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Orions - Culture and Mindset information request
logandarklighter
Member Posts: 96 Arc User
My "main" is over on the Fed side. But I did start a KDF character as soon as the option was available for me a couple of months after launch. Could've made a standard Klingon Warrior, but the allure of the green space babes lured me slightly astray. 
Just so you know some of what I've experienced - I actually started Aisha Sohaiz, my Orion Tac Captain, back when it was possible to do missions from the low levels. And I had actually through casual, occasional play come up to within a half a rank of Commander level when the change to start KDF characters AT commander went through. So I was forcibly advanced half a rank, but otherwise my experience dovetailed or almost bypassed the change. (this left me with some oddities. I've kept a Lieutenant lvl Fed Type 2 Phaser in the bank from the time I ran the Devidian missions before the ranking shift. Useless now except as a conversation piece and as bragging rights. )
Thing is - I think I have a pretty good mental handle on the Klingon mindset and honor tradition from what I've seen in the original series and movies. (A little less seriously, although played for comedy, I thoroughly LOVED the Klingon characters from the late great John M. Ford book "How Much for Just the Planet?" And someday I want to find a copy of "The Final Reflection" by Ford as well.)
Recently I've gotten much more involved in playing her and been having a lot of fun doing so. Especially with the DOFF system to help me imagine her making some devious and underhanded moves. Heh.
Now here's my main point - I'm not really an RP person except in response to others prodding. But I do like having a mental "head-canon" to fall back on. I like imagining how my character would think and react.
In -general- I've been running General Sohaiz as an Orion who embraces/admires the Klingon honor culture. So that's how she acts when I interact with other players.
But I've been doing that because I know next to nothing about Orions! I'm trying to find some info on their backstory. Is there a good set of resources that anyone can point me to? Examples? I'm perusing Memory Alpha at the moment. But even there information seems pretty sparse.
Anything on their culture and history might help. Mind - Sohaiz is NOT a typical Orion. She doesn't typically run around in the "space bikini" etc. She generally prefers the Klingon "direct approach". But knowing the "cultural rules" would help me know when and where she is - and should be - breaking them.
Thanks in advance (and apologies if this is in the wrong section).
Just so you know some of what I've experienced - I actually started Aisha Sohaiz, my Orion Tac Captain, back when it was possible to do missions from the low levels. And I had actually through casual, occasional play come up to within a half a rank of Commander level when the change to start KDF characters AT commander went through. So I was forcibly advanced half a rank, but otherwise my experience dovetailed or almost bypassed the change. (this left me with some oddities. I've kept a Lieutenant lvl Fed Type 2 Phaser in the bank from the time I ran the Devidian missions before the ranking shift. Useless now except as a conversation piece and as bragging rights. )
Thing is - I think I have a pretty good mental handle on the Klingon mindset and honor tradition from what I've seen in the original series and movies. (A little less seriously, although played for comedy, I thoroughly LOVED the Klingon characters from the late great John M. Ford book "How Much for Just the Planet?" And someday I want to find a copy of "The Final Reflection" by Ford as well.)
Recently I've gotten much more involved in playing her and been having a lot of fun doing so. Especially with the DOFF system to help me imagine her making some devious and underhanded moves. Heh.
Now here's my main point - I'm not really an RP person except in response to others prodding. But I do like having a mental "head-canon" to fall back on. I like imagining how my character would think and react.
In -general- I've been running General Sohaiz as an Orion who embraces/admires the Klingon honor culture. So that's how she acts when I interact with other players.
But I've been doing that because I know next to nothing about Orions! I'm trying to find some info on their backstory. Is there a good set of resources that anyone can point me to? Examples? I'm perusing Memory Alpha at the moment. But even there information seems pretty sparse.
Anything on their culture and history might help. Mind - Sohaiz is NOT a typical Orion. She doesn't typically run around in the "space bikini" etc. She generally prefers the Klingon "direct approach". But knowing the "cultural rules" would help me know when and where she is - and should be - breaking them.
