Jump to content

THE ORVILLE - Show Discussion


Recommended Posts

On 10/7/2017 at 7:21 PM, Yavar Moradi said:

 

Well, the android character is quite Data-like at times, and Bortus in terms of personality seems very Worf-like, even if his race's culture isn't quite a match for Klingons (but they seem a little more Klingon-like than STD's Klingons, IMO!)

 

I thought the same. The actor playing Bortus even delivers his lines like Michael Dorn.

 

Still, I find I'm enjoying this more and more every week. And I'm liking Discovery as well (which I admit I thought I'd hate), which is a bit surprising, especially to myself because I don't think Star Trek has done much right since DS9 went off the air.

 

3 hours ago, Jay said:

I think I realized a change could could make the show a lot better:  Seth Macfarlane shouldn't have cast himself as the captain.  The captain should have been some kind of unknown actor with a lot of charisma and charm.  Seth could play a secondary character who kinda pops in to do his jokes and stuff but not be the central character every plot.

 

If McFarlane isn't the star I doubt the show gets the green light. The only reason it's on at all is b/c of his influence at FOX.

 

3 hours ago, Jay said:

Probably the best episode yet.  Pretty much everything worked, even the practical joke subplot blended in well and didn't stick out like a sore thumb.  They still have a problem where the lead-in to each commercial break is awkward, its always weird and I dunno why this show has that problem when no other shows do

 

Agree it's the best episode yet.

 

Their problem w/the commercial break is that they're intentionally going for the dramatic Star Trek fade to commercial thing. It forces the writers to jam artificial dramatic tension where the story might not call for it at that moment. Most modern shows  (wisely) eschew this practice, but Mcfarlane is doing it intentionally. 

 

I agree with the comments about tone, and the show isn't quite sure what it wants to be yet. It's not that the comedic bits are all unfunny (they're hit & miss), but they just seemed shoehorned in (and the blob crew member isn't working at all). I wonder if Mcfarlane feels he has to keep the comedic stuff in there because that's how he sold the show to FOX, and to maintain credibility that it's some kind of parody. Because without that, the show is Star Trek.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick checkpoint.  Of those of you who have seen the whole series so far, how do you like it?  I think the shows have reliably good stories, pretty good sci-fi concepts, wonderful episodic TV music and excellent special effects.  I am either starting to like the humor or getting immune to it.  I thought on the krill episode it also had some heart and some emotional heft.  The show ended on complex moral dilemma which I appreciated. 

Spoiler

The female krill did not agree with Seth in the end stating his actions will result in a next generation of warriors rather than taking the easy way out by saying the younglings will now be the start of a new generation of peace lovers. 

So far each episode has been pretty high quality.  The one thing is Orville does feel like it is out of the 1980's/1990's rather than modern.  That is not a criticism, just an observation.  So far, I am satisfied with each new adventure and finding the characters increasingly appealing.  It is not faultless but it is entertaining enough.  I wouldn't mind much more complicated moral dilemma and greater character depth/arch.  Unfortunately, I don't have CBS access so haven't kept up with Star Trek Discovery.  How does it compare? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

It's a shame you refuse to watch something superior to Star Trek. Maybe you have a hard time accepting the fact your precious little sci-fi show ultimately is and never was anything special. I guess that would make you reconsider your whole life, and you want to avoid that...

 

In the spirit of the "new niceness" sweeping JWFan, I cannot...nay, will not...join in your vicious attack on Steefs TV viewing preferences, nor your callous words about Star Trek in general. 

 

That said, The Specimen is being stubborn in not giving Orville a try, which surprises me because in my many travels to his homeland I find his country people to be very open minded and willing to experiment with new things. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Orville is a love letter to Star Trek, but it's FOX giving Seth the chance to have some fun with a similar environment. It's fun in a way that later seasons of Voyager and early Enterprise were not. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve enjoyed the show, it’s not as funny as I thought it might be, which is good.

 

One of the things I like is that there’s a more realistic sense to the characters. They behave as a normal person might in settings. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first half of the last episode was everything NOT to do on a hostile away mission. It was very tense. The second half presented a really good moral dilemma, the lesser (?) of two evils. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope they keep some of these story themes as serials sort of how ST TNG did with the borg that it took a while to set it up but they returned to it over a few classic episodes (and movie).  One thing I noticed is metacritic rates this show at 36 but it is way much better than that.  The Pia episode was very entertaining and the krill episode was engaging and thoughtful.  I do wish they would start introducing some deeper philosophy even if they kept the humor.  ST TOS could be quite funny in the banter and that is how I see this playing out.  I hope the show lasts but I do want a greater level of depth to reward emotional investment.  It can be done.  This show is so much like ST that Jonathan Frakes directed the awesome Pria episode. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're using the fact that it's not Star Trek as an excuse to not watch it, as if it is automatically inferior instead of giving it a chance. The rest of us are allowing ourselves to push that fact to the side for an hour each week and be entertained.

