Lower Decks season 5's premier is October 24, 2024.

In a November 3, 2023 interview, Mike McMahan said about LD season 5, "Yeah, there's some deep-cut Orion stuff. I would highly recommend if you wanna savor every tasting note of the beginning of next season, I would bone up on all the Orion episodes. Even the ones you don't think you need to watch."

@punkonbus1701's post linking to the interview:

https://tenforward.social/@punkonbus1701/111355036112226031

I decided to go through every Star Trek episode and film in which Orions appeared, searching for potential LD season 5 references and easter eggs. I tagged those posts as #LowerDecksOrions. My first such post was on December 4, 2023.

I followed broadcast order, rather than timeline order, because the Orion backstory is built up in this way.

Now, I'm re-visiting those posts as we count down to season 5's premiere.   

#LowerDecksOrion

I found some Orion information that I didn't think much about before. Still, I fully expect to be surprised and delighted by what Mike McMahan and the rest of the talented team brings us in Lower Decks, season five.

Until Star Trek: Lower Decks, Orions were never given much time, nor their culture much exploration, in the Star Trek series and movies. Based on the real world time line, nothing changed about how Orions were represented from "The Cage" (TOS in 1966) until the "Good Shepherd" (VOY in 2000) with the mention of an Orion Institute of Cosmology. Other than providing or indulging in recreational activities, Orion onscreen characters were pirates and criminals until the film Star Trek (2009).

I did not do the Orion outfits shown justice in describing them. I had the realization that I know nothing about fashion, other than basic descriptions -- shirt, coat, pants, skirt, etc. Kudos to the designers and everyone who worked to make the amazing Orion outfits.

2023's "Something Borrowed, Something Green" (Lower Decks) is the first time the Orion homeworld is visited onscreen. D'Vana Tendi is our guide through Orion culture. We'll have to wait for Lower Decks season 5 to learn more. I'm looking forward to it.

I was able to do this series of posts by standing on the shoulders of other Star Trek fans. Thank you all. You are eagle-eyed, astute, and brimming with Star Trek knowledge and trivia.

Thank you for joining me on my exploration of Orions in Star Trek. I hope you enjoyed it. If you saw something I missed about Orions, I'd like to know!

Be well.  

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek

Star Trek: Beyond (2016)

This film occurs in the Kelvin timeline.

🔸 An Orion woman is a Starfleet officer on the USS Enterprise while the ship and crew are completing year three of a five year mission. She has olive green color skin, and auburn or brown color hair. I cannot discern the color of her pupils.

🔸 The Orion officer is first seen on the Enterprise having a falling out with Chekov at the door of the Orion's quarters during their free time. The Orion woman is in her underwear, and Chekov is shirtless. The two likely were in, or beginning, a physical and possibly romantic moment or relationship. What Chekov and the unnamed Orion think about a human and Orion pairing is not stated.

🔸 That same Orion officer is on a planet, captured along with most of the crew of the Enterprise by the primary antagonist of the film. The Orion woman's Starfleet uniform is Sciences blue, with what I think is a duty uniform: Sciences delta on it. The views of the delta are a little blurry. In this time period, rank is shown on the Starfleet uniform's wrist. So far, while she is in uniform, her wrists have not been shown.

🔸 The Orion Starfleet officer is rescued from the planet, and at that time the wrist of her uniform can be seen. Her uniform has no rank stripe (insignia).

That an Orion was made part of the Enterprise crew, and went on the five year mission, is a significant step forward for Orions in Starfleet. However, based on appearances, there are still very few Orions in Starfleet.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

This film occurs in the Kelvin timeline.

🔸 An Orion Starfleet officer in an Operations red color uniform is on the Enterprise. Possibly a female Orion, based on her micro-mini dress uniform. The character is in the far background and kind of blurry. Her hair appears black in color, and her skin is an olive green.

🔸 An Orion civilian woman is seen in San Francisco, after a starship crashes in the city. Her skin is a bright olive green in color, although the brightness of the color likely due to the lighting. Her hair color is auburn. She is wearing a long-sleeve cowl-necked tunic, matching pants, and perhaps black knee-high boots. Her clothing is a marled mix of black, white, and gray, and the fabric looks loose and soft like a knit fabric. The Orion has large, shiny, silver-tone metal cuffs on each wrist, and appear to be jewelry.

