The Gorn are a sentient race of reptilian humanoids from the Star Trek universe. They have only appeared in the Original Series on television, but have also appeared in various Star Trek video game titles and books. In most appearances, they have been depicted as an enemy of the United Federation of Planets.
Biology[]
Gorn adults typically stand at roughly two meters tall and are considerably stronger than humans. They have rubbery green skin with spiky protrusions on the backs of their heads and have also been known to have either slitted yellow eyes common with reptiles, or glittering compound eyes much like those of an insect. Their mouths are filled with many razor-sharp teeth and their bite radius is said to be similar to the ancient velociraptors of Earth. Being reptilian, Gorn have often been misconceived as slow-witted creatures, but they are actually quite cunning.
Society[]
Religion and Mythology[]
Gorn mythology states that the founders of their species consists of the Mistress of Fertility S'Yahazah and a figure known as the "Great Father". Emphasis would be placed on the Great Egg Bringer S'Yahazah for she saved the young Gorn eggs from being devoured by their father. The Great Father would be banished into space and never be worshiped again.
Among Gorn, there exists a scale coloration which is blue-yellowish. These Gorn are believed to be protected by the Mistress of Fertility for they are nobles and spiritually pure. Those hereditary families that have a large number of blue-yellow scaled Gorn are considered blessed with a symbol of Gorn strength.
Interaction with other races[]
The Gorn race are known to be somewhat xenophobic due to the initial encounters they made with other races. Gorn starships are created to reflect the attitude of the Gorn race which is straight forward and to the point. What little contact the Federation had with this reptilian race lead most to think of it as an aggressive species, dominated by warriors. Further observation both reinforced and contradicted this. Individual Gorn exhibit aggressive, assertive and determined behaviour. They seem set in their ways, and it's difficult to get them to deviate from their planned courses of action. While interaction between Humans and Gorn remains limited, they now work together on Cestus III and Federation xenologists hotly debate what they observe.
No one denies that getting between a Gorn and his objective can prove hazardous to one's health. When on a mission, be it battling an arch-foe or slaughtering cattle for food, the Gorn pursue their goals with a single-mindedness second to none. Anything that tries to interfere with their duty is ignored, brushed aside, moved out of the way or destroyed. Humans on Cestus III contend that such actions rarely interfere with life there and that the Gorn have proven themselves considerate neighbours. Thanks to the Metrons, Humans and Gorn have never had problems communicating. As a result, they managed to coexist on Cestus III after the Gorn made restitution for the settlers they killed during an early misunderstanding. Since then, the Gorn remained on their part of the world, and physical conflict between the races rarely occurs.
No Human believes the Gorn suddenly became pacifistic, however, instead they seem to have taken a long time to make up their minds, almost ignoring a situation until they decide what they consider the best course of action. A Gorn does little until he believes he knows the right course - and then he lets nothing stand in his way. First contact with the Gorn came after they discovered a Human encroachment into what they saw as their space. Following a long debate, the Gorn leadership decided to exterminate the new threat. The Gorn sent to carry out this decision devoted themselves wholeheartedly to this endeavor, only stopping when an outside force made it impossible to continue. This sums up much of Gorn behaviour: Don't act until you're sure that you're right, and then let nothing stop you.
Some humanoids underestimate Gorn because of an opinion that reptiles are somehow less evolved than mammals. This would be unwise; the Gorn are at least as intelligent as humans.
Technology[]
As of the late 23rd century, much of the Gorn's technology was on par with Starfleet's. Their ships were almost as fast as that of a Constitution-class starship, as it would have to push its engines to dangerous speeds to overtake a Gorn ship.
Their weapons were described as "like phasers, only worse" by a survivor of the Cestus attack. This description may have been coloured by fear, as they were later described as disruptors.
Gorn shields were capable of enduring an initial full barrage of phaser and photon torpedo fire, with little or no appreciable damage.
They had transporter technology and possessed voice duplicator equipment at least good enough to fool a casual listener.
Gorn ground tactical units utilized powerful disruptors, capable of completely disintegrating targets at ranges of between 1,200 and 1,500 yards. Their sensor technology may have been less effective than that of the Federation, as they had some difficulty targeting the landing party during their ambush at Cestus III.
They were able to home in on signals from a tricorder, allowing them to "bracket" the user with fire.