Orion Syndicate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Orion Syndicate is the name of an organized crime group in the television series Star Trek; it is operated by the humanoid species Orions. An organization steeped in mystery, it is an important political power in the 22nd and 23rd centuries; by the 24th Century it had obtained a similar reputation to Earth's Mafia.

The long list of criminal activities credited to the Orion Syndicate include the kidnapping and selling of Starfleet crew members, assassinations, protection rackets, smuggling, and piracy.

This organization was first encountered by Enterprise in the year 2154. In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Borderland", it was mentioned that the Orion Syndicate operates in the "Borderland" -- a volatile region of space bordering the Klingon Empire.

In one Deep Space 9 episode ("Honor Among Thieves"), Miles O'Brien of the United Federation of Planets space station Deep Space Nine was assigned by Starfleet Intelligence to infiltrate an Orion Syndicate cell in order to discover the identity of a mole in Starfleet who had been leaking information to the Syndicate.

[edit] List of Star Trek episodes involving the Orion Syndicate

• Star Trek: The Original Series
  • "The Cage"
  • "Journey to Babel"
• Star Trek: The Animated Series
  • "The Pirates of Orion"
• Star Trek: Deep Space 9
  • "Shadowplay"
  • "Little Green Men"
  • "The Ascent"
  • "A Simple Investigation"
  • "Call To Arms"
  • "Honor Among Thieves"
  • "Prodigal Daughter"
• Star Trek: Enterprise
  • "Borderland"
  • "Bound"

The Orion Syndicate also plays a significant role in the Star Trek: The Lost Era novel Well of Souls, in which the Enterprise-C gets caught in a "turf war" between the Syndicate and a crime organisation based on a human colony outside the Federation. As with all Star Trek novels, this is not canonical.

[edit] Begin 2

In the 1988 computer game Begin 2 (now very definitely abandonware), which simulates tactical starship combat within the Star Trek universe, the Orion Pirates (the word "syndicate" is never used) are one of the playable fleets. They are characterised by the use of small, fast combat ships supported by extremely large (but unwieldy) vessels designed for grappling and boarding. Their weapons are of less power and range than those of other fleets, but their phasers have a higher rate of fire. They are also characterised by a high degree of insubordination when the player attempts to issue orders.

[edit] References

Orion Syndicate article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.