Discovery and "The Orville" Comparisons

[Owain Taggart]

I have to admit, this pegs me. My interest in Trek isn't what it used to be, and I found The Orville's trailer to excite me more. I think because I can take the humour in what's familiar, and it feels good.

I still will check out Discovery, and it might even hook me. But I have to admit the early buzz and marketing for it hasn't it done it many favours. My feeling is that it was announced much too early, long before anything was set in stone, and so heard about the setbacks. I think it would have been much better to announce something after they had already started filming and catching people by surprise.

 

[BillJ]

I think it would have been much better to announce something after they had already started filming and catching people by surprise.

You simply can't do that now. Too many people are involved, info gets out whether intentional or not.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Sure, I get that. But I feel that it was announced even earlier than usual.

 

[ELURIA]

That's not what happened.

Very well, please show me this sexist, racist "crusade" that happened

 

[MadeIndescribable]

Very well, please show me this sexist, racist "crusade" that happened

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/20...st-ghostbusters-trolls-youre-not-only-target/

"Once the positive skew became undeniable, rumours were circulated on social media that critics had either been bought off by Sony Pictures or were part of a feminist conspiracy. When my own review was published, the Telegraph was described on the IMDb talk boards as “a well-known leftist UK rag”, which must be a first."

And people don't call the Telelgraph leftist without a really skewed agenda...

 

[CorporalCaptain]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/20...st-ghostbusters-trolls-youre-not-only-target/

"Once the positive skew became undeniable, rumours were circulated on social media that critics had either been bought off by Sony Pictures or were part of a feminist conspiracy. When my own review was published, the Telegraph was described on the IMDb talk boards as “a well-known leftist UK rag”, which must be a first."

And people don't call the Telelgraph leftist without a really skewed agenda...

Thanks. Saved me the trouble.

 

[11Alive]

Never heard of The Orville until I completely accidentally clicked on YouTube's internal link after watching the Discovery trailer. Maybe I'm just burned out on Trek, and especially post-Voyager Trek. The Discovery trailer doesn't do anything for me at all. Here they are with a title that implies exploration and the trailer just reeks of action and war, and I can't stand the Kelvin set design and cinematography. Starting the trailer in the desert didn't help, either. When they did that, my mind flashed back to the opening scene of The Final Frontier. Not a pleasant memory. Not having high hopes for this. I'm thinking Enterprise v2.

Have to admit that The Orville looks at least somewhat intriguing. I wouldn't say it's Galaxy Quest. Other than being comedic, there's basically no resemblance. More like the Stargate SG-1 series but with a team or at least commander not quite as competent and definitely not as serious.

 

[ELURIA]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/20...st-ghostbusters-trolls-youre-not-only-target/

"Once the positive skew became undeniable, rumours were circulated on social media that critics had either been bought off by Sony Pictures or were part of a feminist conspiracy. When my own review was published, the Telegraph was described on the IMDb talk boards as “a well-known leftist UK rag”, which must be a first."

And people don't call the Telelgraph leftist without a really skewed agenda...

The Telegraph article rightly reports on those who disliked if not outright hated the movie from the start due to sexist (the cast), racist (Leslie Jones) and even homophobic (Paul Feig) thinking. This was never the issue however.

To quote myself....

"Despite what Paul Feig and his on-line fans said, there was no misogynist "crusade" against Ghostbusters: Answer The Call. While there were loud detractors of the reboot for having an all female cast, the VAST MAJORITY of criticism was all geared towards how the then released trailer looked.

The sad fact of a YouTuber (possibly more) using multiple accounts to add downvotes and oddly enough the Telegraph being called "leftist" notwithstanding, the majority of trailer downvotes, was due to trailer reactions from people curious and/or hyped for Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, which had no bearing on, for example, the actors being women. This is something everyone, from Paul Feig, to MTV and in this case the Telegraph (and The Guardian IIRC) for whatever reason excluded from their reporting, making it seem it was solely a feminists Vs misogynists issue.

 

[PicardSpeedo]

I have spent some (too much) time reading through reactions to the Discovery trailer, and I have noticed more than a few reactions that are, in essence "I am really looking forward to The Orville, I'm not all that excited about ST: Discovery."

As these thoughts are coming from people who are ostensibly Star Trek fans, I have found their reaction worth speculating about, and here's the heart of what I think is motivating them: The Orville looks and feels like TNG.

Although many of those who complain about the look and feel of the Kelvin - era films express a desire to see a return to the aesthetics of The Original Series, most of them grew up watching the Berman era Trek series - TNG, DS9, VOY. Those series had a very distinctive and repetitive look and lighting. TNG in particular had flat, almost even lighting in virtually every interior shot, a sort of bland uniform with little variation, and a particular design aesthetic (curves, soft angles, sweeping angles, pastels/creams) that wasn't varied much. DS9 made some changes (varied lighting levels, more angular designs) but most of the onboard ship shots were very close to either the "somber/serious" lighting levels or the "regular" lighting levels pioneered by TNG. Voyager maintained a similar lighting structure as DS9 and TNG, and didn't vary much on the design cues set by both series.

That look and design aesthetic is VERY familiar to a certain age bracket of Trek fans, and without fully realizing it, that the is the "real Trek" they want and when they don't get it, it bugs them.
The Orville looks like it took almost every single TNG cue and expanded on it - the lighting, the costumes, the alien makeup, everything is a homage to TNG.

