The Untold Encounter: Discover the Original Captain Kirk's Epic Showdown with the Gorn in Star Trek

Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Finale - "Hegemony"

Summary

Strange New Worlds uncovers that Captain Kirk is not the initial Kirk to encounter the Gorn, as his elder brother, Sam Kirk, encountered them before him.

Sam Kirk's bitterness towards his younger brother, Jim Kirk, stems from their father's high expectations, despite the fact that Sam serves on the prestigious flagship Enterprise.

The retcons in Strange New Worlds regarding the Gorn will have an impact on the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. This is because characters like Spock and Uhura now have their own personal experiences with the Gorn.

In Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain James T. Kirk is not the first Kirk to encounter the Gorn, thanks to the retcons in Strange New Worlds. The Gorn were primarily the adversaries of Captain Christopher Pike and the USS Enterprise. Strange New Worlds has portrayed the Gorn as even more aggressive and terrifying than they were originally portrayed in TOS. However, it is important to note that the intention behind the Gorn was always to be a formidable threat, but TOS was limited by the visual and creature effects of its time. Nonetheless, Strange New Worlds reveals that Captain Kirk has followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Lt. Sam Kirk, in encountering the Gorn.

Strange New Worlds' Sam Kirk Met The Gorn Twice Before William Shatner's Captain Kirk

Sam and James T. Kirk's (Paul Wesley) rivalry as siblings provided an entertaining subplot in season 2 of Strange New Worlds. In the season 1 finale of Strange New Worlds, set in an alternate future, Sam candidly expressed to Captain Pike how challenging it can be to deal with his brother Jim, even questioning his command capabilities. Upon Lieutenant James Kirk's arrival on the Enterprise in season 2 of Strange New Worlds, Sam's resentment quickly resurfaced. Jim, the favored Kirk brother, is following in their father George Kirk's footsteps and aims to become the youngest First Officer in Starfleet on his way to becoming a Captain. Despite being stationed on the prestigious flagship of the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise, Sam, a xenobiologist, feels inadequate in their father's eyes.

Lt. Sam Kirk holds one advantage over his younger brother, Lt. James T. Kirk, in Strange New Worlds: he was the first to encounter the Gorn. In Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 9, "All Those Who Wander," Sam's initial meeting with the Gorn took place on Valeo Beta V. While Sam managed to survive a harrowing encounter with murderous Gorn hatchlings, his colleague Lt. Hemmer (played by Bruce Horak) was not as fortunate. Seeking to further his understanding of the Gorn, Sam eagerly volunteered for Captain Pike's landing party in the finale of Strange New Worlds season 2. His objective was to "study" the Gorn once again, but this time armed with a phaser, in order to learn how to effectively eliminate them. Unfortunately, Sam and numerous other Starfleet personnel and Parnassus Beta inhabitants were subsequently abducted by the Gorn.

What Strange New Worlds' Kirk & Gorn Retcon Means For Star Trek: TOS

is the legendary battle between Captain Kirk and the Gorn Captain in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode called "Arena." The Metron banished Kirk and the Gorn to Cestus III, forcing them to engage in an intense battle of intellect and resourcefulness in the desert. Kirk managed to construct a makeshift cannon that incapacitated his reptilian opponent. However, the revelations in Strange New Worlds' retcons show that Starfleet and Captain Pike's Enterprise had several encounters with the Gorn prior to TOS. In fact, Sam had a much deeper understanding of the Gorn than Jim did until the events of "Arena."

Strange New Worlds is taking the Gorn storyline to new heights, surpassing even the original Star Trek series and its successors. However, these retcons also have a significant impact on Star Trek: The Original Series. Previously, "Arena" solely focused on Captain Kirk's encounter with the Gorn. Yet, thanks to Strange New Worlds, we now discover that both Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Lt. Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) have had their own previous experiences with the Gorn, which they could not reveal to Kirk until later. Remarkably, years before Kirk's battle on Cestus III, Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) had already taken down an adult Gorn in the vast depths of outer space.

Sam Kirk, one of the members of the Enterprise crew, was abducted by the Gorn in the season 2 finale of Strange New Worlds. As a result, he becomes the first Kirk to witness the interior of a Gorn starship. Despite not officially dying until Star Trek: The Original Series, it is possible that this experience leaves Sam emotionally scarred. Considering the strained relationship between Sam and Jim Kirk, it would be logical for Sam to never mention the Gorn to James in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, thus maintaining the canon of The Original Series. Paramount+ is currently streaming season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.