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Orion Lodubyal's Art and Fiction Blog

Search this blog, star trek artists: tips for getting your fan art approved by the brand.

• Avoid actors' faces.
• Avoid controversy, politics, pessimistic themes.
• Focus more on classic original series, or whatever is playing now or coming up (Disco, Picard, Lower Decks.) 
• Avoid crossovers that will require two brands approve.
• Cute/funny/lighthearted themes seem to get through the approval process faster.
• Be patient. It can take months.

Hi. Thanks for this guide. Who do you actually submit your art to? I have some Trek designs, but Redbubble and TeePublic rejected them outright. Do you present them to the selling site or did you approach CBS/Star Trek. I’m just looking to make them sellable, not licenced.

Very few of my designs, percentage-wise, are actually approved by brand. The only way to get them posted "under the radar" is not to tag them. No Star Trek, no character names, nothing. That's why all my Cardassians are labeled "Murder Lizards". I have more tips on going that route in the post after this one "The Road to Hell is Paved with Quodo". My designs are on Neatoshop, RedBubble and Teepublic and I submit through them - not the brand directly. For designs I know probably won't get approved because they're faces, crossovers or mashups etc., I just don't tag them at all. If they're IDIC symbols or more abstract designs, I give them a shot and tag them Star Trek etc. (be sure to check the fan partnership program guidelines for each website you submit art to.) But bear in mind it is very, very risky to post art without brand approval. I lost my entire store on Society6 for a design that got noticed by the brand. If you're not up for taking that kind of risk, don't try it. Keep trying the legitimate way. Teepublic and RedBubble support are both good about answering questions, though they can't always be specific. You can ask them if Star Trek is currently rejecting all art right now or if they're looking only for art for particular shows, that kind of thing. They may be able to give you some help. Good luck!

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What are the Orion in Star Trek? Explained

It used to be that if a Star Trek fan talked about an Orion character, they then had to explain the concept of fetishization in sci-fi TV. The concept of the ‘Orion slave girl’ goes way back to Captain Pike sitting around with a bunch of sleazy guys as they leer at an undulating green woman.

Vina (Susan Oliver) was the first Orion ever introduced into Star Trek , but she certainly wasn’t the last. She was, however, the most influential. From The Next Generation to Discovery , the image of the half-dressed or ne’er-do-well Orion has persisted for years. Only recently has that started to change with new Star Trek TV shows .

Who are the Orion in Star Trek ?

They are a green-skinned race of otherwise humanoid beings from the planet Orion. The only thing more advanced than their society is the pervasive stereotypes about them as individuals. There’s the overly sexualized Orion walking around half-dressed, and there’s the stealing Orion with a passion for piracy.

The Original Series brought them in with an emphasis on their seductive nature. Shows like Voyager and Enterprise later gave them a dark edge of criminal tendencies. Newer shows, though, have allowed Orion characters to become more complex. Some like crime, some join Starfleet, and others just want to have a good time.

Related : What are the Trill in Star Trek ? Explained

Notable Orion Characters in Star Trek

Lower Decks has truly taken the cake with Lt. D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells). This newly promoted ensign is on the upward track of her Starfleet career and only time will tell just how far she goes. She’s also one of the first Orion officers that we see in a position of power. In season 4, episode 4, “Something Borrowed, Something Green” we even got a rare glimpse into Orion wedding rituals and their wild club life.

However, not all the new Orion characters deviate from the established norm. Osyraa (Janet Kidder) was the leader of the Orion crime syndicate in Discovery . Her favorite pastime was breaking rules and getting rich (as well as enslaving people). Further explanation of this crime group would require a completely different conversation and a rewatch of Deep Space Nine . Just know that they were bad to the bone.

Starfleet represents the social progress of Humans. At the same time, it often highlights just how much work is yet to be done for other alien races. The easiest explanation is that Orion characters will continue to evolve within Star Trek . They just have a lot of stereotypes to beat in the process.

