The first 3rd was trite. Other than the wonderful characters and actors, it wasn't worth watching.
Was it a rehash of a recent election? Probably, or at least attempted to be. Was it a rehash of dozens of episodes in various shows spanning decades? Yes. So if it was a rehash of episodes that have spanned 50 years or more, is it really a commentary on recent events?
However, then the story got more original and deep. It is hard to believe an episode probably filmed well over a year ago would hit the target on the current renewed debate on abortion.
I have to give the Krill kudos for how they deal with these murderers. It is really not as cruel as I thought it would be. Yet on another level, it is even more cruel. The punishment is fitting the act. See what could have been for the life that was taken. We are suppose to see the monsters that the Krill are, yet they value their children's lives. Doesn't seem very monstrous.
Too bad Teleya didn't get to kill Charly. Even when she isn't being a racist bitch, Charly is a horrible character.
To whoever deleted my comment: Trump won, get over it. It's in the past.
Peace talks with a once hostile race, sabotaged by opposing populist fractions, humans suddenly caught in their inner political uphevels, a society at the brink of civil war. Such a plot isn't innovative. Call them Cardassians (or Romulans or Klingons) and you'll have a very classic Star Trek episode. It's a good variation of this topic though. It's shot and produced beautifully. Costumes, masks, stage design is nice to look at. The alien planet looks like a gaming PC case modder and a night club interior designer had a love child. I like. Earth is intriguing too. Space fights look fantastic. Picture the battles from DS9's Cardassian wars with modern FX in HQ.
By now it's clear that this is a serious show. Almost every element that made it a comedy/parody is gone (The joke about intoxicated commanding officers ain't bad though).
So seems all the girl does all day long is playing with that Krill cubic rubik while sitting alone in the room. I would go insane.
It is hideous how much they feature the new ensingn. I read somewhere that she is Seth McFarlane's girlfriend, but even plot-wise it is just dumb and very annoying that a random girl who has been on the ship for mere weeks is piloting the biggest ambassadors and gives plot-moving insight and advice. She even was hostile and defied captain's orders in her short time of being on the ship, but who cares, she should be everywhere and have major lines in every conversation :scream::rolling_eyes: meh
After this and last week's episode I have hope that the first two were mostly just teething problems as they adjusted to a new network and all the changes that were made to the show. This was definitely the best episode of the season so far and the first one where it didn't feel like the runtime was too long for the story. Hoping it can keep this up.
This show is so great. Much better than the latest version of that bullshit of a show called Star Trek that’s focused too much on DE&I and feminism crap.
The ham-handed infodump paralleling Trump's 2016 win :joy: Like yes, please smack the audience in the face with that allegory. We never would have noticed otherwise.
Given how in-your-face this script was from a "look at me, I'm the recent past but set in the future!" perspective, I… kind of hate how freaking enjoyable it was. The production team did wonders with set designs, CGI designs, and cinematography. Even though the speech-to-a-giant-crowd scenes quickly started to feel same-y, most of it just looks amazing.
Well that was miles better than the previous ones. An actual thrilling episode with a lot at stake. Refreshing.
"To the Undiscovered Country - The future."
I lost track of how much talent is in this episode. I kept getting distracted by Bruce Boxleitner reprising his role as the President of Earth. What a lore-rich and beautiful episode this is. I think there is something for everybody. From the classic humor in the simulator, to getting deeper into Krill lore, to seeing multiple space battles.
To the above quote, this is The Orville's version of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Right down to the Abrahamic leader figure. And this time the subversion is that peace goes to shit and all anyone can do is simply prevent going to open war on multiple fronts. The wildcard, that I'm mad I didn't see coming, is that Ed got Teleya pregnant and she now has a Krill-Human daughter that could upset galactic politics and cause an uprising on Krill. Ed is now sitting on an H-bomb, and he might have to press the trigger.
