The Orville - Star Trek Fanfiction...with penis jokes.

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

So The Orville premiered, Seth McFarland's 4th tv show.
Now I'll be the first to admit I find Family Guy funny. Not ever episode, and there can be long strings with lackluster jokes, but the Star Wars parodies were nearly perfect in their execution and ribbing of the subject material.
And I'm a big Trek fan, so I was looking forward to a good roast of the beloved, but lets be honest, silly, Trek universe.

The result? A resounding...meh.

The premise is simple, but at the same time derivative. Seth is the recently promoted captain of the Orville, his estranged ex-wife is his first officer, and they have a lovable band of misfits for their command crew.
And it is so close to Star Trek it feels lazy. They have a Klingon stand-in character, a spunky chief of security with a weird forehead which is totally not Bajoran, and black, and of course the android that doesn't understand human emotions.
It is so close to an episode of TNG it makes me wonder how it got greenlit in the first place. Its almost legally actionable, as if McFarland wrote a script of a new Trek pilot, got turned down, and changed the bare minimum required to get the show approved but still Star Trek.
Early on Seth's character says he's always wanted to be a captain, and its obvious its just Seth himself admitting he always wanted to be in the Captain's Chair, and this is the closest he's gonna get.
Scene by scene you can tell what episodes and movies of Trek they get their ideas from, from Seth and his pilot Malarkey from BoB flying up to the ship, to the captain's speech in the landing room, to Seth entering his office, to the first time he sits in the chair. The source material is obvious, and it feels cheap. Lazy almost.

Jokes wise, and it being a comedy show so its critical, I wasn't joking with my title. Literally the first joke, which doesn't happen until 5 or 6 minutes in, is a penis joke. Apparently Sergeant Malarkey has spent the centuries since WW2 drawing penises on things you shouldn't draw penises on.
Outside of dick jokes, and the awkward idea of your ex-wife being you 2nd, Orville is too...reverent to Star Trek to actually make fun of it. The jokes are few and far between, and they never have the sting of even a bottom tier Family Guy Star Wars joke.

I feel like Mcfarland and his writers were too afraid to actually properly parody Star Trek, I guess in the hopes they one day get to do an actual Trek TV instead of this cheap fanfic?

The effects were decent.

Overall 5/10

 

[Saelune]

Judging from an interview I saw of him, this might be well, not wrong. Seems he desires to make essentially not a parody, just a more humorous/lighter take.

Personally though, I would probably prefer a movie. Thats what I initially thought it was going to be. I have no desire to watch this as a show on Fox. A movie, or Netflix series, sure...but not Fox TV.

 

[Zontar]

I thought it was decent at being what it was trying to be. Certainly better then what anyone could reasonably expect STD to be at this point given it seems to have become the victim of Murphy's Law in action at every level.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I liked The Orville. The pilot wasn't perfect. I think it does have the elements to be a really good substitute for Star Trek.

I appreciated that they didn't go for a Star Trek parody. It seems more like a human version of Star Trek. While the various Star Trek series were mostly good in their own way. The characters didn't seem all that relatable. The Orville have characters mentioning mundane things like needing to go to the bathroom. I love the scene where the characters were initially unimpressed with the important technology.

So, I am not ready to declare The Orville to be a great show. I think it is going to be a lot better than most people think.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I thought it was decent at being what it was trying to be. Certainly better then what anyone could reasonably expect STD to be at this point given it seems to have become the victim of Murphy's Law in action at every level.

It's not a good sign for your show when you have the same initials as Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I haven't seen it yet but I think there's some merit to the idea of playing Star Trek as a sitcom. That way you can make jokes about clashing cultures without being unintentionally racist, you see. I'm just not sure if McFarlane is the best guy for the job. I don't think character driven humor is his strength.

 

[cthulhuspawn82]

I assumed I would hate it and not watch it, but decided to watch the first episode. I'm now on the "maybe" train. I dont think it will be a regular thing, but there was enough potential there that I might make it a regular show.

