that Riker clone who disguised himself by wearing fake sideburns.

Like Daleks, Cruella De Vil, or any fictional monster with the staying power to stick around for six decades, the Gorn have gone through a fair few reimaginings. Here’s a quick rundown of every take on the Trek villains.

Part One: The Gorn Identity

Star Trek had only been a thing for four months when the Gorn made their first appearance. Episode 19 of the original series aired in January of 1967, spinning a yarn about a Federation outpost on an exotic world getting pretty well smooshed.

The smooshers, who follow up their smooshing by luring Kirk and company into a smoosh trap, are an unknown alien species — cold-blooded reptilians, according to sensor readings, but difficult to get a bead on. After a quick exchange of explosives, the aggressors and the Starfleet personnel make their way back to their respective ships, and a high-warp chase ensues.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the Enterprise and the alien ship wind up driving through sort of a galactic speed trap. They’re forcibly pulled over by powerful space narcs called Metrons, who don’t cotton to gunplay and irresponsible starship maneuvers in their neck of the woods. The Metrons’ dim view of violence leads them to decide that Kirk and the captain of the alien vessel should get transported to a quiet spot where they can kill each other with primitive weapons. It’s kind of like when you were a kid and you’d fight with your brother, so your parents would give you both all of the ingredients to make gunpowder and then watch you shoot each other with cannons. 

Materializing on the planet, Kirk and the audience get their first look at the Gorn. The tricorder readings from earlier got a few things right: The creature in front of Kirk is definitely reptilian. What they couldn’t have predicted, though, was just how much the alien captain would look like what would happen if Vince McMahon encouraged a Sleestak to start taking some injections to further his career.

The fight is one for the ages. The music is classic. The rocks are uncharacteristically bouncy. Kirk is faster than his sluggish opponent, but the Gorn captain is incredibly strong — not as strong as Khan from the second movie about Khan , but at least as strong as Khan from the first movie about Khan. On a related note, Star Trek is kind of a mess. That’ll be relevant in a minute.

When the Gorn captain finally communicates with Kirk, he’s high-octane arch. He offers to kill Kirk quickly if he stops moving around so much, then lets him know that the outpost he and his crew smooshed earlier was on a planet that the Gorn had called dibs on. This leads to Federation officers, perhaps for the first time, considering that maybe they can’t just park their stuff in people’s yards without asking. 

Kirk wins the fight, pulls a classic hero move, and announces that he won’t kill a helpless super-strong lizard man with a taste for annihilation. Everyone goes their separate ways. Spock and Uhura don’t mention anything about having hung out around Gorn before, inadvertently dropping nerds in the future into a never-ending echo chamber filled with continuity errors, but again, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Part Two: Here today, Gorn tomorrow

It’s uncharacteristic for a species with such an iconic debut to go missing for long stretches of time, but the Gorn didn’t show up again through the rest of the original series. Aside from a cameo in Star Trek: The Animated Series and a deleted scene from Nemesis, the species fully ducks out of the franchise for just shy of 40 years.

The next time we see the Gorn is a full four series later in a 2005 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. “In a Mirror, Darkly, Pt II” introduces a fresh take on the Gorn — an ambitious new look, fueled by optimism and creativity and maybe a little bit too much faith in how far CGI could get you on a television budget the same year that Sharkboy and Lava Girl hit theaters.

This go-round, the evil counterpart to Captain Archer faces off against a Gorn in the Mirror Universe. This isn’t the sort of Gorn you remember. This guy is slinky and ceiling-crawly. The compound eyes of the creature seen in the original series are replaced by reptilian lizard peepers. This reimagining of the Gorn would look right at home in a video game cutscene made by a studio that’s been struggling for a while. Brought low by a targeted gravity beam, the defenseless lizardman gets a close look at how dark and gritty this timeline is when Archer pew-pews him full of special effects blasts. The only thing strong enough to kill CGI is CGI.

In point of fact, OG Gorn in their rubbery glory would only make one more appearance on screen, during an ad for 2013’s Star Trek: The Video Game. The commercial sees William Shatner and the Gorn he fought back in ‘67 arguing over their couch co-op sesh. 10 years later, it remains the only fondly remembered aspect of a game that made a whole generation ask, ”How big is anything supposed to be?”

Part Three: I Know Gorn When I See It

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a peculiar thing. While it mostly veers toward humanistic optimism about bright-eyed, hard-working explorers, it can’t always escape the black hole of dourness left by its Discovery parentage.

