Star Trek: The Animated Series (S2)

[A l t e r E g o 9]

Star Trek: The Animated Series (S2)

#17 The Pirates Of Orion

Written by: Howard Weinstein

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Airdate: Sept. 7, 1974

Stardate: 6334.1

Synopsis

Spock contracts a disease that is fatal to Vulcans, and Orion pirates make it difficult for the Enterprise to rendezvous with the S.S. Huron, a freighter that is carrying the only known antidote.

Guest Characters:

Transporter Chief James Doohan

Captain O'Shea James Doohan

Huron first officer Majel Barrett

Huron helmsman George Takei

Orion Commander James Doohan

Orion Lieutenant George Takei

Orion Ensign James Doohan

Notes:

The starship U.S.S. Potempkin was mentioned in this episode. The U.S.S. Potempkin was first seen in the original series episode "The Ultimate Computer."

Orions played an important part in this episode. Orions were first seen in the unaired first pilot for the original STAR TREK series "The Cage." They were also seen in "Journey to Babel", "Whom Gods Destroy", "The Menagerie, Parts I and II" and in the animated tale "The Time Trap".

This episode's writer, Howard Weinstein, scripted some STAR TREK comic stories in the 1990's that are regarded as some of the best STAR TREK stories produced by DC comics. These stories included "Tests of Courage" (1994) - a Captain Sulu story, and "Revisitations" (1995) which featured the return of Harry Mudd and Gary Seven.

This episode was the first episode of the animated STAR TREK's second season.

George Takei did the voices of no less than three characters in this episode.

This episode featured the first appearance of an Orion ship design, and of Orion males.

Interestingly, in this episode, Kirk and crew mispronounced the word "Orion" as "ore-EE-on", whereas in the original series episode "Journey to Babel" they correctly pronounced it as "oh-RYE-un." Obviously the animated scripts needed a pronunciation page as are typically used on all of today's STAR TREK scripts.