A gargoyle was a decorative sculpture, often in the form of a real or mythological animal or monster, that adorned the roofs and uppermost levels of buildings. They formed part of the drainage system by directing rainwater away from the walls and main body of the building. (TOS comic: "The Fallen"; ST - New Worlds, New Civilizations short story: "A Dry Day on Ferenginar")
Notable examples[]
In the year 2254, several crewmembers from the USS Enterprise visited New York City on Earth. José Tyler pointed out the gargoyles on the Chrysler Building were styled after Plymouth automobile hood ornaments, whereas Spock noted that the gargoyles resembled Taguan effigies of the Great Bird of the Galaxy. (TOS comic: "The Fallen")
In the 2350s, the Federation embassy building on planet PojjanPiraKot had a large gargoyle on its roof. (TNG - Double Helix novel: Red Sector)
Gargoyles were plentiful on buildings of Ferenginar. Many were large-eared, like the Ferengi themselves, and they spouted copious amounts of water due to the high amount of rainfall the planet received. The Tower of Commerce was home to the most striking collection of gargoyles around. (ST - New Worlds, New Civilizations short story: "A Dry Day on Ferenginar")
References and comparisons[]
In 2168, MACOs from Columbia stranded on the Caeliar city ship Axion were compared to gargoyles as they perched along a rooftop. (ST - Destiny novel: Gods of Night)
In June 2376 aboard Deep Space 9, Quark likened Taran'atar to a gargoyle as the Jem'Hadar waited, as still as a statue, outside one of the holosuites. (DS9 - Mission Gamma novel: Twilight)
External links[]
- Gargoyle article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Gargoyle article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.