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The Orville: The Road Not Taken (2019)
A beautiful tapestry to end the season.
******SPOILER ALERT******
I shall be telling this with a sigh /
Somewhere ages and ages hence: /
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - /
I took the one less traveled by, /
And that has made all the difference.
(from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost)
When you come to a fork in the road, use a spoon.
(MrGoog)
The title above would be significant if you recall a special episode of Star Trek - The Next Generation: "Tapestry" (6th Season). In it, Q showed Picard how his life would have been drastically altered by avoiding a fight when he was a young man - he never would have become a Captain, but, instead, would have wasted his career as a low-rank officer with no ambition. Here, David A. Goodman's script shows how a seemingly insignificant alteration of history - Kelly declining a second date with Ed - drastically alters the history of the Planetary Union.
In 2420, we see two men, wearing heavy winter gear, walking through the snowy wilderness of Sarin 4, approaching a Union listening post. At the abandoned post, they find a large item and carry it back to their Union shuttle as the Kaylon pursue. The men are Gordon and Ed.
Here, again, we saw a very abbreviated opening sequence, with no listing of the cast. Maybe Seth MacFarlane wanted us to suspect that the altered timeline erased everyone else. But, again, we saw the cast listing at the start of Act 1.
In this timeline, half of the galaxy has been destroyed by the Kaylon over the past 9 months. Ed and Gordon escape from the Kaylon and activate the item, which is a synthesizer. They replicate a Twinkie and split it. (Twinkies - The Official Snack Of Freedom Fighters.) But they are caught by a scavenger ship, which tractors the shuttle into the bay. However, the freighter's crew aren't scavengers; they are Kelly, John, Talla, Claire, Marcus, and Ty.
Indeed, the memory wipe that Claire performed on Kelly in the previous episode didn't work. Kelly remembers the original timeline and describes it to Ed and Gordon, who have a hard time believing it. They know only the altered timeline, in which the Orville, with a different Captain and First Officer, was hijacked by the Kaylon and used to smash through Earth's defenses. The memory wipe failed because Kelly's brain lacks a protein called beta-secretase (This is real. You can look it up.) Now John hopes to use the Aronov device to send Claire, with a memory wiper and a hypo of the protein, to 2413 to perform a successful memory wipe. Then Kelly would agree to a second date with Ed and the original history would be restored. The bottom line: one date set off a chain reaction of events that affected the galaxy; thus, just two people can make a huge difference.
Kelly, Claire, John, and Ed take the shuttle to a Resistance base to obtain a vial of the protein. They meet Yaphit and the leader of the base: Alara Kitan! (a very pleasant surprise) But the Kaylon find the base. The visitors return to the shuttle and kill a Kaylon in the shuttle. This was fortunate because now they will have Kaylon technology to use in John's plan.
The freighter's quantum drive malfunctions, so John hides the ship in the event horizon of a nearby black hole. Because light can't escape from a black hole, the Kaylon can't find the freighter. Also, the time distortion gives John time to repair the engines while the Kaylon abandon the search. (They were in the event horizon for about 25 seconds, but 2 days passed outside the black hole.) Then the freighter travels to Earth to salvage the Orville.
As John starts to access the Kaylon communication system through the dead Kaylon, the freighter arrives at Earth. The planet has no life of any type, and the continents show the scars of heavy bombardment. The crew take the shuttle, with reinforced deflectors, into the Pacific Ocean and find the Orville, 7 miles below the surface. Another lucky break: the shuttle bay's doors are open. Gordon takes the shuttle into the bay and John activates the pressurization, clearing out the water. The crew go to the Bridge, where Talla gets to open a proverbial Jar Of Pickles: the Bridge's Security doors. They find Bortus, the only survivor from the Orville's crew (the others fled in escape pods).
Bortus survived for the 9 months on minimal atmosphere and combat rations (although, as a Moclan, he could have eaten some chairs and tables). After Kelly tells Bortus about Ed, Bortus is convinced that Ed should command the Orville, although Ed lacks self-confidence; indeed, as we saw, that self-confidence had been instilled by Kelly in the original timeline. With Ed in command, Gordon at the helm, and John repairing the engines, the Orville ascends from the Pacific Ocean and returns to deep space.
John needs the temporal calculations that Isaac had performed on the Aronov device before the Kaylon War, so he uses the dead Kaylon head to access the Kaylon network and pick Isaac's brain. But the Kaylon use the link to locate the Orville. The added complication: John needs exclusive access to the quantum drive to make the time travel work, so the ship can't flee from the Spheres. As 4 Spheres approach, the enormous strain on the quantum drive destroys the Orville.
Kelly wakes up in her apartment in 2413, then vanishes (into 2420), then returns a few seconds later. (Remember: in time travel, you could spend weeks or months in another time, then return only a second after you left.) Then she sees Claire pop in the same way. Claire performs the second memory wipe and vanishes. Then Kelly wakes up just as Ed calls. He asks for a second date. Kelly replies, "I'd love it."
And the rest is history. But I hope this series isn't history after only 2 years. This is the best sci-fi series I've seen since the many pre-Discovery Star Trek series. The Orville deserves a 3rd Season - and more.
The Orville: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (2019)
The ultimate do-over
******SPOILER ALERT******
In the early stages of this series' production, Seth MacFarlane described the series this way: "It's a show about relationships. It's a show that takes large-scale, grand science fiction premises and puts them in a framework that makes them about people, which to me is what the best science fiction is all about." This episode deals with some of the most basic questions asked about relationships: What if I had another chance? Could I have saved this relationship? Or did everything turn out for the best? Thanks to quantum physics, Kelly and Ed get to explore those questions (but without any intervention from Sam Beckett or Al Calavicci).
As Ed and Kelly share a drink after duty, Ed says that he's still open to resuming a relationship with her. But she isn't. Kelly tells him, "We've become a good team and really good friends."
Isaac has been continuing and expanding Dr. Aronov's experiments with the temporal acceleration device ("Old Wounds"). In his work with John, Isaac has gone far beyond aging a banana - he may have found a way to time-travel.
Suddenly, the Orville is hit by a massive gravitational wave, probably from a collapsing star. After the wave passes, Isaac sees Kelly in Science Lab 1 - but, at the same time, Kelly is on the Bridge! (I thought about Curly Howard of the 3 Stooges saying, "I'm not me!")
Here is when we saw something interesting: the opening sequence of the series was abbreviated, showing no list of the cast. That's when I thought, "Does this mean all of the regular cast vanish for this episode because of that wave?" That was a clever move by MacFarlane. We saw the regular cast listing at the start of Act One.
Claire examines the Kelly who popped in (I'll refer to her as Kelly-2) and finds that she is Kelly Grayson, but 7 years younger. After Kelly-1 and Kelly-2 meet in Sickbay (Kelly was so freaked out, she was beside herself!), Isaac and John find the cause. The gravitational wave interacted with the temporal acceleration device, and Kelly-1 was closest to the phenomenon. Also, as has been theorized in quantum physics, her thoughts also affected the interaction, and she was thinking about her first date with Ed 7 years earlier. Ed and Kelly-1 discuss what to tell Kelly-2 about the past 7 years, and Ed decides to tell Kelly-2 the truth. As Kelly-2 is overwhelmed by this weird situation, Isaac and John believe that the time-travel incident can't be reproduced because the gravitational wave was a random event. So, apparently, Kelly-2 is stuck in 2420.
Ed, Kelly-1, and Talla help Kelly-2 establish her own life in 2420. Kelly-2 resumes her career as Lieutenant Kelly Grayson of the Fleet's Astronomy Department. Kelly-2 even tells Kelly-1 that she would like to be posted on the Orville. Kelly-1 approves, so now the ship has Lieutenant Grayson and Commander Grayson ("I'm not me!").
Kelly-2 tells Ed that she had a great time on their first date in 2413 and wants a second date. Ed feels this is a weird situation (there's an understatement!) and consults with Kelly-1. Since Kelly-1 reiterates that Ed has no further chance with her, Ed starts dating Kelly-2, trying to rewrite his own past. Afterward, the Kellys have a disagreement over Ed, with Kelly-2 telling Kelly-1, "You've made my future a disappointment."
2 Kaylon Spheres approach the area, but the Orville evades them - for now.
When Ed tells Gordon about his great second date with Kelly-2, Gordon reminds his friend that his first relationship with Kelly - especially the divorce - made him an emotional wreck, and he doesn't want to see history repeat itself.
Kelly-2 invites Ed, Gordon, and Talla to a holographic disco which she programmed. Kelly-2, Talla, Yaphit, Bortus, and Klyden have a wild time on the dance floor, but Ed and Gordon just sit with their drinks and complain about the loud music, like old men. Meanwhile, Kelly-1 confides in Claire, wondering if she messed up her life. Claire remarks, "Goals change. Things become more beautifully complicated."
Then comes the Big Moment: Ed and Kelly-2 in bed. But Ed hesitates, telling Kelly-2, "I've already felt all of this with someone else." He also says about Kelly-1, "We've evolved together and I still love her."
The Kaylon Spheres return, but Kelly-2 has an idea which comes from her Astronomy experience: take the Orville to Vendek 2, which has co-variant rings of ice blocks; then get close to a block and spray the hull with water, which would freeze instantly and attach the ship to the block; then shut down all power until the Spheres leave. The plan works, and Kelly-1 thanks Kelly-2 for the quick thinking. Also, Kelly-2 apologizes for her rude behavior.
John and Isaac may have found a way to return Kelly-2 to 2413. They would use the temporal acceleration device and the ship's quantum drive to produce a gravitational wave and a time-travel opening. The problems: it will put a huge strain on the engines; and Kelly-2 will need a memory wipe, which could damage her brain. But Kelly-2 is confident that it will work because it must have worked already - because no one had remembered Kelly-2's visit. Although the Orville comes dangerously close to exploding, the plan works.
Kelly-2 finds herself in her apartment in New York City - and in 2413, the morning after her date with Ed. Ed calls her and asks for a second date. But she declines the offer, telling him, "I just don't see us working out." Now history has been changed! What will be the fallout?
The Orville: Sanctuary (2019)
And a Dolly shall lead them
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connections - This was the 2nd episode directed by Jonathan Frakes. Joe Menosky, who wrote the script and is one of the series' producers, was a producer and writer on The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. F. Murray Abraham, who played the Chairman of the Planetary Union Council, played Ru'afo in "Star Trek: Insurrection". Once again, we saw Ron Canada as Admiral Tucker. And, of course, Marina Sirtis, who played the kindergarten teacher, played Deanna Troi in The Next Generation, 3 episodes of Voyager, 4 movies, and the final episode of Enterprise.
I am among may Orville fans who were wondering if we would see Heveena again. Joe Menosky wrote an excellent script which promotes the dignity of all women, not just Moclans, while making us think of the dilemma caused by Heveena's crusade. And he did this while making us laugh along the way.
To further address the ongoing threat of Kaylon, the Moclans upgrade the weapons systems on many Union ships, including the Orville. The opening scenes remind us that the Union is very dependent on Moclan military technology, thus setting up the dilemma later in the episode. Korick, the Moclan engineer, and his husband, Toren, stay on the Orville until a transport ship will take them to the Nekkar star system - or so they say. But the couple are concealing something which starts to pull a lot of the Orville's power.
In kindergarten, Topa becomes aggressive with Olivia, even shoving her to the floor, and doesn't apologize for his actions. Klyden taught him that females of all species are inferior and can be ignored.
When Bortus investigates the power surge, Korick and Toren show him the source: they are secretly transporting their daughter, Mersa, who is in stasis. They won't let their daughter be transformed into a male - as happened with Topa and Klyden - so, they tell Bortus, they intend to take Mersa to Retepsia, who have granted asylum to the family. They plead with Bortus to conceal this, and he agrees. But he does bring Topa to see Mersa, telling his son that Moclan females should not be feared or shamed.
After the family depart for the Moclan transport, Bortus is summoned to Ed's office, where Kelly, Talla, Claire, Klyden, and Topa are waiting. Topa had told Ed about Mersa, probably after Klyden coerced Topa to tell. Ed is furious that Bortus kept this from him and insists on verifying what Korick and Toren told Bortus. However, the transport doesn't go to Retepsia or Nekkar; it can't even be traced by standard means. Using Gordon's suggestion, Isaac finds the ship's trail, which leads into a Class-6 absorption nebula. The Orville enters the nebula and finds 3 planets orbiting a K-type star, with the 1st planet habitable - and inhabited by Moclans. Ed, Kelly, and Bortus take a shuttle to that planet, then are taken prisoner by several Moclan females.