While not numerous, there are likely at least some Orion civilians on Earth besides the one shown in the film. The why and how of Orions being on Earth, or in Starfleet at this point of time (analogous to TOS' era in the Prime timeline), is not explained.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm

The Star Trek films I'm covering are all from the Kelvin timeline. The Prime timeline Star Trek films were made when Orions were barely mentioned in Star Trek, and not shown. That time was from 1974 (TAS "The Pirates of Orion") through 2004 (ENT "Borderland"). Prime timeline Star Trek films were released between 1979 ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture") and 2002 ("Star Trek: Nemesis").

Star Trek (2009)

An altering of the timeline happens in 2233, and results in the Kelvin timeline. The film continues in this new timeline, set in what would be the TOS period in the Prime timeline. The main characters from TOS, the United Federation of Planets, and Starfleet are different, but all exist in the Kelvin timeline.

🔸 An Orion woman, named Gaila, is a cadet at Starfleet Academy. Her skin and pupils are olive green in color, with her skin having a yellowish undertone. She has auburn color hair. She appears to wear earrings made of a thin wire, shaped in a gently swooping curve. The earrings appear metallic, silver-tone in color, and are worn while Gaila is in her Starfleet uniform. If the earrings have a cultural meaning to Orions, this is not stated.

🔸 Gaila is shown in her dorm room, at the hearing of a cadet charged with cheating, and in a hanger bay where Gaila is assigned to a Starfleet starship. What may be personal items or mementos can be seen in the dorm room. However, the items are at a distance and blurry. Which items are Gaila's and which are Uhura's is unknown. There are items that may be clothing or fashion accessories under Gaila's bed.

The Orion Starfleet cadet is only referred to as Gaila. Whether that is her first name or surname is not stated. She is the only Orion shown as being in Starfleet at the time. Little information about Gaila is given, other than her being Uhura's roommate at Starfleet and having a moment in a bed with Kirk. It is notable that Orions in the Kelvin timeline entered Starfleet Academy sooner than Orions in the Prime timeline.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm

Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek Theatrical Films

Hello. 🖖🏾

I decided not to cover Lower Decks episodes for #LowerDecksOrions. My series of posts is about mentions of Orions and their society outside of Lower Decks. Perhaps coming across something we'll see in LD season 5. I think D'Vana Tendi is our guide for getting to know Orions in the show Lower Decks.

Tomorrow I will post about Orion appearances in the Star Trek films.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #LowerDecks #StarTrekFilms

Strange New Worlds "Those Old Scientists"

A portal on the planet Krulmuth-B sends Ensign Boimler (from Star Trek: Lower Decks) back around 120 years in his past, where he meets Captain Pike (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) and the crew of the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701.

🔸 Before being sent back in time, Tendi tells Boimler that Orions discovered the portal on Krulmuth-B. And, that her great-grandmother was part of the crew on the Orion ship that discovered the portal. Boimler disagrees, and implies that at the time all Orions were pirates.

🖖🏾 The events below happen in Captain Pike's time. 🖖🏾

🔸 While not at war with each other, Starfleet and Orions are not on friendly terms. During an encounter with an Orion ship over Krulmuth-B, Boimler's statement that not all Orions at the time were pirates is met with skepticism by the Enterprise bridge crew.

🔸 The captain of the Orion ship introduces himself as Captain Harr Caras of the science vessel D'Var. His skin and the pupils of his eyes are olive green in color, and his hair is brown. Captain Caras' clothing is black in color, and tailored, with dull gray metallic decorations on the shoulders of his long coat. An over the shoulder strap has a holster for what appears to be a hand held weapon. The weapon is openly displayed and available for easy access.

🔸 The members of Caras' crew who are seen also wear black color outfits with similar cuts, although each wears a distinctly different style. Whether or not the style differences indicates rank, position, or personal taste is not stated. Both Orions are female, and they have olive green color skin. One has brown hair, and one appears to have black color hair although that may be due to the lighting. I cannot discern the color of their eyes. The Orion crew member seen on the D'Var also wears a hand held weapon openly, and easy to access.

🔸 Pike tells Caras that the Enterprise is in the area because of Orion pirate attacks on Federation colonies. Caras says that Orion pirates give Orions a bad name, and then he beams the portal aboard the D'Var. Not necessarily Orion pirate-y behavior. When Spock reports what Caras did, Caras denies it and warps away. Kind of Orion pirate-y behavior.

🔸 The Enterprise catches up to the D'Var, in an attempt to get the portal back so as to return Boimler to his own time. Hoping to help avoid a violent confrontation, and likely altering his own timeline, Boimler tells Pike that Orions consider an offer of trade as a gesture of respect. The tritriticale grain the Enterprise is taking to a colony is traded to the Orions for the portal. The D'Var and the Enterprise peacefully part ways afterwards.

