The Pirates of Orion

"The Pirates of Orion" is the second season premiere episode of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series, the 17th episode overall. It first aired on September 7, 1974 on NBC.^[1][2] It was directed by Bill Reed and written by Howard Weinstein. The episode was Weinstein's first professional sale at the age of 19, making him, as of 2023, the youngest writer of any Star Trek TV episode.^[3]

Set in the 23rd century, the series follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (voiced by William Shatner) and the crew of the Starfleet starship Enterprise. In this episode, Kirk and the Enterprise must contend with a pirate captain and crew who have stolen a load of cargo that includes medicine crucial to save a dying Spock (voiced by Leonard Nimoy).

The story was developed from Weinstein out of a Star Trek-based short story he had previously published in a school science fiction publication. After it failed to be read on the first submission, it was resubmitted and purchased by the production team. The episode featured the first appearance of male members of the Orion species in the Star Trek franchise; male Orions would not appear in a live action episode until 2004. Critical reception to the episode was mixed, and it has been released in several forms of home media, including VHS, LaserDisc and DVD.