The primary entity operating within these confines was known as the Orion Syndicate, comprised of a conglomeration of traders, pirates and smugglers. These individuals were well-known for their many illegal operations outside of the slave trade, including extortion, theft, raids, kidnappings and assassinations. These activities were facilitated in the region of space which separated the Orion Syndicate from the Klingon Empire, known as the Borderland. During the 22nd century, this volatile region of space attracted the most dangerous elements from both sides.

The first Orion starships were stolen from other races. Even the first Orion-built ships used designs 'borrowed' from a few captured or well-studied models. Originally, they were rather crude copies, but time and practice gave Orion shipbuilders the expertise to duplicate alien ships almost exactly. Trial and error soon modified these designs to make them more suitable for Orion purposes: shields were strengthened, weapons were increased, and hulls were enlarged. Some pirates used ships noticeably different from the parent design in order to spread confusion and to hide their identity.

An original Orion starship design, new from the keel up, was not laid down until long after the Orion War. Even then, Orion vessels still tended to mimic those of others, as if the naval architects were afraid to deviate from standard practice. In fact, the Orions never really became known for any exceptional design features. Their ships tended to be drab and utilitarian, stark footballs of tritanium, spheres and cylinders on stalks and unimaginative wedges.

The only distinguishing feature of Orion vessels was their tendency to be elaborately, almost grotesquely decorated. Quite common on some vessels were unnecessary fins, complicated geometric patterns engraved into the hull, or bolted-on masts, arches, antennas with no real function. The idea may have been to intimidate pirates—it did not work. In the last 500 years or so, the Orions returned to copying the designs of other races. (Few Romulan vessels were so copied, probably from lack of opportunity.) They were quite useful to pirates, who could sneak up on their prey in the guise of a harmless freighter or explorer. The practice is alive and well today; in fact, the bulk of Orion vessels are of alien design. Some are so precisely mimicked that sensors cannot detect the difference; ship's papers must be examined or the serial numbers run against the manufacturer's records. Quite a few innocent ship purchasers have been surprised to find that their 'used' starship is actually a new Orion copy.

For all their attention to detail, Orion-made copied ships are not built with the same quality as the originals. Wherever they can get away with it, the Orions substitute cheaper materials, less-exacting manufacturing processes, and even substandard parts. Continual repairs in space and frequent overhauls in the shipyard plague the crews of such vessels.