Movies - TV
The Gorn Gave Star Trek: Strange New Worlds A Tricky Problem To Solve
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
A famous image from "Star Trek" is that of the Gorn, the angry reptilian alien captain that appeared in the second season episode "Arena" in 1967. From its inception, the awkward, unmoving Gorn Halloween mask has burned itself into cultural memory, becoming something of a Jungian archetype.
"Arena" made it pretty clear that the Gorn hadn't been seen by humans before, but "Strange New Worlds" screenwriter Davy Perez wanted to find a way to include them. In the episode “Memento Mori,” the crew does battle with the Gorn’s ship, but since we never see them, Kirk’s statements about no one seeing one before remain true.
The Gorn would return — as feral monster babies — in "All Those Who Wander," the ninth episode of "Strange New Worlds." Since the babies look so different, Kirk could still (technically) claim that he was the first to see an “adult” Gorn.