About This Item

The Gorn first makes its appearance in an episode of Star Trek called “Arena” (1967) in which Captain Kirk finds himself battling the captain of a Gorn Spaceship to the death as a result of being taken by the Metrons. A physically dominant alien, the Gorn and Captain Kirk trade blows and fight until Kirk defeats him with a home-made bazooka cannon. The only way to defeat the alien was with a technologically superior move. The video below contains the original frame from which the painting was modeled.

This piece of art was painted to continue a running gag that was part of the Wheeler family. A Star Trek bound family, The Wheelers were dedicated to watching the show and making references to it. After an attempted Gorn impersonation, the inside joke of the Gorn was born, prompting gorn related gags for years to come. The contributor and his mom would go back and forth giving eachother gorn related gifts until one Christmas, Mrs. Wheeler took it a step further. She had taken up art classes again and decided to put her talents to canvas and created the master-piece that is the Gorn Painting.

From the Contributor

The Gorn symbolizes a special inside joke that he has with his mom/family.

What started as a silly interpretation has become a running gag in the family that has evolved into something physical. The painting brings a smile to my face whenever I see it and reminds me of that special memory.