The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “Terrarium,” saw Lt Erica Ortegas crash-land on a distant moon with someone who turned out to be a fellow pilot. Unluckily, they also happened to be a Gorn! Against all odds, the two managed to cooperate to survive, even forming an uneasy bond—until La’an killed the Gorn, shattering the fragile peace. Over the course of three series, The Gorn have become one of SNW’s most successful and staple villains. However, by introducing the Gorn as one of its central antagonists early in Season One, Strange New Worlds had long since created something of a continuity problem when it comes to established Trek canon.
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When the Gorn first appeared in 1967’s “Arena,” Kirk behaved as if he’d never heard of the reptilian aliens before, which seems odd when, according to SN,W they became known to Starfleet much earlier in the timeline. The series premiere, “Hegemony Part 2” saw the Gorn put into hibernation and was confirmed to be partly the show’s way of tying up these canon issues created. However, in a recent interview, the show’s creators, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, confirmed an ingenious explanation for the retcon to explain away the inconsistency, and it’s an explanation that turns one of Star Trek’s lesser-known classic villains into terrifying master-manipulators.
Star Trek’s Gorn Retcon Explained
Star Trek: The Original Series fans were delighted when the ending of “Terrarium” revealed a shocking twist: It turned out the crash landing was no accident, but a cruel survival experiment by the mysterious Metrons—the very same godlike beings who forced Captain Kirk into a duel with a Gorn Captain in “Arena,” making the episode something of a prelude and lending new significance to the events of “Arena”.
According to showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, the Metrons didn’t just orchestrate Ortegas’ entire ordeal (to study whether humans and Gorn could ever coexist)—they later erased all knowledge of the species from the collective consciousness of Starfleet.
“You won’t remember me,” the Metron tells Ortegas. “And perhaps someday, we may have to reset your perception of the Gorn as well.”
Goldsman confirmed to TrekMovie that this was no throwaway line. “There’s a suggestion that the memories of the Gorn are being tampered with by the Metron. And that they may be tampered with again in the future. So, the idea being that potentially, there has been another encounter between what we just saw and “Arena”. And as a result of that encounter, all memory of the Gorn has been wiped.”
Myers added that their goal was to plant seeds for viewers for future stories. “Part of what we try to do is set up a future ‘us’ problem and suggest to the to the viewers that there are stories you have not yet seen… If you keep watching our show, you will get to experience those stories.”
Whether that means future seasons will revisit the Metrons or Gorn remains to be seen, but for now, the niggling canon contradiction has been “fixed” by a chilling bit of lore: By the time the events of “Arena” take place, Starfleet’s memories of the Gorn were deliberately wiped by the Metrons. The writers went on to confirm that Kirk’s apparent ignorance of the Gorn in TOS was therefore no mistake,and that retcon makes the Metrons far more terrifying than fans imagined.
Why Star Trek’s Metron Threat Is More Terrifying Now
In “Arena,” the Metrons came across as arrogant arbiters—powerful, yes, but more big-headed than malevolent, believing themselves superior. The ending even hinted at their somewhat ‘detached’ morality, as Kirk’s refusal to kill the Gorn impressed them enough to spare the Enterprise.
But in Strange New Worlds, the Metrons aren’t passive observers. They’re active manipulators who take no issue with running experiments on ‘lesser’ beings. This also recontextualizes Kirk’s duel in “Arena.” The captain wasn’t just fighting for survival—he was fighting inside a rigged laboratory test, overseen by beings who’d already toyed with his predecessors’ minds. The episode still ends with Kirk choosing mercy, but now that mercy reads less as a triumph of humanity and more as a variable in an ongoing Metron study.
By confirming the Metrons erased the Enterprise crew’s memories of the Gorn, Strange New Worlds has solved one of Star Trek’s biggest canon headaches. But in doing so, it’s introduced an even darker implication: the crew may never know how many of their choices, memories, or victories were truly their own.
That makes the Metrons one of the most unsettling species in Trek canon, arguably more horrifying than other ‘higher beings’ introduced. Unlike the Q, who at least toy with and challenge humans openly, the Metrons cloak their games in secrecy. Pike, Spock, Ortegas and Kirk may have been pawns in multiple “experiments” without ever being aware. Our favorite Q (John Delancie) might literally alter reality around you, but at least you’d know about it! The Metrons can twist reality, rewrite history, and gaslight entire starship crews—all while calmly calling it “data collection.”
He might have been the thorn in the side of many a Starfleet Captain, but Q seemingly tested humanity to drive it forward, and at least he had a sense of humor about it! The Metrons treat humans like lab rats, resetting variables and testing outcomes. It’s a haunting thought, and one that casts a long shadow over both Pike’s era and Kirk’s.
For fans, the retcon adds unexpected depth to a famously campy TOS episode. “Arena” is still a showcase for Kirk’s ingenuity and compassion, but also a reminder that unseen puppet masters were pulling the strings.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 1–3 are now streaming on Paramount+.
What do you think of this retcon? A clever explanation or too much canon meddling Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Ufotable
