The Gorn continues to be the best aspect of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The Gorn continues to help define Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

It’d be fair to say that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wouldn’t have the base it does currently without Captain Christopher Pike, the U.S.S. Enterprise, and, believe it or not, the Gorn. The show has done a great job not just bringing those elements to life, but also upping the significance with all three.

This is important as there are three elements for any Star Trek series that have to be present for it to be “good”. The first is the captain. While many would argue the second point, the first point is beyond necessary. The captain, specifically the talent who brings them to life, is the biggest key. If they’re not good, the show is ruined.

Look at Star Trek: Voyager, they fired the woman who would be Kathryn Janeway because she didn’t work. The Next Generation wanted a French lead but went with the not-French-at-all Patrick Stewart due to his talent. The Captain matters most.

The second most important aspect is the ship, though the ship isn’t as hard to get right. It’s usually going to be beloved as long as it starts with “U.S.S.”. The third most important aspect is the core alien villain.

In The Original Series, it was the Klingons, in the Next Generation it was The Q or the Romulans, in Voyager it was the Borg, in Deep Space Nine it was the Changelings and now, in Strange New Worlds, it’s the Gorn.

And it’s the Gorn that has risen Strange New Worlds’ presence.

The Gorn makes Star Trek: Strange New Worlds unique

We’d do a disservice to not admit that the cast for Strange New Worlds is beyond talented. They’re incredible, but there isn’t a Trek show that doesn’t have a dynamic cast. What makes Strange New Worlds the show it is, is the way they’ve added to the Gorn lore.

They’ve made them far more menacing, and shockingly, unlike anything else that Trek has created. The universe is teeming with warrior species, hunting species, collecting species, and more, but the Gorn are the first group of aliens that don’t function as an offshoot of humanity to some degree.

They’re flat-out monsters, who only want to eat, breed and destroy. This has made them wholly unique and ultra-exciting when we get to see them on screen. There’s a sense of horror that hasn’t been seen or felt by Trek since the Borg was first introduced.

That horror and fear have helped raise the profile of Strange New Worlds and has given the show its very own uniqueness that has helped set it apart from other shows in the franchise. Without the Gorn, who knows how things would be going for the brand at the moment?

It’s good to see the Gorn, who were first created for the Original Series in the 1960s, doing well with a fresh new coat of paint.