Star Trek's Gorn debuted in 1967's "Arena" episode, where Captain Kirk famously did battle against his lizard counterpart from another ship. The reptilian rascals have featured in Star Trek since, but never evolved into a recurring franchise baddie like the Klingons or Romulans - despite being just as visually iconic and culturally important. Quite the opposite, the Gorn became something of a Star Trek joke, endlessly parodied and lampooned, even appearing on a couch alongside William Shatner for a 2013 video game commercial.
Klingons, Romulans, Borg, and Khan have all enjoyed an onscreen presence through different Star Trek generations. The Gorn stayed stuck known as "the lizard Captain Kirk beat up." Plenty of Gorn-based Easter eggs have been dropped (not all of which make sense) and many a joke has been made at their expense (see Star Trek: Lower Decks), but actual proper storylines have been in short supply for Kirk's cold-blooded pals. Strange New Worlds has now completely rewritten Star Trek's Gorn rule book, transforming these oft-mocked tongue-clickers into the galaxy's newest (or, indeed, oldest) massive villains.
In Star Trek: The Original Series, the Gorn were hostile to the Federation in a territorial sense. Both sides typically avoided each other, meaning between Starfleet and Gorn remained minimal. Kirk even speculated that the warriors might've been acting in self-defense. According to Strange New Worlds, the sole reason Gorn are an unknown quantity is because so few survivors are left alive to tell the tale. In fact, the Gorn's beef isn't just about territory at all - they hunt, subjugate innocent colonies, kill for sport, feed on the warm-blooded. La'an describes them as a "plain evil" that triggers "a primitive ancient terror." This goes way above how formidably the Gorn were presented in 1967, and that nobody has ever actually seen one (Kirk is Starfleet's first) only makes the villains more terrifying. Star Trek's lizard folk almost decimate the Enterprise without once showing their faces, leaving as enigmatically as they arrived. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds turns the Gorn into an almost mythic race of deadly ghouls that sends chills down the spine of even the Federation's finest, banishing all memory of cheesy commercials.
La'an recalls how, "The Federation teaches that if we can find a way to empathize with an enemy, then they can one day become our friends." These words apply to almost every Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century (Cleveland Booker says the Gorn accidentally destroyed two light years of subspace) seemingly confirms they survive for centuries to come, but there's plenty of room for repeated skirmishes against the Federation during the interim. Maybe the Gorn were a constant blight against Starfleet in stories Star Trek simply hasn't told yet.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds certainly teases the Gorn as a recurring threat for what remains of Captain Pike's era. After escaping the lizards in "Memento Mori," Pike and La'an note how the Gorn's territory is expanding, with new hunting grounds being claimed. The captain and his security officer each accept a "next time" is very likely. Finding friends in former foes is in Star Trek's nature, but if Strange New Worlds keeps presenting the Gorn as some unstoppable galactic menace, Captain Pike might've just found a formidable foe in an old Star Trek friend. Canon restrictions mean Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can't bring Starfleet face-to-face with these creatures, but as "Memento Mori" proves, sometimes the unseen enemy if the most effective.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues Thursday on Paramount+.