Thrilling New Updates for Tendi & Orions in Star Trek: A Must-Read!

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 4, "Something Borrowed, Something Green."

Summary

Orions flaunt their riches while downplaying them, through lavish estates and grand showcases of wealth.

Orion customs feature bridal kidnappings, where competing families abduct brides as a means to extort money or make other ransom requests.

Tendi, known as the Mistress of the Winter Constellations, is highly revered on the planet Orion. The Orions, a long-standing species in the Star Trek universe, are finally given a deeper exploration of their culture and society in the fourth episode of Lower Decks season 4, titled "Something Borrowed, Something Green". In this episode, Lieutenant JG Beckett Mariner and T'Lyn accompany D'Vana Tendi on a journey back to her home planet of Orion. The purpose of their visit is to attend the wedding of Tendi's sister D'Erika, but they soon discover that D'Erika has been kidnapped, adding a hidden agenda to their family reunion.

To unravel the mystery and secure D'Erika's release, Tendi leads Mariner and T'Lyn on an expedition through the less savory sectors of Orion. This enlightening journey with Star Trek's pioneering human and Vulcan duo provides a deeper understanding of Orion culture, surpassing any previous revelations within the franchise. As a pivotal moment within the Star Trek: Lower Decks narrative, the Orion wedding episode holds significant importance in shaping future portrayals of this notorious pirate planet and its inhabitants.

10 Orions Make A Spectacle Of Their Wealth (While Simultaneously Downplaying It)

Tendi's family residence resembles the grand compounds associated with notorious figures like Pablo Escobar. When Mariner questions Tendi about her affluence, the Orion reveals that her family ranks fifth in terms of wealth within the Orion syndicate. The Orions proudly exhibit their riches, aligning with their culture that embraces piracy and profitability. Despite feeling ashamed of her lineage, Tendi attempts to play down her family's wealth, prompting T'Lyn to amend her report stating, "Orions conceal their riches while simultaneously putting them on full display."

9 Bridal Kidnappings Are An Orion Rite Of Passage

Tendi is far from thrilled about being summoned back home, especially since it turns out that D'Erika has been abducted. What adds to his displeasure is the fact that bridal kidnappings are customary among the Orion people, acting as a rite of passage. Falling somewhere between the save-the-dates and the sending of invitations, these kidnappings are orchestrated by rival families to extract money or other forms of ransom from the bride's family. The reason why D'Erika's kidnapping is causing such alarm is that it's happening on the eve of her wedding, which goes against tradition.

8 Orions Love Being Carried Around On Platters

Tendi's mother and father, Shona and B'Rt, demonstrate their wealth and status by being transported in sedans. When Tendi, Mariner, and T'Lyn arrive at the family compound, they are greeted with the same luxurious mode of transportation. It seems that walking is not a common activity in Tendi's household, as Shona arranges for her and her husband to be picked up and dropped off whenever they desire. Mariner notices that being carried around on platters is a beloved pastime for everyone on Orion.

7 Tendi Is A Big Deal On Orion

Star Trek: Lower Decks' Orion holds significant status on her native planet, and her impressive reputation catches the attention of Mariner and T'Lyn. In the presence of Tendi, a stern Orion bouncer is enchanted and refers to her as the Mistress of the Winter Constellations. Acknowledging her title, the bouncer efficiently allows Tendi and her friends entry into the Slit Throat, a Orion nightclub with a darkly fitting name. Once inside, Tendi assumes a level of authority that contrasts with her typically lively demeanor aboard the USS Cerritos. As the story progresses, it becomes evident that the reputation of the Mistress of the Winter Constellations plays a crucial role in the mysterious disappearance of D'Erika.

6 The Murder Bug Drinking Game

In an effort to gather more information about her missing sister, Tendi is faced with a horrifying drinking challenge. Known as the "murder bug drinking game" according to Mariner, it requires taking a shot and swiftly creating a protective barrier to avoid being bitten by the infamous murder bug. As the number of shots consumed increases, the player's reflexes progressively slow down, making it increasingly difficult to erect the defensive force field. This particular scene is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the episode, skillfully expanding the knowledge surrounding Star Trek's Orions.

