Gorn

The Gorn are a reptilian species from the Alpha Quadrant. According to Orion privateer Harrad-Sar in 2154, the Gorn government, which is known as the Gorn Hegemony, "brew the finest Meridor in the five systems". First contact with the Gorn took place in 2267, when they attacked the Federation colony on Cestus III. The Gorn saw the strike as a pre-emptive move, since they regarded the Cestus system as part of their territory.

Personality

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 behavior. 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, or destroyed.

Humans on Cestus III contend that such actions rarely interfere with life there, and that the Gorn have proven themselves considerate neighbors. 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 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 take 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 behavior: Don't act until you're sure that you're right, and then let nothing stop you.

Physiology

While humanoid, the Gorn evolved from omnivorous reptile stock, and the Gorn still maintain many of their ancestors' traits. For instance, the Gorn have a forked tongue similar in many ways to a snake, and they have difficulty speaking most Federation languages. Their voices often sound raspy, though the most obvious vocal difference is the way all their sibilant sounds come out in a hiss. Sharp teeth line their large, snout-like mouths, and further interfere with attempts to speak Federation Standard. Humans find it equally difficult to correctly pronounce many Gorn words.

The Gorns' many sharp teeth only begin the list of their intimidating characteristics. Much larger than humans, Gorns tower over most members of the Federation. Muscles fill out their frame, and Gorn can lift more and run faster than humans. A scaly hide covers their body, providing them some protection from physical damage. Their multi-faceted eyes also have a thin covering. Since they do not blink, they rely on this covering to protect their eyes and keep them moist. Bony ridges also provide protection for their eyes. Despite having two large nostrils, the Gorn's sense of smell developed poorly, and they can only make out the most powerful of odors.

Internally, the Gorn bear more similarities to lizards than to humans. Cold-blooded, Gorn need a warm climate in which to prosper. They have powerful lungs and three-chambered hearts. They lay fertilized eggs that hatch into infants. They mature faster than humans, and a Gorn becomes an adult around his 14th birthday. Their brains developed much like humans' and differ substantially from reptile brains. Their nervous systems are also more efficient than are those of Earth reptiles.

Moisture makes up one of the more interesting aspects of Gorn physiology. They do not sweat, making it easy for them to overheat - but only at climates over 50 degrees Celsius. They conserve water internally, and their bodies use this to keep them hydrated.

The Gorn nostrils developed to let them take in more oxygen with each breath, not to help them smell. As a result, they have a poor sense of smell.

History and Culture

The use a variety of names to speak of their homeworld, depending on which aspect of it they want to discuss. The Gorn homeworld lies only a little closer to its sun than Earth does Sol, and it has less of a tilt. The planet's atmosphere traps much of the heat and accounts for its extremely warm temperature. Mammals never rose to prominence on Gorn, and few ever grew bigger than possums. Instead, dinosaur-like creatures still roam its wild areas. That the Gorn managed to compete with their much-larger saurian cousins speaks volumes of the benefit of brains over brawn.

The Gorn built their cities on the edges of great swamps, and these lie as much underground as they do above it. These cities cover much of the planet, though a casual examination makes the planet appear dotted by small communities. The interconnecting municipalities primarily lie under the earth.

Many different factions split Gorn society, though most Gorn do not view these as divisive factors. Sine Gorn leaders take a long time to reach any decisions, these factions fill a vacuum until they make an official judgement. Even an individual takes a long time to make a decision, but the minor factions and individuals take up sanctioned action within broad boundaries while awaiting a final judgement. The Gorn deliberated for more than a year before attacking the settlement on Cestus III, and the debate about how to deal with humans has continued ever since.

Of course, even the Gorn consider this long debate out of the ordinary, but Metron involvement makes everything more difficult. The Metrons, a race of incredibly powerful beings, sought to avoid interstellar war between the Federation and Gorn by having representatives of the two groups battle for supremacy. When things did not quite go according to the Metrons' plans, they allowed both races to coexist on Cestus III, though humans ostensibly dominate.

Several factions want to see the Federation driven from Cestus III and the Gorn borders expanded. Since nothing officially precludes them from instigating hostilities (as long as they do not kill anyone on Cestus III), these Gorn have created problems for the Federation in the surrounding systems. By the same token, several factions would like to see contact with the Federation expand, and some Gorn even believe the two groups could work together, perhaps with the Gorn joining the Federation or vice versa. These factions send more followers into Federation space than do any others, either looking to learn how to deal with these aliens or how to battle them.

The Gorn on Cestus III make up an odd mix of Gorn society. Most came in search of a new land where they could act without the restraints of their home factions (and create their own). Others came as representatives of one or more factions, after those groups made the decision to study the Federation more closely. Thus the Gorn on Cestus III include malcontents, ne'er-do-wells who could not make it back home, visionaries, extreme xenophobes, and those fascinated by the possibilities of dealing with the Federation.

Despite this bizarre mix, the Gorn community on Cestus III functions fairly well. Gorn learned to cooperate early on in their development, and although the various factions split Gorn society, they work together against outside threats. As a result, the Gorn consider themselves one people and willingly share their homes and cities with each other. Gorn from competing factions can live happily under one roof as long as their goals do not interfere with one another.

Such cooperation begins shortly after Gorn hatch, and they share a fierce loyalty to their hatchmates. The fact that all Gorn spend at least some time in civil service also explains this ability to cooperate. At least five years after reaching maturity, Gorn must serve a two-year term working for the race. Every year, massive numbers of Gorn go through a training period in which they learn military matters as well as most of the other basic job functions: sanitation, computer use, record keeping, and more. Not all Gorn are warriors, even though all have some combat training.

The single-mindedness that marks Gorn activities serves as the primary reason for their aggressive and competitive reputation. In lieu of an official course of action, Gorn can act as they please, and the factions often move where the government does not, although their debates can also take an interminably long time. Nothing prevents a Gorn from joining multiple factions (most join at least one), though sometimes an individual has difficulty balancing all of the factions' wishes. When Gorn do fight each other, the battles tend to be exceptionally deadly, with no side wanting to back down.

Gorn speak their own language which is a hissing, guttural tongue that unnerves many who hear it for the first time. Some colonists on Cestus III, however, claim to enjoy it. A few even began singing with the Gorn, making for some bizarre duets. While the Gorn do have a few dialects, they lack the range of disparate languages shown by humans; presumably, the lengthy debates and need for idea exchange have caused Gorn language to evolve naturally into a common direction.

Technology

As of the late 23rd century, Gorn technology was at a similar level to the Federation. Their ships were about as fast as Constitution class vessels. Their weapons were described as "like phasers, only worse" by a survivor of the Cestus attack. This description may also have been colored by fear, as they were later described as disruptors. The Enterprise weapons seemed to be ineffective initially against Gorn shields. They have transporter technology and possess voice duplicator equipment at least good enough to fool a casual listener.

Gorn tactical units possess powerful disruptors, capable of completely disintegrating targets at ranges of around a kilometer. Sensor technology may be 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 feed back impulses from a tricorder, building up an overload sufficient to destroy the instrument.

Reference(s)

• Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.