Thanks in advance (and apologies if this is in the wrong section).
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http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Orion
I wish STO would have created more detail for all of the KDF races and more information on their joining the KDF.
I am interested to see what people have to say, as I too plan to start an Orion character soon, though I roleplay a bit more, so some details on their culture would be beneficial. As of now I am going with slaver and i'll decide personality and beliefs from there.
I see two main ways you could do it, seems like I read that many Orions were given to the Klingons as slaves when the Syndicate joined the KDF, so you could be a slave to the KDF or a slaver for the Syndicate or KDF or just for yourself, being more-or-less a pirate. When you figure it out, please share your story.
This part made me like Orion females, allowing themselves to be seen as weak and sold of as slaves to be owned for the whims of others when in fact they were much more than their "owner" realised was such a sweet irony. Then the other thing I remembered was that Orions like to be seen as neutral, in the original series they would rather die than be captured if it meant saving their image of neutrality, although now they are with the KDF who knows if they value their neutrality as much.
On the whole though one thing about Orions to remember, is that you should never underestimate them... particularly the females.;)
Orions are typically shown as smugglers or pirates, either operating alone or with the Orion Syndicate, which is dominated by Orions in the STO universe. Technologically, Orions don't appear to be anything special, though they do have ways of getting ahold of exotic technologies via the black market.
Oh indeed.
Sohaiz ironically tries NOT to use her pheromones very much in her interactions with her crew. As much as possible, at any rate. Some of it is unavoidable or instinct of course.
While it would make things more convenient in certain ways to fall back on the pheromones, the trade-offs, in her opinion, aren't worth it. This is not an Orion ship, it's a Klingon ship. Though it is a mixed crew, with Orions, Nausicaans, a couple of Letheans and the odd Federation ex-pat or two, it is still a majority Klingon crew. And she wants the earned respect of the crew, not a bunch of thralls. (or to cause headaches and more aggressiveness. Well - more so than normal anyway.)
She's authorized the medical officer and staff to render pheromone blockers to any crew that needs or requests them. And she runs periodic evaluations to make sure that no one who is susceptible is inadvertently being dominated by her or the other Orions on board. The Orions on her crew understand her rules and abide by them (even if some don't fully agree with them).
This garners her more respect from the Klingons on her crew than even she realizes.
But enemies of the Empire are more than fair game for domination. And she'll do so without hesitation if there's a need or an opening.
Early on she trained in Batleth combat and while she got to a good enough level to protect herself in close combat against any Batleth wielder short of a Swordsmaster, she was never comfortable with the weapon.
However, when she discovered Nausicaan Tegolar Swords, they turned out to be perfect for her style. Sohaiz has trained until she is practically a dervish with the blade. And carries a high quality one with her at almost all times. Many may think that it is a "ceremonial" sword. A captain's affectation. But more than one dog of house Duras has found that blade thrust into their heart before they die.
(In game terms, I prefer that sword more than a Batleth, because
1) The attacks are FAST. They may be doing less damage per slice than a comparable Batleth, but it's near constant damage. And the expose mechanic actually works quite well with the quick attacks.
2) If you're not quite in Melee range, triggering the blade attacks will make you CHARGE into it from a few yards away! The Batleth doesn't do that. Some people may not want to do an automatic charge and prefer the more deliberate style of the Batleth. But I play with the RPG controls, and I like being able to lock onto a target and charge in.
I respect the Batleth a great deal. I just kinda suck at using it. >.>
In fact, I do the Academy event as much for the practice in melee combat as I do for the dilithium. If you see an Orion fem captain charging around melee-ing the Fed Holos, (and helping out other people with theirs) that might be me.
(I do that with my Fed captain too, BTW. Sassinak is more a standard ranged weapons fighter and doesn't use her sword as much as Aisha does. But there's nothing like an Admiral in full-kit CHARGING down a corridor with a Tsunkatse Falchion raised over her head to cut down a Klink holo to put the very FEAR OF GOD into the cadets!