🔸 Mariner, who is now also in Pike's time, makes a drink called an Orion hurricane. One of the genuine drink's ingredients is an alcoholic beverage named Orion delaq. There is no Orion delaq on the Enterprise, and Mariner improvises the drink's components. The Orion hurricane Mariner makes is green in color. Whether the name comes from the drink's color (which may not be green when Orion delaq is used) or because of the Orion delaq is not stated.

🔸 Boimler makes an unauthorized contact with the Orions, wanting to trade the portal back for the much needed tritriticale grain. Meeting back on Krulmuth-B, Mariner and Boimler explain to Caras that they need to use the portal just once because they are from the future, a future where it is offensive to assume that all Orions are pirates. Pike offers to give credit for the discovery of the portal to Orions, specifically to Orion scientists. Caras is pleased and moved by the offer, and accepts it.

Boimler implies to Tendi that Orions during Captain Pike's time were all pirates. Tendi's concerns about how Orions were and still are perceived, which she expresses over the course of Star Trek: Lower Decks, are not unfounded.

Whether the hand weapons seen worn by Captain Caras and another Orion on the D'Var is something they normally wear, or something they put on before contacting the Enterprise is not stated.

In the episodes of Star Trek I've watched, Orion clothing colors are primarily black and earth tones. Why the preference for that color palette, which continues in the 32nd century, is not explained.

That there are Orion scientists is not surprising. Where those scientists fall in the Orion Syndicate hierarchy, or if they are even a part of it, is not stated. Other than Tendi, at this point Orions in Star Trek have only been observed in few ways. Either as part of the Orion Syndicate or the Emerald Chain (Star Trek: Discovery), or providing or indulging in recreational or criminal activities.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds

Image: Captain Caras and another Orion on the bridge of the D'Var.

Strange New Worlds "The Serene Squall"

Captain Pike and the Enterprise's crew are captured by pirates. One of the pirate leaders is an Orion. The Orion in this episode is notable for his appearance and outfit, which is a different look than what is previously seen with male Orions.

🔸 The Orion pirate is a male named is Remy. His skin and eyes are olive green in color. His hair is a light brown color, and he sports a full beard and moustache. There is a black color band running across his face and eyes, as well as markings on the upper right and left sides of his face that may be letters or symbolic. The markings on his face might be tattoos or cosmetics. Remy's shirt and pants are orange and shades of brown. Possibly made of a heavy cloth or a worn leather. Remy also wears a heavy vest over the shirt. The vest looks to be interwoven black and gray cloth, with large shoulder pads decorated with dull metallic gray nuggets. The gray material of the vest might be metallic. Remy wears a round locket or medallion on a chain around his neck. I cannot discern the details on it.

🔸 The pirate gang in this episode is made up of a number of different species. This group does not seem to be a direct arm of the Orion Syndicate.

Non-Orion members of the pirate crew also have the black color band across their face, so that may or may not be an Orion based practice.

Remy says that a whitish gruel he makes is an Orion specialty. The specific ingredients of the dish are not stated.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds

Prodigy "Supernova, Part 2"

🔸 The female Orion Starfleet officer, wearing a Sciences uniform, is a lieutenant. She is at Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco, during a meeting about the status of the crew of the Protostar. She appears to be the same Orion seen in previous Prodigy episodes.

🔸 The same Orion officer is in a group outside Starfleet headquarters watching the return of the Protostar crew to Earth. She is also at the trial of the Protostar's young crew members. As well as being present when Zero, the Medusan, tries out their new containment suit.

🔸 This episode provides the clearest and closest view of the Orion Starfleet officer. Her pupils are a slightly deeper green than her skin color. Her lips and finger nails are a deeper shade of green, but that might be due to cosmetics. Her hair color appears black, with a greenish cast to it.

The Orion officer is a representation of Orions in Starfleet at this point. Few in number, and moving up the ranks but not at the higher echelon of the Starfleet command structure.

It has been around 120 years since Orions were generally considered to be, " ... delinquents, pirates, slave traders," by Starfleet. (DSC S1E15).

Whether the lack of Orion Starfleet officers is due to individual Orions only recently joining Starfleet; a lack of interest in joining Starfleet by the majority of Orions; or Starfleet gating how many Orions can join Starfleet is not stated.

#LowerDecksOrions #StarTrek #StarTrekProdigy

Image: The Orion officer.