I have no doubt. I follow the three episode rule. I will give it another try, and attempt to stick it out.
Discovery and "The Orville" Comparisons
- Thread starter Jedi_Master
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I have no doubt. I follow the three episode rule. I will give it another try, and attempt to stick it out.
I made it through all of episode 4 this time around and still didn't really like it. The first three episodes were weird, funny and pretty original but this felt like a tired retread. It just felt like a smooshing of various star trek episodes that explored similar concepts better. The religious stuff was hammy and heavy handed and a bit cliche and the aliens were carbon copies of any number of boring budget saving aliens from star trek . A lot of the jokes fell really flat in this episode and the humour didn't really gel with the seriousness of the story. It's hard for me not to compare The Orville to 90's trek when it borrows from it so blatantly like in this episode. If The Orville wants to retell classic trek stories and themes, they need to put their own spin on it. I feel like there was an opportunity for them to do that here and they didn't take it.
*edit* Forgot to say that I loved the opening scene with Bortus and his partner, definitely want to see more of their relationship.
Because every episode is hope that they will somehow recapture the magic that made TOS special. At least that is why I'm still around. Even if it isn't clicking for someone, it is hard to let go of something that has been part of your life for such a long time.
yea it was a little too similair to trek stories, but I am giving it a pass on this the first season. I assume they will be doing memberries the first season and eventually branch off into more of their own stories and universe. If the show constantly redoes Sar trek it will get old fast but I think they want to lure us in with nostalgia first before they do their own thing.
"Orphans Of The Sky." This version was a lot better than "For The World Is Hollow..."
The last two episodes have out Trekked Star Trek. I don't care if they continue to redo Star Trek, if they keep hitting it out of the park to the degree they have so far.
I concur... if it were Star Trek it would be very good; but The Orville doing those stories did it greatly in my opinion. I thought they were both exceedingly well done, considering what we usually get from McFarland.
I'm not going to deride it completely as I think it's great.
but it's an obvious ripoff of 90's trek. It is it's own show because it's a comedy giving a comical spin but lets be frank here. Someone was a TNG fan and wanted to spend his time ripping from TNG.
I mean, I'd give my left arm, perhaps even one of my testicles, add a big toe in there.... and an ear to be able to rip off TNG on a tv show at practically my own whim with a funny slant. So, I aint knockin it, but it's absolutely a rip of tng.
And in that sense, it's brilliant. Being able to "rip off" and do your own replica version of another show however you want.. without getting lawyers for CBS/Paramount all worked up, genius.
Are there really any 90's Trek episodes that did this story? I can't think of any. I guess the whole "Ship leaves to answer a distress call" bears some similarities to the setup "Samaritan Snare"..sort of.
Here's the synopsis of "For the World is Hollow, and I Have Touched the Sky":
Here's the synopsis of "For the World is Hollow, and I Have Touched the Sky":
I don't think the later shows did these kinds of classic sci fi stories, likely they though them too farfetched for the realism tone of the Berman era series.
Oh I agree completely.
I know, right!? It's horribly obvious but dis-proportionally never done. I can tell that The Orville has some not-so-dumb people thinking about how these things would logically go... like actually stating that there are bathrooms...
You know, I questioned in here or another thread a few days ago, it's like some kind of groupthink. When the trailers were first put out there, people were saying "It's like TNG." And when they reviews came out, many said "It's like TNG" likely because it's the most recognizable, and now it's becoming ingrained.
Besides DS9, Orville is the least like TNG. The look, feel, characters, and stories have much more in common with TOS, Voyager, and Enterprise.
Mercer is like a lot like Archer, Bortus is a lot like Tuvok(minus the sarcasm). Malarkey is a lot like Paris, the strong girl like Hoshi, etc. The aesthetic (Yeah, that word is becoming intolerable on here) is a lot like Voyager. Also, the Captain and XO are seated side by side, and are a man and a woman with a "will they, won't they?" dynamic. And of course, the intro is almost exactly like Voyager.
Conversely TNG character's are perfect. They are the best and brightest of Starfleet, and can tech the tech out of anything. They are very serious and methodical. Picard is the chief of a board room, and his executives sit at their conference table and brainstorm, and give Powerpoint presentations.
When they get in trouble, it's due to external forces, and not due to their own faults.
