Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, Episode 9, “Terrarium”
In the penultimate episode of season 3, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brought back the Metrons, the powerful god-like aliens who first appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series. Over the course of his adventures, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) encountered several god-like alien entities who wreaked havoc with the USS Enterprise and her crew.
One of these powerful alien species were known as the Metrons, and they made their Star Trek debut ” alongside the Gorn in TOS season 1, episode 18, “Arena.” Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 9, “Terrarium,” also made use of the Gorn and the Metrons, delivering a story with direct ties to TOS’ “Arena.”
“Terrarium” centers on Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) as she finds herself stranded on a barren alien moon alongside a female Gorn pilot (Warren Scherer). Despite Erica’s near-death experience at the hands of the Gorn in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premiere, she and the Gorn eventually put aside their differences to find a way off the moon.
Who Are The Metrons In Star Trek?
Much about the Metrons remains unknown, including the full extent of their abilities. The Metrons in Star Trek: The Original Series and Strange New Worlds have an androgynous human appearance, although the Metron (Dariush Zaheh) in “Terrarium” tells Ortegas that this is not their true form, which may be noncorporeal.
The Metron (Carole Shelyne) who meets Captain Kirk claims to be around 1,500 years old, suggesting that members of their species have very long life spans. The Metrons are also much older than humanity. The Metron in Strange New Worlds states that their species has inhabited a particular region of space “since long before your species walked upright.”
The Metrons also have access to advanced technology that surpasses the understanding of the United Federation of Planets, but they still have an interest in humanity and other less-advanced species. They orchestrate encounters like Kirk’s and Ortegas’ out of curiosity about species they consider “barbaric,” wanting to see if they can overcome their aggression.
The Metron In Star Trek: The Original Series Explained
In the iconic Star Trek: The Original Series episode, “Arena,” the Metrons transport Captain Kirk and a Gorn Captain to the surface of a rocky asteroid, pitting them against one another in a trial by combat. Although the Gorn is much stronger than Kirk, Kirk uses his superior speed and agility to outmaneuver the lizard-like alien until he devises a plan.
The Metrons allow the Enterprise and the Gorn ship to witness the encounter, and give Kirk and the Gorn Captain the ability to understand one another. The Gorn Captain says that his species only attacked the Federation because Starfleet encroached on their territory, in what they believed could be a precursor to full-scale invasion.
Still, the Gorn keeps attacking Kirk, who eventually builds a make-shift cannon out of material he finds on the planet. Although Kirk has the opportunity to kill the Gorn, he offers him mercy instead, impressing the observing Metrons. A Metron then appears to Kirk and offers him the chance to destroy the Gorn ship, which he also refuses.
The Metron then comments that humanity is “still half savage, but there is hope,” adding, “We will contact you when we are ready.” This leaves the door open for the Metrons to return in a future Star Trek project, perhaps one set in the far future.
The Metron Returned In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Chronologically, Erica Ortegas’ encounter with the Metron in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 9 takes place before Kirk’s, and the Metron provides a plausible explanation for any discrepancies. After Erica and the Gorn work together to alert the Enterprise to their location, Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) arrives with a landing party.
Upon seeing the Gorn, La’an and the landing party immediately fire at the alien, killing her before Ortegas can protest. As Erica rages against the unfairness of it all, everything around her freezes, and a Metron appears. This Metron says that they stranded Ortegas and the Gorn on this moon out of curiosity; they wanted to see what would happen when “two barbaric species” were forced to rely on one another for survival.
The Metron then says that their species needs “more data to determine if the Human and the Gorn will ever find peace.” The powerful being then erases any memory of the Metrons from Erica’s mind and states that they may need to “reset” humanity’s “perception of the Gorn.” This explains why Captain Kirk and his crew had no knowledge of the Gorn in TOS, and why the Metrons performed a similar experiment with the Enterprise captain.
Why The Metron Are So Interested In Humans & The Gorn
Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) faces off with a Gorn in Star Trek: The Original Series, “Arena.”
The Metrons never provide a reason why they have chosen to focus on humanity and the Gorn specifically, although it’s possible they have tested other species as well. The Metrons say they abhor violence and consider species like humans to be “barbaric,” but their curiosity leads them to test these “lesser” species.
The Metrons are not the only god-like species who have developed a fascination with humanity, with Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Q (John de Lancie) being the most obvious example. Perhaps the Metrons have become bored with their own species, leading them to perform experiments on less intelligent species to see how they will behave.
The Metrons could have chosen humanity and the Gorn because of their apparent hatred of one another, and their tendencies to be aggressive and territorial. They wish to see if these barbaric species can move beyond their aggression and achieve their full potential. Whatever the Metrons’ reasoning, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds provides more insight into the powerful aliens and their obvious interest in humanity.
Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman
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