Star Trek spoof series "The Orville"

Tools    





Raven73's Avatar
Boldly going.
Last night's episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" was excellent. I had to look up whether Adrianne Palicki has a twin - turns out she does not and it was all special effects and camera tricks.



Last night's episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" was excellent. I had to look up whether Adrianne Palicki has a twin - turns out she does not and it was all special effects and camera tricks.
"Kelly" looked gorgeous in bangs! Especially when they covered that mole between her eyes. That blouse, though...

Another interesting episode.

The one with Gordon and the "Simulator" (a.k.a. Holodeck) was also interesting but a bit lackluster. However, I'm glad the show is making episodes that make you think.

Personally, I've never liked the concept of the Holodeck - if they existed no one would want to explore space - people would just live inside them in their own personal paradise. People would be addicted to them (kind of like Bortus with the Simulated porn!)

If they existed in reality, they'd probably only be available for the rich, and there'd be year-long waiting lists to use one. The technology is also way too advanced for the Orville or ST-TNG for that matter - it's on par with the Teleporter (which the Orville doesn't have) - rearranging matter at a molecular level to create anything? - the inherent danger of such a device would be unbelievable.

And now - in honor of Kelly's bangs.... a song...



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
The Kaylon episodes were really good and I liked the effort put forth with Time Travel in the finale. The show works for me when I thought it wouldn't. It's weird because the comedy isn't as in your face as one would expect from McFarland. Glad they are keeping up with some character centric episodes.
__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
The Kaylon episodes were really good and I liked the effort put forth with Time Travel in the finale. The show works for me when I thought it wouldn't. It's weird because the comedy isn't as in your face as one would expect from McFarland. Glad they are keeping up with some character centric episodes.

I don't know much about Seth MacFarlane, but I've read that he's a big Star Trek fan. He made a Star Trek fan film when he was a teenager, and he appeared in two episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise".

Since he seems to be a trekkie like the rest of us, he knows what we want to see.
__________________
.
If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.



So far I've watched 5 episodes of The Orville. I'm liking it, of course I didn't have too high of expectations, but it's fun and sometimes funny...and sometimes not. I liked all of the cast right from the start, except the damn robot thing Gawd! he's bland and annoying. I'm going to watch all the episodes and then I'm going to be out of Star Trek to watch. Don't think I'll watch Discovery.



So far I've watched 5 episodes of The Orville. I'm liking it, of course I didn't have too high of expectations, but it's fun and sometimes funny...and sometimes not. I liked all of the cast right from the start, except the damn robot thing Gawd! he's bland and annoying. I'm going to watch all the episodes and then I'm going to be out of Star Trek to watch. Don't think I'll watch Discovery.
The good news is the episodes actually get better as they go along. It gets to be less about trying to make jokes and more about story - and then any jokes come more naturally.

(For future reference just keep this whimsical thought in the back of your head - that this is actually part of the ST universe and the bland robot thing belongs to the race of machines that built V-ger in ST-TMP!)

The bad news (for me) is the next season is not going to be on regular TV, but on some special order thing you have to pay extra for.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
So far I've watched 5 episodes of The Orville. I'm liking it, of course I didn't have too high of expectations, but it's fun and sometimes funny...and sometimes not. I liked all of the cast right from the start, except the damn robot thing Gawd! he's bland and annoying. I'm going to watch all the episodes and then I'm going to be out of Star Trek to watch. Don't think I'll watch Discovery.

If I remember correctly, the robot's name is Isaac. I wasn't a fan of his at first either, but he got better as the show went on. He's supposed to be the new Spock or Data type of character, but he's not as good. He'll never be a character that you love, but give him a chance and you might at least like him more than you do now.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
The good news is the episodes actually get better as they go along. It gets to be less about trying to make jokes and more about story - and then any jokes come more naturally.

(For future reference just keep this whimsical thought in the back of your head - that this is actually part of the ST universe and the bland robot thing belongs to the race of machines that built V-ger in ST-TMP!)

The bad news (for me) is the next season is not going to be on regular TV, but on some special order thing you have to pay extra for.

I agree that the show gets better as it goes on.

I haven't heard that it was changing networks, but if you're right, I'm not happy about that. I"m sure that it will be a network that's not already in my cable plan, and I'm not adding anything to my TV bill, so it could be the end of the show for me, (at least until it gets released on DVD and I can find it at a cheap price).



I just finished the 1st season of The Orville...now I'm on season 2 episode 4.

I'm still liking it but what the hell! They got rid of one of my favorite characters, Lt. Alara Kitan. Both me and my wife really liked her character, she brought a lot to the show and lots of personality, so it sucks that they canned her for someone else. I haven't seen who replaces her on the ship yet, hopefully they will be OK.