The problem with humor is that too much of it can kill a tense or dramatic situation. After all, that's the purpose of humor. The whole airing of marital problems with the main bad guy kind of killed the moment. But I guess the show is wanting to go more for comedy than drama anyway, so maybe that's fine for them.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I appreciated that they didn't go for a Star Trek parody. It seems more like a human version of Star Trek.

So it was more Galaxy Quest then?

Its not even Galaxy Quest levels wit, as that really hit Shatner and the original actors hard. Orville is like Galaxy Quest from the point of view of the Thermians - ie its all real.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I liked The Orville. The pilot wasn't perfect. I think it does have the elements to be a really good substitute for Star Trek.

I appreciated that they didn't go for a Star Trek parody. It seems more like a human version of Star Trek. While the various Star Trek series were mostly good in their own way. The characters didn't seem all that relatable. The Orville have characters mentioning mundane things like needing to go to the bathroom. I love the scene where the characters were initially unimpressed with the important technology.

So, I am not ready to declare The Orville to be a great show. I think it is going to be a lot better than most people think.

I don't think expressing the need to go to the bathroom while talking to your superior officer makes a character more relatable, necessarily. If anything, it's the opposite. This show actually seems a more accurate version of the future with more relaxed protocols. In Star Trek there was a strict authoritarian/military structure to the Federation, which even now seems antiquated.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I liked The Orville. The pilot wasn't perfect. I think it does have the elements to be a really good substitute for Star Trek.

I appreciated that they didn't go for a Star Trek parody. It seems more like a human version of Star Trek. While the various Star Trek series were mostly good in their own way. The characters didn't seem all that relatable. The Orville have characters mentioning mundane things like needing to go to the bathroom. I love the scene where the characters were initially unimpressed with the important technology.

So, I am not ready to declare The Orville to be a great show. I think it is going to be a lot better than most people think.

I don't think expressing the need to go to the bathroom while talking to your superior officer makes a character more relatable, necessarily. If anything, it's the opposite. This show actually seems a more accurate version of the future with more relaxed protocols. In Star Trek there was a strict authoritarian/military structure to the Federation, which even now seems antiquated.

The Federation was born out of the Navy. While not strictly a military vessel (as we all know, it was an exploration vessel), it was a exploration vessel set out by the Starfleet, which is a hybrid of a peacekeeping military humanitarian exploration branch of the Federation.

Why is it antiquated to expect discipline and decorum from your the crew that will not only be your front line of defense if they encounter hostile alien species (like the Borg or the Dominion who attack first), but be your first real diplomats to any new peaceful species they encounter?

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I liked The Orville. The pilot wasn't perfect. I think it does have the elements to be a really good substitute for Star Trek.

I appreciated that they didn't go for a Star Trek parody. It seems more like a human version of Star Trek. While the various Star Trek series were mostly good in their own way. The characters didn't seem all that relatable. The Orville have characters mentioning mundane things like needing to go to the bathroom. I love the scene where the characters were initially unimpressed with the important technology.

So, I am not ready to declare The Orville to be a great show. I think it is going to be a lot better than most people think.

I don't think expressing the need to go to the bathroom while talking to your superior officer makes a character more relatable, necessarily. If anything, it's the opposite. This show actually seems a more accurate version of the future with more relaxed protocols. In Star Trek there was a strict authoritarian/military structure to the Federation, which even now seems antiquated.

The Federation was born out of the Navy. While not strictly a military vessel (as we all know, it was an exploration vessel), it was a exploration vessel set out by the Starfleet, which is a hybrid of a peacekeeping military humanitarian exploration branch of the Federation.

Why is it antiquated to expect discipline and decorum from your the crew that will not only be your front line of defense if they encounter hostile alien species (like the Borg or the Dominion who attack first), but be your first real diplomats to any new peaceful species they encounter?

Because of how in the last few decades we have seen a worldwide change of attitudes towards authority. You see it in schools, in work environments, towards police and governments. Things are much more relaxed now. I'm not exactly sure how things are in today's Navy, but I'm pretty sure officers don't behave towards each other in such a stilted way as we see in TNG. Is it not sensible to see that trend continuing in the next few hundred years? And The Orville is set in what, 2500?

