Orion

The Orions were a race from the Beta Quadrant famous for their colorful skin: prominently green, but also blue, orange, yellow, grey and others. They were also famous for their involvement in many criminal endeavors: piracy, the slave trade, and the Orion Syndicate. They primarily inhabit the Orion Neutrality Area.

In their own language, they were referred to as Ur'eon or Kolari

The Orions have a number of sub-races, including the Green Orions, the Ruddy Orions and the Grey Orions, and 1-3% are rarer colors and muni, or 'blends'. They have also absorbed a number of other races into their culture, which are also known as Orion but are of limited numbers or presence. These absorbed races may include the Etoshans and Duthulhiv, a grey-skinned reptilian variety and a slimy purple variety. 

Biology
Orions were humanoids that possessed the same size and build of an average Human, though they could range from slightly smaller to somewhat taller and more massive. ( Males averaged at 1.7 meters and 70 kilograms, while females averaged at 1.5 meters and 60 kilograms.

Their external physical characteristics are close to humans, though their features tended toward aquiline noses and sharp chins. However, Orion physiology and copper-based blood chemistry were more similar to that of a Vulcan, with skin tones ranging from to emerald and dark olive greens, which darken in strong sunlight. As such, they have green blood, though some apparently have orange blood. 

They lived about 90 standard years.

Black was the most common eye-colour, with lighter shades of green making up the rest. Some Orions (called "erratics") had very different eye colors: blue, brown, gold, yellow, even pink and silver.

Some Orions tended to be hairy, with body hair common among both men and women, which was seen as a mark of distinction, though baldness in older men was not uncommon. Generally they had thick black hair with metallic green highlights. However, a great many Orions have been seen practically hairless, with even young men bald and lacking body hair. 

The Orions evolved under a blue-white sun with a similar spectrography to Rigel, with that system possibly being their home system. This meant that their green-tinted skin kept them relatively immune to ultraviolet radiation and somewhat resistant to radiation in general. They are possibly 'naturalized stabilized' against radiation. 

They are also physically stronger than most other humanoid races (save Vulcans) though their musculature and powerful builds may be due more to a life of manual labor. Though they have high metabolic ratios and a body temperature 10 degrees greater than that of a human, Orion gourmands tend towards obesity, with no member of the species enjoying the concept of being underweight. 

Orions tend to smell, though this is not due to lack of hygiene as some believe, but a function of their natural skin oils. Distinctive, though not unpleasant, the scent is unnoticeable after a few minutes of exposure. However, it is heavily laden with pheromones that affect the subconscious of most humanoid races. The effect is soothing, and ten minutes in a sizeable group of Orions drains tension. Orions find it hard to stay angry in a group, but a strong emotion, such as rage, fear or desire, alters the scent, and though it does not compel others, it does make them susceptible to that particular mood. Unless a humanoid is aware of this, they may find their emotions subtly altered. It is hazardous to be among a group of angry, frightened or panicky Orions, as their mood is contagious. 

Orion Women
Orion women were known for their extreme "appetites" and very few men were known to be able to resist their approaches. They have a heat cycle that drives their mating instincts, which increase when they are 'in heat'. 

Though it appeared that, through the slavery they employed in, that Orion females were slaves to their males, the opposite was in fact true with the males being subservient to the females. This was done so as a means of deception to other species where the males would maintain the facade that their females were simple slaves that would be sold on the market to other races. 

Orion females possessed a unique aspect of their biology that provided them an advantage over male members of other species. They produced a highly potent pheromone that accelerated the metabolism of males as well as raised their adrenaline to dangerous levels causing aggression and, ultimately, a form of delusion. These abilities allowed them to easily dominate the crews of entire starships by subverting the males and enthralling them under their command. By selling themselves on the slave market to unknowing males, Orion women were capable of influencing their "owners" who slowly became susceptible to the suggestions of their "female slaves" with the effects being cumulative resulting in the exposure to the pheromones being more pronounced as time went on. This could mean male captains and crew began to follow the commands of the Orion females that they had purchased.

While the males suffered from the effects of exposure to the pheromones, human females suffered a different more negative effect as they experienced headaches from the encounter. Denobulan males also found that their sleep cycles tended to be interrupted while Vulcans were immune to the process entirely. Human males that were telepathically linked to a female Vulcan could also become immune to the pheromones exposure. Doctor Phlox of the Enterprise postulated in 2154 that the pheromones were a natural part of Orion females physiology which acted as a defensive mechanism against competition. 


