The Orville (TV Series) If the Stars Should Appear (2017) User Reviews

Really made me feel more of a TNG theme.

[nealalan · 9/10 · 14 October 2017]

The one thing I would have changed is how rushed the last 10 minutes were. Surely the Orville didn't just head back to the shuttle and take off. Once the crew of the Orville found the control panel to the bridge, it was over in a few minutes. Pretty unlikely to have found just the right passage on that massive ship to end up right on the bridge.

I'm not sure anyone living at the same point of civilization the inhabitants of the ship were, could just be handed over a starship and be expected to act responsibly.

I would have preferred to see this episode be 2 parts, with some sort of twist!

Isaak Doesn't get Dick

[dreadnoughtprods · 9/10 · 28 September 2017]

Brilliant use of themes established by Classic SF writers in the 50s. A generation ship whose occupants have lost their past and believe the ship is all. Strong female characters anchor the story providing humor, suspense and action. A fascist/religious regime is exposed and a population liberated. A fun ride with a message very relevant to what's happening today.

Not perfect, but very strong entry.

[rj-cullen · 8/10 · 3 October 2017]

Although the subject matter is not "never seen", if science fiction was restricted to only cover ground that no show or book had previously covered, it would be a dead genre.

The story develops well, and is told in a way that makes sense. The humour mostly fits in with the plot, and does not damage the narrative. The episode characters are relatable and realistic - and the final scenes do carry emotional weight.

All told, a good continuation of a series that is going far deeper than most expected.

A tribute to classic Sci-Fi

[FranTesla · 10/10 · 28 September 2017]

Excellent episode rooted on Star Trek the original series with a bit of the Next Generation on it. Instant classic that presents important topics and Sci-Fi tropes to a new generation of watchers in a very entreating way. Bravo! to Seth and his team, still clapping episode three, I praise this one too.

Nice Homage to Isaac Asimov

[rgrif42 · 26 October 2017]

Perhaps Asimov's most famous short story, "Nightfall" quotes from the same Ralph Waldo Emerson poem about a society that sees the stars only once every thousand years. This episode involves a biosphere within an enormous spaceship that's been adrift for a thousand years and the people living there are clueless that they are even on a ship until the Orville crew open the "walls" that form the artificial sky in the biodome and the stars shine through. Also reminiscent of Robert Heinein's "Orphans of the Sky" (1941) also involving a ship so long adrift that the memory of being within a ship moving through space has been lost.

Religious Dogma and the Lost Sheep - This is the Original Star Trek

[rgme · 9/10 · 29 September 2017]

An artificial dome created to sustain life, drifts off course and centuries later, religious dogma steers a spaceship with blind faith towards a star and its doom.

In the bloom of early 20th century, sci-fi writers created an outerworldy experience of " What is out there. Each paradigm has its time and place, before a reformation or a revolution happens by scholars or the people, its just a natural course of events in society.

In the old seafarer days - you needed the stars for guidance and a safe passage home.

This is IRAN situation

[rabetmasood-36028 · 10/10 · 23 July 2018]

Oh my god in every second of this episode i feel like i'm seeing the faith of iran i hope someday someone like captain come and rescue us :( by the way it was awesome episode

Great show!!!!

[fordmustanggt-98038 · 8/10 · 28 November 2017]

This episode is an good example of Seth MacFarland's love of 1960s/70s television, especially science fiction. I know a lot of the reviews have said that it reminds them of a Star Trek episode and in some ways it does, but I absolutely think that he was going for more of the 70s show "The Starlost", which was based on Harlan Ellison's "Phoenix Without Ashes". This was done infinitely better than the 70s show. I really think that this show should absolutely be given every chance to survive. It is thought provoking and entertaining and I think you can describe it as Star Trek the Next Generation, with a sense of humor.

Fun homage to sci fi tropes

[roboprogs · 8/10 · 6 October 2017]

This is about episode 4. I think this show is really hitting its stride the last 2 episodes, with an interesting mix of themes and humor. Toning down the potty humor and keeping things "contextual" goes a long way, and is actually more funny.

*** spoilers (plot/content discussion) ***

In addition to the similarities to the 60s episodes ("... touched the sky" with a dash of impending celestial collision), there was also a nice nod to the (Isaac) Asimov "Nightfall" story, I think.

The robot's name is Isaac. Tell me that's not a nod to the classics :-)

Well done, sirs.

