The Orions are a fictional extraterrestrial

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...

species in the American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

franchise ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'', making their first appearance in the initial pilot for ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

'', " The Cage". Susan Oliver portrayed the first Orion seen on screen, when her human character Vina was transformed into one, although it was

Majel Barrett Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (; born Majel Leigh Hudec;
, ''

The Menagerie".

Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress and ballerina, who was renowned for her role as Batgirl in the 1960s television series '' Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 196 ...

, who was considered for the role of Vina, later played an Orion in " Whom Gods Destroy". Male Orions made their first appearance in the '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'' episode "

The Pirates of Orion "The Pirates of Orion" is the second season premiere episode of the American animated science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'', the 17th episode overall. It first aired on NBC on September 7, 1974. It was directe ...

" but did not appear in live action until the ''

Star Trek: Enterprise ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...

'' episode " Borderland", which also featured female Orions. Orion women have also been seen in the films ''

'' and ''

Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to t ...

'', and the animated series '' Star Trek: Lower Decks'' features an Orion as a main character. Females of the species have become known as Orion slave girls, who have become popular among

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

Development

The first mention of the Orion was in

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

's first draft script for the initial pilot for ''

'', " The Cage". At that stage, there was no further description given, except that they were to be alien in appearance. By the time that casting had been sought, it had been decided that the Orion character should be painted green, with the script stating that the character should be "Wild! Green skin, glistening as if oiled". Roddenberry had convinced the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

executives to shoot in color to reduce scenery costs and so that the green skin of the character could be seen on screen. The costume for Vina was designed by

William Ware Theiss William Ware Theiss (; November 20, 1931 – December 15, 1992), was an American costume designer for television and film. His film credits as costume designer include ''Spartacus'', ''Harold and Maude'', '' Bound for Glory'', '' Pete's Drag ...

, with Roddenberry pushing for it to be skimpier. Fred Phillips conducted makeup tests before the shooting began on the episode. As an actress had not yet been cast in the role of Vina,

Majel Barrett Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (; born Majel Leigh Hudec;
, ''

greasepaint Foundation is a liquid, cream, or powder makeup applied to the face and neck to create an even, uniform color to the complexion, cover flaws and, sometimes, to change the natural skin tone. Some foundations also function as a moisturizer, sunscre ...

were applied to her, with different camera exposures and lighting settings tested. Those test shots were sent to be developed, and received back the following day. Westmore et al; (2000): p. 16 To the surprise of the production team, Barrett appeared normal flesh colored in all footage. They tried again, applying a much darker shade of green. Once again, when the results were received, she didn't appear green at all. They tried a third time and the same result was received. Roddenberry phoned the development lab out of frustration, only to hear their surprise that the character was supposed to be green. They had presumed that the cinematographer had set up the camera incorrectly and had spent a great deal of time correcting Barrett back to a normal color. A number of actresses were considered for the part, including

Yvette Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux (January 8, 1942 – January 18, 2022) was an American film and television actress. Her breakout role was in '' The Time Machine'' (1960). She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards during her acting career. Early li ...

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

and

Anne Francis Anne Francis (also known as Anne Lloyd Francis; September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science-fiction film ''Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama seri ...

. Roddenberry's first choice was Susan Oliver, whose

talent agency Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent may ...

said she was an excellent dancer. She was convinced to take the role by Oscar Katz, Cushman & Osborn (2013): p. 48 an executive at

Desilu Productions Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...

. He didn't attend the set in an effort to avoid Oliver, since he had undersold the difficulty of the makeup in the role. To prepare for the Orion scenes, Oliver took a week's worth of choreography instruction, later stating in an interview with '' Starlog'' magazine that she was not a skilled dancer. The shoot with Oliver in green paint took place on December 4, 1965, with the actress stating in a later interview that "Even before the dance began and I was standing demurely to the side, this feeling was in the air. Gene had touched on something dark in man's unconscious; one could imagine doing something with a green mate that he would never dare someone of his own color." Phillips required an assistant to keep reapplying the green

Max Factor Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz. Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billion in 2017 dolla ...

greasepaint between shots, as due to Oliver's perspiration due to the heat from the studio lights and the dancing, it would become blotchy in patches and dry out in others. Block & Erdmann (2010): p. 10 Portions of Oliver's dancing was cut as it was deemed as too sexy, along with a scene where she is whipped. The episode was subsequently rejected by

as a pilot, but the footage was later used in the two-part episode " The Menagerie". Unlike the other actors from "The Cage", Oliver's contract did not contain a clause to cover re-use of the footage, and so was not paid any additional fees. The first appearance of a male Orion was shown in the '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'' episode "

". An organized crime ring known as the Orion Syndicate was mentioned in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', Erdmann & Block (2000): pp. 538-539 but no actual Orions were seen, only members of other species.