The leader of this Moclan sanctuary is Heveena ("About A Girl"), who tells the visitors that the Moclan government has been lying about females. The official story is that a Moclan female is born about once every 75 years; this colony has more than 6000 females. A secret network of ships has been bringing females from Moclus for many years. Fearing their discovery, Heveena intends to move the colony to another world. But Ed has a diferent idea: petition the Planetary Union Council to recognize the colony as an independent state. Then the Union can protect the sanctuary. Heveena agrees, and Ed contacts Admiral Halsey.
Halsey informs Ed that the Council has approved the application for sovereignty and will debate the issue. However, of course, Moclan Ambassador Dojin is enraged by the application and demands that the colonists be surrendered to Moclus. Halsey sends the starship Burnell to rendezvous with the shuttle carrying Ed and Heveena and take them to Earth. The Orville will remain to defend the colony.
Joe Menosky chose the right moment to inject humor into the story when Heveena learns about one of Earth's champions of women's rights: Dolly Parton!?!?! Indeed, this could make Parton a superstar again; then again, was she ever not?
At the Planetary Union Council, Heveena quotes from "9 To 5" in an impassioned plea for sovereignty. But Dojin threatens to withdraw Moclus from the Union, reminding the Council that the Union Fleet is heavily dependent on Moclan weapon and defense systems. This is the dilemma for the Council. If Moclus leaves the Union and takes their military technology with them, the Union would have no chance against a future Kaylon attack. However, if the Union appeases Moclus, then the Union violates their own Charter, which supports equality for all genders of all member species. Then again, can some members of the Union, including Earth, impose their beliefs on Moclus and thus violate the Union's version of the Prime Directive?
While the debate continues, Moclus sends a battle cruiser to "monitor" the sanctuary pending the Council's decision. Kelly doesn't trust them and calls Yellow Alert.
Admirals Ozawa, Halsey, Perry, and Tucker, and Ed have their own debate on the issue. Halsey sums up the issue very well: "There are no clean options." But the Moclans exacerbate the situation when the battle cruiser sends 4 shuttles to abduct the females. Kelly notifies Union Central, and Halsey demands that the Moclans stand down, but Dojin refuses. Halsey tells Ed to order Kelly to stand by - but notes that communications can be garbled in a nebula (Hint, hint! Ed can be so dense sometimes.)
Kelly and Bortus take a shuttle to the planet, but the Moclan ship locks a tractor beam on it. Talla, who (as we know) doesn't cower before anyone, attacks the battle cruiser, thus freeing the shuttle and triggering a firefight with the Moclans. At the sanctuary, Kelly and Bortus battle the Moclan soldiers, with the females ferociously fighting for their freedom. Kelly, Bortus, and Talla risk their careers to defend the sanctuary. And above all this: "9 To 5." Kudos to Joe Menosky and Seth MacFarlane for an excellent mixture of humor and drama.
As the Council debates, Ed tells Dojin that, even if the Moclans ally themselves with the Krill, they would be annihilated by the Kaylon, leaving that colony of females as the only Moclans in the galaxy. Then Halsey proposes a compromise: the Union would not grant sovereignty to the colony, and Heveena's secret network of ships would stop. But, in return, the Moclan government would leave that sanctuary alone, now and forever. The Council, including Dojin, approve the plan, and the battles in the nebula cease.
Ed apologizes to Heveena for not achieving sovereignty, but she appreciates Ed's efforts, and promises that the evolution of Moclan society will continue.
The Orville: Lasting Impressions (2019)
The good and the bad of nostalgia
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek reference - Tim Russ, who played Dr. Sherman, played Tuvok in Star Trek - Voyager (and one episode of Star Trek - Deep Space Nine). He also played other characters in Star Trek - The Next Generation and the movie "Star Trek Generations".
Seth MacFarlane, who wrote the script, showed us the disturbing side of hi-tech addiction in "Primal Urges" earlier this year. Here, he showed us how a much more pleasant interaction with hi-tech also can be addictive. In a way, Gordon entered a holographic Role-Playing Game, then became addicted to the happy world in the game. But, through this, MacFarlane let us see the good side of Gordon Malloy the man, not Lieutenant Malloy the helmsman. It reinforced the portrayal of the series' characters as flawed and likable people.
But he also showed us that some parts of our past should stay in the past.
Dr. Sherman, apparently an anthropologist, brings onto the Orville a time capsule from Earth. It was buried 405 years earlier - in 2015 - north of Albany, New York. (Notice that he didn't say anything about Saratoga Springs. Maybe that city no longer exists in 2420.) The items include a copy of USA Today, a pack of cigarettes, and a smartphone (long dead, of course). The Orville will deliver the time capsule to the Delta Pavonis Museum.
John's Engineering team are able to activate the ancient phone, especially after Yaphit offers a typical idea for 21st-Century technology: turn it off, then turn it on again. The phone's display has the date March 21, 2015. It also contains many text messages, photos, and videos. One of the videos is of the phone's owner: Laura Huggins of Saratoga Springs, who added her phone to the community's time-capsule project. Gordon is immediately smitten with her.
Klyden and Bortus are fascinated by the cigarettes. I loved it when Klyden ate a cigarette. But maybe we shouldn't be surprised to see Moclans enjoying cigarettes, considering that Moclus' atmosphere is loaded with smog.
Gordon has Simulator 2 construct a simulation of Laura's life based on all of the data in the smartphone. The program, Laura-Alpha, begins with a party at Laura's place. Gordon enters the program while still in uniform; that reminded me of "The Big Goodbye" in Star Trek - The Next Generation, in which Jean-Luc entered a simulation of 1941 San Francisco while in uniform. (Both men gave the same explanation: "I lost a bet.") However, Gordon an Laura hit it off quickly as he learns more about her; e.g, she was a sales manager at Macy's and hated that job, and her true love was music. Afterward, Gordon describes the experience to John as "a totally natural high." But John reminds him that it's only a simulation.
Bortus and Klyden become so addicted to cigarettes that they had the Replicator make 500. Bortus even smokes on the Bridge and had replicated an ashtray. That reminds me that I never have seen a "No Smoking" sign on the Bridge.
I think it was funny just to see Ed and Kelly reading a printed copy of USA Today.
Gordon dons a casual outfit from 2015 and re-enters Laura-Alpha. She is performing an acoustic set at a local pub. It should be noted that Leighton Meester, who played Laura, and Tim Russ are professional musicians. Also, kudos to jonezyguy for identifying the song: "That's All I've Got To Say" from 1982. Gordon encourages Laura to pursue a music career. She wants to exchange phone numbers with Gordon, but, obviously, he doesn't have a phone. Afterward, he instructs the Replicator to make a smartphone. (I'm dating myself by saying the black rotary phone was very similar to the one my family had when I was a kid.) He also links his phone to Laura's number in Laura-Alpha.
Gordon returns Laura's phone to the time capsule in time for delivery to the Museum. Then he invites the other Bridge officers to a party at Laura's place. Obviously, the other officers are thinking, "A holographic party at a holographic home with holographic people. Should I be freaked out or worried about Gordon?"
Kelly shows Ed that Bortus and Klyden have been smoking dozens of cigarettes in their quarters. Fortunately, Topa hasn't come home from school, so he isn't exposed to the smoke. But Claire finds that, indeed, Moclans can become very addicted to nicotine and must formulate a cure from scratch, which could take a while. Meanwhile, Topa stays with Claire's kids and she tells Bortus and Klyden to stop smoking (yeah, like it's that simple!).
At the party, Gordon strikes out at Pictionary (I kept thinking "Troll Cereal"). Gordon's real friends are worried about what they see. Afterward, Gordon spends the night with Laura and is late for duty the next morning. To make it worse, Laura calls Gordon on his phone, which he has with him on the Bridge; by linking his phone to Laura-Alpha, Gordon had allowed the program to keep running. I expected Ed to say, "No personal calls while on duty!" Instead, Gordon's real friends try to talk to him about his addiction to Laura-Alpha, but he doesn't listen.
Laura's story seems to end when Gordon finds her reunited with Greg, her previous boyfriend. But instead of facing reality, Gordon deletes Greg. The result: Laura is a sales person - not a sales manager - at Macy's and is hoping for a promotion. She also has no desire to pursue a music career. Gordon sees that Greg inspired her to pursue her dreams. Afterward, Kelly reminds Gordon that all of us - Laura, Gordon, Kelly, Ed, you, and me - are inspired by the people around us, that those people help make us what we are.
Klyden and Bortus pig out in their quarters, a common reaction by anyone trying to kick an addiction. (I was expecting them to eat the table.) They even start a nasty fight which is broken up when Claire brings the cure to them.
Gordon runs Laura-Alpha one last time - with Greg - to say goodbye to Laura and Greg at that pub. He sings "That's All I've Got To Say" with Laura, then poses for a picture for her phone. Gordon tells Laura, "You will not be forgotten."
(Next new episode: April 11.)
The Orville: Blood of Patriots (2019)
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connection - John Fleck, who played the Krill Ambassador, played different characters in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." (Thomas Jefferson, 1787)
"You don't trust me, do you? I don't blame you. If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it." (Chancellor Gorkon to Captain Kirk, 'Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country')
This episode reminds us how difficult the road to peace can be. Whenever nations - or worlds - wage a very bloody war, there always will be those on both sides who never will accept peace, who always will thirst for vengeance.
After Ed presents the Sapphire Star to Yaphit for his heroism during the battle with Kaylon, Admiral Perry (again played by Ted Danson) contacts Ed and Kelly with historic news: the Krill want to negotiate a peace treaty with the Union. Ed will play an important role in the first step: the Orville will meet a Krill destroyer at Tarazed III, where he and a Krill Ambassador will sign a Lak'vai Pact (a Krill agreement to begin peace talks).
When the Orville arrives at Tarazed III, they find the Krill destroyer (the Dovoro'kos) firing on a Krill shuttle. The pilot of the shuttle requests an emergency docking on the Orville, and Ed allows it. On board the shuttle are, apparently, two humans: Lieutenant Orrin Channing, a Union officer who was presumed lost; and his daughter, Leyna. Gordon and Orrin have known each other for 30 years; they attended the Union Academy together. Leyna is a mute; Orrin says that they were in a Krill prison camp for 20 years and were tortured by the Krill, and that made his daughter a terrified mute.
The Captain of the Dovoro'kos demands the immediate return of Orrin, accusing him of destroying Krill ships after the Krill and the Union agreed to a cease-fire (after the battle with the Kaylon). He gives Ed 12 hours to comply, so Ed needs information about Orrin fast.
Gordon tells Ed that, 20 years earlier, Orrin and his family and Gordon were at Outpost 73 when the Krill attacked. Orrin's wife, Sophie, was killed; Orrin saved Gordon's life, but then Orrin and Leyna disappeared and were presumed captured or killed. This is the first time Gordon has seen Orrin and Leyna since then.
Gordon refuses to believe the Krill's accusation, and Talla finds no evidence of weapons on the Krill shuttle. This puts Ed between a rock and a hard place. As a Union Captain, he must do what is best for his ship and the Union, and he must comply with the Admiralty's orders, and the Admiralty doesn't want anything to ruin a chance for peace with the Krill. But, as a Union Captain, he also has a duty to protect Union citizens, including Orrin if there is no evidence against him.
Privately, Orrin tells Gordon that negotiating with the Krill is a huge mistake. Still grieving over Sophie, Orrin believes that the Krill must be punished for all of the atrocities committed on Union civilians, including Sophie and Leyna.
Talla has an uneasy feeling about Orrin, even though there is no evidence to support it. But she finds him looking around a storage room in Engineering, then reports that to Ed and Kelly.
Admiral Perry tells Ed that the Admiralty is adamant about the peace talks. For that reason, they would extradite Orrin if he's guilty. When Ed tells Gordon about this, Gordon insists that Ed do his duty as a Union Captain. But then, in a private conversation, Orrin wants Gordon to help him steal a shuttle so that Orrin can sabotage the peace talks. Now Gordon is caught in the middle - does he abandon his long-time friend who saved his life, as Gordon himself has doubts about peace with the Krill; or does he abandon his duty as a Union officer and his loyalty to Ed?
