Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has revealed the episode titles for season 2, including the finale, "Hegemony" which hints at a potential but huge Star Trek: The Original Series retcon. Meriam-Webster defines hegemony as "the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group", which could easily refer to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the USS Enterprise freeing an oppressed civilization. However, it's more likely that the finale title refers to the Gorn Hegemony, the territory of the vicious reptilian species first encountered by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in the classic TOS episode "Arena".
The Gorn have emerged as the big threat in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, playing an integral role in the tragic backstory of Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) and killing off beloved Enterprise engineer Hemmer (Bruce Horak). As Kirk was the first Starfleet officer to make official First Contact with the Gorn, the SNW writers have had to be creative with how they approach the Enterprise's encounters with the brutal reptiles. So far, they've only faced off against Gorn starships and untamed hatchlings, but the title of the finale heavily implies that the Enterprise will be entering their territory in Strange New Worlds season 2. If they do, then it could massively retcon Kirk's First Contact with the Gorn in "Arena".
Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode Titles Hint A Huge Gorn Retcon
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, La'an asserted that nobody had survived an encounter long enough to make official First Contact. This is a smart fix to let SNW have its Gorn cake and eat it because there's a big difference between an encounter with an alien species and a diplomatic meeting between two representatives. For example, the Vulcans and Ferengi had both visited Earth before official First Contact was established with their respective species. This crucial detail has allowed Strange New Worlds to do exciting Gorn-centric episodes like the thrilling "Memento Mori" or the chilling horror story "All Those Who Wander" without retconning the date of the official First Contact between Kirk and the Gorn Captain in "Arena".
However, as Strange New Worlds continues its Gorn story it will become increasingly difficult to rely purely on those key differences to square Pike's experiences with canon. If Starfleet potentially sends Pike and the USS Enterprise to the Gorn Hegemony in the SNW season 2 finale, it could be a massive retcon because it may bring forward their official First Contact. Surely some form of diplomatic relations or interspecies hostilities would be established by Starfleet encroaching into Gorn space. It remains to be seen exactly what sends Pike into the Gorn Hegemony, or if the Gorn seek to expand their influence into Federation space. However, it may only be a matter of time before someone in Strange New Worlds beats Kirk to First Contact with the Gorn.
Will Captain Pike Make First Contact With The Gorn In Strange New Worlds?
As Captain of the Federation flagship, it would fall to Christopher Pike to establish a dialog with the Gorn Hegemony. Pike's Enterprise has survived two encounters with the Gorn, which is something that few Starfleet ships can claim in Star Trek's 23rd century. Pike is therefore the most prepared officer to establish talks with the Gorn, perhaps to get them to stop attacking Federation outposts and capturing the crews of starships like the SS Puget Sound. Puget Sound survivor La'an Noonien-Singh could be too blinded by her hatred of the Gorn to be of diplomatic assistance, but her tactical knowledge of the species has been incredibly valuable in Strange New Worlds so far.
It's possible that "Hegemony" will up the stakes of "Memento Mori", by having the Enterprise locked in combat with Gorn ships inside their own territory. Historically, the Gorn don't communicate with their enemies on view screens, and simply hunt down their prey. This simple trick would allow Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's Gorn storyline to avoid sacrificing canon. However, there's only so long that SNW can keep deploying Gorn ships without also featuring the adult Gorn in all their grisly glory.
How Pike's Enterprise Could Visit The Gorn Hegemony Without Ruining Canon
Ultimately, the only person who fundamentally cannot visit the Gorn Hegemony in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). In "Arena", Kirk has clearly never encountered a Gorn before, so it would make no sense for him to join the Enterprise's mission to the Hegemony. This gives the SNW writers some leeway to send Pike into Gorn territory at some point in the show's future. However, it doesn't quite explain why Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) don't mention their previous Gorn experiences in "Arena". The simplest explanation is that they can't, because the Enterprise can only watch Kirk's fight and are unable to communicate with him to give him advice.
Another explanation is that they can't because any mission into the Gorn Hegemony, and their previous encounters, will become classified information. It could be that Pike and the Enterprise are sent on a covert mission to establish a cessation of hostilities between the Federation and the Gorn. When the Gorn later attack a Federation outpost in "Arena", it would mark the breaking of that agreement. Perhaps by informing Kirk of this covert mission, Spock and Uhura would have risked the all-out war that Pike and his crew could avoid in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. Instead, they kept quiet, and allowed Kirk to face a Gorn one-on-one, leading to the matter being resolved swiftly, and marking the official First Contact.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 premieres Thursday, June 15, on Paramount+.