Strange New Worlds Just Made Its Biggest TOS Retcon So Far
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 despiteEnterprise 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.
Related: Strange New Worlds Solves A 56-Year-Old Star Trek Mystery
Captain Pike's Enterprise has a full-on space battle with a triad of Gorn ships in Strange New
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