mattingly Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 (And mild props to McFarlane for playing someone whose funniest feature is that he's bad at trying to be funny. I will assume that's deliberate.) Agreed. Making himself a fool is a somewhat bold move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Just finished episode 3. I think MacFarlane just proved he has no science fiction writing chops with this one.* On the plus side, it seems like the characters are starting to take shape a little, and despite its flaw, the episode was whatchable. I think it'll be pretty decent once (or if) the writers find their comfort zone. *Nothing to do with the subject matter, just the utter failure to follow ideas to any kind of conclusion. He fails at the 'what if?' game, essentially. I think I picked up that term from an essay by or about Philip K. Dick. He left a lot of potential on the floor with this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Episode 2 was solid but not original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagged Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Episode 2 was solid but not original. I assumed it was a nod to The Cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagged Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 I don't believe anyone who was involved with the production, nor anyone who has actually watched the show, has ever referred to it as a Star Trek parody. Mostly I think that label got applied by people who only saw the commercial teasers and who don't really know what parody is. Basically, your expectations were falsely set by the quick-to-judge and the ignorant. I have only seen it referred to as parody in threads like this as people speculate as to why Paramount hasn't set the lawyers on it. I think they would have a case. My only expectation was based on the fact that the other Macfarlane stuff I have seen left me flat. So enjoying Orville more than I thought likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 I think they would have a case. I don't see any basis for an IP infringement claim. Nothing in The Orville violates any copyright, trademark, or patent that I'm aware of. Is there a particular script (teleplay) the show plagiarized? Is there a trademark being used without permission? (The answer to both, of course, is "no".) Believe it or not, Paramount does not own the idea of an exploration vessel having adventures out in space, or the idea of "black pants and a primary color-coded shirt as a uniform". Star Trek may have popularized these tropes, but Paramount has no IP claim on them that would stand up in court. There are similarities to be sure, but nothing that meets any legal criteria for IP infringement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 That wouldn't stop them from unleashing the lawyers if they thought they could get away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Yes, indeed. But that's the point I'm ultimately making. It's the awareness that they couldn't get away with it (for clear legal reasons) that stays their hand. They know they would have no supportable legal claim, and so should everyone here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 I have only seen it referred to as parody in threads like this as people speculate as to why Paramount hasn't set the lawyers on it. I think they would have a case. My only expectation was based on the fact that the other Macfarlane stuff I have seen left me flat. So enjoying Orville more than I thought likely. Early on I was following a few "entertainment" news sites that directly stated it was a Trek parody or Galaxy Quest the series. Of course when they added some contributors that spent all their time whining about this and complaining about that instead of reporting news about film and shows I stopped subscribing. On occasion I'll check back and now it is all "stealing Trek".... idiots. Orville is a new show. A bit more polished out the gate than TNG was, but that is probably more to industry experience than Orville itself. But as far as being original, there would be no TV shows or movies at all if everything had to only contain completely original items that in no way even hinted at anything before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelCold Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Still scratching my head on this series. My nephews thought it had something to do with this geezer: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 I'm guessing that's because your nephews don't know much about the history of flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelCold Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Who reads history nowadays unless it's televised? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Seth MacFarlane for one, apparently. Social media seems to be where kids these days get their education. A tweet from MacFarlane explained where the name came from: I was reading David McCullough's Wright brothers biography while writing the pilot. Seemed fitting. From there any curious individual could Google or Wikipedia the "Wright brothers". No books involved, though rudimentary reading skills are still required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Hmmm, went to watch the second episode and apparently it consisted mostly of the 4th quarter of the Denver vs Dallas football game, which had a delay. I don't see anywhere it is being repeated for now either. Anyone else have this problem? Did I give up to soon on my recording? The game said 12+ minutes left, and since I only recorded an hour, I figured wasn't worth it. Yeah. I was righteously p***ed off that some stupid football game ran long and I missed over half the episode on my recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 I don't see any basis for an IP infringement claim. Nothing in The Orville violates any copyright, trademark, or patent that I'm aware of. Is there a particular script (teleplay) the show plagiarized? Is there a trademark being used without permission? (The answer to both, of course, is "no".) Believe it or not, Paramount does not own the idea of an exploration vessel having adventures out in space, or the idea of "black pants and a primary color-coded shirt as a uniform". Star Trek may have popularized these tropes, but Paramount has no IP claim on them that would stand up in court. There are similarities to be sure, but nothing that meets any legal criteria for IP infringement. Yep. You cannot copyright an idea. As long as they don't infringe on actual copyrights, trademarks or patents, Paramount can't touch them. Doesn't matter if it's a carbon copy of setting, format and pseudo-tech, as long as they call it something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjcurrie Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 Yeah. I was righteously p***ed off that some stupid football game ran long and I missed over half the episode on my recording. Yeah. I was righteously p***ed off that some stupid football game ran long and I missed over half the episode on my recording. If you're recording anything on CBS or FOX on Sunday evenings during football season, you should probably add an extra hour to account for potential football overruns. In fact, it's not a bad idea anytime for CBS Sundays as the network has a number of sports properties that can run late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 Without an ironclad case it would be foolish to try a cease and desist suit against another network. You'd get all the negative press CBS has taken for the Axanar mess with the added problems of giving positive press to a rival network. And you couldn't bully another network by burying them in legal fees, their pockets are deep enough to fight that step for step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 I've seen three episodes now and so far the Sci-Fi seems weak and the comedy isn't blending in as seamlessly as they may have wanted. But a lot of shows need a season or two to get their legs under them. I'll give it a while more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 Finished episode 3. Thought 2 was good and loved the solution. And all I have to say for episode 3 is, so much for not tackling serious issues. Was well done. Reminded me in some ways of B5 and the episode with the child needing surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 I just wish the show had the time and budget for more alien aliens. I mean, I get that the show is trying to stick close to all of Star Trek's traditions, even the lame ones, but "aliens that aren't actually alien" is one tradition worth breaking, IMO. The only alien we see that isn't just a human with a rubber mask is Yaphit, and yet he delivers dialogue no differently than any other human character on the show, which undermines his alieness substantially. What good is it to have a sci-fi setting full of alien species if you aren't going to make them alien? (Answer: not much.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 Still early and rough, but it could get better later as it gets it's footing. @zslane - I don't think they care about "alien" aliens. This is a dramedy (leaning heavily toward comedy) rather than Treks full on SciFi Drama with budget constraints. It isn't exactly the best program so far, but it is the only not grim and dark show currently in existence (as far as I know). Any port in a storm, even if that port is a crappy tourist trap I enjoy The Expanse despite the dark grimness because they have done a creditable job of "realistic" space travel and combat in the near future. I've lost interest in Dark Matter and Killjoys, mostly because they went from enjoyable adventure to yet another dark conspiracy. Dark conspiracy completely unsupported by anything else IMO. The only specific concern I have with Orville, is I hope they do not forget that the primary purpose is entertainment and not their political opinions. And before someone pipes up with Star Trek did it. The original Trek didn't use a sledgehammer, they would make a complete adventure episode that was pretty much completely noncontroversial and then then inject a single "item" that gently pressed the envelope. Pretty much all of the big examples like "Plato's Stepchildren" or "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" that contained or highlighted a "social issue" were actually in the last season when the show was in the "death slot" of Friday @10pm and they knew it was cancelled. I'd comment about specific's of the episodes but I have apparently forgotten how to do a spoiler button. O.L.D. strikes again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 I'd comment about specific's of the episodes but I have apparently forgotten how to do a spoiler button. O.L.D. strikes again You put the word spoiler before the section you want to mark and /spoiler after the section, and you wrap spoiler and /spoiler in square brackets [ ]. (Ignore the colored words below, must be some kind of syntax highlighting applied with the code tag.) [spoiler]Spoiler protected text. [/spoiler] Spence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted September 25, 2017 Report Share Posted September 25, 2017 Okay, saw the third episode. I'm... actually pretty impressed. Seth has said he was a big STNG fan, and in a lot of ways, this was the most TNG episode of all. Definitely not goofy like one might expect from the creator of Family Guy. No easy answers, and I liked that. wcw43921, Ternaugh and Iuz the Evil 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted September 25, 2017 Report Share Posted September 25, 2017 The ending was not what I expected. I assumed Borta's husband would change his mind, despite winning the trial. Iuz the Evil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted September 25, 2017 Report Share Posted September 25, 2017 I agree, complicated episode. Not "bwah hah hah" in nature, topical, complicated. Decent series so far. Not awesome. But compared to "Encounter at Far Point" or "Caretaker" it holds up pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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