Yeah. Was perusing that, and it's still pretty thin unfortunately.
What I'm finding more useful (though being careful to take into account that much of it is apocryphal or contradictory to canon) is the page at Memory Beta:
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Orion
Some of it I think I'll try to use or rationalize. It at the very least is interesting reading.
R.I.P
YOS,TNG. DS9 and ENT. (Otions didn't make much of a showing in VOY that I can recall) plus I dimly recal some info from the animated series.
In ENT the Orions were were a certain geneticist got his advanced equipment for creating augments. The assumption here his Orion have a certain "mastery" of genetic science.. ..(the only ugly Orions are the one designed to be ugly) and Orion culture is old... very old...there are a number of hints that they had a space going empire in the area of federation space well before the Vulcans and most of the species of the Alpha and Beta quadrants. They display all of the signs of a very decadent culture, and a somewhat tired civilization.. They aparently live for the moment for the most part, and the next thrill. In ENT the Orions attitude after was.. more along the lines of "well you Federation types aren't much fun.. tsk! So serious oh my!"
Apparently Orion "Free Enterprise" involves practices that the Federation is pretty close to zero tolerance about.. slaving normal and genetic slaves, and certain proscribed technologies. They apparently dpn't have much contact with the Romulans.. Unsurprising.. Romulans have less of a sense of human then the Federation. With the Klingons it seems to be "Just dont get caught, and stay out of house politics"
Orions appear to have a fairly strong caste type of social structure. There is an Orion home world but it is aparently depleted of any easily extractable natural resources after what I am sure in a millenia of exploitation by a tecnic civilization. There are still Orions in Federation space as merchants, traders, and serving in Starfleet, but the bulk of any remaining Orion military power was absorbed the Orion (pirate) cartel around the time of first contact. There are alagations of Orion contact with a pre space flight Earth during Earths industrial revolution. There are a number of hints in popular fiction from such writers as the famed ER Burroughs and others well up into earths mid 20 century.
Orion civilization today is every bit as varied as Earths own cultures.
I run two Orion females myself. One a SCI captain, and a mature woman in her 50's that commands an Klingon battle cruiser. Her story is she has little to do with the Orion Cartel, and her family has been granted status as a Klingon house minor. She's a fighter, and is usually quite capable of pulling a targ out of hat to surprise and enemy.
My other is a TAC captain, and all around fun loving party gal... when shes not shooting up someone starship, and is currently the Commanding General of the Solid Gold Pressed Latinum Dancers (and those gals better still be dancing for DJ Grom! )
I haven't been in game all that much over the last few months as I have had a number of real world issues to take care of. Maybe by the time I have a comp that can handle the game again and a decent broadband connection Cryptic studio the attention it needs.s may have finally delivered on some of the KDF content they've been promising for 3 years... EXCLUSIVE KDF content.
Right now I personally consider STO and utter fail as a multi faction MMO due to a massive lack of balance in the play experience. We've seen a few good ships added, and a small handfull of missions, and one new player race for the KDF since launch. A revamp to Kon'os and that pretty much it. Dan Stahl has shown great mastery at providing explinations (excuses) as to why the KDF faction has not gotten the attention it need to be a full fleged faction in STO. Well, last I heard Cryptic has the Staff of the Dev team.
I recall him asking "Do KDF players want the Horde" (right along that line...) The answer is..
"Uh Yea dude! Why not.. Its certainly worked for Blizzard. NCSoft, and a horde of other MMO producers. STO can certainly survive with just Trek fans, but wouldn't you like to make more money?"
-The Player formerly known as Khemaraa_Iron_Hand_KBF
and PS..how come I cant select of of my STO tunes on this stupid TRIBBLE merged account BS??
My take is that she was captured by Ferengi as a young girl and turned into a house slave, but with a strong stubborn streak and a thirst for knowledge. Since she was a lot of trouble, but potentially valuable, she was put in a slave market where she caught the attention of an honorable Klingon patriarch who recognized her spirit.
