"There can be no utopia without crime."

Krinn (ST: Picard "Imposters")

Galactic Hustle

The shipyard buzzed with illicit activity. Deceptively ordinary, but each container held fortunes worth of contraband, from Romulan ale to Borg tech. Emerging from the shadows, D'Nash—Orion Syndicate's top earner. Clad in a sleek, dark leather jacket, his face concealed by the brim of his hat. He was ruthless, charming, and a legend in the criminal underworld.

Inside the dim-lit warehouse, his contact: a jittery Amaazaran named Jelad Saan, shifted nervously. “You got the goods?” Saans’s voice was shaky, his breather twitching.

D'Nash smirked, a cold gleam in his eye. “Relax, Saan. We’re all friends here. Until you give me a reason otherwise.”

A tense exchange, cargo scanned and credits verified. D'Nash’s gaze never wavered, a predator always poised for the kill. In another corner of the galaxy, a Starfleet officer named Talia knew too much. An ex-undercover, she had left the Syndicate but couldn’t escape its shadow.

Now, she was a marked woman.

D'Nash received a transmission, encrypted and urgent. “She knows everything,” the voice said. “We need her silenced.”

Powerful, intoxicating. The thrill of the hunt. The risk. But for D'Nash, it was just another day.

In the deep reaches of the Beta Quadrant, the Orion Syndicate ruled not just as a criminal organization, but as a force of nature. Their influence was akin to that of the Yakuza on Earth—both revered and feared. Those who heard their name in whispers spoke with a mixture of respect and dread.

At the heart of this web of crime and power was their leader, Vorta Dain. His presence was as imposing as his emerald skin, a symbol of the Syndicate’s ruthless efficiency. Much like the Yakuza’s oyabun, Dain commanded unwavering loyalty and absolute obedience. His lieutenants, known as the “Green Dragons,” were as meticulous as they were deadly.

The Syndicate’s operations spanned the galaxy, from smuggling rare minerals from uncharted systems to running clandestine gambling dens in the shadows of glittering starports. They dealt in information, arms, and lives with the same cold precision. Their codes were strict, their punishments severe, and their reach seemingly infinite. Just as the Yakuza blurred the lines between legitimate business and crime, so too did the Orion Syndicate. Their front operations—luxury hotels, shipping companies, even charities—served both to launder their illicit gains and to extend their grip on legitimate markets.

One of their most lucrative ventures was their black market for Metar technology. Few dared to tread there, but those who did found profits beyond imagination. The Syndicate, however, never allowed anyone to forget who was truly in control. The price of betrayal was steep and served as a stark reminder to all of the consequences of defiance.

And yet, in this galaxy of shadows, a glimmer of hope sparked. Captain Talia Duval, a former Starfleet officer turned rogue operative, had seen firsthand the devastation the Syndicate wreaked upon innocent lives. Haunted by her past encounters with their merciless enforcers, she vowed to dismantle their empire from within. Her journey would take her into the darkest corners of the universe, where every ally could be an enemy and every move a gamble with fate itself.

In this vast and perilous frontier, the Orion Syndicate thrived, their tendrils reaching farther and deeper than any knew. They were the unseen hand, the silent whisper, the Green Dragon lurking in the shadows—waiting, watching, and always one step ahead.





Orion and Orion III are a dichotomy of contradictions; they are both the centres for excitement, pleasure, leisure and nightlife whilst also being the criminal heartland of vicious cartels. They're technically not Federation worlds, just a useful pitstop for freight in the heat of the United Federation of Planets. The popularity of the world and its limitless delights, both with members of the Federation Council and the fact the dark criminal connections go to the top of the neighbouring nations' governments, prevents sanctions. The 'rave' culture on Orion is econd to none. Dance, drink, drugs, sex and music all combine to a sensory experience that is highly desireable. In a nation without money, where self-improvement and nirvana are the goals, the Orion nightlife is a possible place to lose yourself in the moment... and discover yourself in the process.

Orion culture is a mix of old tradition, history and ruins mixed with casinos, hotels, nightclubs, bars, brothels, spas and unlimited types of pleasure and leisure for the people of the Federation. Behind the veneer of luxury, wealth and exitement are the cartels of the Orion Syndicate. The Shadow Empire is constantly seeking new means to acquire power, influence and wealth. The price of an unforgettable time with no limits and all pleasure, whether legal or not, is payment in influence, information, technology or means of evading the justice system, spies and patrol vessels.

