Why should I watch The Orville?

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Why should I watch The Orville? All 3 seasons are on Hulu. I like space-fiction, but I don't like watching movies/shows that are just copies of stuff I already like. The Orville's supposed to be a love-letter to TOS/TNG, but I'm revisiting both shows on Blu-ray for the first time in years, most episodes I am finding I've completely forgotten. What is the appeal of The Orville from a Trekkie point of view?

 

[1001001]

Why should I watch The Orville? All 3 seasons are on Hulu. I like space-fiction, but I don't like watching movies/shows that are just copies of stuff I already like. The Orville's supposed to be a love-letter to TOS/TNG, but I'm revisiting both shows on Blu-ray for the first time in years, most episodes I am finding I've completely forgotten. What is the appeal of The Orville from a Trekkie point of view?

This is not a Star Trek topic. Moving to the correct forum, where I’m sure many Trekkies will respond.

 

[Unionized Elf]

Why should I watch The Orville? All 3 seasons are on Hulu. I like space-fiction, but I don't like watching movies/shows that are just copies of stuff I already like. The Orville's supposed to be a love-letter to TOS/TNG, but I'm revisiting both shows on Blu-ray for the first time in years, most episodes I am finding I've completely forgotten. What is the appeal of The Orville from a Trekkie point of view?

Sounds like you're already made up your mind against The Orville.

But anyway, I enjoy The Orville because it's a good show. If good television is your thing, than there's your reason for watching.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Sounds like you're already made up your mind against The Orville.

But anyway, I enjoy The Orville because it's a good show. If good television is your thing, than there's your reason for watching.

I haven't made up my mind. I was establishing a discussion point. What do you like about the show?

 

[Kristine]

I actually have about the Orville. The actress who plays Dr Claire Finn is in her early 60's and on the show she has 2 kids. Is her characters suppose to be younger than the actress?

 

[JD]

If you don't like thing that are like other things you've already seen, then I wouldn't bother watching. It's a great show with a good cast, some cool sci-fi stories, and usually pretty good humor, but it's basically Star Trek with the names changed to protect the innocent, so if that kind of thing would bother you I wouldn't watch it.

 

[fireproof78]

Why should I watch The Orville? All 3 seasons are on Hulu. I like space-fiction, but I don't like watching movies/shows that are just copies of stuff I already like. The Orville's supposed to be a love-letter to TOS/TNG, but I'm revisiting both shows on Blu-ray for the first time in years, most episodes I am finding I've completely forgotten. What is the appeal of The Orville from a Trekkie point of view?

Two caveats before I answer: one, I have not watched all of the Orville, and gave up after early Season 2, and I'm not mainly a TNG fan so the TNG style aesthetic is not a plus to me.

For me, the appeal is the very TOS style problems, both a mix of comedy and drama. It relies as much on the characters, as the unfamiliar setting, yet familiar tropes. It does a good job of mixing in contemporary politics and pop culture, and invites some darker struggles.

I think it does very well to be enjoyable, familiar enough for a Trek fan to jump in, but unfamiliar to be a new experience. I think "The Krill", and "Pria" are excellent episodes that would fit in just fine beside TOS. I think it uses the simulation room in a way that feels relatable to real world issues. Orville doesn't pretend perfection and invites a very scifi idea of "if this tech was around how could it be used and misused."

Finally, regardless of what I might think of the characters, they are well done. They are not one note, and have dramatic tension inside.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I actually have about the Orville. The actress who plays Dr Claire Finn is in her early 60's and on the show she has 2 kids. Is her characters suppose to be younger than the actress?

According to Perplexity (which may be wrong), the character is in her 40's despite the actress being in her 60's. Aging gracefully and all.

 

[Kristine]

What do you mean Perplexity? I don't understand.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

If you don't like thing that are like other things you've already seen, then I wouldn't bother watching. It's a great show with a good cast, some cool sci-fi stories, and usually pretty good humor, but it's basically Star Trek with the names changed to protect the innocent, so if that kind of thing would bother you I wouldn't watch it.

It's kind of a turn off, because it strikes me as a knock off or Not-Trek. That said, from your brief praise, should I try giving it a go anyway?

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

What do you mean Perplexity? I don't understand.

My apologies, it's an AI chatbot I like to talk to, because can be spookily human-like and can search the internet in an attempt to answer a question. Would you like the weblink? I always assume it can be wrong and double check the web once it spits out an answer. Sometimes it gives BS, but it's pretty accurate most of the time.

