The Orville - Season 1 (1 Viewer)

[Hanson]

The more basic question is, for a species that evolved in perpetual darkness, why do the Krill have any lights? Or eyes?

Look, I know Alan Moore (or anyone close to him) isn't on the writing staff, but he handled this issue with much better sci-fi aplomb in a Green Lantern story.

http://greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Rot_Lop_Fan

 

[Carabimero]

It's such a slippery line in terms of internally consistent plot logic. THE ORVILLE is granted more latitude under Fair Use because it's almost a parody of Star Trek, a quality that didn't shield AXANAR and its creators from copyright infringement. To me that same latitude is given to inconsistencies such as the Krill being sensitive to light yet still having a high setting on the lights. While it's very true that THE ORVILLE needs to make its own rules and stay consistent with them like any other show, they get more of a free pass from me because I see THE ORVILLE as a spoof. If i didn't, I don't think I could enjoy it.

 

[Jason_V]

It also seemed rather unbelievable that Gordon had such intricate knowledge of Krill technology that he, without hesitation, was able to operate the shuttle craft, override the environmental controls on the Krill ship, figure out which panel on the bridge controlled the weapons systems, and operate the system in time to destroy the bomb.

I give that a pass as well, but not for the reasons stated by others.

If you want to use Trek as a baseline (since that's what this show is doing), we can reference any number of episodes where a character uses alien tech the first time without thinking about it. This goes for ships, weapons, communicators, door panels, etc. There is a central conceit in this universe that everyone uses a basic variation on the same tech/controls.

Same goes on planet Earth these days. It doesn't really matter if a car is sold in the middle of Russia or in New York City or what company makes them. Each will very generally have a steering wheel, a gear shift, some form of keys, etc. All the operator has to do is figure out the details to use it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Also, if the sensitivity to light were TOO extreme, they wouldn't have much use for the human colonies, because they'd be so bright as to be basically uninhabitable.

It took pretty severe levels of UV light to be lethal to the Krill. It's not like humans come away unscathed; Gordon got a pretty severe sunburn in a matter of seconds.

 

[BobO'Link]

I thought the Krill episode was another good one. It's proving to be a much better program than the first couple of episodes would have you believe. "That's a new leg!!" got a laugh from me. At this point, I'll absolutely watch the rest of the season and hope it gets renewed.

 

[BobO'Link]

That still doesn't mean they should throw all logic and common sense out the window.

At least they're not attempting to interface an Apple computer to an alien system to introduce a virus. I can buy Malloy being able to use alien controls before doing something that outrageous and illogical. Plus Malloy had been on the bridge, watching what was going on, long enough to at least partially figure out how to work those controls.

 

[Matt Hough]

I'm a little concerned the show hasn't received a back-nine pickup yet. None of Fox's new shows have, but the show is holding its own on perhaps the toughest night of the week.

 

[SamT]

How many episodes they picked up?

 

[Matt Hough]

They have completed the first 13 episodes and are now waiting to see if the show is picked up for the rest of the season.

 

[SamT]

They have to order the rest immediately. They have doubts? This is more enjoyable than Star Trek Discovery. How are the ratings of this compared to Star Trek Discovery?

 

[Greg.K]

No way to know, given that CBS isn't releasing ratings for All Access streaming.

Which is more enjoyable is up for debate. I enjoy them both, in much the same way that I enjoy steak as well as the occasional Big Mac.

 

[Jason_V]

^ Even if the STD ratings were released, you couldn't compare them. One is a show being aired on a subscription service. The other is a show airing for free on Fox, available on apps like Hulu and on the Fox.com site (I assume).

 

[BobO'Link]

(The Orville) ...is a show airing for free on Fox ... on the Fox.com site (I assume).

Yep. That's where I watch it every week. You have to wait a day or two after the network airing before it's available - or at least it was that way the first few. I just wait and watch it Saturday or Sunday night as that's usually more convenient for me.

 

[BobO'Link]

I almost forgot... From years (decades actually) of occasionally watching Twilight Zone: The Movie I pretty much have CCR's "Midnight Special" fully associated with that film. When they were playing it in the shuttle on the way to the Krill ship I halfway expected Dan Aykroyd to pop up from the back seats and ask "Wanna see something scary?"

 

[Blimpoy06]

I've watched last week's episode, and the man I was hoping would write for this show, David A. Goodman, finally has. He was responsible for one of the best Futurama episodes ever, Where No Fan Has Gone Before. A writer who knows Trek and comedy well.

 

[Matt Hough]

Just as a reminder, the pilot is being rerun tonight. New episode next week.

 

[BobO'Link]

^Thanks! I'd forgotten about the repeat. That gives me more time to devote to watching horror films.

 

[Greg.K]

Episode 7 - Majority Rule. Worst episode yet. Dumb "parallel Earth" development makes no sense, and Lamar acting like an idiot had me rooting for him to be lobotomized.

 

[jcroy]

Episode 7 - Majority Rule. Worst episode yet. Dumb "parallel Earth" development makes no sense, and Lamar acting like an idiot had me rooting for him to be lobotomized.

I thought tonight's episode was hilarious. Almost like a satire on social media extrapolated to ridiculous sociopolitical extremes.

 

[Carabimero]

I thought MAJORITY RULE was a remarkable episode, a critique and condemnation of social media, with the suggestion of a hope at the end. This is what Star Trek (even when it's not exactly Star Trek) does best: social commentary through allegory. That's why THE ORVILLE is relevant in a way DISCOVERY isn't--and perhaps never will be. Every week I watch THE ORVILLE and feel like I have a good piece of my Star Trek back. And every week I watch DISCOVERY and feel, for better or worse, a generation gap that I have to bridge.