The planet Orion was once a highly advanced civilization. The culture reached the same heights that the United Federation of Planets enjoys today. The society then rotted from within with the rise of the criminal cartels and their powerful influence. The need for narcotics, black market goods and prostitution, coupled with the social acceptance of these things as the norm, helped combine to topple the government in an invisible coup. The Orion Syndicate took over the running of the planet and its satellite colonies as its own shadow empire, with the President and government of Orion as the legitimate, public face of the Syndicate. The quest for the Orion government for neutrality and denial of involvement in the pirate oprations of the Orion Syndicate was a smokescreen to cover for the operations of the cartels. The sheer wealth of the Orion Syndicate, combined with their influence across all borders, has given them an almost unparalleled power and influence to transport their goods and trades to anyone and anywhere they want. With the fall of the Neutral Zone and the troubles in the Klingon Empire since Praxis, the Orion Syndicate finally has access to what Starfleet and the Federation Council dreaded all along: Klingon mercenaries and black market weapons. This allows Bird of Prey traders and heavies to protect the Orion operations. This is an entirely different problem for the Federation and Starfleet.

Orion and Orion III are the two main worlds in the Orion system. Orions were encountered early on the in the expansion of the fledgling Earth Starfleet. Orion is in the ring that is the first colonial expansion from Earth. Worlds like Pollux, Coridan, Tellun (Elas and Troyius), and Deneva are nearby, along with the vast Starbase 12 complex. Located spinward of the Delphic Expanse and Borderland 'Wild West' region, the Orion Syndicate soon exploited the early colonies and lawless neutral regions to establish a presence at all levels. The proximity to Starbase 12 allowed Starfleet to have a counter-presence to the Orion pirating operations from the beginning. What was also realised was that the Orion Syndicates would do their best to compromise the Starbase and operations. Starfleet Security, Starfleet Intelligence and Section 31 have always had a strong presence at Starbase 12 to deter such infiltration.

This is the Inside War that has gone on from before the formation of the Federation up to today. With the Orion system located near the heart of the Federation, it is in a position of neutrality that can't be deterred by a neutral zone or military force. The Orion government is a legitimate body with a functional society with a university with a strong reputation and plenty of leisure resort destinations. The Orion Syndicate, the smuggling, trafficking, narcotics, gambling and prostitution are all the darker underbelly of the Orion civilisation. This is a functioning narco-state with a puppet-President and corruption running through all state organs including the police and military. Whilst the Orion government insists their freighters are all legitimate and that the drug barons are all under pressure, the truth is none of that is true. The Syndicate sends millions of tonnes of drugs and contraband out by freighters and merchantman ships every day.

Orion. A neutral planet. A hub for the transportation of freight for the Federation, Klingon Empire and many other nations, since the days of the Earth Starfleet. Used as a staging post for the logistical supply chain to grow the colonies of Earth. The then-unknown Orion Syndicate used this logistical bloodstream to spread and grow their organisation; they seeded their operations into the fledgling Earth - and later Federation - colonies. The freight distribution facilities on Orion are vast, automated and have only a small number of Orions that maintain equipment, fix faults, and provide security. The ready availability of this vast distribution hub made it the go-to place for Starfleet, the Klingons and many other nations for trade and transferrance. The neutrality of Orion has served it well to allow freighters from ALL nations to use their port. It also serves the Orion Syndicate equally as well. They've been sown into the fabric of the Federation, right from the very start.

Author's notes:

With Star Trek: The Interim Years wanting to address modern issues, there was no way that the issue of global criminality, trafficking, modern slavery and narcotics couldn't be missed out. The Orion Syndicate organisation had been introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,ironically never featuring any Orions. Orions were then featured in later Star Trek series and movies. Here it allcomes togather with the people and the organisation, sensitively and honestly depicted to not lionise, excuse or glamorise criminality. The stories for ST: Underworld will flesh out the Orion Syndicate. This is a different kind of Star Trek threat: insidious and omnipresent; nowhere is safe. Nowhere. This would be a rated 18, gruesome and violent threat, killing in horrific ways to make a point. In a universe without money, criminality is all about power and influence. This criminality crosses astro-political lines, from nation to nation, irrespective of border or neutral zones. Through recruitment, intimidation, coercion or blackmail the Syndicate has agents for operations in all areas of the Federation and elsewhere. At the same time, I needed to show the attraction of the Orions; why does this self-evidently dangerous world exist with cruel criminality, yet the Federation hasn't crushed it. The answer is, there is a need for it for the youth: a place to party and break the usual rules. Like Americans going for Spring Break in Cancún, Mexico, they're getting away from their parents to lose their minds and find themseles in the clubs and parties on Orion. The Syndicate will be happy that all the wealth and potential comes to Orion. People are people are people: people will seek out what they enjoy and the spice of doing something forbidden, or even illegal, just makes the high that bit more worth it.

