Phase Pistol

Another Classic Star Trek post… this time featuring the Gorn from the episode "Arena"!

"Arena" is a fan favorite because it's got all the classic Trek elements… Enterprise under attack, Kirk forced to fight hand-to-hand with an alien lizard man… and of course that familiar Vasquez Rocks location.

Here's a rare shot of the Gorn suit when it was being built by prop wizard Wah Chang. Note the blood-red eyes (changed to disco-ball rhinestone-studded eyes before filming), and the ventilation holes down the front (which would be hidden by the creature's Gorn Garment).

An original Gorn foam-rubber mask was auctioned in a Profiles in History auction earlier this year. The mask had been owned by Fred Clarke, publisher of "Cinefantastique" magazine.

Photo credits: "Star Trek Sketchbook" by Solow, Profiles in History