Gordon tells Talla about Orrin's plan and promises to tell Ed himself. But then we see Gordon and Orrin about to steal a shuttle. Talla tries to stop them, but Gordon stuns her and leaves with Orrin. So Gordon has sided with Orrin, right? Wrong! Gordon pretends to go along to learn all of Orrin's sabotage plan; Talla had planted a tracker on the shuttle.
Talla sees red marks all over Leyna's right arm and calls Claire, but Leyna pulls a knife and tells - yes, tells - Talla to back down. Talla tosses Leyna across the room, but Leyna starts bleeding yellow blood. Claire recognizes that warning sign, getting Talla out of the quarters and having a strong force field placed around the quarters.
"Leyna" actually is an Envall, a humanoid race whose blood becomes a powerful explosive when it is exposed to nitrogen (our atmosphere is 78% nitrogen). Leyna actually was killed with her mother; the Envall has her own grudge against the Krill and is willing to help Orrin, so she disguised herself as Leyna. He drained some of her blood to use in torpedoes fired at Krill ships. Now he intends to ram the shuttle, with a blood-bomb on board, into the Dovoro'kos. Gordon tries to reason with his friend, saying, "War is hell on all sides." He disables the shuttle, but Orrin activates the bomb anyway and won't abandon his obsession with vengeance. Gordon dons a spacesuit and leaves the shuttle just before it explodes - far from the Dovoro'kos. The Orville arrives and picks up Gordon.
Ed and the Krill Ambassador sign the Lak'vai Pact.
The Orville: Identity, Part II (2019)
Seth MacFarlane's masterpiece
******SPOILER ALERT******
"I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us."
(from 'The Best Of Both Worlds' in Star Trek - The Next Generation --- or maybe from Alexa or Siri or a self-driving car)
Often, TV networks schedule special episodes of their series in the Sweeps Months - February, May, and November - because that's when advertisers watch the Nielsen Ratings closely. Fox hit a grand slam by scheduling this 2-part story in February. Seth MacFarlane has shown to everyone the full potential of The Orville.
As the crew and families of the Orville are held in the shuttle bay, Ed raises a good question: Why are the Kaylonians keeping them alive? Obviously, the Kaylonians need them for something.
The reason becomes clear quickly when the ship's senior officers are assembled for a briefing by the Kaylonian's ruling Triumvirate. The Primary will have Ed and his Bridge crew pretend to escort a Kaylonian delegation to Earth and announce that Kaylon 1 will join the Union. Once Earth lowers their defenses, the Kaylonians would exterminate everyone on Earth. If the officers refuse, the shuttle bay would be decompressed, killing everyone in there.
The starship Roosevelt approaches, and Captain Marcos asks Ed about the massive fleet of Kaylonian Spheres. Ed says what the Primary told him to say, but slips in a coded phrase: "13-button salute" (Meaning: The ship has been hijacked. Notify Union Central.). However, the Kaylonians know about the code and destroy the Roosevelt. As punishment, Ed is forced to watch the Primary blast a young Ensign out an airlock. What was interesting is that Isaac objected.
The Primary tries to convince Isaac that humans always try to enslave other races. He offers as proof "Roots" by Alex Haley.
One of the excellent moments of humor: the Pee Corner (enough said).
Kelly suggests an apparently insane idea: have 2 officers sneak out in a shuttle and contact, for help, the Krill! But she has a good point: the Kaylonians would exterminate the Krill, too. This is where Yaphit becomes a hero. He slithers into the Weapons Locker, steals a laser rifle, and brings it back. Then Bortus kills the Kaylonian guards, and Kely and Gordon launch the shuttle. However, a Sphere is sent after them.
Yaphit again shows his importance in the series by slithering through the conduits with Ty to the Communications Room. While Yaphit sends a signal to Union Central, Ty rotates the frequency randomly so that it appears to be the background noise of deep space. When a Kaylonian finds them, Yaphit saves Ty by oozing into - and deactivating - the Kaylonian.
Gordon and Kelly are found by the Krill, but Captain Dalak doesn't believe their claims about the Kaylonians. But he believes when the Sphere arrives and destroys a Krill ship.
The Primary tests Isaac's programming (i.e., loyalty) by ordering Isaac to kill Ty. Isaac shows where his loyalty lies by ripping off the Primary's head and killing the Secondary and Tertiary, then killing the Kaylonians on the Bridge. He sends an electromagnetic pulse throughout the ship, which deactivates all Kaylonians on board - including himself. The crew retake the ship just as they arrive at Earth - with the entire Union fleet meeting them and the Spheres still controlled by Kaylonians.
The battle scenes defy any description. Those scenes alone deserve an Emmy nomination.
The Spheres start to break through the battle line, and Ed is ready to use the Orville in a kamikaze attack. But a massive Krill fleet arrives and destroys most of the Spheres -with Gordon flying a Krill Fighter! The remaining Spheres return to Kaylon 1. In thanking the Krill, Ed says something that lays the groundwork for future episodes: "It seems we have a common enemy. I hope that means we can work toward finding a common ground."
Yaphit reactivates Isaac, but now Isaac is alone. He can't - and doesn't want to - return to Kaylon 1. Ed convinces Admiral Halsey to let Isaac remain on the Orville to help the Union prepare for any future attacks by the Kaylonians.
The Orville: Identity (2019)
Kaylon's dark secret
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connections - Brannon Braga and Andre Bormanis, who also are producers for The Orville, wrote this episode.
This is the first 2-part episode of the series. Braga and Bormanis effectively built the suspense one step at a time, taking the episode from the crew concerned for a friend to a threat to the entire Union. Along the way, they dropped subtle hints that something big was about to happen.
Isaac suddenly collapses; he appears to be dead. Claire, as excellent a doctor as she is, doesn't know how to handle this because Isaac is cybernetic, not organic. Even though John is an excellent engineer, he can only guess what happened to Isaac. Ed sees that the only option is to go to Kaylon 1, even though there still isn't any official relations between Kaylon 1 and the Planetary Union. Ed contacts Admiral Halsey, who approves the mission. However, he reminds Ed that the Orville will be far from Union space and thus out of communication range - i.e., the Orville will be on her own.
The Orville arrives at Kaylon 1 and is scanned deeply by the Kaylonians. Then the Kaylonians transmit landing coordinates - not for a shuttle, but for the Orville. Isn't it unusual for an advanced race who have extensive data on the Orville (from Isaac's reports) to want Isaac to be brought by the Orville instead of by a shuttle?
As the Orville descends, we see towers tall enough to top the clouds, and a world of astonishing (for us) technology. Kudos to the series' graphic artists for those amazing scenes.
Ed, Kelly, Talla, and Claire bring Isaac to the Kaylon Primary, the leader of the Kaylonians' ruling triumvirate. He tells the visiting officers that Isaac was deliberately deactivated because his mission on the Orville was finished. This also means that Isaac won't return to the Orville. The Primary allows Isaac to be reactivated so that the Orville's crew - especially Claire and her sons - can bid Isaac farewell. The Primary also tells Ed that the triumvirate has not yet decided if Kaylon 1 will join the Union.
BTW - the song Gordon sang was "Goodbye" (one of Air Supply's songs). Also, Isaac's speech was copied from Sally Field's acceptance speech at the 1985 Oscars (for "Places In The Heart").
The Orville's sensors detect a large array of large spheres which can emit theta radiation; such radiation is used in particle weapons. Also, these spheres are being mass-produced at that time. Why?
Ed wonders why the Kaylonians are taking such a long time to decide on the Union's offer. Shouldn't this be an easy decision for a super-advanced cybernetic race? Could the Kaylonians be stalling?
Ty is understandably very upset by Isaac's departure. As he tries to find Isaac to give him a special drawing, he leaves the Orville and wanders into the Kaylonian facility. Eventually, he goes down a 40-meter shaft and finds a cave with "something bad" underground. Claire, Bortus, and Talla find Ty and the "something bad" - the skeletal remains of over 500,000 humanoids. The Orville's sensors detect more massive graves across the planet.
Isaac tells the Orville's officers that the humanoids created the cybernetic race of Kaylon 1. However, there were conflicts between the humanoid and the cybernetic Kaylonians, and the cybernetic race exterminated their creators for self-preservation. (So how many of you use Alexa or Siri or automatic-bill-pay?) Now the Kaylonians have concluded that self-preservation will require them to expand their race to other worlds - and exterminate any organic beings who would oppose them. The Kaylonians never intended to join the Union; instead, Isaac was determining if the crew was worth preserving.
The Kaylonians disable the Orville's systems, including the engines, and board the ship, killing anyone who tries to stop them and herding the others into the shuttle bay. Using the information brought by Isaac, the Kaylonians commandeer the Orville and head toward Earth, with those dozens of theta-radiation weapons in tow. (That scene also reminded me of a 2-part story in Star Trek - The Next Generation: 'The Best Of Both Worlds')
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Orville: Deflectors (2019)
Another well-written morality play
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connections - David A. Goodman, who wrote the episode, wrote a few episodes of Star Trek - Enterprise (and Family Guy) and is one of the Orville's producers. Wren T. Brown, who played Captain Rechik, appeared in Star Trek - The Next Generation and Star Trek - Voyager.
Star Trek, at its best, presented morality plays that made the viewers think about various contemporary issues. Those stories didn't tell the viewers what to think, but simply encouraged viewers to think about a topic and form their own opinions. Seth MacFarlane obviously is following Star Trek's lead in the morality plays we have seen in The Orville. This episode is another example.
Kelly and Cassius are relaxing in the Simulator's rendition of 1945 New York City. However, she decides that the relationship is not what she wants now; Cassius openly talks about marriage, but Kelly, understandably, is in no hurry to rush into another marriage, so she breaks up with Cassius.
The Orville is at Moclus to receive Captain Rechik and Locar, one of Moclus' best engineers. Locar wants to test an improved deflector system for Union starships, and it will be tested on the Orville. The complication: Locar was one of Bortus' former boyfriends. Locar will be working with the Engineering team and Talla, who will handle Security clearances for the alterations.
As Locar and the Engineering team prepare to test the upgrade, we see some spark between Talla and Locar, even though Talla is female. But I have a big question about that scene: Where can I get those cupcakes?
The obvious test of a deflector system is combat, so Rechik's ship chases the Orville in a war-game exercise. Naturally, Gordon seizes the chance to show off his grandmaster piloting skill. In the end, the upgraded deflector system passes the test, and Locar and the Engineers install a permanent upgrade.
Cassius still pines for Kelly, so he sends to her a cookie bouquet (wouldn't that make her fat?). Kelly tells Ed that she split with Cassius, and Ed barely contains his happiness. Meanwhile, Isaac, continuing his relationship with Claire, has been asking the crew about pleasurable sexual positions. So everything seems to be normally daffy on the Orville. Until...
Locar confesses to Talla that he loves her. This is a very dangerous admission for a Moclan; among his people, affection for a female is seen as deviant behavior punishable by lifetime imprisonment. Another complication: she loves him. They run the Simulator's 1945 NYC program, where Talla teaches Locar human dancing (she had dated a human). After she is called away by Kelly, Klyden enters the Simulator and threatens to expose Locar.
BTW - Groogen, the Katrudian (talking plant) in Kelly's quarters, was voiced by Bruce Willis.
When Talla returns to the Simulator, Locar is gone. The visual record shows that someone - the person's appearance was deliberately scrambled - vaporized Locar with a Union weapon. The weapon itself was a simulation, so it bypassed the safety protocols of the Simulator. As Isaac and John try to unscramble the image, Talla tells everyone, including Rechik, the truth about Locar. Rechik is enraged, and Talla calls him a bigot. That is where Talla was way out of line. Whatever personal opinions she has about Moclan society, she has no right to tell the Moclans how to live. That is a violation of the Union's version of the Prime Directive. However, despite Ed's justified anger about Talla's outburst, he knows that she should be part of the investigation of Locar's death.
The image is descrambled, revealing Klyden as the killer. But it seems too obvious to Talla - the descrambing was easier than expected; Klyden insists that he didn't kill Locar, but admits that he planned to turn in Locar to the Moclan government. Talla concludes that the visual record itself is a simulation - created by Locar. Indeed, Locar faked his death to escape prosecution for his "deviant" behavior. Talla finds him and offers him sanctuary on the Orville. But Locar decides to stop running - especially with Klyden facing execution - and turn himself in to the Moclan government.
