-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The Orville |OT| MacFarlane's sci-fi com-, wait it's a drama!? That can't be right
- Thread starter berzeli
- Start date
TheAbsolution
Member
Cannot wait for this week's episode. I can't believe that I've fallen in love with this show already. It's got a real charm to it tbh.
Baroquemantic
Member
You wish you could open a jar of pickles.
BuddyTheBestPuppy
Member
they need to give more screen time to the racist robot. Make him more like HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic
Baroquemantic
Member
That's pretty cool
Baroquemantic
Member
Haha, holy shit. Knew that was gonna go horribly wrong.
Baroquemantic
Member
Yeeeaaah, I think I'd just take that life in the future.
DiscoJer
Member
Yeah.
It's actually funny because that exact thing happens in Star Trek Online
If you start a TOS character after a handful of missions, you discover your ship was meant to be destroyed, but instead gets rescued by a time traveller who brings you to the future.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
To be fair, he already did it with that Western spoof movie no one watched.
But man, this was yet again like 5 different Star Trek plots mashed together. They even had the same technobabble, with them rotating shield frequencies. lol
I don't know why I love this, because in a sense, shows like Big Bang Theory do exactly the same thing (DO YOU GET THIS REFERNECE?!?), but it really just feels like reliving my childhood when I watched TNG episodes as they came out.
Agreed. I thought it was gonna be a giant family guy style spoof.. It isnt that and it isnt much of a scifi either.
innervision961
Member
I like this show a lot, and especially a lot more than I thought I would. The pickle line, yeah that needs to stop, sadly, its probably building into a payoff at some point this season. Also, I think this show is a little misleading during the title sequence...
It says "created by Seth McFarlane", they totally misspelled "Gene Rodenberry."
It says "created by Seth McFarlane", they totally misspelled "Gene Rodenberry."
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I don't get that complaint when it's literally Star Trek.
Unless people mean it's not like BSG with grimdark hatefilled antiheroes conspiring against each other every week, in which case there's Discovery. lol
Again, not terrible but like almost every episode of this show so far, this was a B-level Star Trek story executed with little flair or originality. Of course Charlize Theron (phoning it in) wasn't what she appeared to be. Of course Mercer falls in love with her (in the blink of an eye). Of course they have sex. Of course they rehash the Mercer/Grayson breakup (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET IT GO). And like most Star Trek "romance of the week" episodes, there isn't nearly enough time to set up the relationship here so Mercer's final decision carried little weight.
On the plus side, the action scenes in this were a notable improvement from before, aided by nice visuals and a bombastic John Debney score. And I'll admit to liking the amusing practical joke B-story. When the humor isn't forced into more serious scenes, it can work.
Also, Seth... The sexual harassment jokes aren't funny. Stop it. The early engineering scene with Theron made me cringe throughout. And the Norm Macdonald blob needs to go.
On the plus side, the action scenes in this were a notable improvement from before, aided by nice visuals and a bombastic John Debney score. And I'll admit to liking the amusing practical joke B-story. When the humor isn't forced into more serious scenes, it can work.
Also, Seth... The sexual harassment jokes aren't funny. Stop it. The early engineering scene with Theron made me cringe throughout. And the Norm Macdonald blob needs to go.
It's only trek in that the story it's trying to tell each week could be/was trek. It's method of doing so isn't close.
Does anyone say dick in ep5? Not seen it yet.
Fenderputty
Banned
That dangly little leg he had regenerating lol
This is one of the most low effort shows ive ever seen... the episodes feel like they were written on the back of a napkin at Starbucks....
... after watching Deadpool apparently
... after watching Deadpool apparently
All the sight gags with the leg this episode were priceless. I nearly died when he showed up on the bridge with the floppy, shitty, half-leg. This episode had by far the least forced, shitty humor. The plot was a little bland and even hinting at messing with time travel this early seems super unnecessary. I agree 100% about this being "B-level Star Trek story executed with little flair or originality" but that's more than enough reason to love it IMO. This show has already built up enough good will with me that it has become appointment viewing for as long as Fox chooses to keep it on the air. I love that we have this show doing more traditional, cornball schlock Trek and Discovery modernizing Trek into a more self serious, serial drama. Both shows are working for me in different ways and I spend all week looking forward to them.
wonderful103
Member
This episode was even directed by Frakes lol.
Discovery is certainly more intriguing but this feels a lot more like trek (specifically tng) with jokes
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
This week's episode was really good. The leg prank got me good. I should do that to someone.
