Star Trek: Discoveryhas already proven Orions can’t change, despite the 24th-century efforts of D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5. The effervescent Tendi is a member of a powerful Orion family, and her people revere and fear D’Vana as theMistress of the Winter Constellations. However, Tendi is no Orion at heart; D’Vana’s love of science and exploration led to her joining Starfleet, where she was one of the integral Lower Deckers aboard the USS Cerritos.
Lieutenant D’Vana Tendi resigned from Starfleet and returned to Orion at theend ofStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 4. Desperate for the Orions help to rescue Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) from the diabolical ex-Starfleet cadet Nicholas Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill), D’Vana struck a deal with her sister, D’Erika (Ariel Winter). In exchange for Starfleet gaining the use of an Orion battleship, D’Vana agreed to become the Mistress of the Winter Constellations once more.Tendi hopes to enact positive change to the Orions from within, but will it work long term?Star Trek: Discoveryargues that Orions don’t change.
Star Trek: Discovery Already Proved Orions Can’t Change
Orions run the 32nd century Emerald Chain crime syndicate
Orions, a race infamous for intergalactic piracy, are still crime lords inStar Trek: Discovery’s 32nd century. When Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery arrive in the far future, they find the United Federation of Planets broken from lack of warp travel caused by the Burn. Worse, the galaxy is under the grip of a vast criminal network known as the Emerald Chain, which Orions primarily run.Osyraa (Janet Kidder) was the Orion leader of the Emerald Chainuntil she attempted to hijack the USS Discovery and was killed by Burnham at theend ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 3.
Sadly, despite D’Vana Tendi’s best efforts and positive example, as seen in apreview clip ofStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5’s premiere, the Orions can’t break from their criminal culture. The logline forStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5 indicates theUSS Cerritos will deal with"an Orion war"along with"furious Klingons, diplomatic catastrophes, [and] murder mysteries.“It seems Tendi’s attempt to remake Orion culture may create a schism within their society that leads to violence. The Orions won’t abandon centuries of piracy and criminal behavior easily, and they are still at it 800 years later inStar Trek: Discovery.
Tendi’s Future Is Still With Starfleet In Star Trek: Lower Decks
Tendi belongs in Starfleet
Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 5 has made no bones about the fact thatD’Vana Tendi’s return to the Orions is only temporary, and she will be back aboard the USS Cerritos before long. Tendi belongs in Starfleet, after all. Aboard the Cerritos, D’Vana found friends among the maincharacters ofStar Trek: Lower Decks,like Lt. Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), who shares her values and her nerdy love of science and Starfleet technology. Tendi exemplifies the best of Starfleet’s optimism and dedication to bettering the galaxy.
Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 4 visited the Orion homeworld for the first time inStar Trekhistory.
TheOrions have become a fascinating staple ofStar Trek: Lower Decks.Although an Orion slave girl was first glimpsed inStar Trek’s original pilot, “The Cage,” exploring Orion culture is a relatively recent development.Star Trek: Enterpriserevealed that Orions are a matriarchal society, andStar Trek: Lower Deckshas developed the Orions the most.Lt. D’Vana Tendiis the most well-rounded and developed Orion character inStar Trek. Unfortunately,Star Trek: Discoveryhas already established that whatever changes Tendi tries to make to the Orions don’t stick.
