THE ORVILLE S2, E7: "DEFLECTORS"
- Thread starter Mudd
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Xeleyans are Vulcans, Isaac's people are a race of Data-3P0s.
This episode left a bad taste in my mouth, thanks to its ending. I understand that this episode was trying to subvert the usual tropes about homosexuality. But . . .
Ed and Kelly sounded like a pair of bigots themselves during their discussion about the Moclins. Are we really supposed to believe that Humans are that perfect? Talla condemns Klyden for his bigotry toward Locar . . . who had decided to blame her for his decision to return to Moclin and face the music. Especially after she had suggested an alternative solution. He was willing to hide at first. But after Talla had suggested that he seek asylum with the Union, Locar decided to return to his homeworld . . . and blame her? What the hell kind of logic is this?
Ed and Kelly sounded like a pair of bigots themselves during their discussion about the Moclins. Are we really supposed to believe that Humans are that perfect? Talla condemns Klyden for his bigotry toward Locar . . . who had decided to blame her for his decision to return to Moclin and face the music. Especially after she had suggested an alternative solution. He was willing to hide at first. But after Talla had suggested that he seek asylum with the Union, Locar decided to return to his homeworld . . . and blame her? What the hell kind of logic is this?
Hiding never to be seen again when everyone believes you are dead has a different set of consequences from seeking asylum in a way that everybody knows about it.
If he runs away or kills himself, Locar's (immediate?) family, which could be 10s to hundreds of men, will be sent to jail forever, as punishment for creating and harbouring a sexual abomination, or a suicide case.
The family accepts fault for the individuals foibles.
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I know Locar said that his family would be banished if he committed suicide. He said, if outed as heterosexual, his family would share his shame and be ruined. I'm not sure, but that sounds like no imprisonment, but being unable to work. By that, the family's ruination would happen if he sought asylum.
I think what Orville tries to explore this season is the obstacles of having a Union of different alien races working together under the same "code of ethics".
Something I am not sure Star Trek has done well really.
How you co-work or be a friend with a race like the Moclans? How much each race is influencing each other ? Is tolerance enough or even possible (not much for Talla it isnt)? Why we assume all Union (or Federation) planets share the basic moral values (ours) and can manage to find a common ground to form a partnership?
Orville seems to poke the Utopia a bit. And I like it. It is not there yet, but I am intrigued.
I am surprised by this show and by MacFarlane.
Something I am not sure Star Trek has done well really.
How you co-work or be a friend with a race like the Moclans? How much each race is influencing each other ? Is tolerance enough or even possible (not much for Talla it isnt)? Why we assume all Union (or Federation) planets share the basic moral values (ours) and can manage to find a common ground to form a partnership?
Orville seems to poke the Utopia a bit. And I like it. It is not there yet, but I am intrigued.
I am surprised by this show and by MacFarlane.
Presumably, you'd think there'd be a standards of rights for joining the Union.
STTNG had a few planets refused membership for that.
The Bajorans almost had it refused for reintroducing their caste system.
STTNG had a few planets refused membership for that.
The Bajorans almost had it refused for reintroducing their caste system.
Yes, banishment off world, sorry and thank you, and no mention of the consequences to Locar's family if he is discovered to be a deviant.
What they are telling us is that it is really hard to make an egg on Mochlan. So hard that if some is not trying hard enough to make eggs, they get sent away. Pre FTL, when Mochlan was still countries and cities in violent competition with another, banishment makes sense, that you would want to pollute and corrupt your opponent/neighbour's ability to make healthy babies/future workers, by soiling their gene pool with bad dads and distractions.
What they are telling us is that it is really hard to make an egg on Mochlan. So hard that if some is not trying hard enough to make eggs, they get sent away. Pre FTL, when Mochlan was still countries and cities in violent competition with another, banishment makes sense, that you would want to pollute and corrupt your opponent/neighbour's ability to make healthy babies/future workers, by soiling their gene pool with bad dads and distractions.
The ending he chooses, still shames his family, no?
I wonder if his esteem and genius will give him even a minor reprieve?
I wonder if his esteem and genius will give him even a minor reprieve?
I imagine that turning himself in might at least mitigate matters.