Why wouldn't he? It's his show, he gets to be the captain and he gets to make out with hot celebrity of the week.
I mean they were dating for a bit so it's not that far fetched. Look at that shit eating grin lol.
He'll probably write a bit for Emilia Clarke if the show stays on long enough.
Himynameischris
Member
This really is just Star Trek:Fanfic with higher budget
Still I'm enjoying it for what it is, I just hope they leave time travel alone...that really ruined Star Trek.
So why did Charlize Theron character disappear? That made no sense, she had already crossed into their time, destroying the wormhole shouldn't have had any effect on her.
Seriously...leave time travel alone....
Still I'm enjoying it for what it is, I just hope they leave time travel alone...that really ruined Star Trek.
So why did Charlize Theron character disappear? That made no sense, she had already crossed into their time, destroying the wormhole shouldn't have had any effect on her.
Seriously...leave time travel alone....
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Oh my god, really? It had the rhythm of a late TNG/Voyager episode, but god, it it was Frakes he was probably just treating it like another Star Trek episode. lol
It was handwaved away that having the portal open meant that all possibilities are still active, but that closing the portal would mean that the time travel never happened in the first place. Somehow the ship being alive would be some kind of paradox, but yes, time travel is bullshit anyway so it doesn't matter and you just use it as a character moment for the captain choosing duty over love. lol
Himynameischris
Member
That just muddles some already muddled water...but whatever let's hope they leave the time travel alone for the most part...although I know the mirror universe eps is coming...
I do like that seths character (I really need to learn their names) isn't super incompetent, going by the early trailers I thought this was going to be "Loser/Slacker commands star ship" but so far he's been a capable captain.
No he meant that closing the wormhole would lock the current timeline Orville surviving and being able to close the wormhole and all potential future fluctuation would disappear. So yes Pria would be affected because she is from the future via the wormhole and can cause time fluctuations.
Of course the Paradox still exist but I never had a problem with time paradoxes
firehawk12
Subete no aware
But wouldn't the Orville surviving also be a fluctuation in that context?
I try not to think about time travel stuff too much. lol
Yeah, he's basically a Kirk clone.
The Orville did not come from the wormhole/future. Again the current timeline as far as they know it is locked at the point of the wormholes destruction, it cant affect the timeline anymore.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
But why would the timeline work in a way that would both keep the effects of the time traveler but also remove them from the timeline?
Where would Pria show up in her own time, if at all? MacFarlane basically puts the blame on her for changing the timeline by saving them in the first place, but if the implication is that he basically destroyed the entire future timeline, then that's pretty hilarious.
Well that is the rule set they given us. Time anomalies/travelers can affect the past and future, until you remove them. The changes stay if any, the timeline is stabilized and you have to live with the future consequences of the changes.
Its also hard to say they destroyed a/the future timeline, as long the wormhole existed there is not set future because all it would take is one person from the future with ill intentions to cause major time fluctuations. Pria could be described as a noble criminal but there was no guarantee leaving the wormhole open meant the future was safe/set.
Fenderputty
Banned
I feel like the show is a wierd mashing of TNG / TOS with some sprinkles of the others. The crew itself mirrors TNG with a Warf clone and a Data clone. Tonally, the show reminds me a lot of TOS in that the cheesiness everyone fondly remembers is replaced by intentionally cheesy humor. Some hit and miss. Another poster made this point and I agree. I'm having a ton of fun though. Way way more than I anticipated from the poor reviews.
Episode 5 has been my favorite with 3/4 close behind. The entire prank bit from start to end was just perfect. Fucking Mr. Potato Head ...
Episode 5 has been my favorite with 3/4 close behind. The entire prank bit from start to end was just perfect. Fucking Mr. Potato Head ...
Himynameischris
Member
In that case Pria should have stayed, there is no reason for her disappearance other than as Firehawk said, to give Seth a difficult decision to make.
Fenderputty
Banned
When shows introduce timeline fuckery, it's best not to think too much upon it. Unless they're doing time travel like GoT, where the the future can't be re-written and the time travel loop always existed, logical paradoxes almost always pop up. If you go back and change future events ... shit never makes sense.
That would require her to be independent from the wormhole, again they explain without the wormhole Pria as her current self in the episode cant come/exist in the past. That is apparently a rule they set once the anomaly is removed all "agents" that existed after the destruction are gone. No wormhole = No Pria. Only the changes/paradoxes in the "past" before the wormhole destruction stays.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
To quote Miles O'Brien, "I hate temporal mechanics." lol
Haven't caught up yet but I'm happy to see that the opinions of the show are pretty positive lately.
