Orion (ship)

The Orion was a freighter of an unnamed class of Free Trader registry in service during the late 23rd century. A crew of about 14 operated the vessel. It was briefly commanded by James T. Kirk.

History
The free trader Orion was docked at a ground-based spaceport in San Francisco in 2279. It was owned by Morbus, and had some irregularities with its registration files. At the Starport Bar, Morbus overheard Kirk lament having resigned from Starfleet in response to being assigned permanent ground duty. Morbus hired Kirk to captain Orion. McCoy thought the ship looked like a junk heap, but Kirk accepted the job.

The ship was officially carrying farm equipment to Epsilon-21, but actually Morbus had leveraged Kirk’s reputation to secure launch clearance, and instead had been ferrying Maroni slaves. Kirk and Leonard McCoy uncovered the plot.

In addition to Kirk as captain, and McCoy as a passenger, others aboard were the owner, six in the engine room, three on the bridge, one in the cargo hold, and a doctor, accounting for a crew of 14. The vessel appeared to be without relevant weapons or shields, as it seemed to have no alternative but to heave to when so ordered by the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).