The Gorn have simply develop into main antagonists on Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds, which complicates what Kirk did not know concerning the alien reptiles in TOS.
Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds Episode 4 – “Memento Mori”
The historical past of the Gorn’s interactions with Starfleet has been modified by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the collection’ greatest retcon of Star Trek: The Original Series to this point has made the Gorn a very fearsome risk. Even earlier than Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) launched the USS Enterprise on a brand new five-year mission of galactic exploration, he learn concerning the United Federation of Planets making First Contact with the Gorn because of his new Safety Chief, Lt. La’an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong). La’an’s private historical past with the Gorn turns into essential when the alien reptiles assault the Enterprise in Unusual New Worlds episode 4, “Memento Mori.”
Launched within the Star Trek: The Unique Sequence episode, “Arena,” a Gorn fought Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) on Cestus III, which was an encounter organized by the Metrons. However previous to Kirk’s well-known battle with the Gorn, TOS established that nobody in Starfleet had ever seen one. Till Unusual New Worlds, Kirk defeating the Gorn Captain on Cestus III was thought of the Federation’s First Contact with the Gorn Hegemony. There was a Gorn seen within the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “In A Mirror Darkly, Part II,” however this maintained canon regardless of Enterprise being a prequel because it occurred within the Mirror Universe. Within the late twenty fourth century, the Gorn made a hilarious comeback in Star Trek: Lower Decks. However Unusual New Worlds‘ has now reworked how lengthy the Federation has been conscious of the Gorn’s existence earlier than Kirk personally met one.
Captain Pike’s Enterprise has a full-on house battle with a triad of Gorn ships in Unusual New Worlds episode 4. It is solely due to La’an’s private data of Gorn techniques as a result of she survived being kidnapped as a toddler, in addition to Pike’s own daring and ingenuity, that the Enterprise defeated the Gorn and lived to inform the story. However “Memento Mori” retroactively adjustments Star Trek: TOS due to Spock (Ethan Peck). The Vulcan Science Officer was on the bridge and in Pike’s prepared room all through the Enterprise’s battle with the Gorn. Spock even mind-melded with La’an and noticed her expertise of the Gorn feeding grounds as a toddler. But Spock by no means utters a phrase of any of this to Kirk once they tackle the Gorn in “Arena.”
The one possible way Unusual New Worlds maintains Star Trek canon is that not one of the Starfleet Officers in “Memento Mori” noticed a Gorn within the flesh. The reptiles remained on their ships all the time. However La’an did describe them vividly to Pike and Spock as “monsters” who had been “evil,” although the Lieutenant stopped wanting really stating they had been humanoid reptiles. But she will need to have communicated these particulars to somebody in Starfleet within the years since she was rescued from the Gorn by her mentor, Quantity One AKA Lt. Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn). Pike had a PADD file on the Gorn with data offered through La’an in Unusual New Worlds’ premiere. But by some means, Kirk was disregarded of the loop earlier than he met the Gorn in TOS.
Though the Enterprise survived their Gorn encounter (at the price of seven lifeless crew members and extra lifeless civilians), La’an feared what would occur “next time,” with Pike promising her that “next time, we’ll be ready.” That is basically a assure that the Gorn will return and deadlier than ever. In any case, after being identified primarily for the hokey lizard costume in TOS, the Gorn at the moment are scarier than ever, sight unseen. The Gorn have been re-established as main adversaries by Strange New Worlds episode 4, which was a taut and spectacular episode paying homage to the traditional Star Trek: TOS episode “Balance of Terror.” But if the Gorn hold coming again in Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds, it can simply get more durable and more durable to reconcile how little Kirk knew about them earlier than he fought the Gorn Captain in “Arena.”
Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
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