This was originally published in May, but I thought it was worth sharing now that SNW is back on the air. I really like this take - I personally think a lot of people’s perceptions of the message of “Arena” don’t line up with the text of the episode, but I hadn’t considered the argument presented here.
I am always left with the paradox of tolerance here. How do you survive if you show mercy to a group that doesn’t reciprocate? You just leave someone else later to make the hard choice or to be killed, or you’re hoping that thes hunters will decide to go hunt somewhere else. Yet your asymmetrical action actually incentivises them to come back because you have shown they will be spared so it’s a no lose scenario for them.
On the flip side you risk becoming a monster.
The Gorn as originally shown could be any somewhat agressive native interacting with colonists. The Gorn as show in SNW are like the current Russians or historical Nazis, they are going to keep coming, and the horror and death is actually part of their goals.