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I've always preferred Seth MacFarlane the person to his voice acting. Sure he's got a bit of a doucheface, but his late night interviews have always been fantastic and he's a legitimately smart dude (see the Harvard Class Day speech he did).
Not surprised he's put some effort in to this given his interest on the subject and his involvement in the Cosmos series. Will be catching up this weekend!
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I've always preferred Seth MacFarlane the person to his voice acting. Sure he's got a bit of a doucheface, but his late night interviews have always been fantastic and he's a legitimately smart dude (see the Harvard Class Day speech he did).
Not surprised he's put some effort in to this given his interest on the subject and his involvement in the Cosmos series. Will be catching up this weekend!
Fenderputty
Banned
Which, I"m fairly sure, would mean they should have all died in the dark matter bubble field. Like I said ... it's best to just leave time shenanigans alone in most cases. Like it would be impossible to enjoy back to the future if you scrutinize the paradoxes too much. Very few show ever get it right and the ones that do only confuse people more.
I feel like I'm the only one that listened to what Mercer said in the closing of the episode.
Yeah if you want to scrutinize the rule they set for time travel fine.
But bringing up "they should have all died in the dark matter bubble field" ignores the rule they established. In the Orville universe changes in the past can exist after the end of a time anomaly even if they are a paradox, the only thing that cant stay is anything that existed after the destruction of the time anomaly.
Yeah convenient reset button at the moment for the Orville (they get to live) but as long as this remains the rule I would not mind more time travel episodes.
Edit: I guess a better way to think of it, don't look at it as Pria is the one causing these time fluctuations its the wormhole causing it. So as long as the wormhole existed in the past its effect will always be there. So think of it as its the wormhole affect on the universe that allowed The Orville to live Pria was just a cog. Which brings up the point if somebody creates a time machine and blows up the wormhole before it saves the Orville does that mean the Orville gets destroyed? I think so if the rules are consistent.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I know this is pointlessly pedantic, but this is basically what Star Trek conversations were like so it's fine. lol
But anyway, if time is linear and you can change the past from the future, then why would taking out the wormhole also remove Pria from the current timeline unless saving the Orville prevents her from being born - in which case, he really did change the future and wipe it out.
If time is a continuum and everything happens at the same time, then cause and effect is broken and there's a future where Pria wouldn't know the Orville would have been destroyed, which means she wouldn't have come back for it in the first place, which means that it wouldn't have been saved, etc etc.
Maybe it's like that Worf episode with the thousand different realities, and they just created thousands of new branches and there is a timeline where destroying the wormhole also destroyed the Orville.
radios shipping overview
Member
So Charlize Theron was a roguish artifact collector that the captain falls in love with (like Vash) from the 29th century (like the USS Relativity from Voyager) and mentions Amelia Earhart (Voyager again) and at the end there's a sort of reset button (more Voyager). Data, I mean Isaac, dies and they restore his consciousness to his body after they repair it (Star Trek III, non-canon Data comics).
Sometimes with this show I can't tell if Seth is ripping stuff off just to show that he loves it, because he wants to parody it, or because he doesn't have any ideas of his own.
Beyond all that, one problem the show has for me is that most characters act so unprofessional all the time that it's hard to believe that they're good at their job. But Ed acts like a goofball and Kelly uses her women's intuition or something to figure out what's going on and fix things, keeping him in line like it's Home Improvement or something.
I love that this show loves Star Trek, but it's just such a mess most of the time.
https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-orville-season-one-ratings/
Ratings dropped a little for the latest ep but it seems pretty steady?
Sometimes with this show I can't tell if Seth is ripping stuff off just to show that he loves it, because he wants to parody it, or because he doesn't have any ideas of his own.
Beyond all that, one problem the show has for me is that most characters act so unprofessional all the time that it's hard to believe that they're good at their job. But Ed acts like a goofball and Kelly uses her women's intuition or something to figure out what's going on and fix things, keeping him in line like it's Home Improvement or something.
Oh shit, Tim Taylor was a starship captain!
I love that this show loves Star Trek, but it's just such a mess most of the time.
https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-orville-season-one-ratings/
Ratings dropped a little for the latest ep but it seems pretty steady?
Similar threads
- Locked
- Poll