The Orion nation, like the Klingons, Vulcans etc. needs to avoid becoming a homogenous one-role people. The Syndicate is a criminal organisation like the Russian Mafia. Like the mafia, it's not the defining trait of the Russian people. The Orions have one of the most extensive cargo distribution facilities in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. Like Felixstowe, Shanghai, Dubai, Dalian, Los Angeles or other intermodal container ports around the World, Orion has a vast continental-sized complex of automated container transports and transporters. The lean-manned port has enough Orions, in their utilitarian branded jumpsuits, to tamper with the containers on the behalf of the Syndicate. Given the millions - or billions - of containers that are transferred ever hour of ever day, it's impossible to track the contents of every single item in every container. I wanted to give the Orions a reason to be the main freight artery from Earth to Orion and then onto the Rigel colonies and Deneva. The Star Trek Star Charts book by Geoffrey Mandel shows Orion to be this direct freight route. If all they were was pirates and the Syndicate then the Federation would never use the system and blockade them. Instead it's this indispensible freight distribution hub through which pretty much ALL freight comes through - more then likely as they have a giant port which means the other planets can be developed for colonists etc. It makes for a species that's not homogenous and can actually have members that join Starfleet (like in the Star Trek movie in 2009) and not just be the villain of the week.

It took until Gaila in the JJ-verse and D'vana Tendi in Star Trek: Lower Decks for the Orion people to become main characters in Star Trek, Indeed Tendi is a lead character. Hopefully she will become a source of canon information for the people and culture. The first episode, Second Contact, provided information such as she has never seen sand (strange since the action of wind and water on rock, or sculpting of rock, would produce sand of some type). Curious. The Adashake Centre seems to be a sandstone ornate square with trees, flowers and sandstone columns. This suggests a functional civilisation with the Syndicate hiding away in the shadows. Rather like the Triads, Yakuza or Russian Mafia. In some respects, it can be hard to tell the difference, on the surface, between a successful corporation and a criminal organisation. The Japanese Yakuza make a good prototype for the Orion Syndicate; eloquence, finery, honour, tattoos and piercings disguise the viscious, sadistic, vengeful nature of the Syndicate. Thugs in fine clothes. Traditional Japanese bonsai and values can provide a basis for Orion culture and society; gaudy neon skyscrapers match effortlessly with traditional buildings from another era. What is viewed by the outsider as slavery, could be like the geisha: a far more complicated tradition. Tea ceremonies, bars and business loyalties are alongside the equally ancient Orion Syndicate. There are loyalties in the Orion culture that are every bit as important as those in Klingon or Japanese culture. Star Trek: Lower Decks also called into question the 'pheromone' storyline of ST: Enterprise 'Bound'. This was introduced to reverse the image of green women seen as objectified mysogynistic imagery; which is exactly what it was. The pheromone storyline changed this from one form of unacceptable bias to another: that men could be controlled by chemicals. In the Interim Years, ;ve settled on successful business acumen being the reason for success rather than genders.

The Orion culture is one of extremes: extreme pleasure and enjoyment on the one side, and vicious, cruel, greedy ciminality on the other. Orion Prime and Orion III are known for their parties and raves, with Orions offering escorts, drugs, drinks and the best music and DJs for a mind-blowing experience. Indeed, some of their drugs mimic the abilities of Betazoids or Deltans, expanding the mind and offering an eperience that non-empaths or telepaths can have. These Orion worlds are like Ibiza, Monaco, Dubai, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro and Berlin all in one. Criminal cartels are never far away from the clubbing and gambling culture. The 'Warp', Singularity' and 'Pulse' nightclubs of Orion are based on legendary Ibiza nightclubs of the late-80s like 'Amnesia' and 'Space'; the trendsetters for the Second Summer of Love in 1988 that created the Rave culture that made the 1990s. As with that period of music, drugs will play a major role in the popularity of Orion - the Federation is very much anti-drugs and Orion neutrality can be played to the fullest. Psi abilities can be mimicked by designer drugs and the risks of suddenly being able to do so will be very real. The 21st Century drug experiences of LSD, coccaine, heroin and marijuana will be left behind by what the supersciences of the 23rd Century will be able to achieve. Then comes the big debate: if a drug is created with few negative side effects except to zone peope out in nirvana, should it be banned? The other question: if a drug made you able to read minds for a few minutes or hours, would you take it, despite the risks? This is where a tab or tablet of a 'legal high' gets classed like alchohol: an 'acceptable' drug, unlike weed or even tobacco today. Remove the loss of control, cold turkey or hangover, the drug might even be desireable.

