Orion (Star Trek)

Star Trek race|if=
Name=Orions


Caption=Yvonne Craig as Marta, a green Orion slave girl
Planet=Orion
Affiliation=None

Orions are a green-skinned, alien species in the Star Trek universe. An Orion was first portrayed as an illusion in the original "Star Trek" pilot, but wasn't seen in the broadcast series until this original pilot was incorporated into a two-part episode (episodes 11 and 12) in the first season. Orions have also been portrayed in ', ' and "".

Episodes

Orions are portrayed or referenced in the following episodes and films, given in the order produced:
*"" (the 1966 series)
**"The Cage"
**"The Menagerie"
**"Journey to Babel"
**"Whom Gods Destroy"
*""
**"The Pirates of Orion"
*""
**"Shadowplay"
**"Little Green Men"
**"The Ascent"
**"A Simple Investigation"
**"Call To Arms"
**"Honor Among Thieves"
**"Prodigal Daughter"
*""
**"Borderland"
**"Bound"
**""
**"In a Mirror, Darkly"
*"Star Trek" (the eleventh film) [cite web | url=http://trekmovie.com/2007/12/17/nichols-is-an-orion-morrison-is-winona-kirk/ | title=Nichols Is An Orion + Morrison Is Kirk’s Mom | date=2007-12-17 | accessdate=2007-12-17 | format=html | publisher=TrekMovie.com]

Orions

Orions have green skin, and the males of the species can be larger and stronger than humans. In the Star Trek universe, first contact with humans occurred in 2154 when the Enterprise (NX-01) encountered the Orion Syndicate following the kidnapping of T'Pol and eight other crewmembers to be sold as slaves ("Star Trek: Enterprise" episode "Borderland"). Both Orion slave traders and their slave girls appear later in the same season, in the episode "Bound". However, the first portrayal of an Orion was in the originally unbroadcast Star Trek pilot "The Cage". This pilot was incorporated into a two-part episode "The Menagerie".

The first appearance of a genuine Orion may be that of Thelev (William O'Connell), a spy/assassin surgically altered to appear as an Andorian for the original-series episode "Journey to Babel". Mr. Spock speculated on Thelev's origins, though the issue was unproven at the end of the episode.

In the Mirror Universe depicted in the "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode, "In a Mirror, Darkly", a female Orion is seen as a crewmember aboard the ISS "Avenger", a Terran Empire starship. She is subsequently killed when the "Avenger"'s alien crewmembers attempt to mutiny against the Terran Empire and the ship is destroyed.

Orions (who look distinctly different, though still green) also appear in the episode "", which is considered a non-canonical reference.

Females

Vina (Susan Oliver) takes the form of an Orion slave girl in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage", although she wasn't identified as such in the pilot until the footage is used again in "The Menagerie". Marta (Yvonne Craig) was a green-skinned seductive woman in "Whom Gods Destroy" but her species was not identified. Orion slave girls appear again in the franchise in the "Enterprise" episode "", and the episode "" revolves around a trio of Orion slave girls. [cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/9400.html|title=Production Report: Orion Slave Girls "Bound" for Glory|accessdate=2007-10-08|date=2005-01-24|publisher=Viacom] Orion slave girls are mentioned in dialog in episodes of "", including "" and "".

Orion females are in particularly high demand as consorts and entertainment. Dialog in "The Menagerie" describes the Orion slave girls as "vicious, seductive" and that "they say no human male can resist them." The plot of "Bound" reveals that their seductive prowess stems in large part from the pheromones they release. These pheromones also have an incapacitating effect on males of most other species (Vulcans at least are immune). Orion women are known for their wiles and sexual appetites. An illusory Orion slave girl was one of the very first aliens to be seen in "Star Trek" when one appeared in the first "Trek" pilot episode, "The Cage".

Culture

Not much has been revealed of Orion culture. Orion pirates often harassed and attacked early Earth cargo ships ("Enterprise", "Horizon"). Stock for the Orion slave trade is obtained mostly through kidnapping of other species. If slaves don't command a high enough price at auction, they can be sold as food.Marta in "Whom Gods Destroy" declares that since Kirk is her lover, she must kill him. Garth, disguised as Spock comments that her race seems to have found a way to ensure male fidelity. However, since she is in an asylum, this could just be something she does. Also, her race is never determined.

The Orion Syndicate

The Orion Syndicate is a criminal organisation operated by Orions. An organization steeped in mystery, it was an important political power in the twenty-second and twenty-third centuries; by the twenty-fourth century it had obtained a similar reputation to Earth's Mafia and the organization no longer consisted solely of Orions but of species from many other worlds. The long list of criminal activities credited to the Orion Syndicate include the kidnapping and selling of Starfleet crew members, assassinations, protection rackets, smuggling, and piracy.

This organization was first encountered by the "Enterprise" in the year 2154. In the "" episode "Borderland", it was mentioned that the Orion Syndicate operates in the "Borderland"—a volatile region of space bordering the Klingon Empire.

In the "" episode "Honor Among Thieves", Miles O'Brien of the United Federation of Planets space station Deep Space Nine was assigned by Starfleet Intelligence to infiltrate an Orion Syndicate cell in order to discover the identity of a mole in Starfleet who had been leaking information to the Syndicate.

Episodes

*""
**"Shadowplay"
**"Little Green Men"
**"The Ascent"
**"A Simple Investigation"
**"Call To Arms"
**"Honor Among Thieves"
**"Prodigal Daughter"
*""
**"Borderland"
**"Bound"

The Orion Syndicate also plays a significant role in the "" novel "Well of Souls", in which the "Enterprise"-C gets caught in a "turf war" between the Syndicate and a crime organization based on a human colony outside the Federation.

Begin 2

In the 1988 computer game "Begin 2", which simulates tactical starship combat within the Star Trek universe, the Orion Pirates (the word "syndicate" is never used) are one of the playable fleets. They are characterised by the use of small, fast combat ships supported by extremely large (but unwieldy) vessels designed for grappling and boarding. Their weapons are of less power and range than those of other fleets, but their phasers have a higher rate of fire. They are also characterised by a high degree of insubordination when the player attempts to issue orders.

References

External links