(As a quick, related side note: Captain Lorca had what sure looked like a Gorn skeleton in his office on Discovery. The producers said it was a Gorn, then realized that the Federation hadn’t made contact with the Gorn by that point in history, then walked it back and claimed that it wasn’t a Gorn at all. Discovery was a real mixed bag.)

Case in point: The even newer, even darker, even CGI-ier Gorn, alluded to and kept just offscreen for most of the first season before making their wet first appearance in the episode “All Those Who Wander.” 

The new Gorn would have been unrecognizable to a Star Trek fan in the ‘60s, and suspiciously recognizable to anyone working on the movie Alien in the ‘70s. The days of lumbering were over. The bug eyes were kaput. Now, Gorn — albeit very young ones — looked like a cross between Gremlins and those guys from Dead Like Me that stuck people’s heads in revolving doors. Folks who’d encountered them were petrified of a second run-in, a detail that’s made up about a third of La’an’s dialogue throughout the series, and with good reason. The new Gorn had a habit of sneezing acidic propagation snot on their victims, impregnating their exposed skin with exploding sacks of smaller Gorn. Gorn gestation wound up being what took out fan-favorite Chief Engineer Hemmer, who sacrificed himself to stop the bloodthirsty buns in his oven from cooking. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it went down a little easier thanks to the fact that it gave Carol Kane’s Pelia a chance to join the crew.

The Gorn made one more appearance on SNW as the antagonists in the season two finale, “Hegemony.” Fully realized, fully terrifying, and for the first time since the series premiered, seemingly capable of escaping the trap of being to Strange New Worlds what the Ferengi were to the first year or two of Next Generation, the Gorn are finally primed to take their place as a Star Trek villain worth not laughing at hysterically. 

Oh, shoot, speaking of which.

Part Four: Never Gorn-a Give You Up

Star Trek: Lower Decks is silly. It’s some of the best Star Trek in recent memory for fans of the old days who don’t mind treating a show about spaceships less than reverently, but also just hyper goofy. It’s Rick & Morty if Rick & Morty had been licensed by Paramount and the Roddenberry estate. It’s what everyone expected The Orville to be, but funnier.

So it can be easy to forget that it’s also canon. More than a wacky side project for Trek nerds, it’s a series of stories that take place in the wider Star Trek universe, the same way-too-serious place where those guys from Picard treated Borg victims like they were in a Hostel sequel, and where that lady from TNG died from melting into the floor. All of those stories are just as valid to Trek continuity as the time when the crew of the USS Cerritos was hunted by an anthropomorphic Starfleet insignia named Badgey. Either it all counts, or none of it does.

And so, there’s one last detail about the Gorn that we can pull from Star Trek lore. According to the Lower Decks episode “Veritas,” the Gorn have extravagant weddings. The brides wear white dresses, and the guests sit in uncomfortable-looking folding chairs, and the whole thing is eerily similar to the ceremony for your partner’s hayseed cousin that you got stuck at last summer, only with a flaming mouth-shaped cave instead of a bespoke apple orchard as a backdrop.

This franchise really went off the rails.

Federation-Gorn Conflict

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The Federation-Gorn Conflict was a brief but bloody war between the United Federation of Planets and the Gorn Hegemony in the late 2370s . The war began when the Gorn launched a sneak attack on Starbase 11 in September 2375 and continued for thirteen months, until the Hegemony suddenly surrendered, with no explanation given.

During the war, the USS Prometheus fought on the front lines. SEAL Team Alpha-6 was assigned to the Prometheus during the war. One of the major battles in the conflict was the siege of Cestus III . ( Star Trek: Pendragon )

• 1 Axanar (fan film)
• 2 Dominion War
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• Imperial Army officers of the Galactic Empire
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Gorn was a human male dissident during the height of the Galactic Empire who served as a lieutenant in the Imperial Army local garrison on Aldhani .