The Orion Syndicate. The Syndicate princes have their own space yachts that are as impressive in size as they are facilities. The yachts are the size of light cruisers with all of the luxuries of a much larger pleasure cruiser; except this is all for one or two individuals to enjoy as they're pampered by their crew as they run their Syndicate operations. The yachts are as fast as Excelsior and have the firepower of a Miranda class starship. The Orion Syndicate has a strong presence in the Rigel colonies and Deneva, as well as the myriad backwater colonies that were set up in haste in the early days of Earth Starfleet expansion that have now exhausted their dilithium and other minerals. The Syndicate is the ultimate opportunist for a downturn in fortune. The Orion Syndicate traditionally recruits those seen in historical times as being of the lowest outsider class; an inherited disadvntage. The tattoos, visible only under ultraviolet light, start with the syndicate affiliation tattoo whch is earned initially. The new member is 'witnessed in' by an existing member. The tattoo shows the permanent loyalty henceforth of that individual to the syndicate. Further accomplishments are celebrated by additional tattoos. Loyalty and respect are as important to the Syndicate as it is to Klingons or Japanese society. Earning income through protection, intimidation or hustle is merely seen as continuing atradition from ancient times. The Orion Syndicate, politically, is like a lobby group, intimidating both corporations and political parties until they get policies that are favourable to the Syndicate. The Syndicate is thought to be structured around a family boss (who themselves answer to the Godmother), under them is the Administrator, First Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant. Under the Administrator is a legal adviser and an accountant. Under the rest are so called big brothers and little brothers that act on the bosses authority via the lieutenants.

Orions are green-skinned cartel traders. Shades of green vary from pale green to olive to darker shades of emerald. They are honourable as far as a trade deal goes, unless there is a bigger deal to be made. Orion males tend to have body piercings and bolts screwed into their heads as decoration. The Orion Merchant prince tends to dominate the blackmarket trading in an area, with the rivals usually being `persuaded` to move on or simply vanish. In Orion society the males are slaves to the females. As a means of deception to other species, however, the Orions maintain the facade that the females are the slaves. This is commonly done by selling Orion females on the Orion slave market. It has been suggested that some Orion females might have pheromones that can control males of Orion and other species. This has been shown to be inconclusive. Orion success is based more on the business acumen of the male - or female - Orion. This can lead to them becoming a Street General.

In modern history, the Orion Syndicate has increased its presence from traders and black marketeers to piracy and now insurgency into Federation society and government structures. Historically the Orions were addressed with patrol ships and occasional encounters with Pike, Kirk and other captains of explorer starships. The issue, like the Mexican-US border, has now increased to the point where Starfleet has to allocate a sizable amount of available resources to address the issue. By 2293, with the Klingon Houses now ensnared by the Orion shadow empire, Starfleet has increased their Borderland task group to include an Ascension class light dreadnought flagship, an Athabasca class assault ship, Lexington class command cruiser, Belknap class cruisers, Akula class defenders and an abundance of Okinawa class frigates. All of these are supplied with information from Monitoring stations, probes, drones, along with Antares class AWACS, Endurance class, Trista, Kestrel and Phantom class ships. The truth simply is that the Orions can cross into Federation space and hide amongst the vast numbers of legitimate traders, merchantmen and freighters. There aren't enough starships to follow up every incursion and lead.

An example is the colony of Asimia IV, which was a major dilithium colony in the 22nd and 23rd Centuries. It was a part of the Great Dilithium Rush and helped to build Earth Starfleet from the ground up and establish colonies out into the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The dilithium was exploited with no big concern for the environment in this planet that was largely untouched forests and oceans. The dilithium has now largely run out, reducing this colony to a Federation backwater and a place where the children and young adults feel there is no future beyond building towns and families. The Orions make this backwater feel important again, redirect supplies their way and provide the entertainment and excitement that the younger people seek. It allows the Orion Syndicate to have a world in which they can launder their finances and blackmarket trades; it's a stopping off point before taking their trade deeper into the Federation. The loss of status of a world or nation is an opportunity for the Orion Syndicate.

