Changes

|Image=

|Quadrant=Beta

|Affiliation=Orion Colonies

|AgeM=18

|Age=120

[[Image:OrionMale2154.jpg|thumb|An Orion male in 2154.]]

[[Image:Orion_slavegirl_ENT.jpg|thumb|An Orion female, sold as a slave girl, in 2154.]]

[[Image:Orionscript1.jpg|thumb|Orion script]]

The '''Orions''' are a [[humanoid]] species originating from the planet Orion.

Prior to 2270, the Orions had carefully maintained an air of neutrality, especially while operating in and around [[Federation]] space. This, however, has proven to be more of a guise than a reality, and was often used as an effort to cover their usually shady operations. Nevertheless, Orion's official position of neutrality comes before ship and crew, as all unsuccessful Orion missions end in suicide. Orions would keep that rationale in good conscience, as they would otherwise fall subject to [[Federation]] retaliation, if they were to lose their neutrality.

===Trade entities===

Despite the rich cultural history of Orion and outside of their "official" stance of neutrality, a dark side of the Orion culture exists in their active trafficking of forced labor through the Orion slave markets, especially their slave girls. Verex III and the Orion colony were well-known trade centers during the 22nd and 23rd centuries.

Orion territory is located adjacent to both the [[Federation]] and the [[Klingon]] Empire. This region of space, which separates the Orion Syndicate from the [[Klingon]] Empire, is known as the Borderland. During the 22nd century, this volatile region of space attracted the most dangerous elements from both sides.

===Contact with [[Human]]s===

In 2154, the Earth starship ''Enterprise'' inadvertently made contact with Orion pirates when they encountered a number of Orion interceptors, which kidnapped nine of ''Enterprise'''s crew. The crew was recovered from the Orion processing station on Verex III, where they had been taken.

===Against the Babel Conference===

Throughout the mid-2260s, Orion smugglers had been actively raiding dilithium from the Coridan system. The Babel Conference, a prelude to Coridan's admission into the [[Federation]], jeopardized future raids, as Coridan would then become subject to [[Federation]] law.

Among the delegates was an Orion spy, Thelev, disguised as an [[Andorian]], who in association with an attacking Orion vessel made a futile attempt to prevent the conference by destroying the USS ''Enterprise''. Had their attack on [[Star Fleet]] succeeded, they would have instigated mutual suspicion and possibly interplanetary war. Had war broken out, they would have cleaned up supplying dilithium to both sides while continuing to raid Coridan.

===Loss of neutrality===