Star Trek spoof The Orville (by Seth MacFarlane)

[Puffnstuff]

That looks way better than Discovery.

 

[Malogeek]

That looks way better than Discovery.

I enjoyed it more than Discovery but it's not for everyone. It's a Seth MacFarlane version of Next Generation, whereas Discovery is more akin to the JJ Abrahams nutrek.

 

[ViRGE]

Don't forget: season 2 starts tonight!

 

[JEDI]

Don't forget: season 2 starts tonight!

I hope they improved on the graphics.


edit:
and season 2 starts with a GAPING big plot hole the size of a porn star.

lt cmdr bortus has been in the Union for how long???
why is his once a year ceremony not in his records?
why did he surprise the capt by the last minute request?

they have vacation days in this 'Galaxy Quest' show, right?
he could have scheduled it instead of 'hey... by the way, we need to alter course...'

 

[Charmonium]

The DVR is programmed from last year so when I saw this on the recorded list, I figured I'd check it out a gain. The first five minutes I really liked. I laughed 3 or 4 times. So I started thinking, maybe I was wrong about this show. Yeah, it's cheesy, but cheesy has never been a deterrent for me. I mean, I'm the original Sharknado fan.

But the story rapidly devolved into an hour long soap opera. And ok, I understand you sometimes need a little bit of that to develop characters, but your season premier episode? I thought that was a stupid move but presumably they know what their demo wants.

I'll keep watching for now though. If they bring back some of the adventure/comedy of the previous season, I might enjoy it. As long as they don't overdo the juvenile humor and make me do repeated face-palms.

 

[ViRGE]

Well that was an interesting episode. As a strongly character-focused episode it's not the kind of thing I would have expected them to open up the season with, especially following football. But lack of action aside, it's definitely a good overview of who these characters are and what still hangs them up.

I have to sheepishly admit the opening got a good laugh out of me. The show had plenty of moments in the first season where it was struggling to balance its more blue-collar tone with the fact that it's still a (relatively) serious sci-fi drama, and something like Bortus having to pee is exactly the kind of thing I'd expect to get botched. Instead it's handled perfectly, without dragging it out for too long or just using it as a lazy hook for jokes. Yeah, it's Bortus going home to take a whiz, but it's played exactly as seriously as it needs to in order to be funny without being entirely low-brow.

lt cmdr bortus has been in the Union for how long???
why is his once a year ceremony not in his records?
why did he surprise the capt by the last minute request?

they have vacation days in this 'Galaxy Quest' show, right?
he could have scheduled it instead of 'hey... by the way, we need to alter course...'

I think the point is that he wanted the senior officers to be there for the event. That after the last year he's come to consider them important people in his life. Otherwise, yeah, he's been in the Union for a number of years and has surely gone off and taken a whiz a number of times.

 

[ImpulsE69]

So my take on this series is Star Trek generally skips 'life on the ship' scenarios. Orville so far has many stories that directly relate to the less enticing interactions of the crew and what it's like to be stuffed in a ship in space. I like that they seem to have toned down trying for in your face laughs, but there is a subtext of humor in the story.

In TNG there was quite a bit of this with Data's search to be more human and occasionally certain crews family members being included but it for the most part skipped the more embarrassing scenarios of everyday life.

 

[thebestMAX]

Good marketing. Ill never be able to urinate again without thinking of this show and yelling Ja'loja. I tried it today at the gym and one guy laughed. Technically I guess he should have said it when I got done singing.

 

[foghorn67]

Saw this with my gf last night. We are both pretty big fans of the show. Not a dramatic opener though, good episode, but we thought it would lead in with something huge.
However, #1 trips to the bathroom now feel heroic.

 

[kt]

I hope they improved on the graphics.


edit:
and season 2 starts with a GAPING big plot hole the size of a porn star.

lt cmdr bortus has been in the Union for how long???
why is his once a year ceremony not in his records?
why did he surprise the capt by the last minute request?

they have vacation days in this 'Galaxy Quest' show, right?
he could have scheduled it instead of 'hey... by the way, we need to alter course...'

A year on his home planet could be much longer than an Earth year.

 

[dud]

If the first two episodes are an indication of the rest of the season ... it is going to be a LONG season! Stupid, just plain stupid!!!

 

[Fritzo]

If the first two episodes are an indication of the rest of the season ... it is going to be a LONG season! Stupid, just plain stupid!!!

You seem to be in the minority here

It's funny people on Twitter and Reddit talking about the show gushing over the first two episodes, then you come here and it's all

 

[thebestMAX]

If the first two episodes are an indication of the rest of the season ... it is going to be a LONG season! Stupid, just plain stupid!!!

I have to agree. Stupid comedy is Seths thing but I wish this would either be a drama or a comedy. Not serious enough to be a drama even with all the PC and SJW BS and not enough comedy. Its becoming the Bortus and Kaylen soap opera. Im not against character studies and social interactions and I get it, everyone is damaged in some way but this is supposed to be entertainment not a platform for Seths beliefs and agenda (or maybe it is).

That said Ill keep watching. Love Alara even if her ears look like a cheap plastic holloween costume.

Rant off, I dont know where that came from.

 

[ultimatebob]

Hey... I liked the last episode! It's almost like Seth McFarland was thinking... "Gee, what would happen if I put Peter Griffin on a Star Trek starship... Oh, I know! He would download sketchy porn to the holodeck and infect it with a computer virus!"

 

[shortylickens]

Its kinda funny. I haven't laughed yet. But it's amusing. And they clearly took no influence from Michael Bay, unlike Discovery.

 

[dainthomas]

That last episode was hilarious. "This ship is gross!"

 

[ctbaars]

Yes it was. Enjoying his mix of comedy and drama very much.

 

[dud]

In episode 2 I was really surprised at the mix of "comedy" and how they handled the fact that only 30 people could be saved from the planet ... and the rest perished. Well done.

I know ... I am expecting waaaay too much from this show.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Today I found out the red head guy is the kid from Critters.

 

[Fritzo]

In episode 2 I was really surprised at the mix of "comedy" and how they handled the fact that only 30 people could be saved from the planet ... and the rest perished. Well done.

I know ... I am expecting waaaay too much from this show.

It could have been 31 if they didn't use two pilots!

 

[lupi]

Just watched the last episode. Each one makes me think less of trying to watch Discovery.

 

[ImpulsE69]

So then Alara is gone?

 

[Kaido]

So then Alara is gone?

Yeah, my guess is she got picked up by another show. They didn't rule out her coming back tho.

Definitely felt like an episode that should have been like five or six seasons in tho, not TEARS IN SEASON 2.

The Orville does a weirdly good job of mixing simplistic storytelling with a solid back-end. Like, it's trope-y, but it has heart. It's a spoof with heart. So far I like Season 1 more than Season 2. Also, I hate waiting every week for a new episode. Binge-watching has ruined me forever!

 

[Kaido]

In episode 2 I was really surprised at the mix of "comedy" and how they handled the fact that only 30 people could be saved from the planet ... and the rest perished. Well done.

I know ... I am expecting waaaay too much from this show.

Just think of it as a Youtube series with a bigger budget, then you can appreciate it for what it is.

It feels like a goofier (in a good way) version of Galaxy Quest....a spoof that ends up being pretty good. I think McFarlane has been careful not to get too low-brow, but also not to get too serious. I think what they have nailed really well is how people would really, actually work together as human beings on a spaceship...serious, but fun.

 

[Ken g6]

I found the first two episodes this season to be too "L&R". The last two were much better.