The Orville

[AspieAndProud]

Has anybody been watching this?

The Orville is an American science fiction comedy on Fox created by Seth MacFarlane. It’s more of an affectionate pastiche of Star Trek: The Next Generation than a parody.

As with many sf shows the most interesting characters are the non-humans. In this case there’s Isaac, the arrogant but otherwise logical mechanoid who’s befuddlement at Human behaviour provides some ironic commentary on our species; and Bortis, the gruff Klingon-like second Officer.

What’s interesting about Bortus is that his species are almost entirely male so The Orville beat Star Trek Discovery to having a gay married couple. Only one girl Maclon (their species) is born every 74 years - and that’s where it gets relevant to this forum.

In Series 1 Bortus lays an egg and it turns out the child is a girl. Girls are considered freaks on Moclus so the parents petition the captain to order the Doctor to give their daughter gender reassignment surgery. The crew manage to persuade Bortus that surgery is wrong but his partner insists on the procedure being carried out on their home planet.

Despite being a comedy the issues are treated seriously and quite sensitively (for a Seth MacFarlabe show) and this outcome is portrayed more as a tragedy than the gushing affirmation of transgenderism we see elsewhere on TV.

Anyway it looks like the story doesn’t end there because in this week’s episode (which looks at porn addiction!) the tension between Bortus and his partner over the decision to surgically alter their daughter is still there and the resentment comes out during a couples therapy session.

The Moclans still love each other, and their new ‘son’, but it’s clear they still do not agree on this issue.

[SkylightAndChandelier]

I do enjoy The Orville - it does hark back to ST:TNG very well, and I do like the characters.

I think I would like it more had they made more of a joke about McFarlane doing a Kirk - being an off the rails, out of control officer who shouldn't be in control of a rubbish barge, using family connections to get command of a starship, and his much more appropriate ex-wife getting to be his help-meet first officer.

The fact that they didn't even take the mick about it once (I think that she did make some comment about it, but really it's a huge thing that I thing warrants a running joke)

[bigKiteFlying]

I like the way Bortus mind was changed in first series about their child.

Not by having him beat up by female alien officer who is super strong which just annoyed him and made him more intransigent but by two male officers sitting and watching Rudolf The Red Nose Reindeer and letting him draw parallels with his situation.

So many people think trying to beat the wrong think out of people, metaphorically if not literally, is the way to go when actually you want them to stop and think and perhaps see things in a different light.

[Tano]

So many people think trying to beat the wrong think out of people, metaphorically if not literally, is the way to go when actually you want them to stop and think and perhaps see things in a different light.

I was on another feminism forum recently where people were upvoting a comment that the way to get some men to change their views is to beat them up first so they listen.

[JSmitty]

S2 of the Orville is running now in direct opposition to Stak Trek Discovery.

Seth MacFarlane is brilliant. At first sight this is absurdist sci-fi comedy, but on closer inspection it is a very mature insight into our failures and weaknesses.

Highly Recommended.

[AntiSocialInjusticePacifist]

I loved the first season, but I’m a little bit sad to learn the actress who played the security officer has had to leave potentially as a result of having had a brief relationship with the show’s creator.

[Doobigetta]

I haven’t seen this episode yet, but I love The Orville. Loved the one on the planet that executed people who didn’t get enough Facebook likes.

[AspieAndProud]

Loved the one on the planet that executed people who didn’t get enough Facebook likes.

Disturbing really. I think they’ve been doing something similar in China.

There was a great episode of Community that has a similar premise. A social media app that awarded points resulted in the school becoming a socially stratified 1979’s Logan’s Run style science fiction dystopia.

It was particularly memorable for Starburns wearing Sean Connery’s red nappy from Zardoz.