Unveiling the Epic Conclusion: Exploring the Groundbreaking Star Trek Gorn Canon in Strange New Worlds Season 2 Finale

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 finale, "Hegemony."

Summary

In the season 2 finale of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" titled "Hegemony," the Gorn's role remains consistent with the established Star Trek canon, ensuring a seamless continuation of the storyline. The introduction of the Gorn Protocol Box emphasizes that information about Gorn combat is only accessible to officers with top-level clearance, like Captain Pike. This clarifies why Lt. Kirk is not familiar with these protocols.

The attack on Parnassus Beta in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2 finale, "Hegemony", is portrayed as a border dispute, rather than a full-scale invasion. This aligns with what we already know about the Gorn Hegemony, providing the possibility for a temporary resolution that respects Gorn borders. In this episode, the USS Enterprise faces off against the Gorn, while remaining faithful to the canon established in Star Trek: The Original Series. The Gorn first appeared in the TOS episode "Arena", which is believed to depict their First Contact with the Federation. However, "Arena" only states that Captain James T. Kirk has never encountered a Gorn before. Interestingly, Lt. Commander Spock reacts with curiosity when the Gorn are mentioned by the Metrons, hinting at his potential prior experiences in Strange New Worlds.

"Arena" also revealed that the Federation had intruded into Gorn territory when they established a colony on Cestus 3. Spock acknowledged to Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) that Starfleet possessed limited knowledge about this particular region of space. In the finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2, the Gorn launched an attack on another Federation colony. They argued that Parnassus Beta fell within their territory, compelling Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) to defy Starfleet's orders and potentially risk war in order to rescue his girlfriend, Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano). Despite the risk of destabilizing an already fragile peace, Strange New Worlds skillfully avoids undermining canon in the following ways.

9 The Gorn Protocol Box

The fact that Starfleet has developed a whole range of weapons specifically tailored for combat with the Gorn may appear to be a flaw in the storyline, but it is not. When Captain Pike reveals Crate 32 in his conference room, the entire senior staff of the Enterprise is taken aback by its existence. This suggests that knowledge of the Gorn Protocol is strictly limited to officers with high-level security clearance, such as Captain Pike. Therefore, it wouldn't make sense for Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), who is still progressing through the ranks of Starfleet, to be aware of these protocols at this point.

8 Spock Fights An Adult Gorn - In A Spacesuit

In "Arena," Kirk and the Gorn Captain face each other in hand-to-hand combat orchestrated by the ethereal Metrons. While Kirk fights for his life, the crew of the USS Enterprise focuses on restoring their systems to rescue the Captain. The battle between Kirk and the Gorn lasts a significant amount of time before the Metrons allow the Enterprise crew to witness it. This eliminates the need for Spock to explain the nature and capabilities of the Gorn, as the audience has already seen it. This allows for potential exploration of Spock and the Gorn in future seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, during an intense zero-g fight between Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and the adult Gorn in the wreckage of the USS Cayuga, the show takes precautions. Both Spock and the Gorn are in space suits, which makes it difficult for the Vulcan to fully observe the frightening Star Trek aliens. This prevents any potential surprised reaction from Leonard Nimoy's Spock during the fight sequence in "Arena". Nevertheless, in "Arena," Spock appears more intrigued by Kirk's ability to create a makeshift grenade launcher than he is by the Gorn.

7 Parnassus Beta Is A Gorn-Federation Border Dispute

In Star Trek: The Original Series, the devastating attack on Cestus III occurred due to the encroachment of the colony on Gorn territory. Upon receiving this intel aboard the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy sadly remarked that the Gorn were likely acting in self-defense. The season 2 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds sees Parnassus Beta situated within Gorn space, thereby prohibiting the Enterprise from crossing the established boundary. Incorporating the attack on Parnassus Beta into a border conflict rather than an all-out invasion aligns with the limited information previously disclosed about the Gorn Hegemony.

6 Captain Pike's Strange New Worlds Rescue Mission Is Unofficial

Importantly, Pike does not act in an official capacity when he leads his team of volunteers to the surface of Parnassus Beta. As a result, the final outcome of the encounter with the Gorn, as well as the fate of Captain Batel from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, may be redacted from future Starfleet records. Consequently, the USS Farragut, Kirk's ship, and other Federation vessels may remain unaware of the precise events that transpired on Parnassus Beta. It is possible that a temporary agreement could be established to respect the Gorn borders and allow the species to maintain their privacy.