 * The depiction in "Bound" of Orion male masters being subservient to their Orion female slaves is at odds with a great many sources that suggest otherwise. This state-of-affairs may only apply to certain Orion communities, be almost unique to the Orions seen in that episode, or be much more complicated or simply another deception.

There is thought to be a subcaste of the Orion race that possesses animalistic qualities, giving rise to the legend of the "Orion animal woman". It is unknown whether these traits indicate a subspecies or genetic alteration or are simply a myth based on their legendary sexual appetites and savage Orion behavior.

Orion pharmacologists have developed a pheromonal treatment that vastly increases the user's sexual appeal at the risk of some degradation of the superego and other higher brain functions (resulting in, for example, animalistic impatience, blood-lust, reduced intelligence, inability to concentrate, a vulnerability to psychic assault, or a decreased will). This only works on Orions. It may be the origin of the myth of the Orion animal woman, or may been developed to fulfill the myth and satisfy the resulting market. 

Orion Men
Orion males apparently have similar pheromones to their women, though they are much less pronounced. They can also shrug off a low-powered phaser hit (such as from a hand- or Type-1 phaser) with only minor injuries, unless a vital organ is struck. 

History

 * See main article: Orion history

The Orions had an ancient history, having had their first contact with alien life around sixteen thousand years ago. They outlasted almost all other interstellar civilizations from that time. 


 * ''According to both the FASA and Decipher RPGs, the Orions hail from the Rigel system, though they may have been transplanted there by the Preservers.

Beliefs
Some Orions typically swore on the Thousand Gods but seldom worship them. Others have prayed to and sworn by a Mother Goddess. 

Some Orions believed in - or at least, swore by - nine hells. There is also an afterworld for the evil that is a scalding pit of torment. 

There are Orion sects that (like Clan Ru and some Native American tribes) consider only their own tribe to be the only life-forms with souls and thus other don't exist morally. As such, laws, rights and supernatural considerations only extend to their own species. 

Mystics among the race were known to make use of elaborate con operations that made use of powers through the use of advanced technology or trickery in order to achieve their goals and lend verisimilitude to their words.

Family Life



 * See main article: Caj

Orion society is loosely organized by caju, or great families, that can also be called clans, lead by clan lords, chiefs and chieftains. Each caj acts as a merchant house that organizes trade networks and inter-clan marriages, funds explorers and mercenaries, and conducts trade and crime as each chooses. Each caj takes care of its own, and local Orion governments more closely resemble loose patchworks of individual subcontractors paid by the local caju to negotiate with foreigners, construct public works, run court systems and so on. The functions of these range from business organizations to criminal gangs to ruling governments.

Orion mothers will sell cookies to their children, though they give them with a loving kiss. 

Psychology
The Orion mind is complicated and difficult to understand. There are five basic facets to their way of thinking: opportunism, egocentricity, materialism, hedonism, and barbarity. Orions are known for treachery, though this is a side-effect of their self-centred way of looking at life. They have a skill at finding advantages and comparing risks, to either profit or get away safely. They are confident in their abilities and proud of themselves, their families and their species, though this can lead to overconfidence. They can also be greedy, though more materialistic than miserly, and they pursue luxury, entertainment, self-indulgence and great displays of wealth. They have been called decadent and barbaric. The Orions do not disagree with such negative descriptions and instead enjoy their reputations. 

Typically, Orions are known for their charm and influence, with a ready tongue and a good attitude. They're also savvy, good at sensing lies, motives and subterfuge while masking their own intentions.

Members of the Orions typically presented either world-weary cynicism and rakish good humor, being sunnily exuberant at best or brash and arrogant at their worst. They enjoyed taunting helpless enemies while charming powerful friends, attempting to convince both sides to fight against each other. As such, they were known to enjoy games of skill as well as intellect - this was especially the case when they played games that their enemies did not know of, allowing them to easily turn out the victors. This meant that Orions tended to delight in partaking in the more civilized vices and eagerly sought shady business ventures. They were always glad to risk others for a lucrative cause and were quite willing to run from a fight that they could not win. They watched others and plotted ways to stab the back of a victor when they were not looking.

The Orions possessed a decadent and old culture which they were overshadowed as well as liberated by in their life. This was because they felt that life was too short to waste on rules or morality, though some were known to hold grudges; most members of the race, however, treated such vendettas as games rather then a matter of life or death. 