My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy by Albert "Prodigy" Johnson (2011).

Rear Admiral Chan, onboard the Ascension class light dreadnought Tai Shan (NCC-2524) in charge of the Borderland Task Group, had this to say about the Orions. She said that the Klingons have been exagerrated into the primary threat over the decades, that they would come over the Federation border like the Red Army over the West German one was feared in the 1950s and 60s. The truth is that the Klingon incursions over he years have been minimal. The Orions, by comparison, are not a brutal battle fleet waiting to invade over the border; that would be straightforward to address with Starfleet sending dreadnoughts, carriers, cruisers and escorts to repel the invaders. The Orion Syndicate is an insidious existential threat to the United Federation of Planets. The Federation offers the dream, the dream of freedom and to explore and be who you want to be. Except don't do that as it's bad for you. Don't do that as it's morally corrupt or wrong; the Federation freedoms come with rules and guidelines. The Orions sell a different kind of freedom: TOTAL freedom. You want to try drugs? sure. Get a mind-bending experience only Vulcans, Deltans, Betazoids and Aenar enjoy. You want to gamble? okay. You want to have your own slave? no problem. Want that belonging that you can't replicate or get anywhere? we'll get it for you. Want sex with a prostitute of the best calibre? Absolutely. The Orion Syndicate offers anything for the right price. There are no moral or ethical limitations. For a rebellious teen or young adult, this is the total freedom and exciting limitless potential that they crave for lifetime experiences.

This model of criminality works. It worked on Orion, toppling their govenment for a criminal syndicate. It uses legitimate traders and freighters on the main trade routes to transport anything they want. And there's no realistic way of policing every single merchant or freighter that treverses Federation space. There are 8000 Starfleet ships against milions of freighters; it's impossible odds. The United Federation of Planets will have to work hard to sell their vision of freedom, peace, liberty and justice - and most importantly morality. Meanwhile Starfleet must do its best to secure the frontier with the Borderland region and do random stop, scan and search to police the goods coming into and out of the Federation.

Author's Notes:

The Orions are an important storyline for Star Trek. It shows the appeal of criminality, which is a storyline that Star Trek hasn't really dealt with. The question and challenge here is to show WHY you would choose Gene Roddenberry's optomistic vision of the United Federation of Planets over the temptations of the Orion Syndicate. The Federation has the morality, the Orions have the total freedom to do anything, with anything, to anyone or yourself. This is the appeal to the teen or young adult over the sensibilities of parents or older adults. In the 23rd Century, it's possible that the drugs have no negative or irreversable side effects - one of the strongest deterrants to modern drugs. How then do you persuade your teenager to better themselves and explore the universe, rather than smoke dope and trip out with no adverse after effects? There's no easy answer.





Culture:

Orions are all about business. Business with no rules and no limits. Business is about building up a trade relationship and from this relationship building up influence and more business connections and so on. The orion Syndicate is an etherial construct, it doesn't exist in terms of a map on a wall, but it is more a shadow empire which covers the political speres of many other races. Orions travel across borders and go wherever there are business deals to be made.

Orions trade in any goods: drugs, slaves, weapons, food, gas and brides. Whatever trade makes the business deal, the Orions will trade in it. This is why the Orions are policed upon so heavily by the [by comparison] rules-laden Federation. Orions are often described in terms of being "Pirates", whereas actually the Orions are merely engaging in obtaining the goods that their customer wants to have. The fact that somebody already claims to possess the object is of no concern to an Orion. One of the more common sights in the colonies is Snakeleaf plant, which is sublimated and smoked in a traditional Orion Hargl, used as a mild narcotic.

I had to think what the difference between Ferengi and Orions is. Well, firstly at this juncture in time we haven't met the Ferengi [I'm ignoring the appearance in Enterprise as we 'don't know' about it being Ferengi]. Secondly both races seem to trade, so what is the difference?

The simple answer I came up with is that whilst the Ferengi are the capitalist profit-makers of Star Trek, Orions are more the blackmarketeers of Star Trek. No ethics, no qualms about what they trade, an orion will trade to gain morer trade and make more connections. Whereas a Ferengi wont trade if theres no profit, an Orion will trade if theer will be favours in return which will benefit their future enterprises.

