Gaila now has a canon backstory! What happens in Star Trek: Reunion (it's just okay):

[ tw arranged/child marriage, slavery ]

• The daughter of an Orion queen, Gaila's mother (Vila) attempted to trade her as a child bride to a race of insectoid aliens.
  
• Her father (Kazek) took her and her brother, Kai, and fled to Federation space, where they were granted asylum.
  
• They settled on Earth where they made a home in the Bahamas, the climate of which was similar to their homeworld.
  
• Both Kai and Gaila expressed a desire to join Starfleet. Kazek disapproved of Gaila's interest due to her pheromones
  
• Gaila objected, stating she can control her pheromones, where humans can't. Kai refused to join if his sister was not allowed to as well.
  
• Both are the first Orions in Starfleet.
  
• Kai was assigned to the USS Enterprise as a security officer. Gaila was assigned to the USS Tereshkova as a science officer.
  
• Vila had vowed to hunt down her former family and made good on her promise, abducting both children without Orion Syndicate approval (an act of war on the Federation).
  
• Once again she attempted to marry Gaila off to space mantises. Kai is sold into gladiatorial combat.
  
• Both escape their would-be masters, reunite and flee together.
  
• Having pursued them at the risk of starting a war with the Orion Syndicate, the Enterprise rendezvous with them to complete the rescue.
  
• Vila crashes her ship into the cargo bay, dying.
  
• Gaila requests a transfer to the Enterprise to be with her brother and friends.

Neither here nor there:

• The Orion Syndicate consists of Eight Families, of which Gaila's is/was one. However, her mother's pursuit of her family into Federation space (and against Starfleet vessels) wasn't sanctioned by the Syndicate, and her family was implicitly disavowed.
  
• An Orion reuniting gesture is to gently touch foreheads and palms.
  
• Orion cultural canon varies wildly between Star Trek series, which I'm happy to chalk up to different groups just doing their own thing.
  
• Gaila and Kirk meet again on the deck of the Enterprise, when she has a seat in the captain's chair (Nyota's idea). Both are flustered.
  
• Gaila and Nyota have a close relationship, hugging tightly upon seeing each other.
  
• Gaila prefers the pants option of the Starfleet uniform and has an apparent interest in astrogeology.

General personality points:

• expressive!
  
• trusting!
  
• lives in the moment!
  
• no poker face, bad at lying, generally doesn't bother trying to hide her feelings
  
• enjoys her job in the lab on the Tereshkova but envies the perceived excitement on Kirk's ship
  
• adores her brother
  
• misses her late father, feels some guilt for his inability to return to his homeworld
  
• doesn't feel a thing for her dead mother
  
• stubborn, resolute about pursuing the future she wants
  
• pretty worried about pissing off her captain though, mortified about the chair thing
  
• rescues herself, thank you, but she'll take an assist

Some real quick prefs:

• m/f, f/f
  
• cross-canon, other star trek, all loved!

gaila is from the 2009 film star trek.
canon used in her interpretation includes star trek (2009), star trek: the original series, star trek: enterprise,, as well as the IDW tie-in comic star trek #53-54: reunion.
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