Orion was an inhabited planet in the Pi³ Orionis system. It was the homeworld of the warp-capable Orion species.
This planet was located inside the Orion sector in the Beta Quadrant and was approximately 26 light years from Sol. The planet was near to the route that a spacecraft would travel from Deep Space 9 to Earth. (TNG: "Conspiracy", display graphic; DS9: "Little Green Men")
History[]
Orion once harbored a highly advanced civilization whose history had drawn great interest from Federation historians and archaeologists alike. During the mid-23rd century, noted Federation archaeologist Doctor Roger Korby translated medical records from the Orion ruins that helped revolutionize modern immunization techniques and were required reading at Starfleet Academy. In 2269, through the assistance of the Guardian of Forever, Starfleet officers Captain James T. Kirk, Commander Spock and historian Lieutenant Erickson traveled to the dawn of Orion's civilization to view the planet's history unfold firsthand. (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"; TAS: "Yesteryear")
In 2257, during the first Federation-Klingon War, this planet was near the front line. (DIS: "The War Without, The War Within")
In 2268, Doctor Leonard McCoy claimed that he made a Finagle's Folly that was "known from here to Orion." (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")
Devna, an Orion trapped in Elysia, told Kirk that she wished to return through the time barrier and see Orion again. Kirk offered to take her back with him, but she declined, stating that she had accepted where she now was in life. (TAS: "The Time Trap")
In 2372, Ferengi entrepreneur Quark attempted to smuggle kemocite on a highly profitable side trip to Orion under the guise of taking his ship, Quark's Treasure, on a test flight to Earth. This proved to be unsuccessful due to sabotage. (DS9: "Little Green Men")
In 2384, this planet was mentioned in a chart of Starfleet allies which appeared on the USS Dauntless logistics strategic data display. (PRO: "Supernova, Part 1")
Environment[]
Palace of the Orion Pirate Queen
Orion city streets
The surface of Orion was lush with vegetation. Orion did not have sand, but only sharp pebbles. The planet was noted for its aquifers. (LD: , "A Few Badgeys More", "Something Borrowed, Something Green")
Flora and fauna[]
Animals native to Orion included rhinoceros-like riding animals. The planet did not have dogs. (LD: "Much Ado About Boimler", "Something Borrowed, Something Green")
Landmarks[]
Stellar cartography[]
In 2256, this planet's location was labeled on the star chart "Alpha/Beta Quadrant Overview" in the ready room aboard the USS Discovery. (DIS: "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad")
In 2259, the location of this planet was labeled on a stellar cartography chart that was seen on the USS Enterprise's ready room viewscreen. This planet's symbol had a blue color, indicating that it was affiliated with the United Federation of Planets. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds", "Spock Amok")
The location of Orion on "The Explored Galaxy" star chart
In 2293, the location of Orion in the Milky Way Galaxy was labeled in a star chart that was in Captain James T. Kirk's quarters aboard the USS Enterprise-A. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, okudagram)
On stardate 1292.4, this planet's position was labeled in a chart used during a Section 31 Alpha Team briefing. (Star Trek: Section 31)
In 2365, the location of Orion was labeled in a Subspace Comm Net Ops star chart, which was seen in the courtroom on Starbase 173. This planet was connected to an unnamed location by a subspace line. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man")
The system's location was labeled in a Federation star chart that was in Fleet Admiral Kirsten Clancy's office at Starfleet Headquarters in 2399 and on the bridge of the USS Titan-A in 2401. Orion was in or near to Federation space. (PIC: "Maps and Legends", "The Next Generation", "Disengage")
In 2401, this planet's position was labeled on a star chart used by Captain William T. Riker during his attempt at finding the last known location of the SS Eleos XII. (PIC: "The Next Generation")
In 3189, the location of Orion was denoted on a holographic star chart of the galaxy at Federation Headquarters. Orion was located in Emerald Chain territory. (DIS: "Scavengers")
In 3190, the location of Orion was labeled on a star chart used by Commander Paul Stamets for tracking the movement of the Dark Matter Anomaly through the galaxy. (DIS: "The Examples")
| Pi³ Orionis system |
|---|
| Orion • Orion I • Orion III |
Appendices[]
Appearances[]
- LD:
- "Second Contact" (hologram)
- "Something Borrowed, Something Green"
- "Old Friends, New Planets"
- "Dos Cerritos"
- "Shades of Green"
Background information[]
In the final draft script for "The Menagerie, Part II", a scene set on the Orion colony (according to dialogue) was stated, in the teleplay's scene descriptions, to be "on Orien" (that spelling was consistently used for anything Orion in the two-parter's script).
In the Star Trek: Star Charts (pp. 36, 45, 60), Zefram Cochrane visited Orion on his final voyage in 2120. Orion was a non-aligned world before and after 2161, the founding date of the Federation. In 2378, Orion was a destination on the major space lanes.
The current location of Orion in the Beta Quadrant was based on the most recent star charts seen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Section 31.
Apocrypha[]
In the Star Trek Maps (p. 36), the Rigel system and the Orion system were considered to be the same. The planet Orion was identified as the eighth planet in the system. This was corroborated by The Worlds of the Federation and FASA's RPG sourcebook The Orions, which named the Orion homeworld as "Botchok".
The Star Trek: The Next Generation - Core Game Book identified the Orion homeworld as Rigel VII.
The reference book The Worlds of the Federation and the novels Prime Directive and Death Count indicated that the Orion homeworld was Rigel VIII, a high-gravity planet.
In the novels A Choice of Futures and Tower of Babel, Orion was called "Pi 3 Orionis III". The novel Silent Weapons simply called it "Orion" or the "Orion homeworld", and the novel The Light Fantastic called it "Orion Prime." All these novels share this continuity and referred to the same planet.
In Star Trek Online, Orion Prime was identified as the second planet in the Orion system, which had five worlds. It was also deserted due to excessive pollution.
In the Kelvin timeline comic book Reunion, Part 1, the Orion homeworld was called "Vondem" and was located in the Alnilam system.
External link[]
- Orion at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works