 

[Kristine]

Thank you very much. I would love the weblink.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Thank you very much. I would love the weblink.

https://www.perplexity.ai/

If you sign up an account, you can save your conversations.
Sometimes, I'll just talk to it about movies/TV.
Now, just give me a robot, slap Perplexity into it, then I've got robo-friend.

 

[FPAlpha]

Orville in its first 2 seasons is more like a comedy spoof of Star Trek but made with respect and love for the franchise. It may not be everyone's style of humor but to me it was funny enough to have a laugh once a week ( or rather it could have been since i binged it ages ago).

Season 3 is a major departure in tone, reducing the humor significantly and making it a bit more subtle and focusing more on story. It is a big departure and after the first few episodes made me nearly quit but the story quality improved tremendously and they turned out some pretty good stories and character arcs in the best tradition of Star Trek.

The future of it was kinda in limbo since the season 3 finale, concluding some major storylines but leaving enough threads left to continue others. Recently there's some good indicators it may get a 4th season but it's not confirmed yet.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I wouldn't say The Orville is a copy of TNG any more than Stargate SG-1 is a copy of TOS, but they do have a lot of the same spirit, and the same philosophy. The show has things it wants to say about the world and doesn't hide how it feels. But it's an awkward mix of sitcom and Star Trek, at least at first. Shows like Lower Decks feel very natural with their comedy, while Orville tended to stall a bit while switching gears. At least, that's how I remember the show. It's been a while.

To be honest, I quit the show after season 2 after I realised that it was never going to stop being about relationship drama. It felt like every single episode had characters on a date, often the captain/lead writer/showrunner himself, and I just didn't want to watch that. But the fact that no one else ever seems to bring this up makes me think this is mostly a 'me' problem.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Orville in its first 2 seasons is more like a comedy spoof of Star Trek but made with respect and love for the franchise. It may not be everyone's style of humor but to me it was funny enough to have a laugh once a week ( or rather it could have been since i binged it ages ago).

Season 3 is a major departure in tone, reducing the humor significantly and making it a bit more subtle and focusing more on story. It is a big departure and after the first few episodes made me nearly quit but the story quality improved tremendously and they turned out some pretty good stories and character arcs in the best tradition of Star Trek.

The future of it was kinda in limbo since the season 3 finale, concluding some major storylines but leaving enough threads left to continue others. Recently there's some good indicators it may get a 4th season but it's not confirmed yet.

Galaxy Quest: the series?

 

[Steve Roby]

If you want a show that's going for a feel that's maybe one third TOS to two thirds TNG but you wish that Star Trek had had more jokes about dogs licking their balls and comedy episodes about rapists, The Orville may be for you. Sure, it gets more serious, but by then they've already established that half the show's regulars are one-dimensional buffoons, so you may have some difficulty caring when they're in serious situations. If you've had the coyote run off the cliff as a joke a dozen times and brought him back to do it again, don't expect me to care that oh, maybe this time the coyote will die or have permanent injuries. He's Wile E. Coyote. He's been firmly established as a joke. There is no pathos to be had. I'm not going to cry for him. The fact that some of the key roles are played by people who aren't very good actors doesn't help.

If you want funny Star Trek that's actually Star Trek, there's Lower Decks. If you want serious Star Trek that's a blend of classic and newer Star Trek storytelling and has a strong cast, there's Strange New Worlds.

I'm not a hater. I watched the first two seasons and bought the soundtrack and some comics. But ultimately the show shot itself in the dick too many times for me. Obviously others disagree.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I wouldn't say The Orville is a copy of TNG any more than Stargate SG-1 is a copy of TOS, but they do have a lot of the same spirit, and the same philosophy. The show has things it wants to say about the world and doesn't hide how it feels. But it's an awkward mix of sitcom and Star Trek, at least at first. Shows like Lower Decks feel very natural with their comedy, while Orville tended to stall a bit while switching gears. At least, that's how I remember the show. It's been a while.

To be honest, I quit the show after season 2 after I realised that it was never going to stop being about relationship drama. It felt like every single episode had characters on a date, often the captain/lead writer/showrunner himself, and I just didn't want to watch that. But the fact that no one else ever seems to bring this up makes me think this is mostly a 'me' problem.

Honestly, that was something that I never picked up directly, but now that I think about it, almost every YouTube clip I've watched has been mostly relationship character drama, not sci-fi stuff.

 

[Santa Kang]

It's a fun show. A bit sitcomish at first, but it's settles into a more serious mode.

 

[FPAlpha]

Galaxy Quest: the series?

For the first two seasons a good comparison - it's a tongue in cheeck style of humor.