This amused the Klingon and he bought her and took her into his household as a maidservant for his wife. Over time, he came to regard the girl like a daughter, adopted her into his House (oh, what a scandal that was!), and allowed her to be trained as a Klingon. She has also demonstrated a strong aptitude for science.
As such, Rhyannha did not reach maturity in Orion society. She has since learned much about Orions, but her thinking is closer to Klingon in some ways and she's a an outsider in both cultures. She's about as honorable (in the Klingon sense) as an Orion can get... without being quite as eager to fight or quite as ready to die. She's not entirely above the occasional dirty trick, or pushing people's buttons either.
###
I recognize that it is entirely possible that some Orion women actually are slaves, and not just Syndicate plants. They aren't the only unscrupulous race in the galaxy and Orion women have a clear value in certain circles. However, they're just naturally cunning and will probably end up in a position of some advantage one way or the other.
I believe that Orion sensuality is probably a two-edged sword. Yes, they do use it to manipulate others. But I don't think they can be entirely dispassionate about it and that fact could be used against them. This is partly why my Rhyannha is as celibate as it is possible for an Orion to get despite it being a struggle for her... she has to master her sensuality lest it master her and cause complications. (The other part is that I have no desire to roleplay seducing a male -- ugh.)
Given the mass disinformation regarding the true role of Orion women in their society, I think we can also extrapolate a few more things about their mindset.
1. They're planners. That "slave girl" setup didn't happen overnight or by accident, and both males and females of the species perpetuate it on purpose. That's long-term thinking.
2. They naturally understand how to push emotional "buttons". I'm not just talking about the sensuality. The Syndicate exploits the base emotions of others to create a market for the illicit goods they supply and to expand their influence. They themselves seem to be a very emotional, passionate, and materialistic people.
3. They don't trust outsiders. Their natural intelligence is deliberately hidden behind that primal facade. They use illegitimate methods to attain their goals because they fear open cooperation. They fake a subservient attitude so that others will underestimate them. They lie to avoid being taken advantage of and to gain the advantage over others. They automatically assume that others are out to get them, and act preemptively to prevent it.
4. They're natural actors and showmanship comes easily to them. They understand the power of appearances and illusions, and they easily take on a false public identity. They are able to project a smooth sincerity that Ferengi just aren't able to fake that well. Like many actors, they probably have strong egos and have a hard time resisting the impulse to get attention and affection.
5. They probably strongly believe in doing unto others before somebody does them wrong first. Orion piracy is just one manifestation of that mindset. It's not really all about gain, it's also about self-protection. This is most likely partly cultural and partly a strong sense of self-preservation.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
(Furiously scribbling notes down)
Yep.. Old, decadent, insular, highly developed, suspicious, distrustfull, arogant. Hints of being a culture that is sufficiently old to have even forgotten its earliest histories. Apeople also struggling to find a place for them selves. And most especially a bit of a law unto them selves. Not a unitary culture. I suspect thier culture has "shattered" several times, and I further suspect that the Orion cartel is perhapes the most "traditional" of the various Orion subcultures.. a parallel would be Japans Yakuza syndcates as portrayed in fiction, along with a levening of the type of culture inherent to the Tongs. There is a great deal of leeway in the portrayal of Orions.. from a Orion serving under the auspices of the empire simply to give themselves a certain freedom of action from the fussy do- goody goodyness of the Federation, to those who have embraced the Klingon Empire with all it virtues and faults.
R.I.P
Since I don't want to restate what others have already done better, I will simply sum up what I think is at the heart of the Orion mindset: Orions are survivors. They will do whatever it takes to survive, including allying themselves with races for the moment only to leave them later, or setting up their enemies to fight each other. To the Orion, all non-Orions are potential threats, outsiders who no doubt seek to use Orions for their own reasons or hope to plunder what Orions have gained.
