Orion

Orions claim the warm, dry Class M planet Rigel VII in the Beta Quadrant as their homeworld, although the planet cannot have existed long enough for Orions to have evolved there. Rigel VII holds decadent Orion kingdoms (the largest of them known as the Vaj, or "Empire"), dangerous nomadic tribes, fascinating ancient ruins, and concealed shipyards for piracy or smuggling; all of them fighting, romancing, and conspiring away under the purple skies and enormous moon of their dusty, spicy, exotic planet. As the Federation presence expands in the Rigel System (Federation membership extends to Rigel III in 2275, Rigel IV in 2287, Rigel V in 2300, and Rigel XII in 2269), Orion freedom of action slowly contracts. Fortunately, the Orions have long kept their eggs in many well-hidden and lucrative baskets. The first Orion civilization began exploring space 200,000 years ago, and twelve successive Orion empires rose and fell across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants over tens of millennia. Lost, isolated, hidden, or backward Orion cultures may still remain undiscovered anywhere in this great swath of space, which some Orions refer to as Thana Kolari ("Extended Orion").

Personality

Orions usually project something between world-weary cynicism and rakish good humor. Sunnily self-confident at best, they can be brash and arrogant at their worst. Orions enjoy taunting helpless enemies, charming powerful friends, and convincing both of them to fight each other. They enjoy games of skill and intellect, especially when they know the rules and their opponents don't - and a game of chance with an Orion usually turns out to actually be a game of skill and intellect. Orions are delighted to partake in any number of the civilized vices, and eagerly pursue shady business ventures to afford more of them. Always glad to risk others in a good cause, Orions willingly run from any fight they can't win, and plot ways to stab the victor in the back when he'd not looking. Simultaneously overshadowed and liberated by their ancient, decadent culture, Orions feel life is too short for foolish morals or for other people's nitpicky rules. Some Orions hold grudges; most Orions, however, treat vendettas as games rather than matters of life and death.

Physiology

Orions are typically taller and more muscular than the average human, although their features tend toward aquiline noses and sharp chins. Orion gourmands, of course, often run to satisfied fat, and no Orion really enjoys being underweight (as opposed to fashionably slender). With copper-based blood like Vulcans, the Orion skin tone ranges from emerald green to a very dark olive. Some Orions paint their lips, eyelids, or other conspicuous body parts. Orion hair dyes, by contrast, usually remain subtle highlights to bring out the proper glossiness of black or chestnut coiffures. Orions enjoy jewelry, small daggers, and other ornaments, preferring those that combine elegance, flash, incredible value, and tiny compartments for poison or blackmail tapes. No Orion dresses badly if he can help it.

Orions evolved under the blue-white sun of Rigel - or under another sun with the same basic spectrography. Their green-tinted skin keeps them relatively immune to ultraviolet radiation, and somewhat resistant to radiation in general.

History and Culture

Orion culture is cheerfully decadent, and only loosely organized by great family, or caj. The caju act as merchant houses, organizing trade networks, inter-clan marriages, funding explorers and hiring mercenaries for immediate crises, Each caj takes care of its own; no Orion has the authority to speak for the species, and that's how they like it. Orion governments more closely resemble loose patchworks of individual subcontractors paid by the caju to negotiate with foreigners, build roads, run court systems, and so forth. This tends to frustrate more tightly wound or hierarchical cultures like Starfleet. Orions swear by the Thousand Gods, but seldom worship them, being too busy trying to corrupt some naive planetary governor or move a shipload of Spican flame gems before the bottom falls out of the market. For millennia, Orions carried on a thriving trade in slaves, including their own women, making much of Orion women's reputation for animalistic passion. Some of Starfleet's earliest missions broke the back of the Orion slaver and pirate fleets, beginning with the Battle of Delta Doradus in 2166. Though they deny it, some Orions (mostly those who belong to the criminal Orion Syndicate) remain involved in this infamous form of commerce.

Orions speak Orion also known as Kolari in the Orion language. Most Orions also speak the dominant language of their sector, usually Federation Standard (but occasionally Cardassian, Klingon, Gorn, Tzenkethi, etc.). Many Orions also speak other trade languages such as Ferengi, Nybarrite Common, and so forth. Some Orions also speak older, more antiquated or poetic versions of Kolari such as High Kolari, Imperial Kolari, and so forth; they primarily do this to score social points with each other or to flummox non-Orions. In any language, Orions enjoy florid, ornate speech, biting repartee, and veiled insults.

Not counting aliases, noms du amour, and whatever name unaccountably appears on their passport, Orions traditionally have only one name. However, many Orions adopt two or more names based on local custom, their own whim, or the advertising needs of the moment.

Reference(s)

• Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.