The first mention of the Orion was in Gene Roddenberry's first draft script for the initial pilot for "", "". At that stage, there was no further description given, except that they were to be alien in appearance. By the time that casting had been sought, it had been decided that the Orion character should be painted green, with the script stating that the character should be "Wild! Green skin, glistening as if oiled". Roddenberry had convinced the NBC executives to shoot in color to reduce scenery costs and so that the green skin of the character could be seen on screen. The costume for Vina was designed by William Ware Theiss, with Roddenberry pushing for it to be skimpier. Fred Phillips conducted makeup tests before the shooting began on the episode. As an actress had not yet been cast in the role of Vina, Majel Barrett instead stepped in. Several different shades of green greasepaint were applied to her, with different camera exposures and lighting settings tested. Those test shots were sent to be developed, and received back the following day.