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Published Sep 22, 2023

Below Deck with Lower Decks: The Scent of Love

Some (not all!) Orion women emit their stink in order to manipulate others.

SPOILER WARNING: Discussion for Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 4, Episode 4 "Something Borrowed, Something Green" to follow!

StarTrek.com

It’s time to sound the wedding bells on this week’s all-new episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks !

Specifically, it’s D’Erika, Tendi’s sister, who’s getting married. Even though Tendi really, really doesn’t want to travel to the Orion home world for the ceremony, Captain Freeman grants her leave to do just that. The Cerritos ’ new Vulcan officer, T’Lyn, asks to accompany Tendi so that she might observe Orion culture firsthand and report that information to her Vulcan superiors. Then Mariner invites herself along for the ride, because Mariner. Girls trip!

"Something Borrowed, Something Green"

Once they arrive on the Orion home world, Mariner and T’Lyn get a firsthand look at what all the fuss is about. T’Lyn is intrigued to learn that some (not all!) Orion women are able to control men through the use of pheromones they emit, which so affects the men that they’re basically placed under a spell, susceptible to the woman’s wishes. Example:

“ Get your nasty gym clothes off the floor. ” “ On it, my queen! ” “ And go to therapy, while you’re at it. ” “ Great idea! ”

"The Menagerie, Part II"

The Orion species has been an interesting if mysterious part of the Star Trek mythos from the very beginning of the whole thing. Fans of the Original Series know we got our first look at an Orion woman in the original 1964 pilot, “The Cage,” which featured Captain Christopher Pike and a somewhat different crew of the Starship Enterprise than we’d end up seeing every week.

While captured and under the influence of the enigmatic Talosians, Pike is manipulated via illusion to see another prisoner, Vina, appear in many forms, including an Orion slave woman. We didn’t know this at the time the pilot was produced, or even when footage from the film was incorporated into the original Star Trek series’ first-season episode, “The Menagerie.” However, looking at that episode now in light of what’s come along since then? Yeah, Vina — or the Talosian illusion of her, at least — was totally putting the pheromones to Pike.

It was a whole mood, y’all.

( We pause here to wonder if Captain Pike and his crew might get their own TV show, one day. Nah. It’s been almost 60 years. That’ll never happen. Ever. Right? )

"The Time Trap"

“The Pirates of Orion,” the second-season premiere episode of the animated Star Trek series from 1974, featured our favorite green aliens, but they came off as fairly generic bad guys facing off against Kirk and the Enterprise .

Another Orion woman, Devna, appeared in an earlier animated episode, “The Time Trap.” However, she was not portrayed in a manner anything like what we saw with Vina. Saturday morning cartoon, folks. Impressionable young minds, and all that.

"Bound"

It wasn’t until 2004 that we got our first deep dive into Orion culture. In the fourth-season Star Trek: Enterprise episode “ Bound ,” we learn that Orion women aren’t actually slaves, but instead use that ruse as a way of making adversaries underestimate them by thinking it’s the men who are in charge of Orion society. What fiends! They had us fooled this whole time!

As for Tendi, we learn in this week’s episode that she doesn’t possess the ability to emit the pheromones; though, it hasn’t seemed to have affected her dating game back home. Not only that, but she knows how to whip up a snappy compound which can canter the pheromones effects! Needless to say, that sort of thing doesn’t go over well everywhere on the Orion home world. Say it, don’t spray it. Know what I mean?

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Dayton Ward (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling author or co-author of numerous novels and short stories including a whole bunch of stuff set in the Star Trek universe, and often collaborating with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore. As he’s still a big ol' geek at heart, Dayton is known to wax nostalgic about all manner of Star Trek topics over on his own blog, The Fog of Ward .

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

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Orion (Star Trek)

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• 3 Canon appearances
• 4 Non-canon info

History [ ]

Orion females are known through the galaxy for their beauty and for releasing strong pheromones which make their attraction particularly hard to resist. In at least some occasions, the Orions have been able to take advantage of this to persuade others to do what they want. Orions are a cunning, dangerous and opportunistic species, frequently found involved with conspiracy, piracy and slavery of other species as well as their own. Up until the 23rd century, they tried hard to hide their criminal activities and present themselves as politically neutral. Orion pirates would go to the extreme of committing both murder and suicide in order to maintain the faux image of neutrality of their species.