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Because of how in the last few decades we have seen a worldwide change of attitudes towards authority. You see it in schools, in work environments, towards police and governments. Things are much more relaxed now. I'm not exactly sure how things are in today's Navy, but I'm pretty sure officers don't behave towards each other in such a stilted way as we see in TNG. Is it not sensible to see that trend continuing in the next few hundred years? And The Orville is set in what, 2500?

As civilians, of course we're getting more lax.

But these people on these spaceships when they exist (if we make it that long) will not be civilians. This will not be the crew of the Serenity. These will be men and women representing Earth as Warriors, Scholars, and Diplomats simulatenously. How we are, average citizens, probably not as strict.

But we're talking about a Military Peacekeeping Diplomatic mission. How the average citizen acts will be diametrically different than how a member of that force will be expected to behave.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Because of how in the last few decades we have seen a worldwide change of attitudes towards authority. You see it in schools, in work environments, towards police and governments. Things are much more relaxed now. I'm not exactly sure how things are in today's Navy, but I'm pretty sure officers don't behave towards each other in such a stilted way as we see in TNG. Is it not sensible to see that trend continuing in the next few hundred years? And The Orville is set in what, 2500?

As civilians, of course we're getting more lax.

But these people on these spaceships when they exist (if we make it that long) will not be civilians. This will not be the crew of the Serenity. These will be men and women representing Earth as Warriors, Scholars, and Diplomats simulatenously. How we are, average citizens, probably not as strict.

But we're talking about a Military Peacekeeping Diplomatic mission. How the average citizen acts will be diametrically different than how a member of that force will be expected to behave.

Starfleet is not military in any sense of the word.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54154/is-starfleet-a-military-or-civilian-organization

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Starfleet is not military in any sense of the word.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54154/is-starfleet-a-military-or-civilian-organization

It actually is. In the very sense of the word.

Military [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/military]

Definition of military

1 a f or relating to soldiers, arms, or war military discipline the country's military needs
b f or relating to armed forces; especially f or relating to ground or sometimes ground and air forces as opposed to naval forces military and naval affairs
2 a erformed or made by armed forces military operations
b :supported by armed force a military government
3 f or relating to the army the military academy at West Point

Given that definition, having Warship... I'm sorry, "Tactical Cruisers that were only really designed for combat" such as the Prometheus Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Prometheus_class] and the Defiant Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Defiant_class] makes Starfleet the federation's de facto military. They are the ones issued the ships that can fight battles, they are the ones issued the phasers. They are what the Federation has and who the Federation uses when war breaks out.

They can call them whatever they want, but by definition, they are a military branch. But as I've said many times before, and in the last time you quoted me, their actual position in the Starfleet is a hybrid of military peacekeeping exploring diplomats.

 

[Saelune]

Because of how in the last few decades we have seen a worldwide change of attitudes towards authority. You see it in schools, in work environments, towards police and governments. Things are much more relaxed now. I'm not exactly sure how things are in today's Navy, but I'm pretty sure officers don't behave towards each other in such a stilted way as we see in TNG. Is it not sensible to see that trend continuing in the next few hundred years? And The Orville is set in what, 2500?

As civilians, of course we're getting more lax.

But these people on these spaceships when they exist (if we make it that long) will not be civilians. This will not be the crew of the Serenity. These will be men and women representing Earth as Warriors, Scholars, and Diplomats simulatenously. How we are, average citizens, probably not as strict.

But we're talking about a Military Peacekeeping Diplomatic mission. How the average citizen acts will be diametrically different than how a member of that force will be expected to behave.

Starfleet is not military in any sense of the word.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54154/is-starfleet-a-military-or-civilian-organization

...Starfleet is military in EVERY sense of the word

 

[McMarbles]

Such a waste of Victor Garber.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Starfleet is not military in any sense of the word.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54154/is-starfleet-a-military-or-civilian-organization

It actually is. In the very sense of the word.