''Star Trek: Enterprise'' and reboot films

Writer Mike Sussman sought to introduce the Orions into ''

'' with the episode " Anomaly", but during rewrites this was changed into a new species called the Osaarians. During

Manny Coto Manuel Hector "Manny" Coto (born June 10, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of films and television programs. Coto was the executive producer and showrunner of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' in its final season, and executive produ ...

's tenure as

show runner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

in the fourth season, the Orions were re-introduced on screen for the first time since ''The Original Series'' in the episode " Borderland" in 2004, which was the first time that an Orion male had appeared on-screen in live action.

Bobbi Sue Luther Bobbi Sue Luther (born August 27, 1978) is an American model, actress, film producer, and host of TLC's '' Junkyard Mega Wars''. Life and career Luther was born in Annapolis, Maryland. She played an Orion Slave Girl on '' Star Trek: Enterpri ...

was cast as the main Orion slave girl in the episode, and she researched the history of the race on the internet prior to her performance as she was not familiar with the series before. Four hours of make-up work was required for Luther to be ready, and she described the costume as slightly skimpier than she was used to as a lingerie and bikini model.

Isopropyl alcohol Isopropyl alcohol (IUPAC name propan-2-ol and also called isopropanol or 2-propanol) is a colorless, flammable organic compound with a pungent alcoholic odor. As an isopropyl group linked to a hydroxyl group ( chemical formula ) it is the s ...

was used to remove the majority of the green makeup, but Luther said that it took several days for the rest to come off.

Professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

was one of several actors portraying male Orions in "Borderland". A further Orion-centric episode was shown later in the fourth season. Entitled "

Bound Bound or bounds may refer to: Mathematics * Bound variable * Upper and lower bounds, observed limits of mathematical functions Physics * Bound state, a particle that has a tendency to remain localized in one or more regions of space Geography *B ...

", there were three Orion slave girls central to the plot played by Cyia Batten,

Crystal Allen Crystal Allen (born Orange County, 13 August 1972) is an American film and television actress. Biography Allen is from Alberta, Canada. She is an actress who has starred and appeared in guest star roles, including episodes of such TV series as ...

and Menina Fortunato. In this case, the makeup was applied via spraying, but still took around four hours for the actresses to be ready for filming. Following the end of ''Enterprise'', a

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

saw the franchise return to the era of ''The Original Series'' with the 2009 ''

'' remake. Rachel Nichols was cast as an Orion named Gaila, who was involved in a relationship with James T. Kirk (

Chris Pine Chris Pine (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' reboot film series (2009–present), Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017) and ''Won ...

). Her hair and makeup process took up to six hours each day, and found that it would stain Pine's face green after they filmed a scene in which they kiss. She was disappointed not to be returning to the role for the following film, ''

''. Scenes were also shot for ''Star Trek'' featuring Diora Baird as a second Orion woman, but these were cut and later included as a

deleted scene A deleted scene is footage that has been removed from the final version of a film or television show. There are various reasons why these scenes are deleted, which include time constraints, relevance, quality or a dropped story thread. A similar o ...

on the home media releases.

Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (born July 20, 1973) is a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. He began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Together they have been employed on television ...

, one of the writers of the reboot films, suggested in an interview with

UGO Networks UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Onlin ...

that these Orion women had been released from slavery through the means of an

underground railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

Appearances

The official ''Star Trek'' website describes the Orion species as being organised into a "loose nation or empire", also described as the Orion Syndicate. They are known for their criminal activities, such as piracy, illegal mining and

black market A black market, underground economy, or shadow economy is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality or is characterized by noncompliance with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the se ...

exploitation. The first appearance of them in the ''Star Trek'' chronology was in the ''Enterprise'' episode "Borderland", when the ''Enterprise'' (NX-01) under Captain

Jonathan Archer Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', where he is portrayed by Scott Bakula. Archer is the commanding officer of the first starship ' ...