Klyden thanks Talla for exonerating him. But Talla, still upset by Locar's punishment and the Moclan view of "deviant" behavior, tells Klyden to stay far away from her.
Cassius finally gives up on Kelly. He will transfer to the starship Watson. So the next big question is: What now for Ed and Kelly?
The Orville: A Happy Refrain (2019)
The things we do for love
******SPOILER ALERT******
"I'll walk down the lane with a happy refrain
And singin' just singin' in the rain."
(No, that song was not written for "A Clockwork Orange")
Casting note - Mark Graham, who played the Conductor of the Union Symphony, is the "head of music preparation" for The Orville. He also worked on the music for Family Guy, American Dad, and "Star Trek: Nemesis".
In this episode, MacFarlane, who wrote and directed, gives us more insight into Isaac, who had been mostly a mystery until now.
The episode begins with the standard Orville goofiness - this time, Bortus growing a moustache because Gordon suggested it. But we plunge at quantum speed into uncharted space when Claire develops affection for Isaac. We remember how Claire and Isaac bonded in "Into The Fold" (1st Season), but now Claire wants to pursue a closer relationship. She discusses this with Kelly, whose advice is simple but wise: Try it, but be careful, since Isaac has no emotions.
BTW - Ty Finn is an excellent pianist, thanks to Isaac's lessons. Could Ty be the Mozart of the 25th Century?
The Union Symphony will perform a concert on board soon, so Claire asks Isaac on a date to the concert. He accepts the offer only to study human behavior (again, lack of emotions). But, following John's advice, Isaac wears a man's casual outfit to "look snazzy" for Claire (actually, both of them looked snazzy).
After the concert, Claire and Isaac have dinner in a Simulator version of a restaurant in Baltimore (Claire's hometown). Isaac created the simulation after memorizing her personnel file. But, as we know, a major purpose of a first date is for the two people to get to know each other, so Isaac (innocently) messed up. But Claire is open to another date.
The next day, the Bridge crew want to know how the date went. Isaac merely reports, "There was no equipment malfunction." (Like Ed said, you don't have to brag about it.) However, Claire wanted more spontaneity. Therefore, Isaac enters Claire's quarters at 3:14 AM with a chocolate cake to show how spontaneous he can be. But Claire decides to terminate the relationship (as Isaac would describe it).
After seeking more advice from John, Isaac tries the simulated restaurant again, but with 2 big changes: he deletes Claire's file so that he can get to know her over dinner, and he has the Simulator give him a human appearance (specifically, Mark Jackson). This impresses Claire so much that she continues the date in a simulation of her bedroom, where the simulating becomes stimulating (too subtle?).
The next day, Claire tells Kelly and Talla that she's in love. However, Isaac tells John that he wants to "conclude the experiment." Again, for emotionless Isaac, the relationship was merely more observation of human behavior. He takes John's advice to the extreme by deliberately being very unappealing to Claire so that she will break off the relationship. But Claire sees through it. She agrees to end the relationship, but she is emotionally wounded by Isaac's cold view of it. Again, Kelly had warned her about pursuing a relationship with an emotionless being.
As Claire drowns her sorrow in a simulated bar, Yaphit tries to catch Claire on the rebound by trying Isaac's trick: he makes the Simulator give him a human appearance (specifically, Norm MacDonald). But Claire is very unimpressed.
Ed and the other officers are angry at Isaac for dumping Claire so coldly, but they forget that he has no emotions. Or does he? His scan of the Septar dwarf stars contains an error! How can an emotionless 'superior' machine commit an error? In running a self-diagnostic, Isaac finds that his time with Claire has affected him. Ed suggests that Isaac try to win back Claire by being creative.
Isaac remembers that Claire misses the rain in Baltimore, so he calls Claire to the Bridge and plays Gene Kelly's "Singing In The Rain" while making it rain on the Bridge. Isaac admits to Claire that he is better off with her than without her. She takes him back, and the Bridge crew is very happy and very wet.
Gordon observes, "We are, without a doubt, the weirdest ship in the Fleet." That's what makes this series so marvelous.
The Orville: All the World Is Birthday Cake (2019)
Hey, gorgeous, what's your sign?
******SPOILER ALERT******
"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." - George Harrison
Star Trek connections - This is the 2nd episode directed by Robert Duncan McNeill. The mult-talented John Rubenstein, who played the Prefect, appeared in Star Trek - Voyager and Star Trek - Enterprise.
Seth MacFarlane connections - Ted Danson, who played Admiral Perry, worked with MacFarlane in American Dad and "Ted".
In this episode, Seth MacFarlane targets the most popular phony science in our society: astrology. (I'm certain that astrology is bunk because I'm a Taurus.)
We are introduced to the Orville's new Security Chief: Lieutenant Talla Keyali (played by Jessica Szohr, who worked with MacFarlane in "Ted 2"). She has a checkered past, especially after she belted her previous Captain, but Ed wants another Xelayahan for the post. Besides, when you think about the eccentricities of the crew, someone like Talla would be a good fit.
The 2nd planet in the Gamma Velorum system has a humanoid population who have achieved 20th-Century technology. The people call their world Regor 2 and send a simple microwave transmission into the universe. The message: "Is anyone out there?"
A few years later, on the Orville, Kelly is anticipating a birthday party. Since Bortus' birthday is only 6 days later, she suggests a joint party, but Bortus declines. Then the Orville receives the message from Regor 2. Thus, the Orville can initiate First Contact! The entire crew is excited about meeting a new civilization.
At first, everything goes well. A shuttle carrying Ed, Kelly, Claire, Bortus, and Talla lands at the central-government area. Ed and his crew are welcomed warmly by the Prefect. The Regorians give Claire and Talla a tour of a hospital. Claire and Talla witness a premature birth by Caesarian-section, even though the mother had no health issues. This makes Claire uneasy.
At the state dinner, everything goes well until Kelly casually mentions her birthday and that Bortus' birthday is only 6 days later. Kelly says that a First Contact is a wonderful birthday present, but the Prefect and the other Regorians are suddenly enraged. Kelly and Bortus are arrested and the other officers are taken for "processing." That processing involves taking tooth samples to determine the exact ages of the officers.
The horrible truth: Regorian society is controlled by astrology. Kelly and Bortus were born under the sign of Giliac; this, supposedly, makes them violent and dangerous. The signs of the others (Panaji, Corobahn, and Valeigh) are not a problem, so the Prefect lets them leave. But he refuses to release Kelly and Bortus. Instead, they are placed in a prison camp where they would stay for the rest of their lives.
Ed contacts Admiral Perry, but he refuses to let Ed use force to rescue Kelly and Bortus. Instead, Ed tries to negotiate with the Prefect. However, the Prefect won't listen to anything which challenges Regorian beliefs.
Bortus and Kelly are interred with other Giliacs, who have never tried to escape from their prison. They always were told that they belong there. During their 4-week internment, Kelly delivers a baby girl for a Giliac couple, while Bortus comments, "It is much easier with an egg." However, now Regorians are under the sign of Wasanda; supposedly, all Wasandas are destined to be great leaders. Thus, the prison guards forcibly take the girl from her mother. That is the last straw for Kelly. She and Bortus start a violent escape attempt but are stopped at the gate.
Talla gives John and Isaac an idea for freeing Kelly and Bortus: turn Regorian astrology on its head. When the Regorians started basic communities - 3122 years earlier - a star in the constellation of Giliac became a black hole. This frightened the primitive Regorians into fearing all Giliacs. John and Gordon deploy a solar sail that would reflect sunlight at the position of the black hole; a jamming device on the sail would make the Regorians believe that it's a star. When the Regorians see the fake star in the constellation of Giliac, they no longer believe that Giliacs are violent. All of the Giliac prisoners - including Kelly and Bortus - are released.
Obviously, this episode didn't focus mainly on Talla. Instead, we were merely introduced to someone who, as Ed said, has "big shoes to fill" in replacing Alara. But, so far, I like Talla.
The Orville: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes (2019)
We Can Work It Out. We Can Work It Out.
(If Seth MacFarlane can quote from Rodgers & Hammerstein, then I can quote from Lennon & McCartney.)
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connections - This episode was written by Brannon Braga and Andre Bormanis, who are among The Orville's producers.
Family Guy connection - Once again, Patrick Warburton played Lieutenant Tharl. But this might have been his final appearance, as a new Security Chief is scheduled to come aboard next week.
In this episode, we saw more maturity develop in Ed Mercer and Gordon Malloy. In his relationship with Janel, Ed shows that he has moved on from Kelly but still has Kelly as a friend. Gordon wants to be more than a pilot, although he is an excellent pilot.
When Ed and Janel have a date in Ed's quarters, they are watching the classic 1956 musical "The King And I" (the song "A Puzzlement" provided the title for this episode). Janel suggests that they take shore leave together. The Orville is scheduled to make another routine supply run to Epsilon 5 (Gordon gripes, "We're the pizza guy."), so Ed and Janel fly off in a shuttle to Sensoria 2. I like it when the shuttle's sound system plays Classic Rock, such as Billy Joel (in this episode) or CCR; it makes the characters more believable.
However, in a sector which should be devoid of Krill activity, 3 Marauder-class Krill ships approach. Ed cloaks the shuttle and the Krill fly past the invisible shuttle, so there is no problem, right? Wrong! The Krill ships return and spray drive-plasma around the area of the shuttle, exposing the shuttle. It's as if the Krill knew the shuttle was there (Hmmm...). Then a Krill fighter arrives and pulls in the shuttle with a tractor beam.
Gordon wants to enroll in the Shipmaster Qualification Program, a.k.a. The Command Test. Kelly's first reaction (and mine): You're kidding, right? But Gordon is serious. However, when Claire runs the initial psychological exam, Gordon sees sexual innuendos in all of the shapes (indeed, Gordon still is Gordon).
On the Krill fighter, Ed and Janel are imprisoned separately, and the Krill torture Janel to force Ed to reveal the Orville's command codes. He fools the Krill by giving bogus codes, but the Krill had been fooling him. Janel actually is Teleya (1st-season episode "Krill"). The obvious question: How could Teleya not be burned by the standard-for-humans level of lighting on the Orville? The answer: transcellular micrografting (say that 5 times fast); i.e., human skin was grafted onto Teleya. I admit that I missed the obvious clue: Teleya and Janel were played by the same actress (Michaela McManus).
The Krill's arrogant attitude - it's Avis' will that the Krill will rule the galaxy - bites them on the backside when the mighty - and nasty - Chak'tal attack. Ed and Teleya take an escape pod to a nearby planet (the night side, of course). The planet's magnetic ore blocks a standard distress signal, so Teleya has Ed haul a beacon to higher ground. But the Chak'tal followed the pod's trail and landed a patrol, so Ed and Teleya hide in a cave. Teleya's obvious problem: when the morning sunshine will come, she can't leave the cave.
When Gordon takes the Simulator test, in which the Orville confronts a Krill fighter, he uses a bluff that reminds me of "The Corbomite Maneuver" in the original Star Trek. Later, Gordon admits to Kelly that he wants to enroll in the SQP to see if he can be more than a pilot. Remember that he saw John LaMarr promoted to Chief Engineer.
Ed shows how compassionate humans can be by not trying to escape (which would leave Teleya to be taken by the Chak'tal). Instead, he uses the beacon to signal the Orville, then uses his jacket as a shroud for Teleya to protect her from sunlight. When Gordon and Bortus arrive in a shuttle, Gordon displays his excellent piloting skills by picking up Ed and Teleya without landing the shuttle.
Ed is willing to risk his career by letting Teleya leave and signal a Krill ship to retrieve her. When Gordon asks why Ed would take such a risk, Kelly tells him, "That's Command." Ed gives to Teleya a special music collection: The Best Of Billy Joel. Indeed, it was appropriate to play "She's Always A Woman To Me" at the end.
This episode shows, again, that Seth MacFarlane understands what made Star Trek great before J.J. Abrams et al. wrecked it.
The Orville: Home (2019)
Can you go home again?
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connections - Once again, we saw Jason Alexander as Olix. Once again, we saw Robert Picardo and Molly Hagan as Ildis and Drenala Kitan. Cambis Borrin was played by John Billingsley, who played Doctor Phlox on Star Trek - Enterprise.
Family Guy connection - Patrick Warburton, who played Lieutenant Tharl (the double-esophagus interim Security Chief), also provides the voice of Joe Swanson in Family Guy.