Orions have no ethics on trade, they are the CD and movie downloaders of Star Trek, they are the bloke in the pub with the watches off the back of a lorry. Stolen goods is simply goods acquired through other means. Whilst the Ferengi aspire to buy their own moon, the Orions aspire to build a shadow empire of trade and deals.

Orions are the merchant princes of the universe, trading to gain power and influence in the area. This is the frontier of the Federation and a little beyond that, and if the Orions can gain influence then that will aid them double - foiling Federation expansion whilst gaining the Orions another bolthole.

Watch out for Orion influences, you just don't know how far it may have reached...

Orions arrived on the colony of Nimbus III in the years before the Galactic Planet of Peace was ever established as such. The Orions saw an opportunity to exploit the resources of the planet and gain a foothold on the world. Business means influence and influence brings power and empire.

Welcome to the Venus Club - a newer, much larger, version of the bar which was the central feature in Paradise City, Nimbus III. Run by an Orion merchant prince - Vikstaad Jaanz - the club provides multiple floors of gambling, drinking and assorted other entertainments. Orion slave girls lurk around the site as well - there are always two flanking Vikstaad.

On the surface the club presents a very respectable facad, with burly alien bouncers on the door ready to repel any uninvited guests or drunks. Jaanz also encourages a relaxed atmosphere with no uniforms - one wonders if this is because he doesn't want security sniffing around his business.

Whenever visiting Nimbus III, this is the place to come to enjoy yourself - if you have the credits, it's also a place to make deals and find that elusive something you are looking for...

Gambling machines jingle, credits change hands, music blars with exotic dancers, whilst there are always quiet tables for quiet chats too...

As Quark showed in DS9 by applying to join the Orion Syndicate, the Orions are something the Ferengi aspire to be....

The tattoos and markings on the males could be similar to the gang markings on Yakuza and Russian Mafia members, signifying allegiance to a specific syndicate or clan. Orion females come with red, black green and blue hair – the latter an addition from myself as a complimentary colour to their skin. Orion males are bald; whether by tradition or genetics. Orions seem to have phenotypes matching extremes of hormones – the males like high testosterone with aggression, baldness and muscular build and the females with high drives, pheromones and physical characteristics for attracting a mate. S’sana, a hybrid Orion-Romulan was never in the Syndicate, although evidence suggests her mother S’zama works with Vikstaad Jaanz.

“Underground railroad for slaves to become free” – now this works in the JJ-verse and conflicts with ENT: Bound. If the Orion females are the ones in charge, why are they ‘escaping’ from their life? Unless the chains of slavery are too heavy a burden for actually being the ones in power? The Star Trek comic Reunion talked about Gaila being given away by her mother Vila to a Pacari representative as a gift. This highlights both females as being slaves but also being in charge. This is something that could easily be incorporated into the prime universe. In order to expand influence and build the ‘shadow empire’, Orion children are often sold into slavery in order to find their niche and expand the black-market network; whether through illegal sales, sex workers or trafficking goods and immigrants, there are many routes for Orion children to find their market and makea name for themselves. Orions selling their children is maintained as a ‘cultural tradition’ by the Orions. The Syndicate is keen to prey on Federation sensibilities to respect and observe the traditions of other cultures – although any illegal activities in Federation space is prosecuted as thus. The trafficking of migrants, sex workers and slaves is the bread-and-butter of Orion Syndicate operations. The availability of trading ships with various technologies to circumvent tracking and registration allows them to slip across borders and take their nefarious trade with them. Everything is seen as purely business in the Orion world and trading living beings is no different than drugs, weapons or other illegal materials.

The Orion presence in Federation space dates back to prior to the Coalition of Planets when the Orions would trade between worlds. This foundation allowed them to continue their trade of black-market goods, trafficking and illegal activities in the Coalition and United Federation of Planets. The ‘social acceptance’ of this trade – especially on the outer colonies – promoted the expansion of the Orion Syndicate ‘shadow empire’ across the Federation in synchrony as it grew. Culturally, although the United Federation of Planets stands for freedom, equality and against oppression, the Orion ability to provide hard-to-obtain goods and ‘entertainment’ services (drugs and women) was welcome on the fledgling colonies with minimal resources. Hawkins encountered this first-hand when he was around seven years old on a mining colony of Radley’s Reach in the Beta Quadrant. The friendly miners actually resorted to bar fights Western-style under the influence of Orion pheromones. By 2322 the Orions are prevalent in the Beta Quadrant with some presence in the Alpha Quadrant. Political borders are of no interest to the ‘neutral’ Orions who are able to pass across from one nation to another, providing goods, services and ‘personnel’ to their ‘clients’. Conflicts (especially the Klingon-Federation war of 2256) provide an uplift to Orion trade both during and immediately after the fighting as the Orions provide vital or hard-to-obtain materials at an uplifted price. Interstellar law is treated as an irrelevance in the face of making good business; trafficking, weapons, medical supplies, technology, drugs and sex slaves are all part of the Orion Syndicate business model.

