When or where do I set a prefab script subclass property?

Questions & Answers
1

I have a GargoylePrefab in Unity that is assigned to a list of objects in my component Units. The prefab has a Gargoyle script attached to it (which inherits from the abstract Enemy).
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I am having trouble setting the inherited property EnemyType Type in my GargoylePrefab object according to the script. When I try accessing the script component of the prefab and logging its Type property, I get an unexpected/unwanted result ( Invalid instead of Gargoyle).
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Am I setting the value in the wrong place? I have also tried setting it in Gargoyle.Awake() but the result is the same. How do I fix this problem?
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See below for implementation overview:

// EnemyType.cs
public enum EnemyType { Invalid, Gargoyle }

// Enemy.cs
public abstract class Enemy : MonoBehaviour {
    // Because EnemyType's first definition is "Invalid"
    // Subclasses of Enemy have to set their type to something else
    // to avoid having an unwanted or undefined type
    public EnemyType Type { get; protected set }
    ...
}  

// Gargoyle.cs
public class Gargoyle : Enemy {
    private void Start() {
        Type = EnemyType.Gargoyle;
    }
}  

// Units.cs
public class Units : MonoBehaviour {
    public GameObject[] EnemyPrefabs;

    public void OutputPrefabTypes() {
        // This is just a method for testing.
        // I -know- only one GameObject (GargoylePrefab) is in the array.
        foreach (GameObject prefab in EnemyPrefabs) {
            Enemy genericRef = prefab.GetComponent<Enemy>();
            Gargoyle gargoyleRef = prefab.GetComponent<Gargoyle>();

            Debug.Log(genericRef.Type);  // Expected: Gargoyle, Actual: Invalid
            Debug.Log(gargoyleRef.Type); // Expected: Gargoyle, Actual: Invalid
        }
    }
}
2

Possible cause: OutputPrefabTypes is called before Gargoyle.Start Thus it has the default value of EnemyType. Fixes: either set Gargoyle’s execution order to a smaller value so it’s called sooner (could get messy if you have many scripts) or make sure Gargoyle is initialized before calling any methods on it.

3

The lack of instantiation of the prefabs stored in EnemyPrefabs is the issue, as Start() and Awake() lifecycle methods are only called on instantiated instances of the prefab.
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The solution is a design change:

public abstract class Enemy : MonoBehaviour {
    public abstract EnemyType GetEnemyType();
    ...
}  

public class Gargoyle : Enemy {
    public override EnemyType GetEnemyType() {
        return EnemyType.Gargoyle;
    }
}

And then calling GetComponent<Enemy>().GetEnemyType(). Doing this provides the desired results.