More Star Trek than Star Trek itself

[wave_one · 9/10 · 1 October 2017]

I am really surprised by this show. This episode was a masterpiece (even though it seemed to be a little bit rushed) it is more in the spirit of the next generation then the actual Star Trek Discovery Series itself. And sooooo hilariously funny... incredible... I love this show!

If the Stars Should Appear

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 25 November 2020]

The Orville has a dig at religious dogma and it even has time for a Friends joke that my wife spotted.

The Orville discover a massive spaceship that seems adrift and is slowly heading on a collision course to a star.

When the away party go inside the ship, they find a biodome and people living inside who have no idea that they are inside a spaceship.

Soon Kitan is shot and Grayson is taken away and interrogated. She finds that this society has evolved into a militant theocracy.

A more serious episode and a surprise cameo appearance from someone with a unique set of skills.

Wow what an episode

[saynt614 · 9/10 · 4 November 2017]

Best episode of the season so far,(Still catching up on Hulu).

I wish this was a two part episode cause it was so well written.

So far this show is smart, funny, and serious all at the same time.

One of the best new shows on TV that's for sure.

If they keep churning out episodes like this one...it'll turn into a classic.

I just hope it's not doomed because it's on Fox.

8.5 out of 10? Really?

[pjgs200 · 6/10 · 15 January 2018]

Sure, this was an okay episode, but I don't think it deserves an 8.5 out of 10. The concept of having a whole civilization stuck in a spaceship without knowing it is (admittedly) pretty great, and the episode was well filmed, but there wasn't any drama, mystery, or intrigue, and the episode didn't have much to say. The humor in this episode also falls flat for me, and it's not entertaining enough for me to say I really liked it, and the actors aren't given very much to do.

Anyway, revealing to a whole civilization that everything they believe is a lie and showing them the vastness of the universe only to leave them alone right after would surely cause massive chaos. This isn't even mentioned! Don't they have anything like the Prime Directive? And even if it's not Star Trek, pretty much all space/time travel shows have a similar rule.

I like The Orville a lot (Majority Rule, Cupid's Dagger, and Firestorm are all great, and I really like the concept), but from episodes 1 to 8, the only ones that I actually like are "Old Wounds," "Majority Rule" and "About a Girl." Starting with episode 7, The Orville starts getting good.

I can't help but think that the only reason this episode is rated so highly is because the Orville is more like traditional Star Trek than Star Trek: Discovery is, so fans of Star Trek prefer something more traditional (The Orville) and rave about it, whether it's great or not. Since many fans don't like the direction Discovery took or stopped watching after the first episode (which wasn't very good anyway), I think they're just defaulting to the Orville because it's so Star Trek-y. I don't mean to be a pessimist or to criticize the Orville heavily (because I really like it) but being similar to or a tribute to Star Trek doesn't automatically make something great. I think that's the case with "If the Stars Should Appear:" it's an okay episode that's rated highly just because it's similar to traditional Star Trek.

6 out of 10.

Already a remake!

[rlclcjrc-1 · 3/10 · 28 September 2017]

The fourth show of a new science fiction series and already a remake - a remake of two Star Trek Shows no less. It's same premise as "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" from the Original Series and "The Masterpiece Society" form The Next Generation. If that's what to expect from this series, then I'll skip it.

Some people missed it badly

[cemkalyoncu · 10/10 · 5 September 2020]

This is not rooted in Star Trek, this is taken from probably the best sci-fi short story of all time: Nightfall by Isaac Asimov. It is not even close storywise but it has the same makeup. The short poem by Emerson is from the book too.

My favourite episode

[fingazmc · 10/10 · 3 June 2022]

I'm up to the 3rd series episode 1.

But this is still my favourite, this is what I want from this programme. Great story, great guest star and great premise.

Excellent, but raises some questions about the script writing

[Ray_Akapotasana · 8/10 · 2 October 2017]

Excellent episode of The Orville which comes very close to some of the older Star Trek series, only with much better CGI. Beautiful bright colors and the judicious use of colors make it look like there's been put a lot of thought in the visual attractiveness. It's like a warm bath for your eyes, all the saturated blues and reds...

That said, the show does raise a few questions. Like, why did I see an actual 3 wheeled Piaggio in one of the scenes on the planet / starship? Why does the city look like a 21th century city (like New York) on earth? Why do the people basically look like humans? Since the starship is approx 2000 years old it should be from around 417 AD (since the story of The Orville happens around 2417; 2417 minus 2000=...) So how's about the New York look of the city and the Piaggio than? Unanswered questions here...