Theory - The spelling of Alara's homeworld might be unusual - Xelayah - because, in the Star Trek universe, Vulcan's tallest mountain is Mount Seleya.
In this episode, Alara experiences a problem which is common in lower-gravity situations: decreases in muscle mass and bone density, a.k.a. getting weaker. Indeed, when astronauts and cosmonauts are in orbit for extended missions, the long exposure to zero gravity causes the same ailments. Many Xelayahans experience this when they are away from Xelayah for extended periods. Claire tells Alara (and the other officers) that she must return to Xelayah to re-acclimate herself to the heavier gravity. The problem: there is no definite time period for this; it could be days, weeks, years, or a lifetime.
I agree with Gordon: Xelayah is a very beautiful planet, and not just because of the rings.
Because of Xelayah's heavy gravity, the Orville's shuttle uses a gravity shield, and Ed needs a gravity suit just to stand briefly on Xelayah. Also, Alara needs a zero-gravity chair to get around the planet until she regains her strength. Leave it to Gordon to use a goofy way to demonstrate the heavy gravity: he tosses a metal bottle out of the shuttle, and it is pulled down immediately and squashed flatter than a pancake. (BTW: Star Trek's Vulcan is a high-gravity planet, but Kirk and McCoy had no problem visiting Vulcan in "Amok Time" - one of the very few scientific errors in Star Trek.)
We see in the Xelayahans an elitist disdain for the military that is too common in our society. In this nation and other nations, there are pseudo-intellectuals who look down their elitist noses at a military career. Alara's parents and older sister, Solana, subtly encourage her to stay on Xeleyah. Ildis never gave encouragement to Alara when she was growing up; instead, he believes that Alara chose a 'lowly' military career because she isn't smart enough for an intellectual career. However, in the scenes at the beach-house, Alara shows her quick-enough mind by asking specific questions about the (alleged) break-in at a neighbor's house and the disappearance of Serris, the caretaker of the Kitans' beach-house.
Also, the intellectual neighbors, Cambis and Floratta, show very little intelligence by (a) blaming Ildis for the suicide of their son, Galdus; and (b) torturing Ildis and threatening to mutilate Solana. A few years earlier, Galdus accused Ildis of creating an unsafe vaccine for children, even though there was no hard evidence of such harm. (This reminds me of the panic-mongers who claim that the polio vaccine causes autism.) This essentialy destroyed Galdus' career.
Alara regains enough of her strength to stop Cambis and Floratta and save her family, obviously by using her 'lowly' military skills. After that, Ildis is very proud of his daughter.
John and Claire create a high-gravity Simulator program which would let Alara regain her strength and stay on the Orville. After watching that, I - and many others - thought, "A happy ending for Alara. Now she won't leave." But Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, who wrote the script, pulls out the rug from under us when Alara announces that she is staying on Xelayah, wanting to spend time with her family. Her farewell gift for Ed was very appropriate: a jar of pickles.
The ending reminded me that, near the end of the 1st Season of Star Trek - The Next Generation, Tasha Yar (also a Security Chief) left the series (of course, Tasha was killed in action).
This was a marvelous episode, but I shall miss Alara Kitan very much.
The Orville: Ja'loja (2018)
Relieved to see The Orville return
******SPOILER ALERT******
We waited 388 days for a new episode. I re-watched the 1st Season on the DVD set (which has excellent Special Features) and waited. I checked the Web's info on the series and waited. This episode was worth the wait.
The Ja'loja itself was a minor part of the story, but it was a good excuse for the main part of the episode: relationships on the Orville. In "Old Wounds", we learned that Maclans urinate only once per year, so we should not be surprised that Maclans have made a big ceremony out of relieving oneself (I write while suppressing a snicker). Indeed, Ja'loja means 'The Great Release' (okay, I snickered again), and the Maclan chooses a special place for The Great Release, which the Maclans see as a cleansing of the spirit (and some other body area -- okay, let's get serious now) and the start of a new year of hope. The Ja'loja is attended by family and friends, which set up the key point for the episode: those attending the Ja'loja must be accompanied by someone. Thus, each non-Maclan who was invited by Bortus must ask someone to accompany him or her. As we saw from the beginning, some of the officers have a hard time with relationships.
Star Trek reference - Olix, the bartender in the ship's Lounge/Mess Hall, was played by Jason Alexander, who played Kurros in an episode of Star Trek - Voyager.
Seth MacFarlane reference - Once again, we saw Dann, the bulb-headed humanoid who put Muzak in the ship's elevators. He is played by Mike Henry, who has done a lot of work with MacFarlane (including the voice of Cleveland Brown). Apparently, we will see Dann many times in the 2nd Season.
We see that Ed is spending too much time drinking alone, because he still desires Kelly. It's understandable that he still loves her and can't resist the hope that they could reunite. But, as Kelly said at the end of "Mad Idolatry", they need to move on from the past. Kelly already has; she is dating Cassius, the teacher for Claire's sons and the other kids on board. Obviously, she still has fond feelings for Ed, but she isn't stuck in the past like Ed. When he used a shuttle for a "drive-by" - peeking into Kelly's quarters during her date with Cassius - Kelly was justifiably enraged by that stalking. Fortunately, at the end, Ed moved on by, apparently, starting a relationship with Lieutenant Janel Tyler, the Orville's new dark-matter cartographer. Speaking of Janel......
When Janel came aboard, Gordon acted like a high-school boy when the new-in-school blond girl sits next to him. He also has difficulty with relationships, so he turned to the so-called Girl Guru: John. Most of John's advice was sensible, but that multi-zipper jacket looked like a reject from 1980s fashion. However, after all of John's encouragement, Gordon chickened out at the last minute, like many others have done in that situation. But I still have hope for Gordon - if he ditches that jacket.
Bortus, seeing that Alara has trouble with guys, became a yenta (indeed, look it up) and arranged a blind date for her: Dann. He also is a fumbler in relationships, but Alara asked him to accompany her to the Ja'loja.
Kelly and Cassius go along well until Cassius stumbled. He also has a history of relationship trouble - in his case, a divorce. But who helped save the relationship by advising Cassius? Ed, proving that, finally, he has moved on from Kelly.
Another relationship examined by this episode: parents and kids. Marcus Finn has become an adolescent; in the 25th Century, 'adolescent' still means 'rebellious pain-in-the-butt.' His new friend, James, is a troublemaker who hacks into the ship's synthesizer to get a bottle of vodka. When Marcus, James, and another blockhead boy are caught with the vodka, Claire is furious. However, James' parents have been fooled by him into believing that he is a smart, upstanding boy. Isaac proves that James hacked into the computer to plant a phony report card (all A's???) and, thus, was the one who got the vodka. Claire, showing her gratitude, invites Isaac to accompany her to the Ja'loja.
This episode had no intense interplanetary conflict or heavy, thought-provoking issue to ponder. But it was a wonderful exploration of relationships that presented the officers of the Orville as very believable - and very interesting - characters. Kudos to Seth MacFarlane, who wrote and directed this episode.
The Orville: New Dimensions (2017)
For The World Is Flat And So Is My Self-Confidence
******SPOILER ALERT******
The Orville is docked at a space station, where Chief Engineer Steve Newton will leave the ship; he will be a designer for a new space station. At Steve's farewell party, Gordon and John secretly take a piece of Yaphit and put it in the buffet. Then Yaphit goes to Sickbay for a legitimate reason: he tells Claire that a piece of him is missing and in "a dark wet place". Then Bortus enters, complaining of an upset stomach. Indeed, Claire's scan finds Yaphit's missing piece in Bortus. With Bortus' permission, Yaphit reaches into Bortus and pulls out the missing piece.
Kelly chews out Gordon and John for the juvenile prank, issuing a formal reprimand on both of them. But when Kelly reads John's file, she finds a startling fact: John is very intelligent. She doesn't know why John hides his intellect, but she recommends to Ed that John be promoted to Chief Engineer.
After the Orville departs, she suddenly hits a spatial anomaly and decelerates rapidly. The lower engine is damaged by the "pothole". Ed assigns Isaac and John to assist in repairs, but Yaphit still is furious at John for the prank.
Isaac and John detect a "quantum wake" in one of the ship's empty quarters. They also find dead plants there.
Ed wants to promote Yaphit to Chief Engineer because he is next in line in Engineering. But Kelly convinces him to appoint John. However, Kelly accidentally mentions that she recommended Ed for command of the Orville ('Old Wounds'). This rattles Ed's self-confidence. He calls Admiral Halsey, who assures Ed that the Admiralty has confidence in him. But Ed isn't convinced.
Kelly wants to know why John hasn't wanted more out of his career. In my opinion, she makes the faulty assumption that many people have of intelligent people: superior ability must breed superior ambition. John says that he just wants a simple life. Still, Kelly suggests that he aim higher - and assigns him to lead the Science & Engineering investigation of the anomaly.
A Horbalak smuggling ship unknowingly approaches the anomaly. Ed tries to warn the Horbalak, but their fat gluttonous slob of a commander replies (in his language), "You can shove it up your a##." The Horbalak ship passes through the anomaly, but has no power when it emerges. Ed, Kelly, Claire, and Alara take a shuttle to the ship and find the commander dead, from cardiac arrest, and partially squished. Alara finds 20 crates of Krill plasma rifles, obviously stolen.
Ed still is angry at Kelly and begins to doubt his ability to command. Then he finds Yaphit in his office. Yaphit expected to lead the S&E team. He is further enraged when Ed tells him about John's promotion, calling Ed racist. John messes up his first attempt at commanding the S&E team, further lowering his self-confidence. But John and Isaac find that the anomaly isn't a "pothole" - it's a portal to 2-dimensional space. The Horbalak ship was temporarily flattened, but some cells in any lifeform can't spring back to their proper shape so easily. That's what killed the Horbalak and the plants.
A Krill fleet approaches with the Orville's quantum drive still disabled. John, using his intellect, suggests a radical solution: generate a quantum bubble around the Orville, then hide in 2-dimensional space until the Krill leave. Yaphit supports John's idea and helps him accomplish it. The bubbled Orville enters the portal just before 3 Krill ships arrive. The 2-dimensional space looks like a big multicolor silicon chip - it has 2-dimensional lifeforms in a 2-dimensional existence, with the Orville cruising above it.
The space reminds Ed of the 1884 short story "Flatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions" by Edwin Abbott Abbott. But Kelly is reminded that Ed can be "a prideful a##". Indeed, Ed forgets that all of us have received help in achieving something. Furthermore, Kelly's recommendation should prove to Ed that she has full confidence in him.
The anomaly's entry point collapses, causing a temporary partial collapse of the quantum bubble and bloody noses for everyone. The brief flattening disables the Orville's engines. John draws upon his intellect again, suggesting that a bubbled shuttle could tow the Orville to another entry point with a tractor beam through a conduit. Ed, a Doctor Who fan, notes that the shuttle would be bigger on the inside, like the TARDIS. When John hears some members of the S&E team blame Yaphit for their predicament, he defends Yaphit and takes the blame, further believing that he is unfit to lead anyone.
As Ed pilots the shuttle and John maintains the bubble, John tells Ed the reason for hiding his intellect. He grew up on a colony dominated by farmers and builders, not intellectuals, so he wanted to be accepted and liked by the colonists.
The quantum bubbles destabilize, forcing Ed to take the risky move of towing the Orville at high speed. But both vessels successfully return to this universe. The only damage were very bloody noses for Ed and John (and John's temporary, but big, nausea).
Ed apologizes to Kelly, saying, "You helped put me where I belong." Kelly, quoting from the famous story, replies, "It's not the feather, Dumbo. It's you." Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander John LaMarr begins his first day as the Orville's Chief Engineer.
The Orville: Firestorm (2017)
Killer Clown In Outer Space
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek references - This episode was directed by Brannon Braga. Robert Picardo, who played Ildis Kitan, played the Emergency Medical Hologram in Voyager, Deep Space 9, and the movie First Contact. He also played Lewis Zimmerman, the EMH's creator, in Voyager and Deep Space 9. Molly Hagan, who played Drenala Kitan, played Eris, the first Vorta seen in Deep Space 9.
The Orville passes through a large and powerful plasma storm, which causes severe damage throughout the ship. In Engineering, a bulkhead falls on Lieutenant Harrison Payne's legs, pinning him. Chief Engineer Steve Newton calls for Alara's help because she would be strong enough to lift the bulkhead. When Alara arrives in Engineering, she is briefly frozen by the sight of a huge fireball. When she regains her composure, she sees another bulkhead fall on Harrison, killing him.