Orville can do these stories from the 60's, and they feel fresh, and crisp. All the genres on TV nowadays are starting to blend together. It's all becoming high drama, and every drama wants to be a soap opera, every commercial wants to be quirky. The TV and movie landscape is so utterly oversaturated, and conformity dominates. I don't have cable, and I had to dig out an old antenna and hook it up to even watch Orville.
...sorry for the rant.
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I don't think anyone has to apologize for a thoughtful post, on a discussion board, I mean we're here for the discussion eh?
Yeah I think the character archetypes fit other trek shows more, but I think those arhcetypes are fairly stereotypical, which is why I think TNG did so well and the other installments did soso.
So, you're probably right, but the content of the episodes so far, seems to me like his favorite show was TNG.
Discovery is taking some cues from V'ger too. Tom Paris did something bad, goes to prison, and a captain enlists his help, bringing him to the path of redemption. He is stand offish, and doesn't want to make friends until a very naive, slightly awkward, and very green ensign reaches out to him(Ensign Kim). <Burnham and Cadet Tully>
Mortimer Harris, a physicist who never wanted to join Starfleet, but needed to do a short tour for college or something. He's arrogant, thinks he's intellectually superior to...everyone, and is disrespectful to the captain. He's argumentative. He just wants to be off the ship, and under that snobby facade, he's scared. <Lt. Stamos>
Oh...and that security chief seems to have been inspired by someone from Orange is the new Black, and everyone knows Janeway ended up on that show. Connections!
Mortimer Harris, a physicist who never wanted to join Starfleet, but needed to do a short tour for college or something. He's arrogant, thinks he's intellectually superior to...everyone, and is disrespectful to the captain. He's argumentative. He just wants to be off the ship, and under that snobby facade, he's scared. <Lt. Stamos>
Oh...and that security chief seems to have been inspired by someone from Orange is the new Black, and everyone knows Janeway ended up on that show. Connections!
While I liked (and otherwise agreed with) your post, it's wrong to say the TNG characters had no flaws:
Picard: Awkward around children, doesn't like his brother, has trouble with intimacy, suffers post-traumatic stress from assimilation by the Borg
Worf: Lacks a sense of humor, unable to relax, an absolute terrible father. Also in the early seasons his role in episodes was often to be the one who said the wrong thing that was disagreed with in the ready room.
Data: Lacks emotions (duh!) and thus misses out on many social cues.
Geordi: Absolutely horrible with women, and a little creepy.
Riker: Lost his ambition and comfortable coasting for the remainder of his Starfleet career.
Wesley: Where do I begin?
It's harder with the women, because they were not fleshed out as characters fully until the last few seasons, but they were up until them repeatedly shown as being too weak to defend themselves.
I like "The Orville" and have not missed an episode yet...nor do I foresee any reason that I would stop watching. So when I say what I'm about to say...it's not to deride the series. But it IS looking at it with "eyes wide open" honesty.
I think it's naive to say that this is anything other than a direct rip-off/homage of TNG-era Trek. I mean...it is purposefully nearly identical in terms of the camera work, editing, lighting, pacing, themes, plotting, etc. etc. to the point where I'm quite certain that the establishing beauty fly-by shots of the ship are nearly the same angle and even duration as those shots were of the Ent D and the Voyager.
Then- there hasn't been a real ORIGINAL plot yet. They're all borrowed / modified TOS or TNG episode plots.
But...it's still charming and enjoyable. And that's all that matters to me. And I'm a fan as a result.
But it's definitely 90's Trek. Almost right down to the genetic level. And that's ok...becuause it's purposeful and it works, and they've thrown one curveball (we're looking at the C-Team instead of the A-Team) that's worth tuning in to see.
I guess by perfect, I mean relating to their skill sets as officers. They generally don't err in that department.
@Vger23 Ok, yea I agree that the look and feel and all those things that you said is heavily inspired by 90's Trek(or 87-2005 Trek). I'm more so referring to the many comments about TNG exclusively, like "It's just a TNG rip off" or something to that effect.
@Vger23 Ok, yea I agree that the look and feel and all those things that you said is heavily inspired by 90's Trek(or 87-2005 Trek). I'm more so referring to the many comments about TNG exclusively, like "It's just a TNG rip off" or something to that effect.
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