Codex: Gorn Confederacy Thread - Klingon Academy II: Empire at War mod for Star Trek: Armada II

******************************
CODEX: GORN
******************************

Note: The Gorn are a species of three castes, all descended from a common ancestor. These castes are viewed equally, although there are some physical and mental traits that mean some caste members are more suited to some positions than others. While viewed as primitive by some outsiders, the Gorn are an advanced, civilised species, governed by a constitutional monarchy of the sovereign, at the time this document was written, King Glormaskt. Glormaskt reigned for some 86 years, until his death (due to extreme old age) in 2320. Having served through a plethora of wars with the Romulans (asertained by most historians to be atleast 5), the Organian Conflict, the War of Pacification, the General War and the Tomed War (known in Federation databanks as the Tomed Incident), Glormaskts dying wish was that the Gorn and Federation celebrate their 50 year alliance with a more permenant joining. While there was some reservations among the Gorn people, in 2325 the Gorn Confederacy joined the United Federation of Planets. While ceasing to exist as a seperate entity and being relatively few in number, the Gorn distinguished themselves as powerful marines and brave captains during the Dominion War. They are also talented designers, with the Defiant Class being designed with the assistance of several highly successful Gorn captains.

Further Note: All vessels of the Gorn Royal Navy served from the time of writing, to amalgamation in 2325.

"Beak" Type

The Gorn are straightforward people, and this shows in their ship designs. The most common design for their lighter starships is the "Beak" Design. The King Snake Class Frigate is the best example of this type. A slight variation on these theme is the Grendel Class Dreadnought, at completely the other end of the spectrum to the King Snake. Other vessels based heavily on this sort of hull are the Cobra, Asp and Python Class starships (Cargo Ship, Assault Transport and Colony Ship Classes respectively), which use a "Beak" hull with a large cargo section attached to the front (much like a barge being pushed by a tug). The Viper Class Pseudo Fighter is also a "Beak" type vessel.

"Boat" Type

A development of the "Beak" type, the "Boat" type has a deeper boat bow shaped hull, rather than a pointed beak. Good examples of these type of vessel are the Anaconda Class Destroyer, Rattlesnake Class Light Cruiser, and Gecko Class repair ship.

"Beam" Type

The most archetypal Gorn vessel, the "Beam" type is best represented with the Euromastyx Class Heavy Cruiser and Reptillon Class Torpedo Cruiser. These designs are often favoured for utility types, such as the Adder Class Freighter.

In several Gorn designs, the "Beam" type is combined with other types of Gorn ship, for example the "Beam and Beak" seen in the King Grendel Class Battleship, and the "Beam and Boat" seen in the Beowuulf Class Command Cruiser. These designs are often the simplest (the Gorn favouring the simple, rugged solution to the complex, elegant one) solutions to creating designs to fill gaps in the Royal Navy's lineup.

"Bird" Type

An odd type, only seen in one class of vessel, the Lizard Class Construction Ship. Previously a Romulan design, this ship was copied by the Gorn, and has since been phased out by the Romulan Star Empire. Named "Bird" purely for its heritage, not its shape.