Orion

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"Yeah, well, it appears to have been named after an Ancient general ... Hippaforalkus."

- Rodney Mckay

The Orion was an Aurora-class warship constructed by the Lanteans during their time in the Pegasus Galaxy. The Orion is largely identical to the Aurora itself, though it may be a slightly upgraded variant.

Discovery on Taranis
Originally named Hippoforalcus after a Lantean general of that name, the ship suffered damage and was berthed in a subterranean hangar on Taranis. It was never fully repaired, however, and remained in the hangar after the Ancient outpost was evacuated. Eventually, the native Taranians discovered the ship, but lacked the scientific knowledge to repair it or the Ancient Gene to operate it. Taranian Chancellor Laikos showed the ship to Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, who offered the Atlantis expedition's help in repairing it.

Escape from the Super volcano
The ship quickly found itself needed, as the formerly dormant super volcano in which the Ancient outpost had been placed showed itself to be near a massive eruption. Sheppard evacuated several Taranian refugees onto the ship, which he rechristened Orion. Although the ship's sublight engines were inoperable at the time, Dr. Rodney McKay did manage to activate the ship's shields and, briefly, the hyperdrive, escaping into planetary orbit just as the volcano erupted.

Loan to Atlantis
In gratitude for the Atlantis expedition's help in evacuating their people, the Taranians agreed to loan the Orion to the expedition, who proceeded to affect repairs. These efforts, however, went slowly. Under Sheppard's command, the ship joined the Daedalus to defend against an approaching Wraith hive ship three weeks later, positioned outside sensor range so as not to reveal its existence. However, Dr. McKay remained skeptical about the ship's hyperdrive capabilities, and doubted the weapons would work in any case, rendering it of questionable usefulness.

Battle of the Void
Though the Orion was not needed in that encounter anyway, Dr. Elizabeth Weir did order its deployment after two Wraith hive ships discovered the location of Earth and modified their hyperdrives in order to get there. Commanded by Major Lorne, the Orion accompanied the Daedalus to intercept the hive ships in the void outside the Pegasus galaxy. Dr. Radek Zelenka managed to activate the ship's drones, destroying one hive ship. However, in using the drones forced the Orion to sacrifice its shields, and further damage rendered it incapable of firing on the second hive ship as well. The Orion was destroyed by the second hive ship, shortly after its crew was evacuated to the Daedalus.