• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Spoilers The Gorn should sue this show

I would be disappointed if the Gorn are portrayed as a human flesh eating monster species, which is what seems to be the suggestion.

There was a similar line in DIS

They aren't exactly like the federation which has been established, but I do understand what you meant. They are another intelligent race that has developed warp capabilities. Suddenly to reduce them to monsters who eat other sentient aliens could be a little reductive. They had a similar throwaway line in DIS where they said the Klingons ate Georgiou and it was jarring, more so because till now this was never portrayed as a Klingon trait. With Gorn there is not much canon established so continuity wise it is not a big deal. I do hope the Gorn are written as having more complex motivations than simply eating and using humans for procreation if they are to be the centerpiece villain race in this series.

Although if they remain true to canon Gorns should not be a major part at all, as TOS portrayed them as a civilization that the federation has not interacted much with at all.
"Eating the heart of one's enemy" has always been a Klingon thing.
 
La'an: No! ...No! You can't get away. ...From Hell's heart, ...I stab at thee. For hate's sake I spit my last breath ...at thee.

(activates auto-destruct sequence on USS Archer to try to destroy the fleeing Gorn ship)

Spock: All that matters to La'an is her hate.

Uhura: Do you suppose that's all she ever had, sir?

Pike: No, but that's all she had left. Warp factor two, Number One. Set course for Starbase Four.
 
Why is it so hard to believe that an "Alien Lizard-like" Race wouldn't actually behave like an "Alien Lizard-like" Race?

Perhaps they don't want to be friends with creatures who don't look like them or act like them.

Isn't that what ALIEN means?

It's not like we haven't seen something akin to this in our entertainment before ...
MV5BM2YyNjAwMjItNzYyOC00NTIxLTlhY2YtMTI1MGJiZjMzMmU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDgyNjA5MA@@._V1_.jpg
 
I don't remember Kor, Kras, Koloth, Korax, Krell, or Kang threatening to eat the hearts of their enemies.

"This time, we will reach the Albino! And when we do, I will cut his heart out and eat it, while he watches me with his dying breath!"

— Kang (DS9 "Blood Oath" [https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Blood_Oath_(episode)])

---

From DS9 "Covenant" [http://www.chakoteya.net/DS9/559.htm]:

EZRI: Would it bother you if Odo believed in Klingon religion?
KIRA: Not if he got something out of it.
BASHIR: He'd get to eat the hearts of his enemies.​
 
I don't remember Kor, Kras, Koloth, Korax, Krell, or Kang threatening to eat the hearts of their enemies.
I do. See Corporal Captain's post above.

If you're quibbling over "always", I will amend to it's been long established that Klingon's eat the hearts of their enemies.
 
"This time, we will reach the Albino! And when we do, I will cut his heart out and eat it, while he watches me with his dying breath!"

— Kang (DS9 "Blood Oath" [https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Blood_Oath_(episode)])

---

From DS9 "Covenant" [http://www.chakoteya.net/DS9/559.htm]:

EZRI: Would it bother you if Odo believed in Klingon religion?
KIRA: Not if he got something out of it.
BASHIR: He'd get to eat the hearts of his enemies.​
Worf also considered it a key reason why Jadzia didn't go to Sto-vo-kor when she died (and therefore needed his help).

[From "Image in the Sand..."]
O'BRIEN: She's not in Sto-vo-kor.
QUARK: You mean Klingon heaven? What would she be doing there? She wasn't a Klingon.
O'BRIEN: As far as Worf is concerned, she was. She did join the House of Martok.
BASHIR: Then what makes him think she's not in Sto-vo-kor?
O'BRIEN: For one thing, she never ate the heart of one of her enemies.
QUARK: She always was a little squeamish.
 
I do. See Corporal Captain's post above.

If you're quibbling over "always", I will amend to it's been long established that Klingon's eat the hearts of their enemies.
Yes, I was indeed quibbling over "always."
Star Trek Lore established in the eighties, nineties, and aughties is less dear to me than what was established in the sixties. The revisions of Middle Period Trek - especially between 1994-2005 - do not come to my mind as easily as the much older material or the newest material. My apologies.

It's not that I hate those incarnations of Star Trek, it's just that I haven't revisited them as often as I have Classic and the Modern stuff.
 
Yes, I was indeed quibbling over "always."
Star Trek Lore established in the eighties, nineties, and aughties is less dear to me than what was established in the sixties. The revisions of Middle Period Trek - especially between 1994-2005 - do not come to my mind as easily as the much older material or the newest material. My apologies.

It's not that I hate those incarnations of Star Trek, it's just that I haven't revisited them as often as I have Classic and the Modern stuff.
That's entirely fair. Apologies if I came off a little snarky.
 
As many has pointed out, eating the heart of the enemy was indeed a practice, more of a ritual.

However the imagery of someone smiling while he picks the flesh off a smooth human skull doesn't exactly seem ritual. It seems more like something one would do at a barbeque.
 
gorn and kirk.jpg

GORN CAPTAIN: Ha! I can't lose! This Earthling is mine! You are completely helplessss! I have you now! I shall enjoy devouring you and laying my eggs inside your mushy skull!
KIRK: Wait! You don't want to do that! You're better than that! Besides, I can introduce you to a better food and egg-nurturing medium! On my honor as Captain of the Enterprise!
GORN CAPTAIN: I'm listening. I hear every word. Go on.
KIRK: It's this:

Star Trek Shop Cinnamon Tribbles artwork.jpg

And with that, Edward posthumously fosters peace with the Federation and the Gorn which lasts well beyond Burnham's time...
 
The whole point of "Arena" is that the Gorn despite their intimidating appearance are nothing more than another race like the Federation and that they should be treated as no different than Kirk or company. It's an anti-racism aesop.

Now we're getting them laying their eggs in people and eating humans.
Remember when it was common knowledge among Starfleet personnel that the Klingons don't take prisoners? Until the next movie when they did. And three movies after that. And the next movie after that.

Remember when it was common knowledge among Starfleet personnel that the Ferengi eat the people they capture? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Reports of an intractable enemy species or a newly encountered mysterious species are often going to embellish on the horrfying nature of the foe you faced. Later on as you build a greater rapport with the species and come to learn more about their culture a more nuanced, less fight or flight biased evaluation of that culture will tend to set in.

Or they could just be as scary as La'an's report suggests. Well have to wait and see.
 
Last edited:
Or they could just be as scary as La'an's report suggests. Well have to wait and see.

God, I hope they are.

It would certainly help explain why they don't succumb to some random Starfleet Captain's inspirational speech within twenty-five minutes after meeting humans, and don't start wearing shoes and going to Sunday School like proper Federation citizens.
 
Worf also considered it a key reason why Jadzia didn't go to Sto-vo-kor when she died (and therefore needed his help).

[From "Image in the Sand..."]
O'BRIEN: She's not in Sto-vo-kor.
QUARK: You mean Klingon heaven? What would she be doing there? She wasn't a Klingon.
O'BRIEN: As far as Worf is concerned, she was. She did join the House of Martok.
BASHIR: Then what makes him think she's not in Sto-vo-kor?
O'BRIEN: For one thing, she never ate the heart of one of her enemies.
QUARK: She always was a little squeamish.

That would seem to imply that Worf has...

God, I hope they are.

It would certainly help explain why they don't succumb to some random Starfleet Captain's inspirational speech within twenty-five minutes after meeting humans, and don't start wearing shoes and going to Sunday School like proper Federation citizens.

Sunday School? Hew-mons don't believe in souls.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top