The Gorn were a warp-capable, bipedal reptilian species. Their interstellar government was known as the Gorn Hegemony.
History
The Gorn's official first contact with the Federation took place in 2267, when the Gorn attacked, with impunity, the Federation colony and outpost on Cestus III. The Gorn saw the strike as a preemptive move, since they regarded the Cestus system as part of their territory. After an encounter with a powerful third group of aliens the Gorn Hegemony and Federation existed in a strained peace for many years.
In 2374, after decades of peaceful relations with the Federation, the Gorn government was toppled by a coup d'etat, and a new offensive was launched against Cestus III. A halt to these hostilities was negotiated by the crew of the USS Enterprise-E, who also managed to persuade the Gorn to join the Federation Alliance in the war against the Dominion.
Biology
Gorn were a cold-blooded species, with green, rubbery skin, red blood, and an average height of approximately two meters. They tended to be many times stronger than most humanoids, albeit slower and less agile but with greater stamina and, like most cold-blooded species, preferred warmer temperatures.
Gorn are born from specialized eggs that belong to the different castes of Gorn society. Among the hardest to produce eggs were those of the military branches as their biology required specific environmental factors that were very hard to find naturally. An average Gorn male weighs about 215 kilograms. Their leathery hides is naturally strong which serves as natural armor. Their physical strength is even greater than their appearance suggests as they possess a great deal of muscle mass. Though this is impressive among the males, the female Gorns are even more fearsome as they can average around 2.5 meters high and typically are 250 kilograms. As such, the females tend to be the stronger gender among the Gorn race. Due to this, it is not uncommon to see a large number of female marines and officers within the Gorn military.
Society & Culture
The Gorn race are known to be somewhat xenophobic due to the initial encounters they made with other races. Gorn starships are created to reflect the attitude of the Gorn race which is straight forward and to the point. 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.