Overall this episode has such a warmth to it, even on Planet Ibiza. All the vistas we get to see, all the held shots and silent moments. Seth said that every episode would feel like a movie, and so far that holds true. This is best one so far, and also one of the best of the entire series.
I cannot stress how meaningful it is to me that the camera is allowed to be in a fixed position for several seconds at a time! After finishing Obi-wan, I am so tired of free-roaming cameras and additional shaking being purposefully added in post when the scene is just someone talking.
I'm just going to keep saying it until it stops being true. Right now, there are exactly two scifi shows airing that are telling stories of this caliber. Neither of them are called Star Trek, but both of them are being worked on by Star Trek alumni. I'm at least grateful that science fiction that prioritizes smart storytelling is still an option. Gene would be proud of both of them. And I'd like to think he prefers this one. :)
The show keeps getting better and better. Is it a re-use of Star Trek ideas and stories ? Yes and no. It's a similar take with different ingredients and a different outcome. And I'm sure that those kind of stories are not a Star Trek monopoly.
I love the story telling. Still putting in the personal touches like all of them spending time in the simulator. But then adding something massive to the story. They are forming out the Oriville universe more and more. And it makes sense.
And Ed having a daughter ? My god I did not see that coming. But this too makes sense, it's believable in the context of what we've seen. It doesn't feel like an empty story tool to make things work. I am sorry thought that Telaya is now the bad one. But it has much more impact that way instead of bringing in a totally unknown character.
They are doing this the right way and I'm so locking forward to see how all of this will play out.
Good action towards the end. Poor and predictable thirteen in a dozen story.
A jaw dropping blockbuster of an episode that I would love to have watched on the big screen. Great character moments anchoring a massive story of a violent political takeover throwing the entire galaxy into yet another war, punctuated by some exquisite effects work of chases through an alien city, and clashing fleets of warships. Plus a delightful Bruce Boxleitner guest spot! The fact they would go so big just four episodes into the season makes me excited for what we'll get near the end.
Everyone else commenting said pretty much what I had on my mind while watching this, save for one thing: The whole kidnapped going through the markets scene reminded me of both Star Wars and Mass Effect at the same time, which was cool.
And despite the clear standard procedure & logic fails of
- even knowing the political situation is fragile with a hostile party in the opposition, still deciding to bring 3 of the most valuable, highly-ranked officials (not disguised decoys, but the real ones) into the heart of potentially hostile territory with no backup or support
- putting all of said officials onto a single underdefended shuttle leaving their ship and going even deeper into potential danger
- not executing order 6—ahem directive 21 earlier to shadow-supervise the team and pull them out when necessary, but instead just winging it
- The Orville being able to detect a tractor beam lock, but the Krill ships deciding to do nothing about The Orville's weapons powering up and locking on to the tractor beam emitter
- The entire Krill empire deciding to do nothing about a whole fleet of enemy Federat—ahem Union ships, until they reach the their homeworld in heart of their territory
- The fact that Krill homeworld command needs one person to say "Intercept them" before they react in any way to an ENTIRE ENEMY BATTLEFLEET appearing at their doorstep lol Jesus
DESPITE these, there are actually fewer fails than in the last episode, and there are many interesting plots coming together. I particularly like the complexity and potential opportunities of setting up Ed's relationship and child being in the heart of the Krill-Union conflict, and Isaac as well being a key factor with the Kaylon-Union conflict. So much cool stuff that can happen with these key pieces in place!
Clearly, Seth is getting better and better at writing each week, and I'm excited to see how much grows with his storywriting and the lore this series is slowly building up.
The abortion simulation thing is the stupidest concept ever. All these pro lifers and their ass backwards philosophies. The same people have no issue taking an animals life and eating it. What about the life the animal could’ve led by same philosophy. Such hypocrites. Who the fuck are you to tell someone they should live their life based on your backwards philosophy?
