Unnamed Gorn The following is a list of unnamed Gorn . Captain . The Gorn captain was an officer in the military of the Gorn Hegemony in 2267 . He commanded a Gorn starship comparable to the Starfleet ' s vessels , as well as a detachment of ground assault forces . The captain made first contact with Human s in forced personal combat with James T . Kirk . Assault on Cestus III . The Federation ' s establishment of an outpost colony on Cestus III , was regarded as an invasion of Gorn territory by the Hegemony , and the Gorn captain was tasked to respond to the threat . Approaching at space - normal speed in the manner of a friendly vessel , the captain opened fire at close range , destroying Cestus III ' s phaser batteries . Defenseless , the outpost offered to surrender , but the plea went unheeded or unheard . The installation was promptly destroyed , resulting in the death of nearly all inhabitants . He remained in the system after the assault , and monitored the approach of the , the Federation ' s key military asset in the sector . The Gorn captain ' s ability to mimic Starfleet communications fooled his new opponent , Captain James T . Kirk . Expecting a warm welcome from the Cestus III base commander , Commodore Travers , Kirk ' s landing party beamed into an ambush , surrounded by Gorn ground forces and pelted by disruptor artillery fire . Simultaneously , the Gorn starship quartered - in on the " Enterprise " while she was locked in orbit . The ships were evenly matched for firepower and deflector screen s . Unable to maneuver the " Enterprise " from her position , Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu was forced to break orbit , temporarily stranding the landing party . His ingenious counter - strike to the ( perceived ) Federation invasion was foiled by an inability to secure or destroy the Cestus III armory . Kirk managed to liberate a grenade launcher and pushed Gorn ground forces back , forcing them to retreat to their ship . With his planet - side forces repelled , and the " Enterprise " now free to maneuver , the Gorn ' s early advantage evaporated . He set his ship on a course for home at high warp . " Enterprise " retrieved Kirk from the outpost ruins and began pursuit , intending to destroy the Gorn starship . Battle with Kirk . The chase brought the vessels through a sector overseen by the Metron s , an advanced and powerful species that abhorred violence and who were unknown to the Federation at the time . Whether the Gorn Hegemony , a stellar neighbor , was aware of the Metrons and their likely response to belligerents in their territory , is unknown . Offended by the incursion , the Metrons disabled both the Gorn starship and the " Enterprise " . The Metrons declared the two commanders would face each other in single combat , rather than wreak havoc in a space battle . The surviving Captain and ship would be allowed to depart , and the dead Captain ' s vessel and crew would be destroyed . In a blink , both captains were transported , disarmed , to the surface of a desert planetoid for their appointed battle – the first known face - to - face contact between Human and Gorn . After a brief initial grappling that proved the Gorn captain ' s physical superiority and Kirk ' s relative agility , the conflict escalated into a battle of wits . As they jockeyed for position around their rocky arena , both captains fashioned traps from available materials that countered their opponent ' s advantages . In pauses between attacks , the Gorn eavesdropped on Kirk ' s reflective monologues , via a recording - translating device provided by the Metrons . Eventually , the Gorn captain tired of tracking the Human ' s scurrying back - and - forth movements . He implored his prey to give up , and insisted his killing blow would be mercifully quick . At last , the Human lingered in one spot , frantically working on a hollowed log that would make a poor club . The Gorn approached , oblivious to the coming explosion and the diamond projectiles that would embed themselves in his chest . Kirk moved in to finish the kill , but coming to understand that the Gorn was merely acting in the defense of his territory , he protested the Metrons ' arbitrary rules and refused to murder his erstwhile enemy . A Metron recognized Kirk ' s compassion , and returned both captains alive to their ships . ( ) The battle of the two captains was well remembered over a century later . When Captain Benjamin Sisko had the opportunity to meet Kirk in a time travel incident that sent the to 2267 , he wistfully said , " " I ' d like to shake his hand and ask him about fighting the Gorn on Cestus III . " " ( ) Pregnant female and octuplets . " In the alternate reality , while preparing to aid in disarming an advanced long - range torpedo , bragged about once having performed an emergency Caesarean section on a pregnant Gorn , delivering her of live octuplet babies . According to McCoy , the infants came out biting . " ( ) Skeletal remains . The skeletal remains of this unfortunate individual were kept in a display case as part of Captain ' s " menagerie " on the starship in 2256 . ( )