(

Scott Bakula Scott Stewart Bakula (; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in two science-fiction television series: as Sam Beckett on ''Quantum Leap'' and as Captain Jonathan Archer on ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. For ''Quantum L ...

) travelled to an area of space known as the borderland, located between

Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...

and Orion space. There they are attacked by two Orion ships, and several crew members are abducted. They track them down to an Orion slave market with the assistance of

Arik Soong This is a list of recurring characters from the live-action science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', which originally aired on UPN between 2001 and 2005. The television show takes place in the 22nd century of the ''Star Trek' ...

(

Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role for ...

), and rescue them. In "Bound", the crew are contacted by an Orion vessel captained by Harrad-Sar (

William Lucking William Lucking (June 17, 1941 – October 18, 2021) was an American film, television, and stage actor, best known for his role as Piney Winston in '' Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2011), and for his movie roles in '' The Magnificent Seven Ride!'' ...

), who offers to open relations between the Orion Syndicate and Starfleet. To celebrate the new venture, Archer is presented with three Orion women Navaar (Cyia Batten), D'Nesh (Crystal Allen) and Maras (Menina Fortunato). The

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

s of the women begin to affect the crew with the exception of Subcommander

T'Pol T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise'' (NX-01). Concept and cr ...

(

Jolene Blalock Jolene Blalock (born March 5, 1975) is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Vulcan first officer and science officer T'Pol on the UPN science-fiction series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Her other work includes guest-star ...

) and Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III (

Connor Trinneer Connor Wyatt Trinneer (born March 19, 1969) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Charles "Trip" Tucker III on ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', Michael on the series ''Stargate Atlantis'', and Professor ...

), who successfully work together to prevent the Orions from stealing the ship. During a conversation between Archer and Harrad-Sar, the Orion admits that it is the three women who are in charge, and he is their slave. The Talosians seek to stimulate an attraction between Captain Christopher Pike (

Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Kin ...

) and Vina (Susan Oliver) in "The Cage". She was a woman who survived the crash of a spacecraft on Talos IV, and the Talosians had been projecting a series of illusions first to present her as a healthy human, but in order to begin an attraction, first as a princess from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, then as an Orion slave girl, and finally as a personification of Pike's wife. These events are reviewed during a

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

against

Spock Spock is a Character (arts), fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), USS ''Enterprise ...

(

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...

) by Captain

James T. Kirk James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...

(

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

) in "The Menagerie". In "

Journey to Babel "Journey to Babel" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on November 17, 1967. In the episode, '' ...

", the Orions attempt to disrupt a

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

conference by inserting an agent disguised as the leader of the

Andorian Andorians are a fictional race of humanoid extraterrestrials in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were created by writer D. C. Fontana. Within the ''Star Trek'' narrative, they are native to the blue icy Class M moon, ...

delegation, Thelev ( William O'Connell). The agent kills the leader of the Tellarite delegation, Gav (John Wheeler), implicating Ambassador

Sarek Sarek is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He is a Vulcan astrophysicist, the Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets, and father of Spock. The character was originally played by Mark Lenard in the e ...

( Mark Lenard). After the Orion injures Captain Kirk, his ruse is discovered and a pursuing Orion vessel is destroyed. In " Whom Gods Destroy", when the USS ''Enterprise'' arrives at Elba II, a planet containing an underground mental asylum, they find Garth of Izar (

Steve Ihnat Stefan Ihnat (August 7, 1934 – May 12, 1972) was a Slovak-born American actor and director. He emigrated to Canada when he was five years old, and later became a United States citizen. Early life Ihnat was born to Andrew and Mary Ihnat i ...

) impersonating the Governor of the institution. He attempts to use an Orion woman, Marta (Yvonne Craig), to influence the ''Enterprise'' crew. When this fails, he exiles her to the planet's inhospitable surface, killing her. This episode was the first occasion in the franchise that the appearance of a true Orion was shown. The Orion Syndicate is mentioned in ''Deep Space Nine'' as a

criminal organisation Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While o ...