I'm also bummed that Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr, got a 'promotion' to chief of engineering but so far he's not been on the show much. I liked it better when him and Gordon set side by side driving the ship and making jokes. It feels like the show lost something when they moved John off the bridge.

I still don't like the robot, but he's a bit better I guess. Glad to see Penny Johnson who was great on DSN get some more air time as the doctor. I take it they've paired her up with the robot, I guess that works.

Some good episodes, some mediocre ones...some good jokes and some stale, juvenile jokes too.

I'm not a fan of Brannon Braga and his style of show construction and the second season is starting to feel like it's structured after the last couple seasons of Enterprise...too much focus on action packed thrills with energy weapons fights and edge of your seat, block buster type entertainment, blah...I like a more sedate and cerebral show with strong character development and interaction.


The Captain, Seth MacFarlane has gotten better in the second season as now he's the flawed, 'lonely guy' who's pining for his ex wife and feeling quite miserable. That all makes him seem more human and more interesting. I liked the 1st officer Kelly Grayson from the get go, but I liked her look (hair & makeup) better in the 1st season. She looked more edgy, more flashy too, not she's more softer looking. I still like her and her relationship with the Captain.



I just finished the 1st season of The Orville...now I'm on season 2 episode 4.

I'm still liking it but what the hell! They got rid of one of my favorite characters, Lt. Alara Kitan. Both me and my wife really liked her character, she brought a lot to the show and lots of personality, so it sucks that they canned her for someone else. I haven't seen who replaces her on the ship yet, hopefully they will be OK.

I'm also bummed that Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr, got a 'promotion' to chief of engineering but so far he's not been on the show much. I liked it better when him and Gordon set side by side driving the ship and making jokes. It feels like the show lost something when they moved John off the bridge.

I still don't like the robot, but he's a bit better I guess. Glad to see Penny Johnson who was great on DSN get some more air time as the doctor. I take it they've paired her up with the robot, I guess that works.

Some good episodes, some mediocre ones...some good jokes and some stale, juvenile jokes too.

I'm not a fan of Brannon Braga and his style of show construction and the second season is starting to feel like it's structured after the last couple seasons of Enterprise...too much focus on action packed thrills with energy weapons fights and edge of your seat, block buster type entertainment, blah...I like a more sedate and cerebral show with strong character development and interaction.


The Captain, Seth MacFarlane has gotten better in the second season as now he's the flawed, 'lonely guy' who's pining for his ex wife and feeling quite miserable. That all makes him seem more human and more interesting. I liked the 1st officer Kelly Grayson from the get go, but I liked her look (hair & makeup) better in the 1st season. She looked more edgy, more flashy too, not she's more softer looking. I still like her and her relationship with the Captain.
I actually cried a little when Alara said goodbye to each of the crew.

I still want to debate over her planet - what we saw was not the effects of increased gravity, but increased atmospheric pressure!

Under increased gravity a bottle will indeed weigh a lot more, but it won't flatten - just like our gravity doesn't just flatten anything made of light or crushable materials.

Whereas with atmospheric pressure, that's exactly what it does to objects - crushes them flat under tons of layers of atmosphere.

Go to a planet with greater gravity and you may not be able to stand up, it may feel hard to breath (if there's a breathable atmosphere), but you won't suddenly be crushed flat like under a steam roller, however... sink to the lowest depths of the ocean and you will indeed be crushed and flattened into the sea bed - this is the difference between gravity & atmospheric pressure: gravity pulls on you from the center of the planet, while atmos. pressure presses on you from above, thus crushing & flattening you.

My contention: Alara's planet may indeed have greater gravity than Earth, but when
we see things get crushed on the surface, it can only mean the planet's atmospheric pressure is probably even greater than its gravity.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I just finished the 1st season of The Orville...now I'm on season 2 episode 4.

I'm still liking it but what the hell! They got rid of one of my favorite characters, Lt. Alara Kitan. Both me and my wife really liked her character, she brought a lot to the show and lots of personality, so it sucks that they canned her for someone else. I haven't seen who replaces her on the ship yet, hopefully they will be OK.
I liked Lt. Alara Kitan too. I think the actress, (Halston Sage), left the show because she was cast in the show "Prodigal Son". I read somewhere that she liked the new show because she looked like herself.


I still don't like the robot, but he's a bit better I guess. Glad to see Penny Johnson who was great on DSN get some more air time as the doctor. I take it they've paired her up with the robot, I guess that works.
I've seen Penny Johnson in a few other shows, and she usually plays a character who has a strong presence. Even though her character wasn't likeable in "24", and it took some getting used to her character in "Castle", she was always memorable.


