  The Orions—green-skinned humanoids, the most notable of whom are the so-called "green Orion animal women," females who seem to be mere slaves but actually wield a preternatural influence over humanoid males of many species, and are therefore far more independent and powerful than appearances would indicate. Orions comprise the plurality of species that make up the criminally-bent Orion Syndicate, an organized crime cartel-cum-nation that stretches across the underbellies of many worlds on the fringes of Federation space and beyond. Because the Orion Syndicate prizes its political neutrality, particular vis-a-vis the Federation, Orions working on covert criminal missions — such as the spy who posed as an Andorian diplomatic aide named Thelev in 2267 to disrupt the Babel Conference — are expected to commit suicide rather than face capture and interrogation.
   
   
 
That year, during the formation of the Coalition of Planets, the Tellarites pushed for an embargo against the Orions, claiming that several of their freighters had been attacked by the Orions. Considering their long history of trade with the Orions, the Coridanian ambassador stated that they would have known of these apparent attacks, refusing to believe what they considered to be "Tellarite slander," which they believed was simply a Tellarite attempt to deprive them of valuable commerce. Little did the Coridanians know that a century later, Orion smugglers would be actively raiding dilithium from the Coridan system. The Babel Conference of stardate 3850.3, a prelude to Coridan's admission into the Federation, jeopardized future Orion raids, as Coridan would then become subject to Federation law.
 In 2268, the Orions circumvented their neutrality by attacking the USS Enterprise, which was responsible for transporting delegates to the Babel Conference. Among the delegates was an Orion spy disguised as an Andorian named Thelev, who in association with an attacking Orion scout ship made a futile attempt to prevent the conference by destroying the USS Enterprise. Had their attack on Starfleet 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.
 Orion's neutrality remained in dispute ever since the Coridan affair and the Babel Conference of stardate 3850.3. This was again brought to light in 2270 when an Orion vessel attacked and raided the USS Huron of its cargo of dilithium and a shipment of strobolin intended for transfer to the USS Enterprise. Following the discovery of the disabled Huron, the Enterprise tracked the Orion ship to an asteroid belt. Initially, the crew was attacked by, and was later accused of harassing, the Orions, who then threatened to file a formal protest with the Federation. It was when the Enterprise detected the dilithium in the Orion vessel's hold that Captain James T. Kirk told the Orions that he would allow them to keep the dilithium if they would return the strobolin, and would make no mention of the encounter in his log. The Orions did not trust Kirk, and suggested a nearby asteroid to hand over the drug. This suggestion was a ruse, however, as the Orions planned to destroy themselves and the Enterprise during the exchange to preserve the appearance of Orion neutrality. The plot failed and the Orion vessel and crew were captured, casting further doubt on the future of the Orions' claim to neutrality.      |