 

Of course it's not Star Trek. It has no transporters, no Prime Directive, and tries to be funny here and there. It fills that Star Trek sized hole in new TV and does not require us Americans an extra payment each week to watch new episodes of "real" Star Trek. 

 

But you can just go ahead and keep spouting regulations. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/15/2017 at 4:44 AM, Stefancos said:

I haven't seen The Orville, I don't want Seth's shows.

 

4 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Who says I'm never gonna watch it?

 

YOU DO. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whatever, your negative perceptions of The Orville are rampant in this thread, but if you want to backpedal now and say you'll watch it later, that's your choice. You're still on record as not being interested. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason, this is a discussion forum. 

How you fella's do whatever you need to do to keep things clean around here. But don't tell people what they can and cannot talk about based on what you think is right or wrong. It's not in your pervue to do so.

 

FYI for the last couple of week I have hear this The Orville is better than Discovery things over and over again and in my opinion it is a rather meaningless comparison. The Orville is NOT Star Trek, and Discovery, for better or worse is.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong in stating that as my opinion.

 

2 minutes ago, Nick1066 said:

Do you really believe Steef isn't watching?

 

I havent watched a single episode of The Orville thus far. I don't actually watch a lot of Tv right now. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Jason, this is a discussion forum. 

How you fella's do whatever you need to do to keep things clean around here. But don't tell people what they can and cannot talk about based on what you think is right or wrong. It's not in your pervue to do so.

 

FYI for the last couple of week I have hear this The Orville is better than Discovery things over and over again and in my opinion it is a rather meaningless comparison. The Orville is NOT Star Trek, and Discovery, for better or worse is.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong in stating that as my opinion.

 

I completely disagree with you.  I'm not saying you are breaking forum rules, I am saying it is frustrating and annoying to have to read a bunch of posts from a guy not watching this show in the thread for the show, when everybody else is having a nice discussion about it.  You are not adding to our good and constructive conversation, you are hindering it.  And you know you are hindering it, but hiding behind "I have the right to say what I want!".  Yes, you have the right.  But you're still bothering us, and it isn't appreciated.

 

To give you a perfect example: I don't watch Doctor Who.  I watched the first season and maybe half of the second, and gave up.  It's just not a show for me.  And guess what?  I completely stay out of the Doctor Who thread.  I don't pop in every week to remind people that I thought it was a dumb show.  I simply ignore the thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Jay said:

Yes, you have the right.  But you're still bothering us, and it isn't appreciated.

 

Jason, when at any point you feel that I should stop contributing to JWFan please write me an PM and tell me. I will never write a single post on the MB here again.

 

But don't single out particular threads or posts you don't like of me. It's a complete waste of time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason, I promised to be more polite but you are getting on my nerves right now. 

Stop telling me what to post!

 

Heck, I'm the person who started this thread in the first place. Don't tell me I can't post here!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Again, you didn't read my post properly at all, or did but did not understand it.


Look at the words I posted: I never said you can't post here.  I said you're bothering us.

 

Do you understand now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh you made it sound like I changed wording somewhere in my post; I didn't.  I made a new post about Dr Who and nobody had posted in between so it got appended to my existing, unchanged post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is why I try to be a prick to both of you, to bring you together in friendship. Now that I'm better again, you two snap back to fighting each other. 

 

All is well with the world again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Incorrect. I know exactly what Woj is on about. I'm not sure what your problem is today.

 

Anyway, I started this thread and am fully entitled to contribute to it. As long as these contributions are within the MB rules i do NOT apriciate it when a Moderator tells me I shouldn't post something.

 

That's what you are here Jason, the Moderator. And you should try acting like it in a more consistent manner. Not "whenever" you feel like.

 

Your illustrious predecessors didnt either.

 

I hope its clear now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

i do NOT apriciate it when a Moderator tells me I shouldn't post something.

 

Once again, Stefan, I never told you that you couldn't post something.  It's like you're not even trying this morning.  I simply stated as a fellow forum member that your constant posts about how you're not watching the show are interrupting our nice conversation about the show.  You're turning this into a huge issue by continuing to misconstrue posts, not me.  

 

In the amount of time you've spent this morning arguing about a show you're not watching and misconstruing words in my posts, you could have watched the pilot episode!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason...sigh...(takes deep breath)

 

There was no issue here until you started posting here. just the usual banter between me and Woj.

Once again, you are NOT a fellow forum member, you are the Moderator. Anything written by you has a different weight to it. just ask Ricard. It's one of the reason he stepped down many years ago.

 

And if I'm posting within the confines of the rules I do not need the Moderator to tell me off. It's as simple as that.

It was the same with Ricard, the same with Indysolo and the same with Mr. Breathmask. 

 

Just act like the Moderator rather than "one of the guys" , and you'll be fine.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/13/2017 at 8:12 PM, karelm said:

Quick checkpoint.  Of those of you who have seen the whole series so far, how do you like it?