Some good episodes, some mediocre ones...some good jokes and some stale, juvenile jokes too.

I'm not a fan of Brannon Braga and his style of show construction and the second season is starting to feel like it's structured after the last couple seasons of Enterprise...too much focus on action packed thrills with energy weapons fights and edge of your seat, block buster type entertainment, blah...I like a more sedate and cerebral show with strong character development and interaction.
I didn't stick with "Enterprise" long enough to compare it to "The Orville", but I find that "The Orville" is a fun version of the original "Star Trek".


The Captain, Seth MacFarlane has gotten better in the second season as now he's the flawed, 'lonely guy' who's pining for his ex wife and feeling quite miserable. That all makes him seem more human and more interesting. I liked the 1st officer Kelly Grayson from the get go, but I liked her look (hair & makeup) better in the 1st season. She looked more edgy, more flashy too, not she's more softer looking. I still like her and her relationship with the Captain.
I didn't know much about Seth MacFarlane before I saw him in "The Orville", except that he created shows like "Family Guy" and "American Dad!", which I don't like, so I expected not to like him in "The Orville", but he turned out to be one of my favorites on the show. I read somewhere that he's a huge Star Trek fan. I also liked Kelly Grayson from the first time I saw her, and I love her relationship with the Captain.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I actually cried a little when Alara said goodbye to each of the crew.

I still want to debate over her planet - what we saw was not the effects of increased gravity, but increased atmospheric pressure!

Under increased gravity a bottle will indeed weigh a lot more, but it won't flatten - just like our gravity doesn't just flatten anything made of light or crushable materials.

Whereas with atmospheric pressure, that's exactly what it does to objects - crushes them flat under tons of layers of atmosphere.

Go to a planet with greater gravity and you may not be able to stand up, it may feel hard to breath (if there's a breathable atmosphere), but you won't suddenly be crushed flat like under a steam roller, however... sink to the lowest depths of the ocean and you will indeed be crushed and flattened into the sea bed - this is the difference between gravity & atmospheric pressure: gravity pulls on you from the center of the planet, while atmos. pressured presses on you from above, thus crushing & flattening you.

My contention: Alara's planet may indeed have greater gravity than Earth, but when
m we see things get crushed on the surface, it can only mean the planet's atmospheric pressure is probably even grater than its gravity.

This is a problem on a lot of science fiction shows, (and movies). They have some type of plot hole or goof because whatever idea they came up with isn't correct.

I've learned over the years that it's easier just to accept their incorrect premise as being correct in their universe because it's easier to enjoy the show if I accept it, rather than being bothered by the fact that it's wrong.



I liked Lt. Alara Kitan too. I think the actress, (Halston Sage), left the show because she was cast in the show "Prodigal Son". I read somewhere that she liked the new show because she looked like herself.
That's not what I read. I read in a couple of different articles that she was written out of the show and it wasn't her choice to leave.

Why did Halston Sage leave the show? Truth be told, neither Fox nor show creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane have given a clear reason as to why she was written out, and Sage herself seemed largely in the dark too. When asked if she chose to leave The Orville in a 2019 Television Critics Association panel, the actress simply stated, “It wasn’t about a choice. It was what was best for the show at the time.”
and this
Halston Sage did what ‘The Orville’ writers askedFox never issued a clear reason for writing Alara Kitan off The Orville and bringing on a brand new Xelayan. Halston Sage wasn’t entirely clear either but had good spirits about the whole thing.

“I completely trust our writers and producers,” Sage said. “I think everything happens for a reason.”

So, did she choose to leave the show or did they ask her to?

“It wasn’t about a choice,” Sage said. “It was what was best for the show at the time.

Halston Sage did not have Prodigal Son lined up immediately after The Orville. She landed the role the old fashioned way.

“When Orville ended I was just out there auditioning like everyone else,” Sage said. “Every audition is tough. I think this especially, I was very emotionally attached to Ainsley and to this script and the project and everyone involved. I like that though. I like that when you’re feeling really passionate about something. I like that energy that produces.”
I seen her replacement tonight, Lt. Talla Keyali and I did not like her at all. She seemed like she should have been in some crime show. She just didn't fit with the demeanor of the rest of the crew. Now I don't feel like watching the rest of season 2, but probably well.

The actress seemed like an odd replacement and even odder she's the exact same species, how embarrassing for Halston Sage 'Alara' to be booted off the show and replaced. At least her replacement could've been a different species. I wonder if Seth MacFarlane had a personal grudge against Halston Sage?



Some replies to older post...