The ending of hostilities between the Klingon and Federation and the disbanding of the Neutral Zone has not affected the cross-border trading of the Orions; what has happened, however, if the lack of hostilities has allowed the border patrol forces of both nations to focus on the illegal activities of the Orion Syndicate and start to close them down. Starfleet headquarters has also initiated a ‘house cleaning’ exercise to sweep out corruption in Starfleet personnel following the Khitomer Conspiracy of 2293. Amongst the influences that Starfleet wants to remove entirely is those officers and personnel ‘compromised’ by the Orion Syndicate. Applying a similar policy amongst governors and colonial officials is proving much harder to apply, given the distances involved from authority and the ‘resistance’ of the colonists to having the Orions removed from their territory. It’s easier to turn a blind eye to Orion trading in the colony in return for happy, contented colonists. Of interest to social scientists is the ‘acceptance’ of counterfeit and black-market goods by Federation citizens. Drug-use and prostitution, Centuries-old practices, have still not died out by the 23rd and 24th centuries – they are just under new ownership and taken to new places by the use of chemical engineering and pheromones respectively. The social need of colonists for entertainment, escapism and sexual release has fuelled the need for the Orion Syndicate to extend its influence over the Federation. The modern twists on narcotics and prostitution are that the drugs are produced in professional laboratories and designer – maximising addiction and the level of high whilst minimising the risk of fatalities to the client (that’s bad for business). For the escort there’s the promise of something unattainable elsewhere, for delights both extreme and perverse to be sated and with no risk of infections or diseases. For colonists this leads to fighting and competition to bed the green Orion slaves, whilst leading to sexual disappointment with their regular partners and available colonists afterwards. Of course this disappointment can be remedied by Orion-provided tablets to aid in that department (Mudd’s Women-style).





The Orion Syndicate likes to operate in places that are removed from the prying eyes of Federation or Klingon patrol ships and legal apparatus. Outer colonies and neutral planets are a favoured location for Orion Syndicate activities. People-trafficking and slavery auctions are usually performed in temporary, highly-mobile operations that minimise the risk of commando raids and compromising by intelligence and police agencies. Whilst non-Orions are included within the Syndicate operations, Orions keep the planning and strategic aspects of the Syndicate within their species. This keeps the communications chain internal and helps to prevent intelligence intercepts. Orion operations also hide within highly-active merchant planets and cities, keeping their nefarious trade in the backstreets with informants to keep them one step ahead of the police. For the right price, any species can be obtained for either servitude or sexual pleasure. A slave-to-measure service is offered, with individuals treated and traded as property.

Verex III in the Borderland shows clearly what a slave trading facility is like with its rough-and-ready facilities for rapid re-location, holding cells for the new slaves and a bidding area where the clients use PADDs to bid for the slave, the top bids being dynamically displayed on a screen to encourage higher and higher bids. The slaves have restraints attached to their necks to prevent escape, these now being far more advanced versions of those Archer encountered. Farius Prime in the Alpha Quadrant is another world that the Orion Syndicate has a major presence in, utilising the neutrality of the planet and role as a merchant trading hub to smuggle in illegal goods and trafficked people, before changing vessels to ship the slaves or migrants off to their next destination. Where sex trafficking is involved there is often a trade in narcotics alongside this, both for feeding a deliberate addiction in the slaves but also for the pleasure of clients with the prostitutes. The Orion Syndicate entertainment shadow empire is nothing short of thorough.

Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace, is the latest neutral planet to be identified with a significant Orion Syndicate presence. From the earliest days of the planet as a neutral worlds with all three major Beta Quadrant nations resident, the Orions saw that this could operate as a hub for their operations. The planet soon descended into drought and anarchy as the three governments, one by one, grew tired of the project and ceased any trade runs. With the residents in serious risk of starvation and the colony collapsing, the Orions made their move. Vikstaad Jaanz, an Orion merchant operating the Venus Club in Paradise City, approached the alcoholic Federation representative St John Talbot with a proposal to save the colony from collapse – at a price. For Talbot, sent to Nimbus III in disgrace, a second black mark in his career would spell the end for it. It was a deal with the devil and one that Talbot knew he’d potentially live to regret. The Orions would send freighters to Nimbus III to supply them with enough food for the colony to survive, products and technology to keep the food crops alive and ‘entertainment’ for the colonists. In return, the Orions wanted to have a blind eye turned to them operating a trading hub off-world, protected by the neutrality of both the planet and the zone in which it was located.

