Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7 - "Those Old Scientists"
Summary
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7 challenges the negative perception of Orions in the 23rd century, as Ensigns Boimler and Mariner change Captain Pike's perspective on the species.
- The Orions in Star Trek were initially depicted as smugglers and slaves, but recent Paramount+ shows like Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds have explored their culture and presented them in a more diverse and positive light.
- Lower Decks character Ensign D'Vana Tendi defies Orion stereotypes and demonstrates that Orions are not all brutish pirates, while Strange New Worlds' episode "Those Old Scientists" pushes Captain Pike to confront his assumptions about the Orions and forge a peaceful solution with them.
The Orions have not had the best reputation in Star Trek lore, but Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have updated the green alien species for the better. The Orions as a species were first mentioned in the unaired pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage." When Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) visits Talos IV and meets Vina (Susan Oliver), the Talosians make Vina appear as various alien women, including an Orion slave girl, to appeal to Pike. This less-than-flattering depiction was problematic for many reasons, and later shows have done their best to reinvent the Orions.
Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7, "Those Old Scientists" added another interesting layer to the history of the Orions, and altered the way people in the 23rd century view them. When Ensigns Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) accidentally travel to the past and end up on Captain Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise, they try to avoid doing or saying anything that might alter the future. However, they make one good change to the past by altering the way Captain Pike and his crew view the Orions.
Orions In Star Trek Explained
Orions have made appearances across several Star Trek shows since their introduction in Star Trek: The Original Series, but the modern Paramount+ shows have done the most to explore their culture. Many of the earliest depictions of the Orions were problematic, showing them only as smugglers, slave traders, and pirates. They were stereotyped as being animalistic and barbaric, and the women were merely seen as objects of seduction and desire. Though Orions attempted to remain neutral in regard to Federation affairs, this was largely an attempt to hide their more questionable dealings and avoid repercussions from the Federation.
Throughout much of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries, the Orions controlled a criminal organization known as the Orion Syndicate. of the Syndicate sometimes tried to interfere with Federation affairs, including by attempting to kidnap Captain Johnathan Archer (Scott Bakula), attacking Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) Starship Enterprise to incite war, and working with the Dominion during the Dominion War. Though the Orion Syndicate still exists in the late 24th century, it remains unclear how much of an influence they have. By the 32nd century, many Orions had become part of a new trading syndicate known as the Emerald Chain, which was led by an Orion named Osyraa (Janet Kidder).
How Star Trek: Lower Decks Updated Orions
By the late 2300s, many Orions had abandoned piracy, and a few had even ed Starfleet. One of the young Orions in Starfleet is Ensign D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), an officer in the science department aboard the USS Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Tendi defies almost every stereotype typically associated with Orions. Where Orions are thought to be dangerously alluring and animalistic, Tendi is adorable and kind and follows the rules. She gets excited about every mission, especially when she gets to use her scientific knowledge, and she is always eager to learn. Despite all of this, even Tendi's fellow crew sometimes fall back into believing Orion stereotypes, and she has to remind them that not all Orions are brutish pirates.
With the character of Tendi, Star Trek: Lower Decks has successfully reinvented the Orions as a diverse species who are not defined by the perceptions others may have of them. In the Lower Decks season 3 episode "Hear All, Trust Nothing," Tendi met another Orion who claimed to be the son of Orion pirates, but who later revealed he had grown up with human parents in Ohio. Ironically, Tendi, who is also known as "Mistress of the Winter Constellations," is the one who was formerly an Orion pirate, and her family were even of the Orion Syndicate. Both of these Orion Lower Decks characters defy traditional stereotypes, making the Orions a more well-rounded species.
Strange New Worlds Crossover Changes How 23rd Century Sees Orions
Though Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has done its best to adhere to the previously established Star Trek canon, the show occasionally uses time travel to alter the Star Trek timeline and explain discrepancies in canon. In "Those Old Scientists," Strange New Worlds makes a positive change to the past. When Captain Pike's Enterprise encounters an Orion ship, Pike and his crew immediately go on the defensive, assuming the Orions to be pirates. Ensign Boimler stands up to say that, in the future, it's considered offensive to assume this about Orions. Boimler also points out that one of his best friends serving on the USS Cerritos is an Orion.
While Boimler is not supposed to reveal anything about the future, this information has a positive impact, changing the way people in the 23rd century view Orions. Open-minded and always willing to listen, Captain Pike listens to the Orions on the approaching ship, who claim to be scientists. After some initial mistrust and confusion, Pike and the Orions eventually come to a peaceful solution. Pike promises the Orions that he will make sure everyone knows that they were the ones to discover the time portal on the planet. Considering how respected Captain Pike is within the Federation, people will listen to him. With "Those Old Scientists," Star Trek: Strange New Worlds updates the sometimes problematic depiction of the Orions and forces Pike and his crew to confront their assumptions.