My own take on the Orions in general terms (just my own imaginings, of course. Use them if you like them):
I see the Orion homeworld(s) as ancient worlds of half-forgotten glory, with the current Orions living among the monuments of their former empire with only a partial recollection of what they were erected to memorialize. Worlds filled with the treasures of their once-great civilization, with buildings other races would have considered decadent temples intended to boast of Orion's great accomplishments in art and the appreciation of life, now inhabited by a people only interested in living among the fruits of their ancestor's accomplishments and paranoid that the other races that have supplanted them on the stage of galactic affairs will sooner or later seek to invade and pillage them.
Orions stopped growing as a culture some time ago, and adopted the attitude China had at the time of the Golden Fleet....that they had achieved the pinacle of civilization and there was nothing more to achieve except to explore their own living and sensation. Like China, they were caught and surpassed by other, more 'ignorant' cultures until they found they were no match for those who were now at their doorstep. Realizing that armed confrontation would only lead to ruination of their cities and probable defeat, they chose not to oppose the new arrivals as they swallowed the worlds that formerly Orion had called theirs. In truth, they had stopped caring about those worlds once they turned inwardly as a society, and the other races were welcome to them.
However, the Orions knew the new empires would come one day to their own homeworlds. Divided into clans and merchant houses, Orions had not been united as a people for some time, but all agreed on two things. None wanted non-Orions pillaging their homes, and none wanted to see a war with the new empires (one that might very well see the extinction of the Orion race). On the basis of common self-interest, Orions chose their path of careful nuetrality and being the race everyone knew could provide what they wanted for a (reasonable) price. However, always aware the other races could overwhelm them at any time, the Orions also put into place the structure of deceptions and unseen seductions that would allow them to steer the other races into thinking the Orions were not worth the effort to invade, and too valuable to refuse to trade with.
Thus the Orions first courted the Federation, then joined the Klingon Empire. Each choice made in the interest of keeping whichever empire was closest to controlling the area of space still left to the Orions in a favored status. If suddenly the Tholians seemed like they were going to be the most powerful force in that area of space, likely the Orions would sever ties to the Klingon Empire and join the Assembly (though of course, it is easier to play the game when the other races are at least the same basic lifeform as you).
Deception, seduction, espionage, assassination, alliances, and outright support...all of these are acceptable to an Orion in pursuit of their overriding goal. To survive, by any means necessary, and outlast everyone else.
Hope this helps, or at least stirs other people's imaginations.
Gave him a science background and he found himself more accepted among the Klingons and the Gorn cos he was smart and the later two only cared if he could fight well and not who he bunked with. He kinda loathes other orions because of his exile. His crew doesn't have any Orions. Esp those, um, big bosomed orion females are kept a long distance away from him!!
hey its my RP, dont judge!
We still live!!!!! Hahahahahahahahaa! We live and we will conquer!!!!! Hahahahahaaha!
-Roach, when asked about Klingon extinction!
Random Quote from Kerrat
"Sumlobus@****: your mums eat Iced Targ Poo"
C&H Fed banter
I imagine Orion society as a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptocracy run by a criminal organization. The Syndicate owns people, the government is openly corrupt and working for them, and everyone on the bottom rung of the ladder is crushed firmly underfoot. However, the Syndicate has a mafia-esque sense of honor, and if you play your cards right, you can join the Syndicate and work your way all the way up to the top. (There's really nothing in canon to support this over any other interpretation, but I like to think that's probably how it'd work in real life)
That honor, combined with the apparent ease with which Orions accept their own deaths, seems to have been what makes them a good client race for the Klingons.
That said, I also have a theory that the Syndicate does not have the Klingon's best interests in mind. They gave all the Great Houses thousands of "slaves girls", and we all know what that means. Every one of them is likely a pheromone-active agent of the Syndicate, trained to manipulate men. What better way to become the power behind the throne?
It makes perfect sense from their mindset: you can't rebuild your own empire, so why not steal someone else's?
That said, there appear to be plenty of Orions who have nothing to do with the Syndicate, which has some pretty stringent entry requirements, and was (until recently) not even run by Orions. So you shouldn't really feel bound to being a criminal, pirate, or slaver.