Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has revealed the episode titles for season 2, including the finale, "Hegemony" which hints at a potential but huge Star Trek: The Original Series retcon. Meriam-Webster defines hegemony as "the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group", which could easily refer to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the USS Enterprise freeing an oppressed civilization. However, it's more likely that the finale title refers to the Gorn Hegemony, the territory of the vicious reptilian species first encountered by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in the classic TOS episode "Arena".
The Gorn have emerged as the big threat in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, playing an integral role in the tragic backstory of Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) and killing off beloved Enterprise engineer Hemmer (Bruce Horak). As Kirk was the first Starfleet officer to make official First Contact with the Gorn, the SNW writers have had to be creative with how they approach the Enterprise's encounters with the brutal reptiles. So far, they've only faced off against Gorn starships and untamed hatchlings, but the title of the finale heavily implies that the Enterprise will be entering their territory in Strange New Worlds season 2. If they do, then it could massively retcon Kirk's First Contact with the Gorn in "Arena".
