Star Trek: Discovery has already proven Orions can’t change, despite the 24th-century efforts of D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. The effervescent Tendi is a member of a powerful Orion family, and her people revere and fear D’Vana as the Mistress 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 the end of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 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: Discovery argues 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 in Star 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 Chain until she attempted to hijack the USS Discovery and was killed by Burnham at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 3.
Sadly, despite D’Vana Tendi’s best efforts and positive example, as seen in a preview clip of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5’s premiere, the Orions can’t break from their criminal culture. The logline for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 indicates the USS 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 in Star Trek: Discovery.
Tendi’s Future Is Still With Starfleet In Star Trek: Lower Decks
Tendi belongs in Starfleet
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 has made no bones about the fact that D’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 main characters of Star 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.
The Orions have become a fascinating staple of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Although an Orion slave girl was first glimpsed in Star Trek’s original pilot, “The Cage,” exploring Orion culture is a relatively recent development. Star Trek: Enterprise revealed that Orions are a matriarchal society, and Star Trek: Lower Decks has developed the Orions the most. Lt. D’Vana Tendi is the most well-rounded and developed Orion character in Star Trek. Unfortunately, Star Trek: Discovery has already established that whatever changes Tendi tries to make to the Orions don’t stick.