Gorn

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Gorn
Four Letter Code	GORN
Federation Status	Neutral
Planet of Origin	Ghdar I
Encountered	TOS: Arena, TAS: Time-Trap, ENT: In a Mirror Darkly, Part II
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N+
List of Named Gorn
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The Gorn are an intelligent, bipedal, reptilian species who was first encountered at Tau Lacerte III by the USS Enterprise. The Gorn control twelve systems in the Ithassa Region and defend them with extreme prejudice if they feel they are being invaded. For many years until the War of 2383, the Gorn held a strong treaty with the Federation.

Now, the Gorn are mistrusted like other species that have attacked the Federation.

Name

The Gorn

Culture and society Military

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• Proper Name: Gorn
• Pronunciation: Gh'orn

Home System

• Quadrant: Beta
• Location: Ithassa Region
• Proper Name: Ghdar I
• Pronunciation: Gh'Dar One
• Star: MV
• Distance from Star: 5,819,409km
• Companions: 6 other planets in the system.

Home World

• Proper Name: Ghdar (Also referred to as Ss'varnon)
• Pronunciation: Gh'dar (S'var'non)
• Diameter: 14,756km
• Gravity: 1.2 (Earth = 1)
• Axial Tilt: 23.4
• Orbital Period: 8 days
• Rotational Period: 369 days

```* Classification: M

• • Surface Water: 40%
  • Atmosphere: 79% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, and 1% other gases.
  • Climate: Tri-Biome. Mostly Desert near the equator, Jungle north and south, the poles being cool forest with Snow.
  • Population: 12 million

History

The Gorns tell their history through oral recitation and few written texts until recently.

Pre-History

The Gorn evolved on their primary world of Ghdar I and even as they lived in caves and began forming their settlements, the Gorn have always been methodical in expansion. Their use of sub-light drives to spread was a feat for the species of their sector.

Gorn Exploration

When the Gorn became a space-faring race, they brought many of their traditions with them. Being a very predatory race, they considered all other species worth hunting and feeding to their young for the glory of their god Shuraka. At the advent of warp drive, the Gorn began to spread across the Ithassa Region in search of rich worlds to colonize and hunt. This is when they were forced into conflicts with neighboring powers and showed their impressive combat skills in setting traps and hunting their prey.

It is not really known why but after reaching the present-day borders, the Gorn stopped expansion and also seemed to overhaul they acted and became aggressively defensive of their territory. They seem to have lost their religious underpinnings becoming more of a secular race. The last final major conflict the Gorn faced was in 2267 when the Federation stumbled upon their outer world of Cestus III they had yet to colonize.

This spiked a temporary war footing though negotiations with the Federation (though tainted with past actions of their hunting parties) were able to create Cestus III into a joint community and a representation of the Treaty of Friendship that was forged.

Except for the Gorn Civil War and incursion into Federation space, the relations between the Gorn have been amicable.

The War of Brothers

Also known as the Gorn Conflict of 2383, The remnants of the Gorn Confederation faced the political strength of the new Gorn Alliance. When the Gorn Conflict started with the invasion of the Federation, half of the Gorn Space Navy refused to fight and began a civil war between them. By the end of 2383, the Confederation remnant was defeated.

The New Status Quo

With the trust between the Federation and the Hegemony broken, the Gorn are now tolerated as belligerent. With the Hegemony licking their wounds, the Gorn now bide their time in their own borders with their intent not being known.

Government

The Gorn insignia

The Gorn government has gone through a few transitions. For many years, the Gorn Confederation existed as a conglomerate of planets with a common purpose. Until the collapse of the Confederation by the Alliance, The Gorn Alliance was formed.

The Gorn Hegemony has been a termed applied to them for years and has been accepted as a name to describe them.

With the different forms of government, they still use the concept of the leader who is assisted by the Assembly and the Senate.

Description

The Gorn are an impressive race of lizards that can stand from between 6 to 8 feet in height. With no hair, scales of varying hues of green and brown, their only distinctive between their stocks, is either being a silver eyed Gorn or a gold eye.

The Gorn are imposing in size weighing around 200 to 400 pounds, they are immensely strong though their lack of speed only allows them to run extremely short distances.

Hairless and tough, their hands are clawed and they usually do not wear shoes unless part of a combat armor.

Gorns have also lost their vestigial tails and resemble humanoids more than their reptilian ancestors.

Physiology

The Gorn have developed into a bipedal reptile that stands on two feet. Both the male and female of the species average about 6’ 4” and around 250 - 300 pounds in weight. As with most reptiles it is difficult to distinguish between the two species if they are clothed. They have a thick almost rubber like skin. The head is large with large almost insect like eyes and a large mouth with large teeth for tearing flesh. Powerful bodies, they are a bit on the slow side and not an agile as a human being. But for sheer physical strength they would be on par with a vulcan.

Their eyesight is a bit weaker. A gorn and survive for long periods of time. Their vision underwater is excellent.