5 Starfleet Made Up Orion Pheromones To Protect Captain Archer (Or Did They?)

As they continue their search for D'Erika, Tendi leads Mariner and T'Lyn to an intriguing place known as the Orion pheromone dungeon. Here, individuals known as "mone heads" are under the captivating spell of Orion females. Mariner challenges this notion, recalling how Tendi once disclosed that the famed Orion pheromones were nothing more than a fabrication by Starfleet to safeguard the reputation of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Bound", Archer found himself nearly surrendering the Enterprise NX-01 to three Orion showgirls due to the irresistible allure of their pheromones. However, Tendi clarifies that not all Orion females possess this ability to emit pheromones, a fact confirmed by the dungeon's Madame G. Additionally, Tendi unveils a convenient solution to counter the overwhelming influence of the pheromones, conveniently stored in her trusty hypospray.

4 The Orions' Starship Graveyard Has A Star Trek: Voyager Easter Egg

D'Erika eloped from her wedding by staging her own "abduction" and taking refuge in the desolate starship graveyard of Orion. This eerie resting place is known to house numerous vessels that have fallen prey to the notorious Orion pirates, abandoned and left to decay following the looting. During their childhood, D'Erika and D'Vana would pass countless hours engrossed in imaginative play within the starship graveyard, an experience that would later inspire Tendi to pursue a career in Starfleet.

Interestingly, the ship that served as the inspiration for Tendi is of the same class as the USS Raven, the vessel on which the young Annika Hansen (Jeri Ryan) resided before her assimilation into the Borg and subsequent joining as Seven of Nine. In a heartfelt moment, Tendi stumbles upon the aspirational picture she had once sketched on one of the ship's panels, depicting her sister as an Orion assassin and herself as a Starfleet officer. Sharing with Mariner and T'Lyn, Tendi reveals her fondness for the Raven-style vessel, considering it her most beloved among all the ships in the graveyard. This creates a poignant parallel between her and Seven - two individuals from Star Trek's alien species, who are often met with distrust, but managed to climb the ranks within Starfleet.

3 Lower Decks' Tendi Was Her Orion Family's "Prime"

Star Trek: Lower Decks finally reveals the truth about Tendi's past – she was trained as an assassin. In every Orion family, there exists a "Prime" daughter who is responsible for protecting the family's honor through their deadly skills. Tendi, known as the Mistress of the Winter Constellations, held the role of her family's Prime. However, she never truly embraced the life of murder and criminality. When her sister D'Vana chose to reject the assassin's path and pursue a career in Starfleet, Tendi's sister D'Erika was forced to assume the role of Prime, despite feeling ill-prepared for it. This eventually led to D'Erika's disappearance before her own wedding.

Although adept with a dagger or shard of starship, and an accomplished murder bug drinking game player, Tendi's true passion lay in the realm of science. "Something Borrowed, Something Green" affirms that Tendi's anxieties regarding Starfleet delving into her Orion heritage stem from her apprehension that this knowledge will dictate how others perceive her. Nevertheless, Mariner and T'Lyn, the other two members of the "triple threat girls trip," dispel her fears and regard her as a science enthusiast rather than a bloodthirsty assassin.

2 Orion Wedding Traditions Explained

Upon their return to the USS Cerritos, Tendi, Mariner, and T'Lyn share their adventure in Orion with the envious Lieutenants Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). As Boimler and Rutherford's Mark Twain subplot pales in comparison to the excitement of an Orion wedding, Boimler acknowledges this fact. Similar to medieval royal weddings, the fusion of two Orion individuals through marriage serves as a strategy to unite crime families, enhancing their influence and prosperity. The revelation surfaces that Orion weddings are presided over by a muscular priest with an impressive eight-pack. These ceremonies encompass a remarkable "daddy-daughter dagger dance" and climaxes with the bride playfully swinging her husband across the threshold.

1 Starfleet And Vulcan Still Know Very Little About Orion

Despite the Orions being featured in Star Trek's initial unaired pilot, "The Cage," there is limited knowledge about their society. The recent attack on a pirate ship, depicted in Star Trek: Lower Decks, has prompted Starfleet to improve relations with the pirate planet. However, very few individuals have actually visited Orion. The same holds true for the Vulcan High Command, as T'Lyn is eager to join the girls' trip in order to collect anthropological data on Orion society for her Vulcan superiors. Despite this, T'Lyn ultimately discards her report out of respect for Tendi's concerns about her culture. She acknowledges that it would be unethical to submit the report without Tendi's consent. Mariner's presence on Orion is unofficial, preventing her from compiling a report for Starfleet. Consequently, the Federation remains largely uninformed about the Orions and their society. Star Trek: Lower Decks has expanded the audience's knowledge of the Orions, making it intriguing to observe how this newfound information will impact future depictions of the species in later Star Trek canon.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.