This apparently changed after the failed incidents on way to the Babel Conference in "Journey to Babel", in which an Orion spy masquerading as an Andorian murdered the Tellarite ambassador in an attempt to prevent Coridan from joining the Federation; so that the Orions could continue to commercially exploit that planet. Decades later, the illegal activities of the Orions had become well known, and the Orion Syndicate was openly acknowledged as one of the most powerful and feared criminal organizations in the Quadrant. Dialogue from a few episodes (e.g. TOS - "What Are Little Girls Made Of"; TAS - "Yesteryear") appears to suggest that the Orion civilization was (possibly still is) a prosperous, scientifically advanced society.

It is further possible that, at least in the scientific field they have a nice relationship with other species; since an episode of Voyager makes mention of the Orion Institute of Cosmology which accepts Human students. At least for the 22nd century, the Orions operated in an area of space adjacent to the Klingon Empire.

In the mirror universe, they were one of the species conquered by the Terran Empire. In the alternative timeline introduced in J. J. Abrams' Star Trek quasi-reboot film it appears that Orions have somehow become members of the Federation.

Gallery [ ]

Canon appearances [ ]

• "The Cage" (actually an illusion)
• "The Menangerie, Part II" (flashback from "The Cage")
• "Journey to Babel" (disguised as an Andorian)
• "Whom Gods Destroy"
• "The Time Trap"
• "The Pirates of Orion"
• "Borderland"
• "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
• Star Trek (2009 film)

Non-canon info [ ]

Non-canonical works set in the Star Trek universe have greatly expanded what is known about the Orion race, making such interesting claims as to the existence of several other color varieties other than green; the idea that the Orions would often absorb other humanoid species with their own within a single government; that Orion blood could be either orange or green and copper-based much like that of Vulcans ; and that their cells contain chlorophyll (indicating that they either are or evolved from phototrophic lifeforms) and are able to absorb light in the ultraviolet spectrum, which is consistent with the most well known stars in the Orion Belt being huge blue stars which emit highly energetic radiation.

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• Orion culture

Orion language

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Orion language referred to a number of languages used by the Orion civilizations of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants .

• 2 Interpreters and speakers
• 4 Other translations and examples
• 5 Loan Words
• 6 Connections

Variants [ ]

The major divisions of the primary Orion language were High Orion and Low Orion. High Orion was used by the upper class and in diplomacy, negotiation and on formal occasions. High Orion was also used among Ruddy Orions as their conversational day to day language to further distinguish themselves from the Green and Gray Orions as the dominant upper class. Low Orion was used in passing in everyday life, spoken by lower classes, primarily by Greens and Grays, but used informally by all. While similar and with the same words, pronunciations were different. High Orion often sounded musical and lyrical, with flowery terms, precise rules for grammar and careful shades of meaning. Low Orion, however, had more nasal and exhaled language sounds, broader vowels and was generally much simpler and cruder. Both were trickier than they appeared. ( FASA RPG - The Orions module : Book of Common Knowledge )

In the Orion language itself, this was called Kolari. Some Orions chose to speak older and more antiquated or poetic forms such as High Kolari or Imperial Kolari, primarily to score social points or confuse non-speakers. In any language, they enjoyed ornate speech and veiled insults. ( Decipher RPG module : Aliens )

The Orion language was full of double meanings, ambiguities, intentionally vague words and interpretations that depended on context. There were no single words for 'yes' or 'no', but were instead qualified as, for example, 'yes, if...' and 'no, but...'. It was said to be an excellent debating language, though with no direct answers. It was well-suited for concealing motive and meaning.

It was also a good swearing language. Low Orion had more base words and vile epithets, but High Orion had a sophisticated cursing case that could be used to deliver delicate and elaborate insults in ambiguous terms. These were sometimes in verse, and counted as works of art, but were rarely heard by non-Orions.