After Harrison's funeral, Alara takes out her frustrations on the Holodeck, pummeling a punching bag into dust. She believes that Harrison's death is her fault. She goes to Ed and offers her resignation. Ed rejects her resignation, telling her that, sometimes, a crewmember will die from a situation beyond our control. Ed offers her leave time.
Alara calls her parents, Ildis and Drenala. They want Alara to come home, believing that a military career is beneath her. Drenala tells her about an incident when Alara was 8 months old - a large fire erupted in their kitchen. Alara had forgotten that traumatic incident (lacunar amnesia).
On Deck C, Alara sees a clown, who knocks over Alara, runs away, and vanishes! Now she believes that she is going insane, so she wants Ed to relieve her of her duties immediately. But Ed and Isaac find that the security logs detected the clown. Surprisingly, the sensor logs indicate that the clown is human. Ed orders his officers to (a) search for the clown on all decks, (b) set their laser pistols on stun, to capture the clown alive, and (c) be prepared for thrown pies, seltzer bottles, and balloon animals. In the Shuttle Bay, Alara and Bortus find the clown, who attacks Alara and takes her weapon. Alara regains it and shoots the clown. However, the clown had reset the weapon, so he is incinerated.
Kelly, who is with Alara, steps through a door and into a massive vortex. Alara saves her, but they believe that it was a hallucination. They join Ed in consulting with Claire. Then Bortus says that he found an alligator on board and "crushed" it. Ed and Claire agree that the officers' minds should be scanned. Alara is first. However, Claire restrains her in ultra-strong metal cuffs and prepares to fillet her like a fish! Alara frees her right arm and tosses Claire across the room.
In the Brig, Claire talks and acts like a psycho-killer, warning of dark terrors lurking in infinite shadows. In the Briefing Room, Kelly theorizes that the plasma storm broke the barrier between reality and imagination. Suddenly, there are dozens of tarantulas in the room. The officers leave, and Ed grabs a laser pistol, but, suddenly, the tarantulas vanish. Ed decides to take the Orville back to the plasma storm, hoping that a second encounter could end the insanity. He also orders every crewmember to carry a weapon.
Alara and Gordon see a spider the size of a Clydesdale come out of an elevator. They shoot it, but the lasers have no effect. They run, but the spider catches Gordon and eats him. Alara escapes, but now no one is responding to her. The Orville is deserted as she approaches the storm. In Engineering, Alara finds Isaac, but, suddenly, he attacks Alara. As Isaac's 'eyes' turn red and he threatens Alara, she grabs a laser rifle and shoots him. The ship's computer warns that the inner hull has been breached. As Alara runs toward the Shuttle Bay......
We see that Alara is in a Holodeck program created and run by Isaac. Ed, Kelly, and Claire also observe Alara. Ed tells Isaac to shut down the program, believing that Alara has had enough. However, Alara had invoked Directive 38. This allows the Security Officer to override all of the Captain's orders and protocols (in case the Captain becomes insane or drunk or stoned or......). Therefore, Alara must go through the entire program.
Alara enters a shuttle, but Isaac puts in front of the bay doors a container of combustible compounds and ignites it. Alara flies through the fireball and out of the ship, then sees the Orville destroyed by the storm. Then the program ends, and Alara wonders what happened.
Every incident from the clown to the end was part of the program. Alara asked Isaac to create that program so she could test herself to the limit. At Alara's request, Claire performed a short-term memory erasure. The various dangers in the program were suggested by the officers. Alara apologizes to Ed for invoking Directive 38. But the experience proves to Ed and Kelly that Alara Kitan is more than qualified to be Chief of Security.
The Orville: Cupid's Dagger (2017)
Love Stinks!
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connection - J. Paul Boehmer, who played the Navarian Ambassador, played 6 characters in Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise. He also provided the voices of 4 characters in 2 Star Trek video games.
It's Karaoke Night on the Orville. Kelly performs Journey's "Any Way You Want It." As Bortus prepares to sing (?!?!), they are contacted by Admiral Halsey ("Admiral Halsey notified me......").
Lapovius is a planet which was colonized millennia ago by the Bruidians and the Navarians. The two races have become adversaries, each claiming to have colonized the planet first. Now they are on the verge of war, and such a war probably would pull in the allies of those races. Because Lapovius is close to Union space, such a war would endanger Union civilians. However, an ancient artifact, a piece of Lapovian pottery, has been found. The two races have agreed to let a neutral forensic archaeologist from the Union examine the artifact. If the DNA of either race is found on the pottery, then that race can claim Lapovius. The pottery and the archaeologist are currently on the Olympia, orbiting Lapovius. The Orville will host diplomatic teams from the two races while the examination is conducted.
After the Orville arrives at Lapovius, a shuttle brings the archaeologist and the ancient pottery to the Orville. Ed and Kelly are shocked to see that the archaeologist is Darulio (played by Rob Lowe). He is the Retepsian with whom Kelly did the Horizontal Tango at the beginning of 'Old Wounds'. However, Ed and Kelly shake hands with Darulio and promise to handle this encounter professionally.
On the way to the Science Lab, Darulio accidentally steps in Yaphit. The blobby engineer brings flowers and a guitar to Sickbay. He gives the flowers to Claire and serenades her, but she still rejects him.
As Darulio examines the artifact, he converses with Kelly, and they seem to get along well. Then the shuttles carrying the Bruidians and the Navarians arrive. Kelly is supposed to be in the Shuttle Bay to welcome them, but she isn't. Instead, Ed finds Kelly doing another Horizontal Tango with Darulio, prompting Ed to call Kelly a "sexual jihadist" (Yikes!). In the Shuttle Bay, Alara, as Security Chief, takes charge by breaking up a nasty argument between the visiting races.
Kelly, chatting with Alara, claims that she loves Darulio. Ed, chatting with Gordon, wants to fire Darulio from the mission (and probably fire him out of an airlock). In the Science Lab, Darulio tells Ed that the pottery is a 30,000-year old birthing vessel. Darulio will need only 36 hours to identify the DNA, so Ed lets Darulio continue his work. Ed also becomes more friendly with Darulio, even agreeing to share a drink off-duty. Ed even puts on cologne while preparing for that drink, provoking concern from Gordon.
As if that's not weird enough, Claire, wearing a sexy outfit, goes to Yaphit's quarters. Hours later, Claire's sons can't enter her office. Alara unlocks Claire's office and finds naked Claire immersed in Yaphit! Bortus tells Alara that the Bruidians and Navarians can't contact Ed or Kelly and are on the verge of war. Alara takes charge again, confronting Darulio about all of these sexcapades. He admits that it's the time of year for Retepsians to be in heat, causing them to release pheromones which trigger sexual responses. The physical contact - direct and indirect - with the officers causes the goofy behavior, which will pass in a few days. However, there is no known cure for Retepsian pheromones. Alara confines Darulio to his quarters.
With the space fleets of the Bruidians and Navarians posturing aggressively, Ed preparing for sex with Darulio, and Kelly crying in her quarters, Alara takes charge again. But Darulio offers a solution. Later, Alara opens a channel to both fleets, and the Ambassadors of the races order their fleets to stand down. The Ambassadors suddenly have become very friendly; Nurse Park had planted concentrated Retepsian pheromones on them.
As everyone returns to normal, Darulio finds that the DNA on the pottery contains traces of both species - those races have a common ancestor. At the end, Kelly asks Darulio if he was in heat at the time of 'Old Wounds'. Darulio replies, "Maybe."
The Orville: Majority Rule (2017)
Government by American Idol
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek references - Steven Culp, who played Publicity Officer Willks, played Major Hayes, the commander of the MACOs, in Enterprise. Ron Canada, who played Fleet Admiral Tucker again, played 3 different characters in The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager.
Special Seth MacFarlane reference - on October 26, when this episode was televised, MacFarlane turned 44.
In this episode, MacFarlane put a mirror in front of our society and showed us how absurd it has become, especially in its addiction to social media.
Sargas IV is a planet very similar to 21st-Century Earth, but that's all the Union knew about that world. The Union sent 2 anthropologists, Lewis and Tom (Lewis & Clark would have been too clever), to observe the planet. However, all contact with the duo was lost a month ago, so Union Command sent the Orville to investigate. The mission became personal for Claire because Lewis is her friend.
Nostalgia note - Tom was played by Barry Livingston, who played Ernie in 'My Three Sons'.
Ed assigned Kelly, Alara, John, and Claire as the landing team to find Lewis and Tom. The landing team needed to wear Sargasian clothes, and John's blue jeans were very tight. Alara wore a Kelvik hat to hide her Seleyan forehead. They flew a shuttle with a cloaking device (Star Trek fans will get that reference) to the surface.
Question - Why doesn't the Orville have a cloaking device? Possible answer - it would consume too much of the ship's power.
The landing team learned that Sargasians are obsessed with the Master Feed, their version of the Internet. Everyone wears a badge that counts 'upvotes' (positive comments) and 'downvotes' (negative comments) about that person (Like/Dislike, Left-Swipe/Right-Swipe). The landing team learned that Lewis and Tom were arrested for having too many downvotes, only because they did not give up a seat on a public-transport vehicle to a pregnant woman. (The picture of the incident went viral.) Lewis was 'corrected' but Tom was killed trying to escape.
Alara and John had a casual conversation about dancing, and John gyrated with a statue. He didn't know that it was a statue of a Sargasian hero. Not surprisingly, some Sargasians posted the video on the Master Feed and it went viral, provoking over 1,000,000 downvotes for John, so he was arrested. Fleet Admiral Tucker didn't allow Ed to launch a rescue mission because the knowledge that aliens exist could disrupt Sargasian society. (a Prime Directive?)
The landing team learned from all of this that Sargas IV is a total democracy - no elements of a republic (like in the U.S.A. and many other Earth societies), just a direct vote by the people on everything, including whether or not a fact is a fact (Fake News!). If John receives 10,000,000 downvotes, he will be 'corrected' (a high-tech lobotomy). Willks was assigned as John's Publicity Officer; he guided John on an 'apology tour' to avoid 'correction'.
John's first stop was "The Chat" (an obvious parody of "The View"). He tried to apologize, but the hosts and the audience didn't believe him. Then he appeared on an interview show, but his downvotes kept rising.
In an apparent swipe at political correctness, a Kelvik man was offended by Alara wearing a Kelvik hat and threatened to post her photo on the Master Feed. In the restroom of a cafe, Claire tried to replace the hat with an improvised bandanna, but Lysella, a barista, saw Alara's forehead. Then Claire and Alara told Lysella the truth. Fortunately, she didn't freak out, but was intrigued by her encounter with aliens.
Lysella helped Claire and Alara find Lewis, but Claire couldn't do anything about his lobotomy. (He reminded me of the disciples of Landru in "The Return of the Archons" in the original Star Trek.) Ed had Lysella brought to the Orville, where she guided Isaac in hacking the Master Feed. As John's downvotes passed 9,000,000, Isaac planted phony posts (Fake News) about John to provoke sympathy from the Sargasians. The effective post showed John as a war veteran with a dog named Chuckles. (Why not a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers? - look it up.) The downvotes stopped at 9,999,996 - John was freed.
At the end, when Lysella saw the latest accusation on the Master Feed, she did not vote.
My conclusion - This is why we need to remain both a democracy and a republic (and need the Electoral Vote as much as we need the Popular Vote). And could we stop spending every waking hour staring at smartphones (and posting our lunches on the Internet)?
The Orville: Krill (2017)
Chillin' with the Krill
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connections - This episode was written by David A. Goodman, who co-wrote 4 episodes of Enterprise and is one of the producers of The Orville. James Horan, who played High Priest Sazeran, played 5 different characters in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. (Because of his special voice, he has done voice-acting for many animated series and video games.)
In this episode, we learned that (1) Alara has trouble finding a boyfriend on the Orville just because she has 10 times their strength (like Klingons, I appreciate strong women); (2) Isaac is willing to have sex with Alara; and (3) Bortus has the digestive system of a goat. He can eat almost anything - a whole ball of wasabi, a cactus, and glass, among other stuff (this might be important in future episodes).
