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Well, it's not quite a review, but...

The Orville for me just proves that Seth MacFarlane is a hack. Family guy relies on pop culture references and ted just proves a broken clock can be right twice a day. I used to think "well actually American dad is REALLY funny". He literally has had nothing to do with that show since the first episode. The show runners in that show are Barker and Weitzman who are heavily involved in the writting with no involvement from himself. To his credit he readily admits this and gives them all the credit. But from a creative point of view? He's a hack bereft of any original ideas who relies upon the better work of others to prop himself up.

That's one of my problems with The Orville. A lot of the humour relies on pop-culture references that are at least 15 years out of date.
 
That's one of my problems with The Orville. A lot of the humour relies on pop-culture references that are at least 15 years out of date.
He should have Barker and Weitzman from American dad come in, not even saying that to be cruel. I stayed away from American dad for sooooo long just because it had his name attached. It is legitimately great though.is it to the level of archer or Futurama? No, but it's damn good. Haven't seen much of bobs burgers so I can't judge, but I've heard good things
 
"I didn't fully get on board with the show until I saw episode 3."

"Suffice to say that this is thinking person's science fiction — a plot that's going places on a slow burn, that won't insult your intelligence and will take its time to settle into shape. It looks beautiful and boldly goes where no previous Star Trek has gone before."

Okay. I have mixed reactions to that. The set up won't grab us?? It is thinking person's science fiction.. that's fine as long as it's not ponderous. It looks beautiful - good.

They will need to convince that it is boldly going where other Star Trek's have 'been' before.
 
Well, that's your opinion, and Farscape had a rough start 3 episodes in. I, ET anyone? I don't know which episode was worse, that one for Jeremiah Crichton?
Yeah its my opinion, but this is on fox and its losing viewers fast. It does not have time ledt to change direction and reshoot a whole new set of episodes
 
This author's description of DSC sounds like exactly what I have been hoping for from the show. It also kinda falls in line with what David Mack had to say about DSC, which excites the hell out of me.

I LOVED BSG, so if DSC is anywhere near that show in terms of the level of drama, then for me it's Christmas in September. Wouldn;t it be ironic if after all of the twists and turns this production has gone through since inception, the show turns out to be great.
 
I LOVED BSG, so if DSC is anywhere near that show in terms of the level of drama, then for me it's Christmas in September. Wouldn;t it be ironic if after all of the twists and turns this production has gone through since inception, the show turns out to be great.

It could be great. But it would lose me pretty quick if it turns out like BSG. I watch Trek for fun and to escape from the real world, not be beaten over the head with it.
 
I watched The Orville today for the first time and...it's okay. Not offensively awful. A couple of chuckles, not many laughs, several cringes.

It utterly fails as a drama. I'm not at all invested in the story or characters. As a comedy it needs work.

I always thought the reason some Trekkies were "more excited" for this show than Discovery was because this show looks almost exactly like TNG. I still think that. But looks are all it has. It's a deliberate throwback to TNG, trying to ape its look almost close enough to verge on plagiarism, but it has no heart, no soul and no characters I give a damn about.

It's not horrible, but to suggest this is "real Star Trek" or better than any Star Trek, I'm sorry, I couldn't disagree more. It's a Star Trek wannabe, and neverbe.

I even had a better time watching Voyager and Enterprise. I fully expect Discovery to be better, but I also consider that a low bar. I hope it's better than the last two Trek series as well. Time will tell.
 
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It's almost like Orville's bridging a gap between nostalgia and OMG-new Trek!, although I find it on the okay-plus side, and wish it well. And I do see potential.
 
This author's description of DSC sounds like exactly what I have been hoping for from the show. It also kinda falls in line with what David Mack had to say about DSC, which excites the hell out of me.

I LOVED BSG, so if DSC is anywhere near that show in terms of the level of drama, then for me it's Christmas in September. Wouldn;t it be ironic if after all of the twists and turns this production has gone through since inception, the show turns out to be great.
IDK - I was the reverse with nuBSG2003. I LOVED the mini-series, but it faded fast once they tiik it to regular series and it became "The Existential Cylon" show. Maybe if RDM had actually DONE what was said in the intro (IE if he had a plotted out plan -- they didn't as the ending showed because Tyghe a Cylon??!! <--- Even RDM admitted that was more for 'shock' value.)

