******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.
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