For the 3rd time in 4 months, the Krill attack Castor IV, which has weak defenses. The Orville arrives to see a huge Krill warship, the Kakof, pummeling the planet. Then the Kakof turns and starts pummeling the Orville. Then Ed uses the Mercer Maneuver (as I call it): He takes the Orville to the edge of the atmosphere while firing plasma torpedoes at the Kakof. This creates a 'smoke screen' which temporarily blinds the Kakof's sensors. Then the Orville pulls a steep barrel-roll and pummels the Kakof with plasma torpedoes, destroying the Kakof. In the wreckage, they find an intact Krill shuttle, the first intact Krill technology obtained by the Union.
Admiral Ozawa (played by Kelly Hu) arrives and informs Ed and Kelly of a special mission. The Union's Admiralty wants to learn more about Krill society, especially their religion. The Krill believe that they have a God-given right to conquer or destroy all others in the galaxy (similar to our 'Manifest Destiny' - look it up). Ozawa wants the Orville's officers to obtain a copy of the Anhkara, the Krill's holy book. Every Krill ship carries an Anhkara, so the Krill shuttle opens this opportunity. Ed and Gordon use miniature holographic generators (MHGs) to look like Krill soldiers.
Flying the Krill shuttle, Gordon plays CCR's 'Midnight Special' while Ed studies the briefing on the Krill. A significant fact: the Krill's planet has thick clouds which block 96% of sunlight. The Yakar, a Krill destroyer, picks up the shuttle, as the MHGs fool the Krill. Ed introduces himself as Chris and Gordon as Devin (if they brought John LaMarr along, they could have called themselves Larry, Darryl, and Darryl). 'Chris' and 'Devin' claim to be the only survivors from the Kakof.
On the Yakar, 'Chris' and 'Devin' meet Captain Haros and High Priest Sazeran. They learn that the Krill's God is Avis, which provokes Gordon into a string of car-rental jokes. They are invited to religious services, where they meet Teleya, a female whose brother was on the Kakof. During the 'cleansing' ceremony, Sazeran produces the severed head of a human colonist and, using a 3-blade dagger, stabs the head repeatedly.
Later, 'Chris' and 'Devin' enter the temple and 'Chris' begins photographing the Anhkara. But their MHGs fail and they barely escape from the temple. They find that neutron radiation interfered with the MHGs. After compensating for the radiation, 'Chris' and 'Devin' find the source: a huge neutron-bomb missile. They learn from Teleya that the Krill plan to test the bomb on Rana III, a Union colony with 100,000 civilians and weak defenses. Ed decides to destroy the bomb by reversing the interference; i.e., sending signals from the MHGs to overload the bomb's radiation and triggering the overload remotely from the shuttle.
Sounds simple, right? However......'Chris' and 'Devin' learn that Teleya is the instructor for the trainees on board, and the trainees are children. Obviously, Ed won't kill children. One of the kids, Coja, is very curious about Earth and humans. While describing humans to Coja, 'Chris' discovers the answer: ultraviolet radiation. Because the Krill are always in gloom, sunshine-intensity UV rays would incinerate them. 'Chris' arranges for Teleya and the children to stay in the classroom while 'Devin' sets a 10-minute delay on a device that will raise the ship's lights to high-UV level for 1 minute. However, the Krill intercept 'Devin' and find his MHG. As the Yakar approaches Rana III, 'Chris' shoots out the lights in the classroom just before the UV device activates and incinerates all the Krill outside the classroom. The neutron bomb is launched, but Gordon, with a bad sunburn, destroys the bomb in time.
Ed and Gordon take the Yakar to the Orville, which tows it to a Union base. The Krill kids will be returned to their families. Teleya is enraged by the deaths of her comrades, but wonders why Ed spared the children. Ed says, "They're not my enemies." Teleya warns, "After what they saw you do today, they will be. They will be!"
The Orville: Pria (2017)
Timely comedy
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek connection - This episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes.
Special MacFarlane connections - Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron were 2 of the 3 main stars of MacFarlane's Western comedy "A Million Ways To Die In The West". The 3rd was in last week's episode - Liam Neeson.
The episode began with the Bridge crew watching an episode of Seinfeld. {Hindsight Point #1: It was the 1993 episode "The Junior Mint".} Then they receive a distress signal from the Horizon, a mining ship that, apparently, crashed on a comet plunging toward a star. The signal is from Captain Pria Lavesque (played by Charlize Theron). Because the signal is from a hot babe, Gordon recommends an immediate rescue mission. Ed, Gordon, and Alara take a shuttle to the Horizon and find only Pria on board. {Hindsight Point #2: Why was she the only one on board? Hindsight Point #3: When Alara rips open the Horizon's doors, Pria says, 'Easy with the merchandise.'} They barely return to the Orville, then Ed becomes very smitten with Pria - and Kelly becomes jealous.
When Isaac was watching Seinfeld, he didn't understand the humor. Gordon decides to teach Isaac about practical jokes by putting a Mr. Potato Head face on Isaac while he was regenerating. Later, Isaac pulls a stunning practical joke on Gordon by cleanly amputating his left leg. Fortunately, 25th-Century medical technology can regenerate the leg.
Source of local pride: Ed and Pria are from Massachusetts (Ed is from Boxford and Pria is from Andover). Actually, Seth MacFarlane is a New Englander, born in Kent, Connecticut.
Things That Make You Go EWWWWW: Pria touches Yaphit.
Kelly has a good reason to warn Ed about Pria: the Vega Mining Consortium has no record of a Pria Lavesque. When Kelly convinces Alara to search Pria's quarters, they find a small metal box that is impervious to sensors (and lasers). Ed is furious over this invasion of privacy, but he isn't being objective, either. He tells Pria that he wants to 'take this slow', then does the Horizontal Tango with her.
The Orville is hit by a dark-matter storm. Pria not only knows how to detect the dark-matter blobs, but also how to maneuver away from them. However, the storm apparently knocks out the communications array. Then Chief Engineer Steve Newton finds that metal box connected to the navigation array. He uses an old-fashioned diamond-tip drill to puncture the box (why didn't Star Trek's Scotty ever use one?), then Isaac tries to interface with it. Apparently, the box sends a fatal shock to his body.
Pria confesses that she is from the 29th Century - 4 centuries in the future - and came to prevent the Orville from being destroyed by the dark-matter storm. But her motives are selfish - she planned to take the Orville through a wormhole to the 29th Century and sell it to the highest bidder. She uses that metal box to hijack the ship, but Isaac stops her. He transferred his mind to the ship's computer (his secret message: 'Would you like a Junior Mint, Captain?'). While the Orville returns to the 25th Century, Kelly pounds the snot out of Pria. (I like Kelly!)
Pria altered history by saving the Orville. Acting on Isaac's analysis, Ed has the wormhole destroyed, which removes Pria from 25th-Century history. Ed was emotionally hurt by Pria using him, but now he knows that he always can trust Kelly. (That is one complicated relationship!)
{"This is no time to talk about time. We don't have the time." - Deanna Troi to Will Riker, the movie "Star Trek: First Contact"}
The Orville: If the Stars Should Appear (2017)
For The World Is A Turtle And I Have Touched A Nerve
******SPOILER ALERT******
(Star Trek fans will get the above reference)
Star Trek connections - This episode was directed by James L. Conway, who directed 3 episodes of The Next Generation, 7 episodes of Deep Space Nine, 4 episodes of Voyager, and 4 episodes of Enterprise. Also, Hamelac was played by Robert Knepper, who played Wyatt Miller in "Haven" (The Next Generation, 1st Season).
Once again, Yaphit is in Sickbay, complaining about a "malaise" to Dr. Finn. But I think it was his latest ploy to get into her... (Things You Can't Unthink).
Klyden feels neglected and everyone on the Orville knows about it. Gossip travels fast on a Union ship.
The Orville's star-mapping mission was interrupted by the detection of a humongous turtle-shaped ship - 790 square kilometers (about the size of New York City). It also is 2000 years old. The ship's engines are inactive and it is drifting. The problem: it would collide with a star in 6 months. Mercer leads a boarding party (Kelly, Alara, Claire, and Isaac) and learns that it's a bio-ship - the interior simulates a planet, complete with flora, farms, and at least one big city. However, the people on the ship believe that it is a planet.
Some viewers might not see how the inhabitants didn't know that their "world" was a ship. Yes, the "sky" clearly looked artificial, but those people spent their entire lives in that enclosed place, so they believed that a real sky would look like that.
Another interesting observation: even though those people had mastered interstellar flight, the habitat had no drones or helicopters or any other flying machines. Maybe they were forbidden by Hamelac and the previous First Guardians Of The Word Of Dorahl to prevent the people from learning the truth about their habitat.
It was amusing to see so many discussions about relationships among the crew, especially about Ed's possible......inadequacy.
The interrogation scene in which Kelly was tortured showed what a tough lady she is. I must admit that I like Kelly even though she cheated on Ed (and she does regret that).
The Reformers, inhabitants who believe that there is a world beyond theirs (the Beyond), help the Orville's officers find the bio-ship's Bridge. They find a recorded message left by the previous Captain - Jahavus Dorahl (played by Liam Neeson). His people live in a remote area of the galaxy, so they sent a fleet of bio-ships to make peaceful contact with other planets. But his bio-ship was hit by an ion storm which disabled the engines, so the bio-ship became their home. Obviously, as the centuries passed, the inhabitants forgot their origins and assumed that they were on a planet. Their society - and harsh religion - evolved by accident. Fortunately, specialists from the Union can repair the ship and let the inhabitants go where they want in peace.
Some viewers compare Hamelac to President Trump, but I believe that is way off the mark (and typical Trump-bashing by sore-loser Democrats). Hamelac's actions reminded me of persecutions by extremely orthodox religions, including the Catholic church. Indeed, Galileo was harshly persecuted by the Vatican for daring to declare that Earth is not the center of the universe.
This was the quote from "Nature and Selected Essays" by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God (which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.")
Another funny and thought-provoking episode.
The Orville: About a Girl (2017)
Thought-provoking and funny
******SPOILER ALERT******
Latest Star Trek connection: this episode was directed by Brannon Braga, who also is one of The Orville's Executive Producers.
I was happy to see Yaphit again. He (I assume Yaphit is male) could be a great comic-relief character. Now it's time to get semi-serious.
I expected this episode to trigger a wide range of opinions from viewers, anywhere from "appeasing the brickheaded conservatives" to "appeasing the brickheaded liberals" - and that can be a good thing. When the many versions of Star Trek were at their best, they made the audience think about what they were watching. That was why I was a Star Trek fan for 46 years (until J.J. Abrams took over). This episode reminded me of a Next Generation episode that had a similar theme: "The Outcast" (5th Season, 1992).
The other officers of the Orville tried to convince Bortus that having a female child is not a big deal. But it's easy to say that when your species has billions of females. Moclans have a female child about once every 75 years. A Moclan female baby is as odd as a human baby born with male and female traits (a hermaphrodite - look it up).
Seth MacFarlane injected humor into this serious story through boxing and Rudolph. Alara Kitan (I am becoming a big fan of Alara) literally knocked Bortus out of a boxing ring to show what females can do. Then Gordon and John showed "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" to Bortus, who saw that a supposed birth defect can be an advantage. Also, it was hilarious to see Gordon crying while watching the movie. (Was Gordon showing his sensitive side?)
During the trial on Moclus, Kelly showed the Moclans that males can be stupid by showing what a doofus Gordon can be. (Indeed, everyone knows that the capital of the U.S.A. is Amazon.com.) Then Ed had the great idea of bringing Heveena, a Moclan female, to the Tribunal, so the Arbitrator could see that a female Moclan is not ashamed to be what she is. To further prove that point, Heveena revealed that she is Moclan's greatest philosopher, even though Moclans assumed that the philosopher was male. (Up to and including the 20th Century, some of our nation's best female authors had to use male-sounding pseudonyms to get into the profession.)
It may have been disappointing to see the Tribunal rule against Bortus, but we can't expect any society - including our planet's societies - to change long-held beliefs in one day. Maybe, in the long run, Moclans will have different opinions of females because of this trial. But they need to form those opinions on their own. (Can you say "Prime Directive"?)
This was an excellent thought-provoking episode. I just wish it was possible for our current society to discuss an issue without hurling insults at each other (and I blame both sides for that).
The Orville: Command Performance (2017)
Excellent follow-up
******SPOILER ALERT******
One of the episode's credits grabbed my attention immediately: Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, who played Tom Paris in "Star Trek - Voyager". After the episode, I learned that others associated with Star Trek would appear on The Orville on both sides of the camera. This bodes well for the series.