, such as in " Honor Among Thieves" in which Chief Miles O'Brien (

Colm Meaney Colm J. Meaney (; ga, Colm Ó Maonaigh; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor known for playing Miles O'Brien in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He has guest-starred on many T ...

) is placed undercover within the Syndicate by Starfleet Intelligence. In the 2009 ''Star Trek'' remake, an alternative universe is created after the

Romulan The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series '' Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including '' The ...

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

(

Eric Bana Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (19 ...

) and his ship the ''Narada'' travel back in time seeking revenge after the destruction of their homeworld. While James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is attending

Starfleet Academy In the Setting (fiction), fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's mot ...

, he is romantically involved with an Orion woman named Gaila (Rachel Nichols) who is the roommate of

Nyota Uhura Nyota Uhura () is a fictional character in the '' Star Trek'' franchise. In the original television series, the character was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols, who reprised the role for the first six ''Star Trek'' feature films. A younger Uhura is ...

(

Zoe Saldana Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

). In the sequel, ''Star Trek Into Darkness'', an Orion is seen in a crowd shot of San Francisco. '' Star Trek: Lower Decks'', an animated series first aired in 2020, features an Orion main character for the first time, D'Vana Tendi, a science officer voiced by

Noël Wells Noël Kristi Wells (born December 23, 1986) is an American actress, comedian, impressionist, writer, director, singer, and musician. Wells is known for her television roles as Rachel Silva in the Netflix comedy-drama ''Master of None'' (20152017), ...

Reception

Fandom

A ''Star Trek'' fan in an Orion costume Fans of ''Star Trek'' embraced the Orions, specifically the image of the Orion slave girl, making it a popular choice for

cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...

science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expres ...

s. This includes an Orion themed dance troupe called "Orion's Envy". Several fan-based ''Star Trek''

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

have been created since the end of ''Enterprise'', including ''

Star Trek Continues ''Star Trek Continues'' is an American fan-made web series set in the '' Star Trek'' universe. Produced by the nonprofit charity Trek Continues, Inc. and Dracogen, and initially co-produced by Far from Home LLC and Farragut Films, the series con ...

'' which follows on from the events of ''The Original Series''. The second episode, "

Lolani "Lolani" is a Star Trek fandom, fan-produced ''Star Trek'' episode released in 2014, the second in the web series ''Star Trek Continues'', which aims to continue the episodes of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' while replicating their visual and ...

", focused on the events following the murder of three Tellarite crewmembers of a cargo vessel and the discovery that an Orion slave girl survived the incident.

Lou Ferrigno Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. (; born November 9, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles; and appeared in the documenta ...

, famous for his role as the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

in the 1978 ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' television series, appeared as a similarly green male Orion.

Critical reception

Justin Everett, in his essay "Fan Culture and the Recentering of ''Star Trek''", described the appearance of the Orions in the fourth season of ''Enterprise'' as an attempt by Coto to bring viewers back to the series. However, he described the Orion women themselves as providing "softcore porn" to the viewer. Regarding those same appearances, David Greven wrote in his book ''Gender and Sexuality in Star Trek'', that the attraction of the men on the ''Enterprise'' demonstrated the "extraordinary

heterosexuality Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to ...

of all the ''Trek'' series" as none of them can resist them, nor do any of the women feel a similar attraction. Regarding their dancing, he found that it was "similar to the jerky movement of birds", referencing that the

sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

shared some features with humans and others with birds. Greven (2009): p. 133

In other media

*'' The Green Girl'' is a 2014 biographical documentary film of Susan Oliver, so named for her role in "The Cage". *The 2015 parodic '' Henry Danger'' episode "Dream Busters" (which's title is a reference to ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'') is almost completely set in a world made of hallucinations, one of which is an almost mute character which another hallucination names "the Green Dancing Girl", clearly a reference to ''Star Trek'''s Orions. *In ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', season 11 episode 4,

Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...

complains that the drycleaner didn't get the stain out of his Star Fleet uniform.

Penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

remarks that he wouldn't have to dryclean it so much if he didn't make her wear the green body paint in bed, but Leonard decides that it's worth it.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

{{Star Trek Star Trek species Fictional extraterrestrial life forms Fictional slaves Fictional elements introduced in 1966