For the rest, an excellent show.

For The World Is A Turtle And I Have Touched A Nerve

[MrGoog · 10/10 · 1 October 2017]

******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.

Clever and subtle irony or ..?

[Clemmensen · 9/10 · 28 March 2020]

The crew saves the people on a bioship from a fanatical, oppressive, ignorant, religious dictatorship, that would rather believe in faith, than know the truth, even though it would save their lives.

It is very clear that the religious society is very bad and evil in all its oppressive deeds, and the reference to earth-invented religions like christianity and islam is very obvious.

The interesting thing is however, that the crew is constantly referring to God. If this is clever and subtle irony or unintentionally ignorant, I don't know, but my rating is based on the former.

To adress the ignorant and manipulative nature of religion this way is just brilliant. But I don't think religious people see it or would accept the blatantly obvious similarities in religion on our world.

Sort of Old Fashioned

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 6 June 2022]

People keep acting as though this is Star Trek. While there are similarities in the mission and the crew, it really is its own show. And that isn't always good. Nevertheless, this episode was a good deal of fun. It reprises a place where the denizens are in an artificial environment, being ruled by a religious zealot. Very common theme for the original ST. The people have bought into this guy and he can maneuver them into killing "transgressors" (those that disagree with him). Still, this is pretty good. Two things are missing from this show. No transporter. And, obviously, no prime directive.

Some flaws

[bio_enrico · 6/10 · 1 October 2017]

I'm quite enjoying the show so far, and I hope it goes the distance. Though I felt the urge to comment on this episode due to some flaws in the writing (imo). Realism might not be a priority too this show so I apologize if this comes across as to science-nerdy. The population on the bio-ship was diverse. After 2k years a population of a few thousand people would have mixed completely resulting in a uniform population. The two characters that go with the Orville's crew to the bio-ship's bridge would've probably freak out due to a predictable fear of heights, they even hinted at that with the doctor at the beginning of the episode, it would also be a chance for a joke or two. Maybe something like that was done but didn't make the final cut. But what stuck in my craw, was the first-mate thanking god repeatedly as she accused the town's chief of being a theocratic dictator fraud. Her god is real and his isn't. Did they have her say that to counter Isaac's scientific explanation of the origin of the universe? To not position themselves to hard on this issue? I was disappointed. I hope they continue to make the show as funny as this episode and as thought provoking as the previous one.

So far, so good

[icschilibob · 8/10 · 28 September 2017]

So far, I like it. Some of the lines can be a bit lame, but then this is from the guy that gave us Family Guy so it comes with the territory. The last episode was a bit refreshing in how the plot unfolded and I am eagerly awaiting the next one. Good start though. My only real complaint is to cut out the dumb male sex jokes. It can still be funny and a bit odd without the bathroom humor.

Episode 4

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 28 September 2017]

This episode had some highs and some lows. As great as Liam Neeson may be, his appearance felt quite forced and unnecessary here. The final few minutes as the whole felt like a bit of a drag.

The overlying premise itself this week was part Xena The Warrior Princess part FOX-style sci-fi program, but it was intriguing. The political metaphor of the current administration wasn't particularly needed though.

So, what IS this show? Sci-fi for newbies or new genre?

[bnevs18 · 3/10 · 29 September 2017]

So its obvious that there's a split in the opinions on this episode...the story is an old one in sci-fi, so for those of us who are sci-fi vets, its old hat and wasn't executed nearly as well as many other iterations. But for people unfamiliar with the genre, Im sure it was quite a ride. I guess the problem for me was that there was no twist. After the surprise masterpiece of "About a Girl", I was hoping that this series would be more Babylon 5 or Deep Space 9 than NextGen. The realistic way of doing it would have ended with the society going insane (what do you think we would do if all of a sudden our sky opened up and everything was purple? I like realistic sci-fi vs sugary sci-fi, and after About a Girl, my expectations of this series rose. But this is very early and there were certainly a ton of clunkers in every other season 1 of sci-fi shows. Just as a sci-fi vet, this was a rehashed story without a new take on it. As I said in my review of AaG, this series is very grandiose in trying to make a new genre...we can hope it succeeds, but it probably wont as it will probably fail at cementing a fan base. We can still hope after this episode, but I continue to be puzzled as to where this series fits.

Good episode

[btlarsen · 8/10 · 1 March 2019]

It's is amazing how much the followers of Dural act like the worshippers of Evolutionism.