Only if it's his family that kills him while they denounce him.
This was another great episode, and the most Trek-like episode yet. There were a couple of humorous moments (the "no missile" banter between Ed and Kelly and the "weirdest thing that ever happened" banter between Talla and the boys), but it was mostly serious drama and character interactions.
There were various echoes of Star Trek throughout, from "The Outcast" to "Court Martial," but always with a unique spin. The Moclans have developed into a living metaphor for ideology; and Klyden, after taking a turn for the sympathetic in his last appearance, reached a new low. The scene at the end when he and Bortus faced each other and parted without speaking was grim and doesn't bode well for their future. I have a feeling that the next Bortus-centric episode will involve a custody battle. I wonder what weaponry is involved in that kind of dispute.
The Moclan engineer played an interesting part. He was the stand-in for anybody who ever had to hide something about themselves to fit in with a conservative culture, but he was not a self-sacrificing martyr. He would have let Klyden fry for a murder that never happened, and he did not give Talla a break at the end, accusing her of betrayal. Talla was also really good in this one. So far, she hadn't impressed me as a good replacement for Alara, but here she had a lot of good stuff going on, from her attraction to the Moclan, to her anger at his captain, to her determination to handle the investigation, to her sticking to her ethics, to her tears at the end. She's proven herself to be a worthy part of the weirdest crew in space.
The final scene of the Moclan engineer at the mercy of a merciless court was the most unsettling ending they've had yet. Luckily, Orville has shown a tendency to follow up on plots, so this may not be the last we see of him. Maybe we'll even be seeing some developments in Moclan culture. It seems odd that Bortus has had relationships with both a former female and a heterosexual-- perhaps these deviations are not as rare as we're led to believe.
Kelly's breakup with the teacher guy was kind of anticlimactic. I was kind of expecting him to be a second Krill mole or something-- which is still possible, and Kelly's unexpected move threw off his plans.
There were various echoes of Star Trek throughout, from "The Outcast" to "Court Martial," but always with a unique spin. The Moclans have developed into a living metaphor for ideology; and Klyden, after taking a turn for the sympathetic in his last appearance, reached a new low. The scene at the end when he and Bortus faced each other and parted without speaking was grim and doesn't bode well for their future. I have a feeling that the next Bortus-centric episode will involve a custody battle. I wonder what weaponry is involved in that kind of dispute.
The Moclan engineer played an interesting part. He was the stand-in for anybody who ever had to hide something about themselves to fit in with a conservative culture, but he was not a self-sacrificing martyr. He would have let Klyden fry for a murder that never happened, and he did not give Talla a break at the end, accusing her of betrayal. Talla was also really good in this one. So far, she hadn't impressed me as a good replacement for Alara, but here she had a lot of good stuff going on, from her attraction to the Moclan, to her anger at his captain, to her determination to handle the investigation, to her sticking to her ethics, to her tears at the end. She's proven herself to be a worthy part of the weirdest crew in space.
The final scene of the Moclan engineer at the mercy of a merciless court was the most unsettling ending they've had yet. Luckily, Orville has shown a tendency to follow up on plots, so this may not be the last we see of him. Maybe we'll even be seeing some developments in Moclan culture. It seems odd that Bortus has had relationships with both a former female and a heterosexual-- perhaps these deviations are not as rare as we're led to believe.
Kelly's breakup with the teacher guy was kind of anticlimactic. I was kind of expecting him to be a second Krill mole or something-- which is still possible, and Kelly's unexpected move threw off his plans.
This. I don't know why being a fan is some kind of zero-sum game. One can like both shows!
All of this.
I used to hope Alara would return. Now I want Alara to return, and Talla to stay, and neither is negotiable. The Orville's got a problem if Halston Sage is free for future seasons.
The Orville has an issue with doing too well with their characters, and too early. I thought they were supposed to be emulating TNG. Even Picard sucked for like a season.
They are doing alright even with the background extras, like harassment flower guy and cupcake-starship girl. That makes it what, a second extra, that could compete with Lieutenant Vilix'pran? 
That's your conjecture.
Nobody said that his own family had to kill him.
In the end it appeared that he was being presented before a judge.
It seemed that he would be found guilty and the government would put him to death.
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