In general, Orions preferred not to use their language around others, as it could confuse aliens. Instead, they spoke the alien language to be polite and understand the other's way of thinking. ( FASA RPG - The Orions module : Book of Common Knowledge )

There was a 'backcountry' dialect that is spoken by provincial commoners. ( TOS novel : Crossroad )

Trader's Tongue was a variation used in business. Related to this was the written language, Trader's Script , as well as Trader's Measure . ( TOS novel : Prime Directive )

Another variation was Yrevish . Ambassador Spock felt that it was important to have an interpreter fluent in Orion Yrevish in the Federation delegation to PojjanPiraKot . ( TNG - Double Helix novel : Red Sector )

A common Orion language was called Orion Prime . In the Kelvin timeline , Cadet Nyota Uhura spoke to Cadet Gaila in it. ( TOS novelization : Star Trek )

Orion language tended to have a guttural, sibilant quality (this may be specific to reptilian Orions ). In the Priam IV test at Starfleet Academy , Cadet Tasha Yar attempted to operate a computer on an Orion boat, but didn't recognize the Orion language. When the computer issued a vocal query, she reacted with the common Human exclamation "ssh", which matched one of the computer's Orion language voice commands. This set off an alarm, as the Orion signal for danger was apparently to hiss like a snake. ( TNG novel : Survivors )

Interpreters and speakers [ ]

Due to the large number of Starfleet encounters with Orions beginning in the 22nd century , many members of Starfleet were schooled in spoken Orion. Notable personnel with instruction in this language included Nyota Uhura , James T. Kirk , Wanda Worrenstill , Marvin Wanglestien , Kristine Reardon , Stoan , Jack Thompson and C'Raal . By the 24th century , Orion language was a second year elective course at Starfleet Academy . ( FASA RPG modules : Cadet's Orientation Sourcebook , The Strider Incident , Decision at Midnight , Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual )

Klingons also learned Orion to help in their dealings with that civilization. Klingon Empire personnel with instruction in this language included Madra tai -Vurstic , Kagga sutai -Formorax , Kepel zantai -Venonn and K'Zinh sutai -Velai . ( FASA RPG modules : Termination: 1456 , Decision at Midnight , The Triangle )

Many other civilians and members of non-aligned powers were noted to have been instructed in Orion, such as Kellie Louise Baker of Baker's World ; Bhind'rr of Lanroche VIII ; free traders Thorapolis Creole , Wilton Tull and Linda Robbins , Dirk of Remfry , Jonny Farlo of Jonny's Retreat , Jonas Elley and Lee Willson of Mantiev ; Captain Patch of the Dark Phoenix ; Jean Carislon of Jemison ; Q'Kuattr ; Zeenne ; Selene Trikaka and T'planna . ( FASA RPG modules : Decision at Midnight , The Triangle )

Manager Friel of Wagner Trading Post was prone to swearing in Orion, with passable pronunciation. She did so once in the 2260s upon hearing that a merchant starship convoy had been attacked by Klingons . ( TOS novel : Dreams of the Raven )

Hikaru Sulu also knew some Orion curses, and used them when experiencing difficulty piloting in 2270 , testing the Wraith -class shuttlecraft . ( TOS - The Lost Years novel : Traitor Winds )

Glossary [ ]

Coming from a range of sources, these terms may not all be from the same Orion language.

Other translations and examples [ ]

The word 'stealing' in either the English language or Federation Standard was translated by the Orions into their term for 'getting paid'. ( TOS novel : Doctor's Orders )

'Discount goods' was the translation of the Orion word for things that did not work. ( FASA RPG module : The Klingons )

There was no one word for 'spite' in the Orion language, and the concept of doing something for nothing was difficult to explain and for Orions to understand. However, they could easily conceive of it as a type of revenge and readily practiced it. ( FASA RPG - The Orions module : Book of Deep Knowledge )

"Shandaken, dgr'xt en. K'laxm f'dactla en str'ln axltr'dn. Pr'dyn dgreilt jarras'tla en axm b'rerr– " Uhura translated this message and said "He's telling them [lead by Police Commander Shandaken ] to give up. He says he wants them to go back to Orion, where they can all be charged with high treason–" ( TOS novel : Death Count )

Loan Words [ ]

After developing a love for the culture of Earth up to the 20th century , the Orions picked up some slang words of the Human languages, particularly from Russian and American .

