New Series--The Orville

[zslane]

Not untrue, but I would rather have lite comedy over yet another "we will fix you" social commentary.

 

I hear ya. The thing is, MacFarlane has decided, for better or worse, to continue the Trek tradition of social commentary disguised as sci-fi adventure. And just like Trek, sometimes it is heavy-handed, and sometimes it is more subtle.

 

But I feel that if he wants it to not be overshadowed by the sheer stupidity of the characters' decisions and actions, he's going to have to steer the humor away from "Look what dumbasses we are! And they even gave us a ship and a mission, can you believe that?" to something a little more sophisticated. I mean, that style of comedy definitely has its audience, and aiming for that audience is fine, I'm just saying that it is undermining his other obvious agenda, which is to be an affectionate Star Trek send-up, serious social commentary and all.

[Nolgroth]

The whole donation thing is really bad around the holidays here. I don't even deal with it at the register. I'm too busy cursing myself for forgetting the stupid reusable grocery bags and spending $0.10 per (single use - which I thought was the whole point of passing that stupid law) bag to get my groceries home. If I had to deal with the constant pestering for charitable causes, I would probably find some way to order my groceries from home.

 

As to social commentary in entertainment, the absolute less the better. I want to be entertained not bludgeoned by the creators' vision of what makes a great society.

 

As to The Orville, I kinda lost interest about halfway through the second episode and haven't been able to generate enough to go back and catch up. 

[Spence]

I hear ya. The thing is, MacFarlane has decided, for better or worse, to continue the Trek tradition of social commentary disguised as sci-fi adventure. And just like Trek, sometimes it is heavy-handed, and sometimes it is more subtle.

 

But I feel that if he wants it to not be overshadowed by the sheer stupidity of the characters' decisions and actions, he's going to have to steer the humor away from "Look what dumbasses we are! And they even gave us a ship and a mission, can you believe that?" to something a little more sophisticated. I mean, that style of comedy definitely has its audience, and aiming for that audience is fine, I'm just saying that it is undermining his other obvious agenda, which is to be an affectionate Star Trek send-up, serious social commentary and all.

 

Agreed.  And I don't mind social commentary if done less heavy handed.   It is best when you don't realize it was there until you think about it later...

[Spence]

The whole donation thing is really bad around the holidays here. I don't even deal with it at the register. I'm too busy cursing myself for forgetting the stupid reusable grocery bags and spending $0.10 per (single use - which I thought was the whole point of passing that stupid law) bag to get my groceries home. If I had to deal with the constant pestering for charitable causes, I would probably find some way to order my groceries from home.

 

I just shop elsewhere and make it a personal point to use as many plastic bags as possible just to give them the middle finger.   I also found that shopping outside the Comrade Citizen Committee's reach, the prices are lower   

 

 

As to social commentary in entertainment, the absolute less the better. I want to be entertained not bludgeoned by the creators' vision of what makes a great society.

 

As to The Orville, I kinda lost interest about halfway through the second episode and haven't been able to generate enough to go back and catch up. 

 

 

I am still watching it.  Mostly because, while the plots are stupid and clumsy, they are not Dark Evil Conspiracy.   That alone is a benefit. 

[DShomshak]

"Majority Rule" gave me a few shudders and a few amused snorts with its "pushed just a little further" view of social media and the moral-mob vigilantism that, I am told, really does happen on it. But it also made me wince a few times with the characters' stupidity. As mentioned, the aspects of farce, satire and drama still don't mesh very well. But I've seen worse.

 

I also must compliment the show on its opening credits. They make space look beautiful. Awe-inspiring, even. I hope that at some point they can give more of a nod to the exploration aspect -- just the sheer gobsmacking beauty and strangeness of the universe. Like, an episode in which they have to land on that tumbling comet, or in a forming planetary system. No rubber science required; the real situations can be exotic enough.

 

Dean Shomshak

[zslane]

Every time I click on someone's "Like This" button, I feel I am contributing to the inevitable downward spiral toward the future "Majority Rule" showed us. 

[Lucius]

Why do people keep saying this as if I disagree with it? Holy moly.

Because you keep objecting to people saying it, as if you did disagree with it.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary and I aren't saying it.

[zslane]

I think it is because people enjoy messing with me. Which is fine. That is preferable to the alternative, which is far less charitable in nature.

[Hermit]

 

 

 

 

I am still watching it.  Mostly because, while the plots are stupid and clumsy, they are not Dark Evil Conspiracy.   That alone is a benefit. 

 

 

For me, I have a weakness for characters. Get me attached to some characters and I will forgive much.