• 1 Biography
• 2 Personality and traits
• 3 Behind the scenes
• 4 Appearances
• 6 Notes and references

Biography [ ]

While stationed on Aldhani , Gorn fell in love with a local woman, who was eventually killed at the hands of the Galactic Empire . Following that, he lost faith in the regime [4] and became a spy and an inside man for Vel Sartha , and was part of her team that partook in a mission on Aldhani . [3] He was shot and killed during the raid when the rebel team was discovered by Corporal Kimzi . [2]

Personality and traits [ ]

Gorn was respected by the men serving under him. Although he was a firm commander, he was also thoughtful. Although initially loyal to the Empire, he became disillusioned with their rule and grew to despise the Imperials, [4] particularly his superior officer, Commandant Jayhold Beehaz . [2]

Behind the scenes [ ]

Gorn was portrayed by Sule Rimi in the television series Andor . [3]

Appearances [ ]

Sources [ ]

Notes and references [ ]

• ↑ " The Eye "—including Gorn's death —takes place shortly after " Kassa ," which dates itself to 5 BBY .
• 1 Edmon Rampart
• 2 The Bad Batch Season 3
• 3 Barriss Offee

The War Room

How can I build the “War Room”?

Players at level 20+ will need to complete the Show Us Your Mettle to unlock the War Room.

What is the purpose of the Klingon-inspired "War Room"?

The war room will help you obtain significant rewards for both yourself and your alliance through participation in PvP battles.

How do you accumulate PvP Points in the "War Room"?

By participating in actions such as annihilating enemy ships or stealing resources from them (specifically when they are Off Protection Cooldown). Additional points can be earned by performing these actions within Territory systems or amid Incursions.

What rewards are available from the "Warchest"?

You can gain resources, materials, components for ships, construction materials, and particles for a unique research node.

What benefits does the "War Room" offer?

It boosts SHP, Officer Stats, Isolytic Damage, and enhances the rewards obtained from warchests.

Important notes

The rewards from the War Room significantly increase with its level at specific "tiers" (every 5 levels). You should upgrade your War Room to maximize the rewards from your Warchests.

The milestone requirements are designed so that earning enough points doesn't require extraordinary effort. There's no need to violate ROE or spend extensive time pursuing OPC.

You can achieve all milestone rewards through strategic participation, benefiting from the collective efforts of your alliance.

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Screen Rant

[updated] spock & chapel return to space in jess bush's star trek: strange new worlds season 3 bts.

Lt. Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel fly with some help of friends in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 BTS images shared by Jess Bush.

Strange New Worlds Season 3 Begins Filming, Confirmed By Star Trek Producers

Star trek director celebrates season 3 episode wrap with bts videos.

UPDATE: Jess Bush informed Screen Rant that the photos she posted on Instagram are from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. The original article follows.

• Nurse Chapel and Spock reunite in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 after a bitter breakup in a musical episode.
• Behind-the-scenes images show Jess Bush and Ethan Peck in space suits, hinting at their characters' return to outer space.
• Spock saves Chapel from danger in season 2's finale, highlighting their continued bond despite their romantic history.

Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) are headed back to space in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 behind-the-scenes images shared by Jess Bush. Spock and Chapel's romance ended bitterly in Star Trek 's first-ever musical episode when Christine chose to break up with the Vulcan Science Officer to pursue her dream of a fellowship in archaeological medicine. Although hurt, Spock saved Christine from a Gorn in Strange New Worlds season 2's finale .

In her Instagram, Jess Bush (@onejessa) shared behind the scenes images of herself as Nurse Chapel and Ethan Peck as Spock wearing space suits in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3. With the caption "Friends help friends fly", Strange New Worlds ' stunt and production team help the actors simulate Spock and Chapel going back to outer space on a mission . Check out the post below:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 - Everything We Know

What's next for spock & chapel in star trek: strange new worlds season 3, do chapel and spock patch things up.

Lt. Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel promised to discuss their relationship issues once the crisis against the Gorn is settled in Strange New Worlds season 3's premiere. Chapel is still due to leave the USS Enterprise to pursue her archaeological fellowship with Dr. Roger Korby , who is meant to become Christine's fiancé according to Star Trek: The Original Series canon. However, Chapel and Spock must patch things up and come to a working agreement if they're teaming up for an outer space mission in Strange New Worlds season 3.

There's no telling what will transpire between Spock and Chapel in Strange New Worlds season 3.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 production is nearing its end, and the series should be filming episode 8 at this point. There's no telling what will transpire between Spock and Chapel in Strange New Worlds season 3, which has only dropped a few hints, such as a Hollywood film noir episode directed by Jonathan Frakes and Spock donning a hazmat suit in the Starship Enterprise's new Science Lab. But it's good to know the electric pairing of Jess Bush's Chapel and Ethan Peck's Spock will continue in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, even if they're just friends.

Source: Instagram

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming on Paramount+