Star Trek continues to turn up the intensity on The Gorn.
We thought we saw it all with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and their use of The Gorn. Turning the alien race into a group of very hungry monsters was a stroke of genius. Giving them an encounter that shaped La’an Noonien-Singh’s entire character was equally genius. Not only does it further define the alien race, but it gives Noonien Singh some needed character support.
The way Strange New Worlds handled the Gorn was impressive, as they completely recontextualized how the Gorn should be viewed going forward. After all, due to past attempts to bring the Gorn to life, past shows just made them feel like a 1960s cartoon villain than an actual terrifying force.
In The Original Series, they were a dude in a rubber suit who got beat up by Captain James T. Kirk. In Enterprise, the Gorn were sloppy CGI in a throw-away role. Not exactly a great outing so far. Yet, in Strange New Worlds, they were given a proper outing, with proper plot and dialogue to hype up how terrifying they are.
In doing so, they may have changed Gorn lore.
The way we view Gorn society may have been altered due to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
In the 2007 comic Star Trek Alien Spotlight: The Gorn, we find the Gorn to be a noble creature, if not a bit xenophobic. They mourn for the loss of a Federation crew member and even offer to help a shuttle crew after they crash on a Gorn outpost where they train their young.
That version of the Gorn is long gone. Though, there exists a possibility that they could be brought back in the near future if Anson Mount’s recent interview is any indication. Recently, Mount said that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would be exploring the concept of monsters, as it pertains to alien races.
Could he be inferring to the Gorn become more civilized?
Only time will tell.