 

Also... how do I say this? it's still miles above Star Trek Voyager's First season, and holding its own with STNG 's first season imo... and even Voyager got better and STNG ended up with some legendary episodes

 

So I'm hoping that by Season two we'll see even tighter storylines as well

[zslane]

I basically feel the same way, Hermit.

 

This show passes my personal test for whether or not I'll watch a show: if it has main characters I like enough that I'd want to hang out with them if they existed in real life, then I'll watch the show, otherwise I won't. I'd like to hang out with about half of the main characters on The Orville, which is more than I can say for a lot of other shows I've watched in the past (before I had my rule).

[Cassandra]

Wow!  They really made it look they were on a planet in 21st Century!

 

Kind of went cheap last week.

[Hermit]

Wow!  They really made it look they were on a planet in 21st Century!

 

Kind of went cheap last week.

 

Now that's a TOS thing to do

 

And I say that as someone who loved ST TOS

[Cassandra]

Now that's a TOS thing to do

 

And I say that as someone who loved ST TOS

 

Me too.  Better costumes, and characters we liked to watch.

[Pattern Ghost]

Kind of made me think of a more on the nose Black Mirror episode. And most of those are pretty on the nose.

[Starlord]

I was really jarred out of the episode when the alien girl sees the Orville and gasps, "Oh my god."

[zslane]

The more a species resembles a human on the show, the more likely they are to speak in contemporary American english, even if it makes no anthropological sense. You have to figure there is a built-in universal translator working on behalf of the viewers.

[Ternaugh]

In one of my FH (1e) games, I had an item, Roddenberry's Ring of Parallel Development, which gave the wearer the equivalent of a Universal Translator.

[slikmar]

My wife mentioned a couple things as we watched the episode:

1) Of course it was the African American male who got arrested out of the group.

2) When they visit him in jail, they openly discuss his problem, the ship etc. How, in a society of overboard social media are they not monitored.

[zslane]

Yeah, I sort of wondered about that too. And I don't even think it would have been their social media obsession that would have resulted in cameras installed in places like jail cells, but rather simple pragmatism.

[wcw43921]

I was really jarred out of the episode when the alien girl sees the Orville and gasps, "Oh my god."

 

 

The more a species resembles a human on the show, the more likely they are to speak in contemporary American english, even if it makes no anthropological sense. You have to figure there is a built-in universal translator working on behalf of the viewers.

 

 

There's the whole parallel development thing as well.  The world developed like 21st Century Earth, it would not be that surprising for them to develop monotheism.

 

Remember also that Deanna Troi on ST:TNG used the word "God" a lot.  I always wondered if she was referring to the Terran or the Betazoid deity.  I'm thinking the latter, considering she was brought up a Betazoid.  (That might be a good question to ask Marina Sirtis--if someone hasn't asked it already.)

[Spence]

Or,...... you may all be overthinking it. 

 

Orville is not supposed to be serious science fiction.   I am watching it with the same mindset as I do Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the show is only getting better. 

 

Turn off the forebrain and use the hindbrain instead and you'll have a blast

[Ternaugh]

I was really jarred out of the episode when the alien girl sees the Orville and gasps, "Oh my god."

 

They had a Prius with an "alien" license plate parked on the street. Now I know what my car will be for Halloween.

[Hermit]

There's the whole parallel development thing as well.  The world developed like 21st Century Earth, it would not be that surprising for them to develop monotheism.

 

Remember also that Deanna Troi on ST:TNG used the word "God" a lot.  I always wondered if she was referring to the Terran or the Betazoid deity.  I'm thinking the latter, considering she was brought up a Betazoid.  (That might be a good question to ask Marina Sirtis--if someone hasn't asked it already.)

 

 

Honestly, given the nature of the world her god could be an idol of  Mark Zuckerberg (only much much taller) under a different name

[Old Man]

One of the best things about Orville is that it doesn't take itself seriously, so continuity and plot holes simply don't matter.

 

I'm caught up for now.  The show continues to be uneven, but the Krill episode was outstanding.  Ten bucks says

 

 

 

we're going to see that Krill kid again.  The one that Gordon taught how to find Earth.  Dumbass.

 

 

[DShomshak]

I never imagined Gordon was actually pointing at Sol. I thought he was just giving the kid something to look for.

The Orville is just a little too serious sometimes to watch just as a comic romp, but just a little too goofy sometimes to treat as a serious attempt at SF. But like I and others have said, I like the characters enough to put up with a shaking-out period. Not forever, but for now.

If one may think semi-seriously about Majority Rule's world, it's also clear there's something more going on besides social media voting. Someone is hiring cops, coining/printing money and overseeing the Feed -- likely at that building marked with the red and green triangles, among other places. There's a surface fizz of direct democracy, but behind the scenes I suspect there's some group that is not democratic at all.

 

Dean Shomshak