 

I feel like I've already been saying how much I like it on this page and the last as each episode aired, if you want to go back and read those.  But to answer directly now, I will say:  It's actually a surprisingly good show!


The pilot was pretty rocky, and there was a couple other clunkers early on as well.  But they are already really finding their groove fast, and the extra-crude humor seems to be getting phased out and replaced with humor derived from the characters just being themselves.  It's actually really nice; The people on the show kind of act like average joes of today's world would react, rather than as stuffy sci-fi archetypes like would be typical for this kind of show.

 

But beyond how well they are handing their own characters, the individual stories each week have been progressively getting better and more interesting too.  The episode with Charlize Theron was a well developed mystery with good pacing and good character development.  The Krill episode firmly stated that the show will tackle interesting, big moral issues on the show in an interesting way. 

 

I look forward to seeing what else they have cooked up for us!

 

 

Quote

  I think the shows have reliably good stories, pretty good sci-fi concepts, wonderful episodic TV music and excellent special effects. 

 

I think the special effects are a mixed bag; Some are pretty good but a lot of CGI is incredibly dodgy.  It actually doesn't bother me tat all though, I think the cheap CGI is just kind of part of the show and frankly its better to have lots of bad CGI than only using CGI on occasion and having to show people reacting to and describing everything instead of showing it.  For this show, it just works the way they are doing it.


The music is good, too.  It's nice to have big orchestral scores every week, and while they may not be breaking new ground with the writing, its fine for what it is, making the scenes better for having it... and the homages to classic cues we all know is really nifty too :up:

 

 

Quote

I am either starting to like the humor or getting immune to it. 

 

I think its a combination of both of that, plus they seem to be actively changing the style of humor as the show goes on, as well; There's less dick and fart jokes now and more just friendly ribbing between coworkers.

 

 

Quote

The one thing is Orville does feel like it is out of the 1980's/1990's rather than modern.  That is not a criticism, just an observation. 

 

Yea, even all the pop culture references seem to be to 90s things and not 2017 things.  The Avis running gag last week was pretty funny.

 

 

Quote

So far, I am satisfied with each new adventure and finding the characters increasingly appealing.  It is not faultless but it is entertaining enough.  I wouldn't mind much more complicated moral dilemma and greater character depth/arch. 

 

I completely agree with all this!

 

 

Quote

Unfortunately, I don't have CBS access so haven't kept up with Star Trek Discovery.  How does it compare? 

 

I watched the first episode live as it aired, but haven't gone back and resume watching the whole season though.  That show has SIGNIFICANTLY better special effects, cinematography, and production design (IOW: a bigger budget), but is more dark and gritty and doesn't seem to have too much fun with itself, at least based on the pilot and the previews and bit and pieces I've seen of later eps.  Seems to be quite a different show than The Orville, though, for sure, and I think many fans would actually prefer The Orville over it where they to sit down and watch both with an open mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, El Jefe said:

I’ve enjoyed the show, it’s not as funny as I thought it might be, which is good.

 

I agree!  I went into it expected a 22 minute parody/comedy show, making fun of Star Trek cliches every week.  I was surprised when it wasn't anything like that at all, and is instead basically just a new Star Trek show, but with invented characters, aliens, planets, and technology.  It's ST in everything but name.  And yea, I'm glad its this, and not a comedy/parody show - that would get old quick.

 

23 hours ago, El Jefe said:

One of the things I like is that there’s a more realistic sense to the characters. They behave as a normal person might in settings. 

 

Totally agreed!  It's what makes the show work, the characters really sell everything.

 

21 hours ago, Woj said:

The first half of the last episode was everything NOT to do on a hostile away mission. It was very tense. The second half presented a really good moral dilemma, the lesser (?) of two evils. 

 

Yes!  It was so well done in that regard.  I was actually surprised that once the captain and helm guy got onto the ship, we followed only them and it never cut back to the Orville to see what was going on there.  And the moral dilemma that comes up at the end was certainly an interesting one!

 

15 hours ago, karelm said:

I hope they keep some of these story themes as serials sort of how ST TNG did with the borg that it took a while to set it up but they returned to it over a few classic episodes (and movie).  One thing I noticed is metacritic rates this show at 36 but it is way much better than that.  The Pia episode was very entertaining and the krill episode was engaging and thoughtful.  I do wish they would start introducing some deeper philosophy even if they kept the humor.  ST TOS could be quite funny in the banter and that is how I see this playing out.  I hope the show lasts but I do want a greater level of depth to reward emotional investment.  It can be done.  This show is so much like ST that Jonathan Frakes directed the awesome Pria episode. 

 

Oh that's what made the last episode so good though; The world-building!  They are clearly setting up the Krill to be recurring villains on the show.  And what makes them such interesting villains is that they are not just faceless enemies blasting away peaceful worlds; We got to learn their motivations and see how to them they think its their divine right.  How do you fight that?  It's going to be interesting to tackle, and the writers seem up to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.