Whereas on the Au(111) surface the molecules show a marked preference for the formation of starphene, on Au(110) the one-dimensional trenches of its reconstruction limit the product structures to those conformed by collinearly fused precursors, which end up polymerizing into one-dimensional nonbenzenoid conjugated polymers. We further provide a detailed characterization of the electronic properties of each of the observed products. This work thus constitutes a substantial advance in the controlled synthesis and the characterization of to date only scarcely investigated organic products of great scientific interest, as applies both to starphenes and to non-benzenoid conjugated polymers.