Military [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/military]

Definition of military

1 a f or relating to soldiers, arms, or war military discipline the country's military needs
b f or relating to armed forces; especially f or relating to ground or sometimes ground and air forces as opposed to naval forces military and naval affairs
2 a erformed or made by armed forces military operations
b :supported by armed force a military government
3 f or relating to the army the military academy at West Point

Given that definition, having Warship... I'm sorry, "Tactical Cruisers that were only really designed for combat" such as the Prometheus Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Prometheus_class] and the Defiant Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Defiant_class] makes Starfleet the federation's de facto military. They are the ones issued the ships that can fight battles, they are the ones issued the phasers. They are what the Federation has and who the Federation uses when war breaks out.

They can call them whatever they want, but by definition, they are a military branch. But as I've said many times before, and in the last time you quoted me, their actual position in the Starfleet is a hybrid of military peacekeeping exploring diplomats.

By that definition, half of the American population are "military".

For me, it hinges on the aims of the organisation - to explore strange new worlds, to seek out life. Explorers are armed but not all of them seek to invade.

 

[Saelune]

Starfleet is not military in any sense of the word.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54154/is-starfleet-a-military-or-civilian-organization

It actually is. In the very sense of the word.

Military [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/military]

Definition of military

1 a f or relating to soldiers, arms, or war military discipline the country's military needs
b f or relating to armed forces; especially f or relating to ground or sometimes ground and air forces as opposed to naval forces military and naval affairs
2 a erformed or made by armed forces military operations
b :supported by armed force a military government
3 f or relating to the army the military academy at West Point

Given that definition, having Warship... I'm sorry, "Tactical Cruisers that were only really designed for combat" such as the Prometheus Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Prometheus_class] and the Defiant Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Defiant_class] makes Starfleet the federation's de facto military. They are the ones issued the ships that can fight battles, they are the ones issued the phasers. They are what the Federation has and who the Federation uses when war breaks out.

They can call them whatever they want, but by definition, they are a military branch. But as I've said many times before, and in the last time you quoted me, their actual position in the Starfleet is a hybrid of military peacekeeping exploring diplomats.

By that definition, half of the American population are "military".

For me, it hinges on the aims of the organisation - to explore strange new worlds, to seek out life. Explorers are armed but not all of them seek to invade.

Let me know when half of the US population is given warships, advanced weaponry, and the blessing of the World's Government to go around and use that stuff on people.

If you think a military's sole purpose is invasion, then you have a very medieval view of military.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Starfleet is not military in any sense of the word.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54154/is-starfleet-a-military-or-civilian-organization

It actually is. In the very sense of the word.

Military [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/military]

Definition of military

1 a f or relating to soldiers, arms, or war military discipline the country's military needs
b f or relating to armed forces; especially f or relating to ground or sometimes ground and air forces as opposed to naval forces military and naval affairs
2 a erformed or made by armed forces military operations
b :supported by armed force a military government
3 f or relating to the army the military academy at West Point

Given that definition, having Warship... I'm sorry, "Tactical Cruisers that were only really designed for combat" such as the Prometheus Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Prometheus_class] and the Defiant Class [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Defiant_class] makes Starfleet the federation's de facto military. They are the ones issued the ships that can fight battles, they are the ones issued the phasers. They are what the Federation has and who the Federation uses when war breaks out.

They can call them whatever they want, but by definition, they are a military branch. But as I've said many times before, and in the last time you quoted me, their actual position in the Starfleet is a hybrid of military peacekeeping exploring diplomats.

By that definition, half of the American population are "military".

For me, it hinges on the aims of the organisation - to explore strange new worlds, to seek out life. Explorers are armed but not all of them seek to invade.

Let me know when half of the US population is given warships, advanced weaponry, and the blessing of the World's Government to go around and use that stuff on people.

If you think a military's sole purpose is invasion, then you have a very medieval view of military.

And if you think the military's job is to conduct diplomacy, carry out peaceful scientific research and explore in search of new life to expand knowledge of the universe, your definition of the word is vastly overreaching.