Warning: this article contains spoilers for Star Trek #2!The Gorn are a fan-favorite species in the Star Trek universe, and now they are confirmed to be a Klingon-level threat. The reptilian Gorn have been seen sporadically across the Star Trek universe, most recently making waves on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and in issue two of IDW Publishing’s new Star Trek comic, readers learn the Gorn are super powerful, on par with the Klingons. The issue is on sale now in print and digital.
First appearing in the classic series episode “Arena,” the Gorn have become one of the best-known races in the Star Trek universe–despite only occasional references and even fewer appearances. In their first appearance, the Gorn decimated a Federation colony, and may have very well defeated the Enterprise if not for the intervention of the god-like Metrons. Relations between the Gorn and the Federation have been tense, but there has not been a canonical, on-screen war between the two. The Gorn emerged as a true threat on the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which hinted at their depravity and bloodlust. Now, IDW’s flagship Star Trek comic confirms that the Gorn could be one of the gravest threats to galactic security–just like the Klingons.
Something is killing the god-like beings of the Star Trek universe, and Captain Sisko and the crew of the Theseus are on a quest to discover why. Their journey takes them deep into the heart of Klingon space, searching for the mysterious Engineers of Sardakesh. A text piece, written as a poem, relates the history of the powerful Engineers and relates the story of the Klingons’ first encounter with them. It did not end well for the Klingons. The poem goes on to say that the “though Hur’q and Gorn all deeply bowed,” referring to the Engineers' defeat of those two species. The issue is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, illustrated by Oleg Chudakov, colored by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
The Gorn Are an Underused Star Trek Species
The Gorn’s on-screen canonical appearances in the Star Trek franchise can be counted on one hand, but ironically they are one of its most popular and intriguing species–and now they have been revealed to be on the same level as Klingons. The Hur’q, mentioned in the poem, were another war-like species that decimated and plundered Klingon society many thousands of years in the past. A species that was able to do that to the brutal and violent Klingons is a powerful one indeed–and by mentioning the Gorn and the Hur’q in the same breath, it shows the Gorn are just as powerful. Their two appearances on Strange New Worlds have positioned the Gorn as a serious threat; furthermore, the show has provided brief, but horrifying glimpses into Gorn society. Gorn hatchlings, upon birth, fight each other to the death, with the strongest allowed to continue.
All of this, plus their unique appearance, have made the Gorn one of Star Trek’s best-known species. Sporadic appearances have not allowed for Gorn society to be fleshed out, and thus their mystery continues–which somehow makes them even more popular. Only in the past year has that started to change, and now IDW’s new Star Trek comic makes it clear the Gorn are a Klingon-level threat.
Star Trek #2 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!