ST: Discovery, on the other hand, really seems to take most of it's cues from ENT and the Kelvin era films.

So at the heart of this whole issue is that Seth has made a show that triggers the happy nostalgia button in most folks close to my age (mid -30's) and that warm fuzzy feeling is what is making them choose a spoof comedy over actual Star Trek.

The Orville absolutely boasts both superior production quality and story writing compared to what we have seen so far from Star Trek: Discovery. Hopefully it will be the Galaxy Quest TV series of our generation.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The Orville absolutely boasts both superior production quality and story writing compared to what we have seen so far from Star Trek: Discovery. Hopefully it will be the Galaxy Quest TV series of our generation.

DId I see a different Orville trailer?

 

[Mudd]

DId I see a different Orville trailer?

I liked the Orville trailer, but people are getting carried away and saying things that aren't so - for no other reason than that it looks like TNG, if TNG had been produced on about 1/3 of its budget.

If that trailer communicated anything, it's "no one could take TNG seriously today."

 

[NOVE9]

DId I see a different Orville trailer?

You and me both mate.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The Orville absolutely boasts both superior production quality

Only if you think the 1987 Next Generation aesthetic is the greatest of all time.

and story writing compared to what we have seen so far from Star Trek: Discovery.

Not sure if serious

 

[jaime]

Only if you think the 1987 Next Generation aesthetic is the greatest of all time.

Not sure if serious

DSC has revealed no story and one character facet. Orville has shown one or two story moments, or an overarching plot (research lab, banana ray, alien enemies) and quite a chunk of character relationships. In terms of known...

And yes, TNG aesthetic is pretty damn good, and in fashion.

 

[Campe]

And yes, TNG aesthetic is pretty damn good, and in fashion.

I mean, taste is subjective but I'm personally not wanting to go making my home look just like a hotel lobby. Can't say a lot of my friends do either. Maybe we're just out of touch.

 

[Mudd]

And yes, TNG aesthetic is pretty damn good, and in fashion.

The Suburban Ornamental starship.

Nope, not really.

 

[F. King Daniel]

DSC has revealed no story and one character facet. Orville has shown one or two story moments, or an overarching plot (research lab, banana ray, alien enemies) and quite a chunk of character relationships. In terms of known...

In the DSC trailer we learn that Mike Burnham is soon to become captain after serving seven years as first officer, we get flashback to her being tutored by Sarak and we know something's going to happen involving a bunch of Klingons who just buried someone.

Orville is: Loser captain assigned to the USS Orville, his ex-wife is assigned as XO, they go on silly Star Trek-esque adventures involving aliens and banana rays.

And yes, TNG aesthetic is pretty damn good, and in fashion.

Then why doesn't everything look like it?

 

[jaime]

In the DSC trailer we learn that Mike Burnham is soon to become captain after serving seven years as first officer, we get flashback to her being tutored by Sarak and we know something's going to happen involving a bunch of Klingons who just buried someone.


Orville is: Loser captain assigned to the USS Orville, his ex-wife is assigned as XO, they go on silly Star Trek-esque adventures involving aliens and banana rays.

Then why doesn't everything look like it?

Hey, am not making a quality judgement, just saying the Orville trailer contains more information.
And there's a whole 80s/90s fashion revival happening right now....hence articles on Twin Peaks fashions (where they still dress like the fifties and nineties) and whatnot. Current SF space operas rock a heavy Trek influence in general, usually like it had a baby with Alien. The general TNG style trend is there, but I guess you are focussing down on the bridge and the ship rather than everything else. In which case, you need to look at the details and what was really there not the 'Hyatt regency' stereotype nonsense that is repeated a lot and half the world has no clue even means. Funnily enough, it's also worth looking backwards to Blakes Seven. Cocktails and sofa on the bridge. Tng is very much a descendant of the cleaner areas of things like Aliens Nostromo, and that style is very much coming back in across the genre. Not everyone likes office chairs in space.

 

[fireproof78]

I mean, taste is subjective but I'm personally not wanting to go making my home look just like a hotel lobby. Can't say a lot of my friends do either. Maybe we're just out of touch.

Can I please avoid the return of beige?

 

[Campe]

Hey, am not making a quality judgement, just saying the Orville trailer contains more information.
And there's a whole 80s/90s fashion revival happening right now....hence articles on Twin Peaks fashions (where they still dress like the fifties and nineties) and whatnot. Current SF space operas rock a heavy Trek influence in general, usually like it had a baby with Alien. The general TNG style trend is there, but I guess you are focussing down on the bridge and the ship rather than everything else. In which case, you need to look at the details and what was really there not the 'Hyatt regency' stereotype nonsense that is repeated a lot and half the world has no clue even means. Funnily enough, it's also worth looking backwards to Blakes Seven. Cocktails and sofa on the bridge. Tng is very much a descendant of the cleaner areas of things like Aliens Nostromo, and that style is very much coming back in across the genre. Not everyone likes office chairs in space.

Would you mind providing some photographic evidence? Apparently, I don't watch a lot of "current SF space operas" and I'm not entirely certain what you mean. I didn't feel a huge TNG influence from either Passengers or Alien: Covenant.