Orions tend to be realists and pragmatists who scoff at all ideologies. The few customs and traditions they maintain encourage group loyalty and mutual protection. 

Revenge and spite are important to the Orions, though they go to great lengths to hide the depths of their loss, grief or rage from their foes, in keeping with their code of cluros, which encourages self-control and a cool head. Orions have been known to swear vengeance oaths on their enemies. They can also hire ganzu, or revenge societies, to get back at their enemies. 

The long history of their species meant that Orion merchants, criminals, mercenaries, pirates, and settlers had carried their kind across worlds through the Alpha and Beta Quadrant. On these many worlds, they worked to corrupt and co-opt market traders and other underworld figures for their own ends. This made them run into the Ferengi on some occasions; the Orions considered them to be nothing more then ridiculous stereotypes with no sense of class, as well as a species in possession of ludicrous habits. Unlike the Ferengi, the Orions possessed no 'rules of acquisition' and would not be caught dead following any form of law.

Those Orions that became soldiers tended to drift into a career of piracy or mercenary work, as they possessed little patience for a regimented life, nor did they enjoy taking orders or wear dull uniforms. Telling a pirate from a merchant could be a difficult task and entirely depended on which way the weapons are pointing - if one was armed, then the Orion was a merchant.



Due to Orion opportunism, and a skill at finding advantages and comparing risks, Orions made formidable negotiators and clever diplomats, who enjoyed matching wits with their opponents as if it were a game. Their politics were full of intrigue, bluffs and concealed motives, and outright confidence trickery, and being annoying for the sake of it. They played games of double- or even triple-crosses in order to increase their own profits, and did not see a conflict of interest in such negotiations between opposing parties, or in working for as well as against a single body - they saw it as understandable compensation for their efforts. In fact, many such diplomats served dual roles as spies where they fished out important secrets from other representatives. This, combined with Orion women within the bedchambers of important officials on frontier worlds, gave the Orion species a further edge in terms of information and influence. )

Some of the more ancient Orion civilizations were known to produce amazing scientific wonders, but few Orions still practiced in the fields of science, though there were a number of archaeologists that scoured the ruins of other worlds. However, most Federation archaeologists would call them tomb raiders, though these Orion relic hunters often had otherwise unobtainable information or artifacts from Tkon, Debrune or Iconian ruins. 

Their culture was cheerfully decadent and only loosely organized by great families. They were in fact divided into numerous merchant families known as Caj that served as the guiding force within Orion society. This meant that the Orions were not a single, unified population, but were instead spread out into several large factions and a great many smaller ones, separated by space, allegiances and cultural differences. 

Throughout their history, the Orions developed several different languages which include Yrevish and Kolari. 

Names
Orion names typically come in three parts: a first given name; a family name; and an honorific or nickname. The first name tends to be short, though older and prouder families may give longer names; they prefer names that memorable and easy to pronounce. Unless very well-known and respected, family names are rarely mentioned in public, since they may identify relations, allegiances and enemies. As such, an Orion is typically known by his first name, plus any honorifics and titles he may have.

An Orion male, by the time he is an adult, will probably acquire a nickname that marks a prominent characteristic or accomplishment. A neutral or flattering honorific will generally follow the name (e.g. Nallin the Unconquerable, Hubin the Burned), while a negative one usually comes first (Half-a-Man Sooris, Crazy Drelk). Orions also enjoy any titles and distinctions that they may have earned. 

In addition, an Orion may adopt other names as required, for local custom, an alias or pseudonym, a pet name, a false name, or just on a whim. 

Fashion
It was know that certain Orions painted their lips as well as eyelids and other conspicuous body parts with hair dyes remain subtle in order to highlight the glossiness of black or chestnut coiffures. The race typically enjoyed jewelry as well as small daggers and other ornaments as they preferred items that combined elegance, flash, incredible value along with tiny compartments in order to hide poisons or black mail tapes. Almost no Orion would dress badly if they could help it. 

Behind the Scenes
The FASA role-playing game represented Orions with a colour-coded caste system, of which Greens were the worker caste, Ruddies the nobility and Greys an untouchable science caste. The original script for also implied that the Orions came in other colours than green. However, due to their prevalence in all other sources, this article assumes that Green Orions are the default variety. Information specific to other varieties is presented with those varieties.

The pale blue Orions seen in were a result of animation issues than deliberate choice.

The Orions serve as one of the playable races within the Klingon Empire in Star Trek Online.