The Orville - Seth MacFarlane comedy Star Trek

[LuS1fer]

First six episodes now watched and it loses no impetus.
Star Trek characters from every series are very skilfully blended into the new characters, it might just as well be called Star Trek.

[Rawwr]

Finished watching the first season last night. Did the whole thing in two, long sessions. I was totally hooked!

It's definitely more sci-fi than comedy but that's not a bad thing, it just makes the quips all the funnier when they're delivered. The story lines were all really good but I particularly liked the Majority Rule episode with the social justice.

Looking forward to more.

[mko9]

I couldn't tell if it was trying to be a parody/send up of Star Trek, or trying to be Star Trek. If the former, it wasn't funny. If the later, it came across as very low rent to me.

[LuS1fer]

Watched all and it was consistently good. OK, the shuttles look like low rent effects but so what. There are very real original ST influences like travelling to the surface of an "early Earth" plant - hey, aren't they all.
I was watching an early one with Spock hiding his ears under a German helmet.

Like Mad Idolatry and the clever way they moved rapidly through time so you got to see "how that turned out".

People forget that the original series had a lot of semi-humorous tongue in cheek scenes and Shatner had more than enough romantic interest. To say this is low rent is to forget just how low rent the first generation was.

[Pebbles167]

Not necessarily comparable, but I've enjoyed three episodes of this more than I enjoyed three episodes of Star Trek discovery. Sure, some of the jokes fall a little flat, but for the most part it's all gelling well with me.

[marcosgt]

It's definitely more ST than comedy.

The jokes are shoe horned in and mostly not very funny.

It looks like ST most of the time, I'd disagree about it looking 'low rent', but it does feel a bit like TV fan fiction!

M

[carl_w]

Hmm, watched ep 4 and it didn't seem to be a comedy at all.

Not sure why anyone is complaining about the SFX -- they're better than the early ST:TNG episodes.

[hairyben]

The humours a little more subtle though - if you get it you'll be chuckling lots, I was. They really satorise ST - I mean slanting the Klingons into a pair of bhy homo's is golden.

Meanwhile they're not afraid to tackle some of the more controversial issues such as the trans baby - thought that ep was pretty dark.

Even mrs hairy who loathes anything star trek/wars finds it quite watchable

[Rawwr]

hairyben said:

Meanwhile they're not afraid to tackle some of the more controversial issues such as the trans baby - thought that ep was pretty dark.

That episode was brilliant. I'm was really expecting a cop out and for them to win the court case.

[frisbee]

Star Trek has always had comedy elements - Data's cat, Q, Troi's mum, Reginald Barclay, Jean Luc Picard being French but having an English accent. Most of them didn't really work.

Orville also seems to be confronting some of the issues that Star Trek brushes over or ignores completely.

[irocfan]

Rawwr said:

hairyben said:

Meanwhile they're not afraid to tackle some of the more controversial issues such as the trans baby - thought that ep was pretty dark.

That episode was brilliant. I'm was really expecting a cop out and for them to win the court case.

I must admit that I was sort of disappointed in the outcome but glad at the same time... it certainly wasn't an easy choice to make for the makers

[hairyben]

irocfan said:

Rawwr said:

hairyben said:

Meanwhile they're not afraid to tackle some of the more controversial issues such as the trans baby - thought that ep was pretty dark.

That episode was brilliant. I'm was really expecting a cop out and for them to win the court case.

I must admit that I was sort of disappointed in the outcome but glad at the same time... it certainly wasn't an easy choice to make for the makers

me too initially, but I think they did it for a reason, there's multiple commentary going on there and maybe ending it happy clappy would have undermined that.

[juggsy]

Apparently season 2 will focus more on the sci-if/story and the comedy will come if and when appropriate: https://www.avclub.com/seth-macfarlane-says-the-or...

[eps]

Caught the first 4 episodes on Now TV - really enjoyed it! Some great comedy in there and some amazing parodies of Star Trek - although so far I haven't seen a 'red top' being killed off whilst on an away party... They've missed that one so far or is it too obvious?

[SpudLink]

eps said:

Caught the first 4 episodes on Now TV - really enjoyed it! Some great comedy in there and some amazing parodies of Star Trek - although so far I haven't seen a 'red top' being killed off whilst on an away party... They've missed that one so far or is it too obvious?

I think Galaxy Quest did the definative version of the Red Shirt, with the Sam Rockwell character.

[LuS1fer]

eps said:

Caught the first 4 episodes on Now TV - really enjoyed it! Some great comedy in there and some amazing parodies of Star Trek - although so far I haven't seen a 'red top' being killed off whilst on an away party... They've missed that one so far or is it too obvious?

No, they haven't. I also like the way they have dispelled the "convenience" of the transporter, more realistic (OK, it's all relative) to have to use a shuttle.

[RobDickinson]

It's far more serious and genuine than I expected. Sure there's the odd cringy dick joke but overall it's a decent sci-fi series

[irocfan]

TBH I currently prefer it to the new Netflix ST series (Discovery?)

[Flip Martian]

I did think the shuttle pilots were the Orville equivalent of the red shirts - but I think they only used that device a couple of times, ultimately. A strange mix of comedy and drama but I think it works really well. Wife and I have been in hysterics quite a few times watching this.

[carl_w]

I thought Episode 5 was brilliant -- really starting to like the robot character.