Gorn have an excellent sense of smell. Their hearing is average only 20 – 17,000 hertz. Though preferring to be carnivorous, Gorns are able to eat vegetables with great disdain.

Gorns only need 6 to 8 hours of sleep and naturally stay awake for up to 32 hours.

Sub-species of Gorn

The Gorn have been woefully undocumented for many years due to their own privacy and later conflicts. What has been figured out is the Gorn are not as homogonious as once believed. Per their history, after eons of in-fighting to become the apex predator, The sub-species of Gorn came to an agreement that brough peace and a technological boom.

There are three known sub-species of Gorn are as follows. All share their own unique biology but share a common ancestry. The Hegemony refers to them all as Gorn and they do not see the distinction of any importance in this day and age.

Hek'lar

The Hek'lar or "sapphire Gorn" due to their original species having varying colored stripes as the most commonly encountered. Large and not very fast, these lizards are renown for their strength and resiliance in combat. Their scales have been reported to be so hard that it acts as yet another layer of armor to their own. Their scales have been found to be able to repel up to 50% of phaser and disruptor fire without risking the life of the person. Their biggest disadvantages is their size, lack of speed, and extreme susceptibility to the cold. This Gorn species is also lays eggs instead of giving birth to live children like the other species.

Hek'mel

Hek'mel or "Topaz Gorn" due to their unique speckled orange scales common in their ancestry. These Gorn are smaller, less bulky than their cousin, the Hek'lar and pride themselves on their hunting abilities and intelligence. What they lack in size, they make up with their intelligence. Many Hek'mel can be found in the Gorn shipyards designing and re-designing the vessels of the Hegemony. Due to their smaller size, they have most of the weaknesses of humanoids and lack the heavier scale armor of their Hek'lar cousins. The hek'mel have live births of litters of 1 to 3.

Hek'tal

The hek'tal or "emerald gorn" were considered the most aggressive of the Hegemony, they usually are fast, deadly and love to hunt anything that moves. For the longest time, the Hek'tal were hated among the Gorn and were almost hunted to extinction. The hek'tal were the Gorns encountered first by the Federation when they began to raid foreign colonies for live prey. For a long time, the Hek'tal caused issues with treaties of other species. The Hek'tal became more isolated and preferred to stay in loner jobs after Shuraka worship fell out of favor. Due to being cave dwelling for many of their years and the lowest survival rate in their ancient times, the Hek'tal had developed an acid spray that could be used to infect foreign hosts with fertilized eggs of it's young to help keep the species going.

Psychology

The Gorn psychology is a strong sense of duty and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the completion of their culture or personally perceived duty. Gorns are highly loyal once their trust is earned and betrayal is considered the worse crime imaginable.

Religion

The Gorn do not have an active religion much anymore on their planet after the invention of the warp drive. They used to worship Shuraka, the Warlord of the Desert. He was a mythical figure who was said to have ascended to heaven to fight the Gods who oppressed them and then returned to rule. Most Gorns do not believe it, though Shuraka is mentioned in epithets and conversation. Shuraka fell out of favor in the later half of the Gorn modern age due to many blood sacrifice requirements of the religion though it is known that some factions of the Gorn species still actively practiced sacrificing captives to their children.

Later a religion developed around the concept of two goddesses, one of light and one of darkness. The Dark goddess was attempting to open the door to Oblivion while the Light goddess fought to keep it closed.

Gorns believed that those who have served honorably, faithfully, and did their duty would not die, but be called by the pale goddess to fight by her side to keep the doors closed.

Technology

Gorn technology is not as advanced as the federation, but is considered more reliable. The majority of their technology is designed to last. Because of their size, Gorn ships, transporters, and other personal pieces are larger than human.

LCARS type technology did not become a main ability until 2380 following the New Era starships.

Economy

Always attempting to be self reliant, the Gorn have a very small economy that supplies enough for their own people in the hegemony, but also enough to bring currency in to their worlds. The primary export has been ore and precious metals because of the many hot and dry worlds they love to call home.

Currency

Unlike the Federation, the Gorn still have a capitalistic economy with their neighbors though the species does participate in galactic exchanges that allow resources to be exchanged between cashless societies and those who still require material exchange. The currency of the Gorn are golden colored coins called Drakshal which are in a circular shape with a point like a claw. They are made of a non-replicator material called tilinium.

Military

The Gorn military, though not as advanced as Star Fleet, have an impressive ground force. When in space, the battles are usually hard to win, ground forces usually make up for it.

Ship Weapons

The Gorn Hegemony have spent most of their existence utilizing the Plasma Torpedo like the early Romulan Empire. These massive balls of plasma consumed much power, but their damage was impressive.

Later the Gorns experimented with Photon Torpedoes when they were allied with the Federation and later disruptors purchased from the Klingons.