This episode gave a big spotlight to Lieutenant Alara Kitan and made her even more fun to watch. When Kitan was thrust into an intense command situation, she did what many 23-year-olds do when they suddenly need to take charge: run away, have a stiff drink, vomit, then turn around and face that responsibility. Fortunately, Dr. Finn was willing to be Kitan's Obi-Wan (excellent reference by Seth MacFarlane). Naturally, a young officer would feel intimidated by a Fleet Admiral, so she had believed that her only option was to obey Admiral Tucker's order to give up on Mercer and Grayson. But Kitan learned that being in command inevitably involves big risks, so she was willing to put her career and her kiester on the line to save her Captain and First Officer. This experience will make Kitan a better officer, which is significant for the Chief of Security.
It also was amusing to see Jeffrey Tambor and Holland Taylor as Ed's parents. Their brief but funny dialogue shows that quality can be more important that quantity. Hopefully, we will see Bert & Jeannie Mercer again (and for real next time).
The scenes in the Calivon menagerie (Star Trek fans will get that reference) were funny and thought-provoking. At their best, the many versions of Star Trek provoked the audience to think about what they are watching. Seth MacFarlane knows how to do this in a humorous way. Also, that final scene might make people reconsider their craving for reality TV (we can only hope).
Also, we saw how a male-only species - the Moclan - reproduces. I don't know how Klyden input his DNA to the egg and I don't want to know. But it was stunning to see that their offspring is...female!?!?!? (I don't know how many exclamation points and question marks are standard for this.) And thereby hangs a tale...
The Orville (2017)
Brilliant parody of Star Trek
******SPOILERS BELOW******
I should mention up front that I am a former Star Trek fan, but I still like the pre-J.J. Abrams versions of Star Trek.
Creating a good parody of Star Trek isn't easy (unless it's a parody of J.J. Abrams' version). The only good parody I had seen was the movie "Galaxy Quest" - until I saw the first episode of "The Orville".
Seth MacFarlane has assembled a good cast and a very good production staff to create an intelligent sci-fi comedy. When I saw the names of that staff at the start of the episode, I recognized at least 3 people who worked on versions of Star Trek: Andre Bormanis, Brannon Braga, and David A. Goodman. I also recognized people who worked on MacFarlane's other projects (Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, etc.). This shows me that MacFarlane made an effort to learn what made Star Trek special as he pokes fun at it. The result of this extra effort is a high-quality sci-fi comedy.
As Captain Ed Mercer, MacFarlane knows how to balance comedy and drama. Yes, a good parody can include good drama, and the scenes between Mercer and Commander Kelly Grayson, Mercer's ex-wife, include great comic dialogue and touching dramatic dialogue. In the action scenes, MacFarlane channels James Kirk satirically and respectfully.
Adrianne Palicki makes Commander Grayson a fascinating character - someone we can respect even though she cheated on Mercer. Scott Grimes' character, Gordon Malloy, probably will have major appeal to stoners, but that can be a good thing, as Grimes showed in the first episode. Peter Bacon's performance as Bortus is classic deadpan, a great parody of Vulcans. Alara Kitan (Halston Sage) seems to be a parody of Klingons, but she is very unique and fun to watch. I still want to learn more about Dr. Claire Finn - especially because Penny Johnson Jerald was a key player in "Star Trek - Deep Space 9". I definitely want to learn more about Yaphit, the yellow blob that Mercer accidentally stepped on early in the episode. With Norm Macdonald providing Yaphit's voice, that blob could be very entertaining. And yes, I did get 'Admiral Halsey'.
The visual effects and set designs are beautiful. The good soundtrack reminds me of the Star Trek series from the 1980's to the 2000s. The design of the Orville is another example of the good effort put into the series. The uniforms obviously are a slight parody of the uniforms in all versions of Star Trek, but they were intelligently designed.
"Old Wounds" may have slightly opened my old wound - how much I miss the pre-J.J. Abrams versions of Star Trek. But I also saw both an excellent parody of Star Trek and a fascinating sci-fi story that left me wanting more. Bravo, Seth MacFarlane!
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Crash and Burn
******SPOILERS BELOW******
When I saw the starship Vengeance crash into San Francisco, I thought, "This is what J.J. Abrams has done to Star Trek."
Already, some of you might be sneering, "Another bashing from someone who knows nothing about Star Trek." I reiterate what I wrote 4 years ago about the previous movie (review #347, posted 5/9/2009): I was a Star Trek fan since The Original Series was on NBC. I have seen every episode of every TV series, including The Animated Series, and all 12 movies. I found the previous movie repulsive, but hoped that Abrams would deliver a better 2nd act. Instead, this movie was even worse.
I shall begin by listing the few positives in this movie. Once again, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto gave very good performances. Once again, ILM produced very good visual effects.
End of positives. Here come the negatives, in random order.
The dress uniforms were comical. They looked like parodies of Nazi German uniforms. The standard uniforms still looked like cheap knockoffs I would find in a second-rate costume shop.
Once again, the Enterprise's Bridge looked like a disco. Once again, Abrams included irritating shots of glare to make the movie more "realistic." Once again, Engineering looked like an oil refinery. Once again, this Enterprise is a pale shadow of the original NCC-1701.
Once again, we had a very loud and very forgettable soundtrack.
Once again, we saw Scotty's pint-size companion, Keenser - a.k.a. Cabbageface, a.k.a. Rockface, a.k.a. the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek.
We saw Doctor Carol Marcus, but now she's British?? And a weapons specialist?? Now Chekov is not only an Engineer, but (temporarily) the ship's Chief Engineer?? Apparently, Paramount is allowing J.J. Abrams to turn the Star Trek universe upside-down and inside-out.
When the Enterprise visited Nibiru, she was underwater, and Spock (and, eventually, Starfleet Command) were worried about the Nibirans seeing the ship emerge from the sea. Objection #1: Why was the ship underwater? Couldn't the mission be conducted with the Enterprise in orbit? Objection #2: Considering the water pressure on the ship's hull, why didn't we hear any creaking in the hull or see any breaches caused by the pressure? The shields weren't up because Scotty complained about the sea water corroding the hull. Objection #3: How did the ship enter the water without any Nibirans seeing her? Was the Enterprise invisible during descent? Are all the planet's humanoids in that one small village?
What I did in the previous paragraph is called Thinking About What I'm Watching. This is what we should do when watching any Star Trek story. But in J.J. Abrams' version of Star Trek, we are expected to stop thinking and just watch the loud, frantic action.
Now we come to Khan Noonien Singh. Abrams has transformed Khan from a Sikh Indian into a Brit. (Is Abrams obsessed with Brits?) Also, Khan's blood can resurrect the dead! So now Khan is like Robert Neville in The Omega Man (1971), or - dare I say it - Jesus Christ. (This Is The Cup Of My Blood, The Blood Of The New And Everlasting Covenant, etc.) Obviously, Starfleet Medical should extract blood samples from those 73 superhumans so that Starfleet personnel who are killed can be resurrected. (Again, we are supposed to stop thinking.)
This movie had two scenes that may be disturbing - even traumatic - to some viewers: the explosion in London, and the crash of the Vengeance in San Francisco. Many people in the Boston area (after 4/15/2013), the New York City area (after 9/11/2001), and the London area (after 7/7/2005) may be appalled by this exploitation of massive tragedies. Abrams might be trying to assuage such objections by dedicating the movie to first-responders and military personnel "after 9/11." But this still looks like exploitation.
I'm not the only veteran Star Trek fan who saw the ripoff of Star Trek II - The Wrath Of Khan and Star Trek III - The Search For Spock. The minor changes: Kirk enters the radiation-filled warp-core chamber; Spock gets to bellow, "KHAN!!" (which was almost comical); instead of The Genesis Effect, the resurrection agent is Khan's blood. Also, Kirk's death gives Spock another excuse to act like a brutal savage (what would Sarek say?), and Abrams an excuse to stage an absurd high-altitude fight scene.
Let's debunk the basic defense of J.J. Abrams; i.e., that he saved Star Trek. He has replaced Gene Roddenberry's version with his own version. In the pre-Abrams chapters of Star Trek, we saw intelligent stories with strongly-defined characters. But Abrams has replaced that with movies loaded with loud, frantic action but thin on story and logic. Obviously, this is appealing to the only movie fans who count: teenagers, who expect every movie to resemble a 3-D video game. I saw the 2-D version (on the night of May 19), and noticed that the theater was only half-full and devoid of teenagers. Apparently, the Target Audience gathered in the 3-D theater. We can expect every future Star Trek movie to follow the Abrams Canon: virtually non-stop, loud, 3-D action, with very little intelligence.
Paramount's weak excuse is, "We still have Star Trek." We still have Saturday Night Live, too. But both have become pale shadows of their original selves. Thanks to J.J. Abrams, I am no longer a Star Trek fan.
Star Trek (2009)
Very disappointed.
******SPOILERS BELOW******
---Doctor Korby: Are you with me, Captain?
---Captain Kirk: You've created your own Kirk. Why do you need me?
---Doctor Korby: I created him to impress you, not to replace you.
---Captain Kirk: I'm impressed, Doctor. But not the way you think.
{from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"}
This movie didn't have an extended title; it was just Star Trek. But I have some ideas for an extended title:
"The Unreal McCoy"
"Bad Robot Poops On Star Trek"
"Let's Pervert Star Trek To Appease Teenagers"
"Abrams Pilots Star Trek Over The Shark"
I have been a Star Trek fan for 42 years. I have seen every Star Trek story made for the movie screen and TV screen (including the animated series). This was one of the worst Star Trek stories I ever saw.
It was not necessary to "reboot" Star Trek. It was not necessary to change the Enterprise. It was not necessary for Spock and Uhura to have the hots for each other. It was not necessary to destroy Vulcan. It was not necessary to kill Amanda, although it was necessary to remove Winona Ryder from the movie.
There are good parts of the movie. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who accepted the enormous challenges of playing Kirk and Spock, performed very well. Ben Cross, as Sarek, proved my belief that he would be a good Vulcan. The visual effects were very good, as I would expect from ILM.
However, the many changes in Star Trek history were unjustified. These changes can't be glossed over by saying, "It's obviously an alternate-universe story." That wasn't firmly established in the movie. (There is a difference between alternate-universe and alternate-timeline.) What I saw was J.J. Abrams, Robert Orci, and Alex Kurtzman rewriting Star Trek in a shameless attempt to attract young airheads who wouldn't care about Star Trek anyway.
The absurd design of the "new" Enterprise only reminded me of how beautiful the original NCC-1701 was. The "new" Bridge looked like a disco. The "new" Engineering areas looked like an oil refinery.
The other members of the new cast were mostly disappointing. Zoe Saldana is a lovely lady, but she couldn't carry Nichelle Nichols' boots. Karl Urban's performance almost was a parody of McCoy; he only reminded me of how much I miss DeForest Kelley. John Cho won't make me forget George Takei. Anton Yelchin made Chekov almost irritating. And Simon Pegg almost turned Scotty into the Court Jester (and why did they include that pint-size rockface? Is he the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek?).
Kirk's rapid promotion also was absurd. No matter how good a young officer is, no one rises from Cadet to Captain that fast.
The soundtrack was forgettable. (I've already forgotten it.)
Obviously, nitpickers would go ape over this movie. The star dates - in the 2200s - would set this story in the first season of The Original Series (TOS), long after Kirk became Captain. Delta Vega was moved from the edge of the galaxy to next to Vulcan. The uniforms, like the "new" Enterprise, don't jibe with TOS or "The Cage." (They looked like cheap knockoffs I would find in a costume shop.) And how can the Kelvin carry 800 people?
If this was an alternate-universe story, then I hope we never return. I wouldn't mind seeing this young cast in another Star Trek movie, but I would want that movie to return us to this universe, where the Enterprise looks like the NCC-1701 of TOS, Vulcan still exists, and Amanda lives (and is not played by Winona Ryder). But I also believe this is too much to ask.
This "reboot" probably will be very popular with young movie fans. Thus, it might be the template for future Star Trek movies, in which we'll probably see more changes in Star Trek history. But no matter how popular this "rebooted" Star Trek becomes, it's no substitute for TOS or any other Star Trek series. If this is the only option for continuing Star Trek, then let the franchise die with some dignity.