Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 4 - "Memento Mori"
The history of the Gorn's interactions with Starfleet has been changed by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the series' biggest retcon of Star Trek: The Original Series so far has made the Gorn a truly fearsome threat. Even before Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) launched the USS Enterprise on a new five-year mission of galactic exploration, he read about the United Federation of Planets making First Contact with the Gorn thanks to his new Security Chief, Lt. La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong). La'an's personal history with the Gorn becomes crucial when the alien reptiles attack the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds episode 4, "Memento Mori."
Introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Arena," a Gorn fought Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) on Cestus III, which was an encounter arranged by the Metrons. But prior to Kirk's famous battle with the Gorn, TOS established that no one in Starfleet had ever seen one. Until Strange New Worlds, Kirk defeating the Gorn Captain on Cestus III was considered the Federation's First Contact with the Gorn Hegemony. There was a Gorn seen in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "In A Mirror Darkly, Part II," but this maintained canon despite Enterprise being a prequel since it happened in the Mirror Universe. In the late 24th century, the Gorn made a hilarious comeback in Star Trek: Lower Decks. But Strange New Worlds' has now reworked how long the Federation has been aware of the Gorn's existence before Kirk personally met one.
Captain Pike's Enterprise has a full-on space battle with a triad of Gorn ships in Strange New Worlds episode 4. It's only because of La'an's personal knowledge of Gorn tactics because she survived being abducted as a child, as well as Pike's own daring and ingenuity, that the Enterprise defeated the Gorn and lived to tell the tale. But "Memento Mori" retroactively changes Star Trek: TOS because of Spock (Ethan Peck). The Vulcan Science Officer was on the bridge and in Pike's ready room throughout the Enterprise's conflict with the Gorn. Spock even mind-melded with La'an and saw her experience of the Gorn feeding grounds as a child. Yet Spock never utters a word of any of this to Kirk when they take on the Gorn in "Arena."
The only real way Strange New Worlds maintains Star Trek canon is that none of the Starfleet Officers in "Memento Mori" saw a Gorn in the flesh. The reptiles remained on their ships the entire time. But La'an did describe them vividly to Pike and Spock as "monsters" who were "evil," though the Lieutenant stopped short of actually stating they were humanoid reptiles. Yet she must have communicated those details to someone in Starfleet in the years since she was rescued from the Gorn by her mentor, Number One AKA Lt. Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn). Pike had a PADD dossier on the Gorn with info provided via La'an in Strange New Worlds' premiere. Yet somehow, Kirk was left out of the loop before he met the Gorn in TOS.
Although the Enterprise survived their Gorn encounter (at the cost of seven dead crew members and more dead civilians), La'an feared what would happen "next time," with Pike promising her that "next time, we'll be ready." This is essentially a guarantee that the Gorn will return and deadlier than ever. After all, after being known mainly for the hokey lizard costume in TOS, the Gorn are now scarier than ever, sight unseen. The Gorn have been re-established as major adversaries by Strange New Worlds episode 4, which was a taut and spectacular episode reminiscent of the classic Star Trek: TOS episode "Balance of Terror." Yet if the Gorn keep coming back in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it will just get harder and harder to reconcile how little Kirk knew about them before he fought the Gorn Captain in "Arena."
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.