Gorn



Gorn are a tall and broad race of intelligent creatures that often find occupation in foreign lands with heavy manual labor. Their skin is like humans. Their colouring generally falls in shades of brown however some exceptions have been noted throughout their history. Noticeable traits are tusks which extend from the bottom jaw and elbows and the eyes that are set into the torso along with the mouth. They are a carnivorous species that originated from the planet of Roden however have been seen in all corners of the galaxy throughout human history despite having no means of space travel themselves.

Roden being a small planet meant that the Gorn suffered heavily from over population even in the earliest days of their society. This led to a system of determining the worthiness of its societies members. The system has no formal name within Gorn society however has been nicknamed by other species as 'The weighing'. The weighing is when a male member of Gorn society is required to prove he can physically carry his family across a wooden beam. Many weighing beams exist across the planet from the smallest communities to the largest cities. The weighing is used as a means to prove not only a Male Gorn's ability to contribute to society physically but also that he can support his families existence. Female members of society are also required to complete the weighing if their bond partner dies or deserts them. The consequence for failure to complete the weighing is sacrifice to the planet, which Gorn believe to be the bringer of all life and hence should be the receiver of all who are unworthy of it.

The weighing created many societal consequences for the Gorn and despite becoming less a part of the Gorn society since their first contact with other species, many of these societal consequences are still prevelant in modern Gorn societies. The social consequences include Gorn marrying young so their fathers no longer need to support them in the weighing before they get too big. The primary consequence however is that physical strength is the primary focus for females when looking for a Mate. The stronger the male the more children he can support. This adds a cultural dynamic to the Gorn not present in many other species where any male member of society can become highly desirable simply by increasing his physical strength.

The focus on physical strength within Gorn society all but halted their own technological advancements as males became too focused on increasing their strength and not their intellect. Due to having very little advanced technology to call their own most smaller Gorn societies exist very primitively while the cities have grown exponentially due to intergalactic trade. Within the cities the weighing system has become obsolete however is still prevelant in the more primitive societies.

Due to their impressive strength and less than impressive intelligence, the Gorn have become the workforce of the galaxy. They are hired at a much higher rate than any other species as manual labourres and security. Their tusks however hake it challenging for them to operate complex machinery so their tusks are sometimes sawn off to increase their versatility, often to the displease of the Gorn.

Gorn born on planets other than Roden have a distinct lack of tusks, this is because they sawn off by slavers to allow operation of more complex mechanisms without their tusks getting in the way. The removal of the tusks would also remove the Gorn's primary weapons, something any slaver would definitely want. It is believed that the Gorn were enslaved upon first contact with other civilisations.