Bringing agricultural technology to Nimbus III was a backdoor method for the Orions cultivating narcotic plants on the planet. Advanced pharmaceutical technology that the Orions had ‘obtained’ was then used to refine the planet into the final sellable technology. Alongside this cultivating, the Orions had biochemical and medical facilities for the development of engineered designer drugs and illegal medicines and technologies, for selling on to wealthy clients. Starfleet Intelligence has postulated that the Orion Syndicate has a symbiotic relationship with some of the larger mega-corporations, developing medical products out-of-sight on planets without the stringent testing and product creation legislation of the Federation. In a ‘concession’ to the spirit of Nimbus III, illegal arms trading was not performed on the planet. When Nimbus III was re-discovered, and the three sponsoring governments began an intensive programme of regenerating the planet, the Orions were well placed to integrate their operations into the expanded and improved colony.



Orion names:

D'Nesh, Devna, Harrad-Sar, Maras, Marta, Navaar, S'sana, S'zama, Vikstaad-Jaanz.

Author's Notes: We have seen Orions in various Star Trek episodes over the decades: TOS: The Cage, TOS: The Menagerie pt. 2, TOS: Journey to Babel, TOS: Whom the Gods Destroy, TAS: The Time Trap, TAS: The Pirates of Orion, DS9 Honor Among Thieves, ENT: Borderland, ENT: Bound and ENT: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II. In addition there have been appearances in novels such as Ganz in "ST: Vanguard Harbinger" by David Mack and ST: Lost Era "Well of Souls" by Ilsa J Blick. In the shows until ST: Enterprise, the Orion Syndicate was referred to extensively in DS9 as being a sort of mafia type organisation to which the likes of Quark wanted to apply. By the time of their reappearance in Borderland, they were back to being slave traders and green-skinned. The term "Orion Syndicate" was clarified to be the name of the political organisation which the Orions reside in.



Orions and the character Jirras

Orions have a brain structore that's geared for pheromones and smell, having a highly developed amygdala and olfactory bulb. The females utilise their pheromones. Female Orions are like the queen bees with males as their workers. Children are 'sold' at auction; this gives the child 'value' or 'worth'. The females join a cartel either to star it from scratch or to replace a female who has been sold on. Once a female joins a cartel, she gain both tattoos that can only be seen under special light, and also gain a surname. The surname and tattoo both show affiliation for life to the cartel. To disrespect or betray the cartel is to invite the most terrible retribution that will find you anywhere. Transporters, replicators and even sonic showers have been tampered with to give the victim the most painful and terrible death imaginable. Some victims are deliberately left disfigured and alive to act as a living warning to those who will betray the Orion Syndicate.

The Orion Syndicate is unafraid to use friends, relatives and even pets to get leverage or payback on an enemy. If a member of Starfleet has a family member or friend operating around the Orions, their life could be in danger as a result.

Lieutenant Commander Jirras, special services officer onbord U.S.S. Sheffield, grew up on Orion and saw the vast segregated freight terminal that supplied the main routes for the Federation. She knew the Orion Syndicate, saw what they did personally, not through stories. Jirras was at a crossroads where, as a female Orion, she'd be sold off and start a syndcate cartel of her own. She even got as far as having a UV tattoo in a secret place to denote herself loyal to the Syndicate. A secret she keeps to this day. Jirras wanted to break the cycle and joined Starfleet Academy. Jirras excelled at the Academy, hiding away her inherited cartel surname so that she couldn't be traced. Jirras served in several starships and starbase facilities after graduation. As Jirras would point out, most Orion Syndicate members aren't Orions or from Orion itself; syncate activities could be harmed by banning Orions or familiar faces. Frontline Syndicate members tend to be non-Orions and churned over regularly to keep the faces fresh to avoid Starfleet and Federation security facial recognition. They will get you. The Syndicate has Sicarios/assassins and arrangers whio will get anyone, anywhere. Even in Paradise there are snakes. Jirras is adept at finding out, through her skills and pheromones, what a person likes; the same skills that she would have employed in the Orion Syndicate.