...Personally, I liked the episode where Mercer and Malloy disguised themselves as the Krill and infiltrated their ship (I liked some of the subtle analogies made... depending on how you looked at it). The makeup in this episode was also pretty impressive.
For me, the story premise was intriguing and the make up amazing. But I hated how Mercer and Malloy didn't even try to fit in as Krill. They just started with the goof ball jokes once they got onboard the Krill ship. The jokes should've come from their serious attempts to interact with the Krill, as fellow Krill...but inevitably they'd say the wrong thing and then they'd have to scramble to cover up their mistakes.

Bortus is okay, but seems just a Mr. Worf copy (which can be good or bad depending on how he's played...
Bortus is great IMO, he's clearly like Worf but still not a Klingon. I like how he interacts with his mate and the way his race does things, like laying eggs and urinating once a year in a grand ceremony! He cracks me up.

Isaac also seems mostly a copy of TNG's Mr. Data - especially his voice which sounds like a direct impersonation of Brent Spiner.
For me, he just hasn't got it. By that I mean I get that he's like a Data character, but image Data being played by Will Weaton instead of Brent Spiner.

He's interesting in that, unlike Data, he belongs to a race of sentient machines that considers organic beings inferior (for Trekkies, I interpret that he could be from the planet described in ST-TMP where a race of intelligent machines build the V-ger vessel.)
Ha, you always interpret things as being V-ger like Actually you should watch Picard because it was said that an ultra advanced race of sentient machines would one day come to our galaxy and purge it of organic life...sound familiar?

I think Scott Grimes is the weak link on the show. He's supposed to be a likable character, but there's something about him that kind of annoys me a bit. I think it's because he's kind of goofy sometimes.
I think he's suppose to be the loutish, crude jerk, who inside is still a good person. He's not my favorite though.

I don't really see the point of Yaphit (Norm MacDonald) other than comic relief. He rarely has a large part in any episodes, so I don't really mind him being there just for laughs.
I don't care about Yaphit so far.



This is a problem on a lot of science fiction shows, (and movies). They have some type of plot hole or goof because whatever idea they came up with isn't correct.

I've learned over the years that it's easier just to accept their incorrect premise as being correct in their universe because it's easier to enjoy the show if I accept it, rather than being bothered by the fact that it's wrong.
It's my love of science that makes me love science fiction (and want to critique it when things don't quite click with known science or speculation on science). I don't enjoy the shows any less (unless the mistakes are TOO flagrant or are there due to sloppy or lazy writing). I just kind of enjoy discussing these little discrepancies.



For Rules: Don't know if you've gotten to the episodes about Isaac's planet yet (I think it was a 2-episode finale).
But they are really interesting and some of the best action episodes of the series (which ups Isaac's place on the show a bit, at least for me)... and, of course, (trying to avoid spoilers) those episodes fit the V-ger scenario quite nicely.

(My programing is to relate everything relatable to V-ger and return that relatable information to my creator!)

I think it's in these episodes that Yaphit ends up playing a pivotal role (I'm not sure if that raises the bar on his character or not, although I did find his crush on Dr. Finn rather humorous throughout the series).

I also liked the story arcs about Isaac having a relationship with Dr. Finn... (kind of reminiscent of the various humans who had or tried to have relations with Mr. Data on TNG).



My programing is to relate everything relatable to V-ger and return that relatable information to my creator!
Ha, that's funny and I get it too!

For Rules: Don't know if you've gotten to the episodes about Isaac's planet yet (I think it was a 2-episode finale).
But they are really interesting and some of the best action episodes of the series (which ups Isaac's place on the show a bit, at least for me)... and, of course, (trying to avoid spoilers) those episodes fit the V-ger scenario quite nicely.
Nope I haven't seen that one yet. Last night I watched the episode where they make first contact with the humanoids who imprisoned people born under the wrong astrology sign. I thought that was a weak story idea, as it's more or less been done before. I also wondered about the morality of Kelly killing all those prison guards? I mean maybe they were forced to be prison guards because of their own astrology signs. Not to mention the end result of all that killing would be more innocent prisoners killed.

I think it's in these episodes that Yaphit ends up playing a pivotal role (I'm not sure if that raises the bar on his character or not, although I did find his crush on Dr. Finn rather humorous throughout the series).
The crush on Dr. Finn part is fun, I haven't seen the episode you're talking about though.
I also liked the story arcs about Isaac having a relationship with Dr. Finn... (kind of reminiscent of the various humans who had or tried to have relations with Mr. Data on TNG).
Me too.

BTW, good call on gravity not crushing the beer can on Alara's home planet. I hadn't thought of it while watching the show but like you said the crushing would be from dense atmospheric pressure. Still as a special effect it showed how dangerous the planet was to humans.

What do you think of Alara's replacement?