I'm sure a few of you might have noticed some .. oddities in the information I have gathered. That is because, with the books and shows dealing with the Gorn cannon/soft cannon, wires cross and people don't do some checking to see what others have written.
So ... I thought to go through what I have and point out some discrepancies. Hopefully when Cryptic makes the Gorn background, they pick something that makes sense!
BiologyFirst up, biological making of the Gorn. Main information I got was from
The Starfleet Medical Reference Manual and
Gorn - Memory Beta, non-cannon. Medical reference material will be designated with an asterisk(*) and the Memory Beta information with a hat(^). Information from other sources will be cited.
Biological Information on Males and Females:
Height:Male - 2 meters/6.5 feet == Female - 1.4 meters/5 feet *
Male - 2 meters/6.5 feet == Female - 2.5 meters/8.2 feet ^
Weight:Male - 70 kilos/154 pounds == Female- 60 kilos/132 pounds *
Male - 215 kilos/474 pounds == Female - 250 kilos/551 pounds ^
Life Expectancy:Male - 55 years == Female 21 years */^
Blood Colouration:Red */^
Reproduction:When a female Gorn gives birth: Gorn lay eggs, which hatch while still inside the oviduct (appearing to be live birth.) *
In the graphic novel
The Gorn Crisis, Gorn eggs are shown incubating in a hatchery-like basin, with sygils of protection drawn on them. This implies eggs are lain and the baby forms inside as a crocodile or snake would.
Body Temperature:Being cold blooded, they require ambient warmth and prefer to live in tropical climates. *
While Commander Riker and the Klingons fought the Gorn in
The Gorn Crisis graphic novel, Riker changed the temperature controls lower in order to impede the Gorn's attack. This change in temperature also affected the Klingons, which slowed them down but not to the point of the Gorn who looked to be hibernating. This makes me wonder how hot the planet is for the Gorn and what the difference in temperature would be in order to effect them.
Vision:Their eyes are covered in thousands of facets, each with its own protective lid. *
In the remastered episode of
"Arena", the Gorn captain is shown to have a primary set of outer eyelids that function much like those of a typical humanoid.
Because the silvery-faceted appearance on the eyes was missing in
ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", some fans speculate that this is a membrane (or a manufactured prosthesis akin to contact lenses) that covers the eye and prevents exceedingly bright light from blinding the being. Since the lights on the Defiant were much dimmer than the bright surface of Cestus III, it can be argued that the Gorn did not require such an apparatus to function normally. (Cited from
Gorn - Memory Alpha)
It has also been proposed that the presence of insect-like compound eyes in some Gorn suggests that two different races of Gorn exist, and that the structural/functional differences in eye structure are the result of divergent evolution. The proposal of different species of Gorn may also explain why the specimen in "Arena" had five-fingered forearms, while the Gorn present in
"In A Mirror Darkly, Part II" had three-fingered forearms.
Body Structure:This is the structure of the Gorn from "Arena" and what most Trek fans recognize. *
This is the structure of the Gorn (CGI created) for the episode (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"). Not only looking like a dinosaur ... it has three fingers instead of five as the original Gorn had.
This was the redesigned Gorn for the graphic novel
The Gorn Crisis. Here is what the artist, Igor Kordey also commented about his Gorn:
"Because of their extra bones, Gorns have problems sitting. But they can kneel or squat or lie as long as necessary." Yeah that's a problem ...
BackgroundLet's start with the planets.
If you dive deep enough for information, you will find that the Gorn evolved from S'sgarnon, a temperate, warm Class M planet with a local gravity of 1.4 G. I have yet to find any information on where exactly this planet is located in the universe.
Another planet said they come from is Gornar, mentioned in a game
Starport 17 - The Mirror Campaign. It places this planet in a region of space to the coreward end of the Federation space, sharing a short border with the Cardassian Union and a larger one with the Romulan Star Empire.
The Federation Space board game has the Gorn coming from three seperate planets: Gdhar I, Gdhar II, and Gdhar III. The Gorn occupy an expanse of territory coreward of the Romulans, on the Federation's eastern border.