The Orion language was often mistaken by the unfamiliar for Rigellian, the language of the Rigellians . ( FASA RPG - The Orions module : Book of Common Knowledge )

Connections [ ]

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last updated 01/26/2024

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The D'Var type was a type of scout ship utilized by the Orions during the mid- 23rd century . It was also identified as a science vessel .

• 1 Technical data
• 2 Ships of the class
• 3.1 Appearances
• 3.2 Background information
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External link

Technical data [ ]

This had a unique design, previously unknown to Starfleet , consisting of an oblong primary hull attached by a central "spine" to a large vertical ring, perpendicular to the primary hull, which contained the ship's propulsion system . The propulsion system itself consisted of two four-spoke components, each containing four propulsion units . These two components spun independently of each other while the ship was in flight.

The scout ship's hull was composed of high density trititanium , allowing the vessel to be "cloaked" against Federation sensor probes . This technology was unlike the cloaking device used by the Romulans . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") By the late 24th century , the mean to defeat this deficiency was fairly common knowledge in Federation science. ( SNW : " Those Old Scientists ")

While moderately armed with standard phasers , the scout ship was capable of evading both phaser and photon torpedo fire, due to its incredible speed; indeed, capable of traveling at warp 10 in combat. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ")

Ships of the class [ ]

• Unnamed D'Var type starships

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TOS-R : " Journey to Babel "
• SNW : " Those Old Scientists "

Background information [ ]

Originally featured as a "spinning wheel of light", or rather as a "faint glowing blip" (Scene 24, Script draft, 14 September 1967, p. 15) or simply as a "pulsing light" (Scene 15a, Script draft, 20 September 1967, p. 16), the original appearance of the Orion scout ship suffered from the series' budget limitations, having to make do with a fairly simple optical effect, but would ultimately be revised for the remastered episode that aired in 2007 , when the visual was replaced with a full-fledged CGI model .

While footage of the original "spinning wheel" starship optical was recycled in " Patterns of Force ", representing the Ekosian V-2 rocket , the digital artists managed to " remained faithful to the original effect, but embellished it by creating an ingenious ship design that used the spinning lights as a powerful alien propulsion system, " this due in part to their having been given a certain amount of leeway in their design creativity. [1] (X) Responsible for its design was the remastering project's Visual Effects Producer Michael Okuda . [2] The new, digital model itself was constructed at CBS Digital in the Autodesk Maya CGI software. ( Sci-fi & fantasy modeller , Vol. 26, p. 49) In 2015, former Star Trek Producer Dave Rossi made the entire starship database of the remastered Original Series available to Project Manager Ben Robinson for representation in the British partwork publication Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection from Eaglemoss Collections . [3] However, these models, including the Gorn starship, were not quite production and/or print ready as the models needed to be converted into LightWave 3D , the software package of choice for the vast majority of Star Trek digital modelers. Robinson assigned Fabio Passaro , among others, to this chore. [4] The intent of release was made public by Robinson in late May 2015. [5] Thrilled by the prospect that his favorite remastered Original Series design, having coined it an "Orion raider" himself, was considered a prospect for representation in the physical world, designer Okuda was particularly looking forward to this possible outing; " I've always wanted a model of it, " he stated. [6]

The variant seen in SNW : " Those Old Scientists " was designed by the series VFX Art Director William Cheng . [7]

Apocrypha [ ]

The ship was used in the Star Trek Online expansion Agents of Yesterday . In the mission "Return to Babel", players end up boarding the ship to deliver a bomb that the Na'kuhl planted on the Enterprise . The ship's power was revealed to be due to a union with the Na'kuhl themselves. Instead of the ship self-destructing, the bomb that was returned destroyed the ship instead.

