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Star Trekhas fed our creative imaginations for the past 60 years in an endless litany of exploratory stories stretching out into strange new worlds across the intergalactic universe. And while that in itself is an entertaining prospect, the realities of the world outside often clash with the illusions of these imagined stories.
![Star Trek: The Original Series – A still from the episode Arena [Credit: NBC]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/19151846/Star-Trek-The-Original-Series-%E2%80%93-A-still-from-the-episode-Arena-Credit-NBC-1024x771.jpeg)
However, what started in 1966 with the premiere ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesis a story neither impossibly unreal nor fantastical. With its roots embedded in physics and scientific curiosity, some aspects of the franchise often come off as strange premonitions of a more scientifically advanced Earth.
Star TrekForeshadows a Real-World NASA Discovery
Helmed as one of the best episodes in the entireStar Trekfranchise, including film and television,Star Trek: The Original SeriesSeason 1 episodeArenastands out due to its unique premise between the ever-familiar Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise and an unknown alien, known as Gorn.
The ensuing trial by combat that the two champions must then face after entering into uncharted territory is a mid-20th century combination ofHunger Games,Maze Runner, andSurvivor.
![Star Trek episode Arena: The Gorn traps Captain Kirk [Credit: NBC]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/19151858/Star-Trek-Arena-The-Gorn-traps-Captain-Kirk-Credit-NBC-1024x768.jpg)
While the episode in itself remains a fascinating spectacle of the glory of theStar TrekIP and its brilliant characters,Arenaalso came attached with a ton of lore and data to be added to the canon viaThe Original Series. Among the new lore was the backstory about Gorn’s alien species, the new unexplored planet Cestus III, and their evolved inhabitants, the Metrons.
InArena,William Shatner’s Captain Kirk and Gorn’s trial by combat left each party hunting the other with no weapons or resources available at hand other than the ones that the strange planet provides. In the process, each character ends up discovering a wealth of resources on the planet, ranging from diamonds to bamboo, that they then use to strike down each other’s enemies.
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While an interesting episode in itself,Arenaalso becomes a somewhat precautionary tale when it comes to the real-world scenario that we live in and how the exploration of space and new, uncharted, and unexplored planets also presents us with an abundance of resources to claim as our own.
Recent NASA Discovery Repeats aStar TrekStoryline
On June 16, 2025, the Curiosity Mars roverdiscovered a surprisehidden beneath the rocky desert terrains of the Gediz Valley Channel of the red planet. After driving over some shiny rocks and cracking one open, piles of pure sulfur were found within — a discovery that had never been made on Mars before.
Understandably, the excitement of a new discovery on an alien planet has led some sci-fi fans to immediately find a connection to the existing lores and mythologies, especially within theStar Trekfranchise.
![Captain Kirk defeats the Gorn [Credit: NBC]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/19152029/Captain-Kirk-defeats-the-Gorn-Credit-NBC-1024x768.jpg)
According to a Reddit user namedIAmABurdenOnSociety, a fun theory was proposed that mixes reality with fiction, highlighting how close the human species is to the imaginary era shown in theStar TrekIPs:
So NASA found elemental sulfur in convenient piles in an unexpected sulfur oasis in the Martian desert.Just like Captain Kirk found sulfur in convenient piles on planet in that TOS episode “Arena.”Does this mean we have to fight Gorn to colonize Mars? I hope this means we have to fight Gorn.
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While an interesting proposition, a 21st-century Earth is hardly equipped to understand the physics behind hyperspace travel, let alone take on a vicious new alien species in a one-on-one battle to the death.
Star Trek: The Original Seriesis available to stream on Paramount+
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2410
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
