The first Orion character in Starfleet may not be who you think it is. Mike McMahan’s animatedStar Trekcomedy,Star Trek: Lower Decks, introduced us to Lieutenant D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), an Orion science officer who joined Starfleet instead of following the path that her family laid out for her. Although the green-skinned Orions are among some of the first aliens ever devised forStar Trek: The Original Series, thecast ofStar Trek: Lower Decksis the first of anyStar Trekshow to feature an Orion character as a series regular.
Of course, it makes sense that it took a while for any Orion characters to join Starfleet. InStar Trek: The Original Series, the Orions had a reputation for being slave traders, with their hottest commodity being their own women. LaterStar Trekshowspaint the Orion Syndicate as a cutthroat criminal organization, making them unlikely to join the United Federation of Planets. By the 2380s,whenStar Trek: Lower Deckstakes place, the Orions are still perceived as pirates and criminals,so Tendi is a rare example of her species in Starfleet, like Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) or Lt. Nog (Aron Eisenberg).
The First Orion In Starfleet Was Gaila In J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Kelvin Timeline
Gaila Beat Tendi To Starfleet By 122 Years
The first of J.J. Abrams’Kelvin TimelineStar Trekmovies,Star Trek(2009), includes an Orion Starfleet cadet named Gaila (Rachel Nichols) in 2258,122 years before Tendi’s 2380 arrival on the USS Cerritos inStar Trek: Lower Decks. We first meet Gaila in bed with James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) when her Starfleet Academy roommate, Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), comes back to their dorm early. Later, Gaila is present at Kirk’s Kobayashi Maru hearing, and she’s also one of the many Starfleet Academy cadets deployed to quickly assist with Vulcan’s distress call.
Being Kirk’s hookup also puts Gaila squarely in line with the idea that Orions are overly sexualized.
Gaila isn’t on-screen for long, so there’s not that much time to develop her as a character. Being Kirk’s hookup also puts Gaila squarely in line with the idea that Orions are overly sexualized, especially since Jim isn’t the first man that Gaila’s brought back to her shared room with Uhura. But even with this minimal characterization,Gaila still counts as the first Orion in Starfleet—in the Kelvin Timeline, at least.
Lt. D’Vana Tendi Is The First Orion In Starfleet In Star Trek’s Prime Timeline
Lower Decks' Tendi Challenges Stereotypes About Orions
Star Trek: Lower Decks’Lieutenant D’Vana Tendi is still the first Orion in Starfleet inStar Trek’s Prime Timeline.Tendi takes pride in her status as Starfleet’s first Orion officer,though D’Vana also frequently downplays the culture she hails from because of the negative stereotypes associated with Orions. When Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) casts Tendi in the role of a fierce, scantily-clad Orion pirate for a holodeck program inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 1, episode 9, “Crisis Point”, Tendi calls Mariner out on her stereotyping, pointing out that “Some Orions haven’t been pirates in over five years!”
One of Tendi’s ancestors was inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 7, “Those Old Scientists”, among Orion scientists who covered up their true purpose with the bluster of piracy, which was more socially acceptable.
It’s a refreshing change of pace to see thatTendi is an Orion character inStar Trekwho doesn’t fall into the trap of being typecast as a sexy siren. While Tendi’s bubbly personality does mesh with how Gaila was depicted inStar Trek(2009), Tendi’s excitement is geared much more towards scientific discovery and forming new friendships. It’s a sharp contrast to D’Vana’s position as the Tendi family’s Prime assassin, also known as theMistress of the Winter Constellations.
How Tendi & Star Trek: Lower Decks Redefined The Orions
Star Trek: Lower Decks Showed The Orion Homeworld For The First Time
As a main character inStar Trek: Lower Decks,D’Vana Tendi gave us an insider’s perspective on Orion culture, which redefined the Orions for the better. Orion women being lusty sex slaves inStar Trek: The Original Serieswas problematic, yetStar Trek: Enterprise’s attempt to reform Orion women—making them a matriarchal society that controlled men with their pheromones—really wasn’t much better. But every depiction of Orions was reconciled byStar Trek’s first visit to the Orion homeworldinStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 4, episode 4, “Something Borrowed, Something Green”.
Tendi andStar Trek: Lower Decksshow how Orion culture puts a slightly nefarious veneer over every aspect of society, but also made sure to show that Orions, like otherStar Trekaliens, aren’t a monolith. While D’Vana’s sister D’Erika (Ariel Winter) and the rest of the Tendi family are predisposed towards lives of crime, D’Vana was brave enough to join Starfleet instead. Ultimately, Tendi’sStar Trek: Lower Deckscharacter arc saw her blend her past as an Orion assassin with her Starfleet present, and pave the way for a future where more Orions feel free to join Starfleet.