A Starfleet cover-up was employed to reconcile Star Trek: Discovery with TOS canon. Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Spock's sister, remained unmentioned by him due to her involvement in a highly classified operation to rectify Section 31's mistakes. If Parnassus Beta, another of Starfleet's hidden truths, is revealed to exist, it would effortlessly account for Spock's silence during "Arena". When questioned by Kirk about subspace chatter, Spock amusingly refers to them as "space legends", which mirrors what the Parnassus Beta incident could have morphed into in those intervening seven years.

5 Sam Kirk Meeting The Gorn Is Not A Plot Hole

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6 titled "Lost in Translation," it was revealed that Lt. James T Kirk (played by Paul Wesley) had little to no interest in xenobiology. Despite meeting his brother, Lt. Sam Kirk (portrayed by Dan Jeannotte), Lt. James Kirk merely engaged in polite conversation regarding Sam's area of expertise, failing to truly connect. However, it is possible that Sam's groundbreaking Gorn research and his courageousness in the line of duty may liberate him from the overshadowing presence of his brother and father. If this is the case, it would be amusingly consistent for the indifferent Jim Kirk to overlook his brother's research, ultimately leaving Sam ill-prepared for the intense battle in "Arena".

4 No Star Trek: TOS Characters Are Captured By The Gorn

As well as Sam Kirk, Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) also find themselves captured by the Gorn. Although Dr. M'Benga makes only rare appearances in Star Trek: The Original Series and not in the episode "Arena," his presence in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 3 premiere allows for an exciting escape from the adult Gorn by the crew of the Enterprise, all without conflicting with the established TOS canon. This harrowing experience might offer La'an the closure she needs from her Gorn trauma and provide Sam with valuable material for his xenobiology study. However, as they are no longer serving on the USS Enterprise during the events of "Arena," the canon remains intact.

3 Scotty's Gorn Transponder

In the season 2 finale of Strange New Worlds, Lt. Montgomery Scott (portrayed by Martin Quinn) made his appearance as their own Scotty. Even at a young age, Scotty showcased his brilliance by devising a Gorn transponder, enabling him to conceal his presence from their sensors. Together with Commander Pelia (played by Carol Kane) in "Hegemony," Scotty embarked on adapting this technology for the USS Enterprise. Distributing Scotty's revolutionary Gorn transponder within Starfleet would provide starships the ability to remain undetected by the Gorn, effectively minimizing future conflicts. This breakthrough unveils the reason why Captain Kirk and the Cestus III colonists had never encountered the Gorn before - Scotty's groundbreaking invention successfully concealed their whereabouts from the Gorn's detection systems.

2 There Are 7 Years Between Strange New Worlds And The Gorn's Star Trek Debut

A lot can transpire during the seven-year gap between "Hegemony" in 2259 and "Arena" in 2266. Progress in society and technology on both sides of the Gorn and Federation conflict will easily resolve any unresolved plot inconsistencies. In "Arena," the Enterprise never comes close enough to the Gorn vessel for visual identification, and Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) simply states that it has an unfamiliar configuration. It would not be surprising if, in the seven years following the events of "Hegemony," the Gorn develop new types of starships, especially considering Starfleet's regular introduction of new classes.

Constructing new ships between "Hegemony" and "Arena" would neatly avoid a contradiction in the Star Trek canon. Even though they never see the Gorn ship up close, it would still be odd for the Enterprise's scanners not to detect a class of starship they encountered previously. This is particularly noteworthy as they face multiple Gorn vessels at the end of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. The most plausible explanation would be that the Gorn Hegemony has significantly reconsidered their starship designs after the events at Parnassus Beta.

1 Paul Wesley's Kirk Isn't In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Finale

To preserve Gorn canon, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wisely excludes Paul Wesley's Kirk from the proceedings. In "Arena", Kirk's log reveals that he has never encountered or even heard of a Gorn before. Hence, it is impossible for him to rescue the Enterprise in the season 3 premiere of Strange New Worlds, intensifying the desperate situation. Unfortunately for Pike's Enterprise crew, this is necessary to protect the established canon of Star Trek: The Original Series.

Additionally, the predetermined first encounter with the Gorn serves as another reason why Kirk and La'an would not make a suitable couple. If they were to develop a close relationship where she could discuss her traumatic childhood experiences with the Gorn, it would drastically alter the events of "Arena". Kirk's reaction at the end of the episode may have lacked the compassion he displayed had he remembered the horrors La'an Noonien-Singh endured. The significant impact this would have on "Arena" emphasizes the importance of James T. Kirk's absence in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' thrilling Gorn storyline.

All episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 are streaming now on Paramount+.