THE ORVILLE Season Two...

[BillJ]

The Orville is basically Voyager. Light scifi trying to be TNG. Only airing in an era where that's considered a good thing.

The original Star Trek is basically Forbidden Planet. Was that a bad thing? And all the Star Trek series are every bit as much "light sci-fi" as The Orville is, including Star Trek: Discovery. A fake Klingon boob and the word "fuck" doesn't make it some kind of serious hard sci-fi.

The Orville is fun and uplifting, in a way sci-fi on TV hasn't been in a really long time. It really doesn't matter to me if it is a copy of Star Trek or not. It has definitely beaten Discovery at being Star Trek.

 

[Mudd]

Music for the Orville is good, but sorry its not better than the late great Jerry Goldsmith’s Voyager theme, especially with VOY visuals.

It's more energetic and adventurous - the Voyager theme is stately, and solemn, and essentially everything that was going wrong with Trek by that time.

Which is not a knock on Goldsmith, who's by far my favorite film composer; he delivered a theme that was appropriate to the project and what was required. Film composers don't work in isolation, as Goldsmith's online interviews about his body of work make clear.

 

[BillJ]

Which is not a knock on Goldsmith, who's by far my favorite film composer; he delivered a theme that was appropriate to the project and what was required. Film composers don't work in isolation, as Goldsmith's online interviews about his body of work make clear.

As they are closing in on the world ship in "If the Stars Should Appear", I swear they are using TMP music. It fit really well in that scene.

 

[Mudd]

As they are closing in on the world ship in "If the Stars Should Appear", I swear they are using TMP music. It fit really well in that scene.

Yeah, particularly early on in the show the composers veer close to familiar music several times.

Unless I'm mistaken - and I'm too lazy to check ar this moment - one of the Orville composers worked on Doctor Who and did a version of the DW theme used on that show for some years.

And speaking of lazy...if plagiarism law actually worked along the nonsensical lines that some fans like to think when talking about "rip-offs," MGM could have shut down Star Trek for good back in 1966.

 

[Jayson1]

I'd say it's more like a 75%TOS/ 25%TNG hybrid with an extra dash of humor.

Well if you adjust your math and make it 10% TOS, 70% TNG 10% Family Guy, 9% Seth McFarlande getting to play Captain and 1% Voyager I think you get a more accurate look.


Jason

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Well if you adjust your math and make it 10% TOS, 70% TNG 10% Family Guy, 9% Seth McFarlande getting to play Captain and 1% Voyager I think you get a more accurate look.


Jason

Are we allowed to use calculators?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The original Star Trek is basically Forbidden Planet. Was that a bad thing? And all the Star Trek series are every bit as much "light sci-fi" as The Orville is, including Star Trek: Discovery. A fake Klingon boob and the word "fuck" doesn't make it some kind of serious hard sci-fi.

The Orville is fun and uplifting, in a way sci-fi on TV hasn't been in a really long time. It really doesn't matter to me if it is a copy of Star Trek or not. It has definitely beaten Discovery at being Star Trek.

Orville is to Discovery as Voyager was to DS9. One light fun scifi show, and one darker more challenging scifi show. One show copying Star Trek, one show trying to move it somewhere new.

 

[Mudd]

I'd say it's more like a 75%TOS/ 25%TNG hybrid with an extra dash of humor.

I'd say in terms of the Trek contribution that proportion is in the ballpark.

And that's just the Trek part - the writing on this show goes into imaginative areas that Trek hasn't handled well since the 1960s.

 

[BillJ]

...and one darker more challenging scifi show.

...one show trying to move it somewhere new.

I know you can't be talking about Discovery!

 

[CaptainMurdock]

I've seen more new things in The Orville then I have in Discovery.

 

[BillJ]

I've seen more new things in The Orville then I have in Discovery.

Hell, they can't seem to help themselves in doing callback after callback after callback on Discovery. The only challenging thing about watching the show, other than trying to stay awake from sheer boredom, is trying to avoid the fanwank.

 

[CaptainMurdock]

Hell, they can't seem to help themselves in doing callback after callback after callback on Discovery. The only challenging thing about watching the show, other than trying to stay awake from sheer boredom, is trying to avoid the fanwank.

That's about right. I'm not sure what's new about "The melodramatic stories of Spock's foster sister" and klingorks being klingorks.

 

[Mudd]

I know you can't be talking about Discovery!

Yeah, seriously...I mean, have they watched STD?

So, I looked it up finally...John Debney did the theme for the Doctor Who TV movie.

 

[fireproof78]

Orville is to Discovery as Voyager was to DS9. One light fun scifi show, and one darker more challenging scifi show. One show copying Star Trek, one show trying to move it somewhere new.

I think both are pushing in to new areas in terms of the genre. And both are timid at leaving behind familiar elements.

 

[BillJ]

And both are timid at leaving behind familiar elements.

But for The Orville, this is the first time they are doing "familiar" elements. Some folks keep yelling that they are ripping off Star Trek while somehow completely ignoring that Discovery can't go ten minutes without mentioning/showing an element from TOS. Though last I recalled, Trek doesn't have ownership over space travel, space ships, military exploring the galaxy, optimism, or any other broad stroke The Orville has used.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The vibe on Orville reminds me of Brooklyn 99, currently my favorite sit com. More of that will be fine.

 

[fireproof78]

But for The Orville, this is the first time they are doing "familiar" elements. Some folks keep yelling that they are ripping off Star Trek while somehow completely ignoring that Discovery can't go ten minutes without mentioning/showing an element from TOS. Though last I recalled, Trek doesn't have ownership over space travel, space ships, military exploring the galaxy, optimism, or any other broad stroke The Orville has used.

Orville is moving in to its own thing, and away from the playful homage of TNG. I think Discovery will do the same.

Honestly, I think both are fine the way they are.

 

[The Wormhole]

Though last I recalled, Trek doesn't have ownership over space travel, space ships, military exploring the galaxy, optimism, or any other broad stroke The Orville has used.

*Gasp!*
How dare you! Don't you know Gene Roddenberry invented space?

 

[CaptainMurdock]

*Gasp!*
How dare you! Don't you know Gene Roddenberry invented space?

Earth Space Probe Agency?

 

[The Wormhole]

UNITED Earth Space Probe Agency