But yeah, I guess I'll see for myself tomorrow.
 
I watch Trek for fun and to escape from the real world, not be beaten over the head with it.
Yeah, I don't enjoy getting beat over the with "it" either, whatever "it" may be. I watch Trek to be entertained. I am entertained by high drama, thus my love for BSG which, in terms of drama (and acting), was one of the best Sci Fi shows ever, IMO.

But if you're only interested in a light weight inconsequential diversion, then it is possible that DSC is not the show for you.
 
I always thought the reason some Trekkies were "more excited" for this show than Discovery was because this show looks almost exactly like TNG.

I think so too. I think it's so much uglier than TNG though. TNG had the absolutely gorgeous bridge, the genius interface design on all the screens by Mike Okuda who's one of Star Trek's biggest treasures, bright and vibrant images of a universe desiring to be explored... The Orville has some poor facsimile of one of the most disappointing aspects, the suits, and that's pretty much it. It looks tacky as hell, and while that might tie into the general parody it doesn't exactly make it better.
 
I think so too. I think it's so much uglier than TNG though. TNG had the absolutely gorgeous bridge, the genius interface design on all the screens by Mike Okuda who's one of Star Trek's biggest treasures, bright and vibrant images of a universe desiring to be explored... The Orville has some poor facsimile of one of the most disappointing aspects, the suits, and that's pretty much it. It looks tacky as hell, and while that might tie into the general parody it doesn't exactly make it better.
If it were going the straight parody route it might be more acceptable. As is it's a comedy that isn't very funny, a drama that's utterly unengaging and feels like a poor man's facsimile of TNG.
 
I didn't fully get on board with the show until I saw episode 3.

Yeah, this is going to be a problem, with only the first episode being available for regular human beings and all...

Not Utopia Yet

"You know what makes Star Trek special? It's an Utopian future. So how about this? Let's do Star Trek, but NOT do what makes Star TRek unique!"

One part of the late creator Gene Roddenberry's canon that Star Trek writers have chafed against for decades: his idea that starship crews in the 23rd century will not have any arguments at all, because humanity will have outgrown all internal disputes.

This is just a plain lie. There was plenty of arguments on every occasion of Trek, even (especially!) under Gene's supervision. The rule was: No overdramatic character arguments! No silly "I love him, he doesn't love me back", "I can't stand this guy, but now I have to work with him together" soap opera stuff. Star Trek was always about arguments. Arguments about things! And Choices. And situation. But not cheap lifetime-movie drama.

It's not a spoiler to say that Discovery respectfully rejects Roddenberry's notion — much like Deep Space 9, the most critically acclaimed Trek series so far.

DS9? "the most critically acclaimed Trek series"? That did this guy smoke? DS9 has a lot going for it - it will always get the honorable mention that it "did Star Trek differently". But compare that to the pop-cultural juggernauts of TOS and TNG? Yeah...

Also: "Yay! It's Star Trek! That isn't like Star Trek! Cool, isn't it?"

This is science fiction TV of a caliber that I haven't seen since the Battlestar Galactica reboot of the 2000s.

NewBattlestar Galactica was precisely so good because it wasn't anything like Trek at all. Compared to all the other sci-fi series that usually try to copy Trek. But taking the series that most went "Let's get the farthest away from Trek as possible" and use it as a bar for a Trek show, yeah, speaks of no good judgement.
 
Cool review! If all those comparisons to productions like Battlestar Galactica or Game of Thrones hold true I'll be a happy Trekkie. :techman:
 
IDK - I was the reverse with nuBSG2003. I LOVED the mini-series, but it faded fast once they tiik it to regular series and it became "The Existential Cylon" show. Maybe if RDM had actually DONE what was said in the intro (IE if he had a plotted out plan -- they didn't as the ending showed because Tyghe a Cylon??!! <--- Even RDM admitted that was more for 'shock' value.)

But yeah, I guess I'll see for myself tomorrow.
Well the intro wasn't the first thing written. In fact, it was something the network insisted on. The writers pretty much ignored it, and I tend to skip it (not least because I find the music accompanying it grating). The Cylons never had a 'plan'. At least not a single overriding one, that is a plot point in itself at one stage.
 
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