Hopefully Eds Daughter can be saved from the asshats. Would be nice to have her just running around the ship having fun with everyone else. Maybe the good guys will sneak her off planet, do a Star Wars princess ha.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-06-24T00:51:13Z
[6.8/10] It’s not fair to say “too soon” to an episode of Star Trek (or quasi-Star Trek). Science fiction has always held up a mirror to the present, and Trek in particular has never been shy about it.
But I have to say, from the vantage point of the present, adapting the 2016 election to fiction -- with a tyrannical xenophobic populist unexpectedly winning over the favored, more established leader on election night -- feels a little too transparent and close to home. Teleya railing against the treaty between the Planetary Union and the Krill is of a piece with complaints about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And forcing couples who ended pregnancies to see holographic constructions of what their kid might be like is an outsized interpretation of current laws in some states that force women seeking to end pregnancies to see their ultrasounds.
There’s nothing wrong with invoking any of these real life events. But something about this one felt too blunt, too obvious to me. Maybe it’s just because these things happened so recently (and continue to happen) that the connections between reality and the fictionalized depiction seem too bare to me, in a way that, say, The Original Series offering an allegory for the Vietnam War doesn’t.
I do appreciate that we get a little more political intrigue here. The idea that the Union is on the verge of a historic treaty with the Krill, only to find that nativist elements in Krill society not only scuttle the chances of an alliance but put the two communities at war, is epic stuff. The notion that they need each other to be able to stand against the Kaylon, a fact those goes ignored thanks to a combination of xenophobia and religious extremism, adds an air of tragedy to all of this. The Krill are cutting off their noses to spite their face, and the balance between political practicality and intransigent prejudice turns out, sadly, to be a losing one.
Writers Brannon Braga and Bormanis also go back to the work on Star Trek: Enterprise, with the bigoted leader’s ploy being potentially disrupted by the existence of a mixed species child. The reveal that Ed and Teleya has a daughter is a pretty shocking one, and the impact it has on Ed is palpable.
That said, I find it mildly annoying that all of this boils down to Ed’s personal life. As with the godlike being in the last episode, I’m glad that they’re picking up the consequences of big choices made in prior installments. But the fact that the new Trump-esque Krill demagogue turns out to be the Krill operative who honeypotted Ed and he then let go starts to create a small universe problem.
Maybe it’s a gimme that can be tolerated, but then the broader political and militaristic problems end up breaking down to how Ed and Telaya feel about one another, not to mention hints of (ugh) Ed and Kelly drifting back together. Don’t get me wrong, I like when television shows, Trek inheritors in particular, add a personal stake to broader galactic events. Yet, hinging so much of this one whether Teleya has a lingering fondness for Ed, or Kelly can do her job given personal attachments on the same front, turns political intrigue into soapy drama.
There’s at least some nice action in play. The designers and animators cook up a thrilling space battle between the Union forces and the Krill. The rescue from LaMarr and Dr. Finn disguised as Krill is a good surprise. And while the security at the Krill HQ seems unexpectedly lax, the car chase and shuttle escape afterwards have some nice verve to them.
There’s even some good philosophy and moral considerations at the end. For however much I sort of rolled my eyes at “Gently Falling Rain” making so much of this about Ed and Teleya’s relationship, I love how affected Ed is by the chance meeting with his daughter, and his refusal to put her in harm’s way for the sake of politics, which is principled and personal in a good way.
And as much as I gripe about the unvarnishedness of how this episode imparts real life events into its narrative, it captures the feeling of 2016 well. This one sort of forgets about the allegory for a while, turning into a more action-y/operatic dose of regime change. But at the end, both Ed and Kelly remark on how it feels like they were so close to something only to feel like they’re on the other end of a temporal fissure.
It’s become a popular internet meme to joke about us descending into the darkest timeline (hello fellow Community fans!), and while I don’t take the idea seriously, it’s hard not to feel like something cracked, even broke in 2016, and we’re still struggling to patch it up to this day. I don’t love how The Orville approaches the idea, but I do appreciate how well it articulates that sense of seeming right on the verge of good, albeit tenuous reason to be hopeful, only to see things go horribly wrong.