Because he's a big Trekkie and he wanted to make a Trek show, but since he couldn't he made The Orville instead. And it does have a lot of it's own ideas, and deals with a lot of things Trek never has, so it's not just a rip off of Star Trek.
Why should I watch The Orville?
- Thread starter Admiral Jean-Luc Picard
- Start date
There was nothing gradual about it. It happened in episode 2.
If it's a parody it's probably the thinnest I've seen.
He likes Trek.
It worked for him. It's how we got Star Wars. Lucas couldn't make Flash Gordon so did his own thing, ripping off Dune, Flash Gordon, Metropolis, and Dam Busters as he went.
Yeah, he made it like Star Trek because he likes Star Trek. And judging by some episodes he really likes Star Wars too.
There are million different cop shows, hospital shows, lawyer shows, detective shows etc., so I don't think it's so bad that I get to have more than one 'problem-solving heroes on a space cruiser' franchise. Orville and Strange New Worlds have aired 30 episodes in the last three years, in total, so they're not exactly oversaturating the market.
Also, looking at it from another perspective, I'm glad that it actually is a distinct separate series with its own identity. I'm especially glad that Seth MacFarlane wasn't brought in by the studio to give us an official TNG reboot. I'd rather have Peter Macon playing the best Bortus instead of Kelvin Worf.
Though I haven't seen season 3 yet, so maybe Bortus is rubbish that year. I've been kind of waiting for someone to reassure me that they toned down the relationship drama while they were dialling back the comedy, but I'm starting to think that they maybe didn't.
There are million different cop shows, hospital shows, lawyer shows, detective shows etc., so I don't think it's so bad that I get to have more than one 'problem-solving heroes on a space cruiser' franchise. Orville and Strange New Worlds have aired 30 episodes in the last three years, in total, so they're not exactly oversaturating the market.
Also, looking at it from another perspective, I'm glad that it actually is a distinct separate series with its own identity. I'm especially glad that Seth MacFarlane wasn't brought in by the studio to give us an official TNG reboot. I'd rather have Peter Macon playing the best Bortus instead of Kelvin Worf.
Though I haven't seen season 3 yet, so maybe Bortus is rubbish that year. I've been kind of waiting for someone to reassure me that they toned down the relationship drama while they were dialling back the comedy, but I'm starting to think that they maybe didn't.
The Orville was reviewed early on as a parody of Star Trek because it was presented as a parody of Star Trek.
The Orville hired as many people involved with Berman-era Star Trek as they possibly could. The reasonable reaction to that during the first couple of seasons was that it was either a parody of Star Trek or a ripoff of it. Calling it parody was the polite and respectful approach.
The Orville hired as many people involved with Berman-era Star Trek as they possibly could. The reasonable reaction to that during the first couple of seasons was that it was either a parody of Star Trek or a ripoff of it. Calling it parody was the polite and respectful approach.
Depends what you mean by relationship drama. They did scale back on Ed and Kelly's relationship to the point that someone watching the third season who hadn't seen the first two might not realize they had been married previously. However, there is still plenty of relationship drama involving the rest of the characters.
Pity we'll never get a Trek/Orville crossover. I'd love to see how a straightlaced Trek character would cope with the wacky, zany Orville universe.
Send Tuvok to the Orville-verse.
As it turns out, Tim Russ has guest starred on Orville.Send Tuvok to the Orville-verse.
This might get me to watch the show now. This is a man where I'll watch his guest appearances on shows I don't care about just to see this man out-act everyone.
Yes, but that didn't really capture what it was trying to do, or even how much it used the comedy aspect. That would be like saying Seaquest was a TNG parody. In my opinion, there are parody elements, but it's far closer to a comedy series with scifi tropes. Probably a distinction without a difference.
I certainly felt it wanted to be a parody initially, based upon advertising, but by 4 episodes in it was definitely less a parody and far more sitcom in its structure, with some comedic moments, and some really serious moments.
This strikes me as a pretty good analogy, it's the same as Star Trek, the same way Law & Order is the same as NCIS.
Well, guys, I did it. I watched the opening episode, "Old Wounds." It was OK, I kind'a got bored, because virtually everything here I'd already seen on Star Trek, Stargate, or Galaxy Quest. The only character I really liked was the android, but he mostly just sat on the bridge. A lot of the humor felt like it was aimed at high schoolers and college kids which I didn't find funny then and still don't now. Why does the shuttlebay face the engines, making it hard for shuttles to come and go without crashing into the engines? The upper engine is gone and the middle engine is trashed, but it's fine, barely an inconvenience, I'm sure it'll be forgotten by next episode. 
When the Captain was talking in code and came up with the pizza party, the helmsman and the navigator became 12-year-olds. 
Please tell me this kind of humor goes away fast? It's killing the show fast and I am only one episode in.
When the Captain was talking in code and came up with the pizza party, the helmsman and the navigator became 12-year-olds. Please tell me this kind of humor goes away fast? It's killing the show fast and I am only one episode in.
It does. The humor gets more balanced by the second season, and overall everyone feels more comfortable in their roles by then too. Give it a chance.
I have to sit through constant high school / college humor for 11 more episodes?
Not fast but a bit more balanced.Well, guys, I did it. I watched the opening episode, "Old Wounds." It was OK, I kind'a got bored, because virtually everything here I'd already seen on Star Trek, Stargate, or Galaxy Quest. The only character I really liked was the android, but he mostly just sat on the bridge. A lot of the humor felt like it was aimed at high schoolers and college kids which I didn't find funny then and still don't now. Why does the shuttlebay face the engines, making it hard for shuttles to come and go without crashing into the engines? The upper engine is gone and the middle engine is trashed, but it's fine, barely an inconvenience, I'm sure it'll be forgotten by next episode.
Please tell me this kind of humor goes away fast? It's killing the show fast and I am only one episode in.
Might help to not compare it and go in with trying to learn about the world.
I'm not trying to compare it, but it's like the show has an identity crisis. Is it a heavy space drama? Is it a sitcom? Is it both? I'm not a fond of dramedy.
It did have an identity crisis. It's closer to comedy but like other comedies it doesn't shy away from the emotional moments. Pria and Krill are probably great examples of this.
That was what FOX wanted to present it as. That was never McFarlane's intent.
Whatever happened in the past, it is quite clear that the show is not a parody or ripoff of Star Trek. It has similarities to Star Trek, just like Babylon 5 was similar on the surface to DS9. It basically took concepts that Star Trek had and made them better.
Similar threads
- Poll