External link [ ]

• Orion scout ship at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek's Orions: The Mysterious Pirates Of The Galaxy Explained

I n many ways, Star Trek's most influential aliens are not the Klingons or the Romulans but the Orions: since the first pilot for this Paramount franchise premiered, Trek has mostly portrayed these aliens as either sexy temptresses or fierce pirates. Of course, the onscreen Orion culture has changed so much in recent decades that even the most hardcore Trek fans may not know these aliens' deal. Since being green or figuring out these olive aliens is not easy, we decided to write the definitive guide to Star Trek's Orions.

The Original Appearance Of The Orions

The original pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series , "The Cage," gave us our first glimpse of the Orions…sort of. We say "sort of" because instead of audiences being introduced to an actual alien character, we were introduced to Vina, an injured humanoid whom the natives of Talos IV (very powerful telepaths) made look like an Orion-dancing girl to try to win the affections of Captain Pike. In the early years of the fandom, this helped cement the aliens' reputation as slaves who were often sold to be the sexual playthings of others…a problematic reputation that the franchise would later rectify.

In Star Trek: The Original Series , we only get one more Orion appearance after "The Cage" (and after footage from "The Cage" was reused for "The Menagerie"). In the rather forgettable episode "Whom Gods Destroy," we meet an actual female Orion, much like Vina appeared to be: a green femme fatale who was fully prepared to seduce and kill Captain Kirk to suit her own needs. Interestingly, we weren't introduced to male Orions until the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode “The Pirates of Orion,” in which they were portrayed (shockingly enough) as vicious pirates.

How Orions Changed Over The Decades

For decades, the Star Trek fandom considered Orion culture to be made up of ruthless male pirates and sexy women who were as deadly as they were beautiful. All of this changed in the Enterprise episode "Borderland," which gave us our first live-action look at Orion males while also introducing the idea that Orion society is a matriarchy. This gentle retcon also established that most of the seemingly enslaved Orions in the galaxy were using their pheromones as a way of manipulating other species and basically gaining control over their would-be owners without the owners even knowing it. 

The revelation that Star Trek's Orion women actually ruled their society and were not simply helpless sexual slaves was a relatively progressive retcon, but fans were still left with a binary: the Orion men were still nasty pirates, and Orion women were still mostly known for their sexual powers and prowess. This led to stereotypes perpetuated in the franchise’s very universe, and we see in the Lower Decks episode "Crisis Point" that Orion ensign Tendi gets very annoyed at being stereotyped as a slave pirate in a holodeck program. 

Lower Decks Includes An Orion Crewmember

Of course, in typical Lower Decks fashion, we later discover Tendi was once a pirate known as the Mistress of the Winter Constellations, so the stereotype wasn't that far off. However, it was only when Star Trek: Discovery jumped us 930 years into Starfleet's far-flung future that we saw the heights (and the depths) that the Orions were capable of reaching.

After the events of the Burn (a galaxy-wide event that rendered most dilithium inert), Starfleet and the Federation were hobbled. In the midst of this chaos, the Orions formed the powerful and feared Emerald Chain crime syndicate, and they posed a significant threat to both the Federation they were in conflict with as well as the rest of the galaxy. They were led by the fearless Orion woman Osyraa, but after she was killed in a battle with the Discovery 's crew, the Emerald Chain offered the Federation armistice and emancipated their slaves.

The final season of Star Trek: Discovery may give us a better glimpse of what the Orions are like under new leadership. But even if we don't see the Emerald Chain again anytime soon, this race has established itself as one of the most popular, prominent, and powerful in franchise history. In the meantime, we'll be tuning in to Lower Decks each week to check out the further adventures of best girl Tendi, the Orion heart and soul of the entire show.

The post Star Trek’s Orions: The Mysterious Pirates Of The Galaxy Explained appeared first on GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT .

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