Admittedly, I do not have access to any empirical data to support this
observation, but I submit that dedicated fans of fantasy and science fiction
routinely create the variations of their favorite movie and television series.
In these flights of fancy, you can insert yourself as the undaunted main
protagonist who is always ready with a clever quip while saving the day with
steadfast loyalty to your uncompromised ideals For most of us, such an endeavor
remains a personal Gedankenexperiment, never to be realized openly. However, if
you happen to grow up to be an exceptionally creative, and most importantly
lucratively creative success, you might receive the financial support to turn
those dreams into a piece of entertainment. If you happen to Seth MacFarlane,
then you’re able to turn your fantasies into reality, or at least a weekly
series on a major network. He received what amounted to as a blank check to fuel
his artistic endeavors, almost unheard of in the modern entertainment industry.
A glimpse at his list of skills and achievements provide a strong
rationalization for such financial trust. Mr. MacFarlane exhibits expertise in a
myriad of fields encompassing an incredible range of talents from writing,
animation, singing, voice-overs, and direction. All these outlets for his
renaissance are infused with a deep-seated love of pop culture, driven by au
understanding of the exceedingly difficult genre of dark comedy. His love of
‘Star Wars,’ lead to a trilogy of satiric episodes on his flagship series.
‘Family Guy.’ Not one to play favorites, his devotion to the ‘Star Trek’
franchise resulted in numerous collaborations with Sir Patrick Stewart and an
on-screen cameo on Star Trek Enterprise. The latest manifestation of his fanboy
predilections is the Fox series, ‘The Orville.’ The Star Trek homage is about to
enter its sophomore season which naturally brings us to the consideration of the
season 1 DVD.
The Orville is set four hundred years in the future in a time when humanity
has enjoyed peace throughout our world. Reaching out to join a coalition of
other sentient species from throughout the galaxy, The Planetary Union, founded
some two hundred years before the start of the series, Membership requires the
planet to formerly disband national governments in favor of global consolidation
and peaceful unity. The primary source of dramatic tension is derived from the
various unaligned civilizations, some with cultural objectives antagonistic to
the peaceful mandate of the Union. Capt provides the main point of view. Ed
Mercer (Seth MacFarlane). Ed had always been destined for flag rank in the
service. That was until his wife, and fellow officer, Kelly Grayson (Adrianne
Palicki), had an affair with an alien. In keeping with a few of Mr. MacFarlane’s
most notable trademarks, Ed’s career took a precipitous plunge as his life fell
apart.
Mr. MacFarlane is well known for creating characters subject to the human
foibles common to our species. Feeling responsible, Kelly calls in favors in the
admiralty; Ed is placed on the short list for command of a state-of-the-art
exploratory vessel, the Orville. The caveat, unknown to Mercer is that Commander
Greyson was assigned as his first officer, ostensibly to keep an eye on his
ability to command. Typically, these plot contrivances would dominate the
continuing central narrative. Fortunately, its multi-talented showrunner charted
a substantially more entertaining solution. The factors surrounding Ed’s
promotion is mentioned resulting in a realistic resentment on his part. That was
quickly resolved in favor of mutual respect and a need to fulfill their
responsibilities as bridge officers. There was an uncomfortable moment when
Kelly’s para-amour arrives, Darulio (Rob Lowe). The only known member of the
race called the Retepsian. In a clever plot twist, the Retepsians exude powerful
pheromones while in heat that sparks romantic desire upon skin-to-skin contact.
After it results in an unexpected tryst with the Captain, Ed realizes that
Kelly’s infidelity was hormonally induced. Other than this, the topics relating
to the circumstances around Ed’s promotion remain unexplored. This did prevent
the series from taking a potentially disastrous turn towards becoming a soap
opera. Mr. MacFarlane is creative and able to flirt with the salacious details
without being seduced to their eclipsing the primary focus of the series.
Although this series was the adult realization of a childhood fascination of
outer space-oriented stories, Mr. MacFarlane demonstrated the professionalism
and respect for both the fans and genre, to allow the show to deteriorate into
yet another vanity project. True, he is the leading man and primary creative
force behind the series, but he has assembled an amazing ensemble cast. Besides
Ms. Palicki, the central cast includes Penny Johnson Jerald, most recently from
the canceled police procedural, ‘Castle’ the bridge crew of the Orville is
directly modeled on the paradigm created by Gene Roddenberry over fifty years
ago. She portrays the Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Claire Finn,
M.D. serving as the Second Officer is one of the most interesting characters,
Lieutenant Commander Bortus (Peter Macon). His race, from the planet Mucus, are
almost exclusively male. If a female is born the parents typically opt for
gender reassignment. Bortus is married to a civilian, Klyden (Chad L. Coleman).
Together they have a son that Bortus carried. The usual pregnant male jokes
abounded but were offset in typical Star Trek fashion by the exploration of
relevant social issues this case revolving around the gender reassignment.
At the helm are a pair of best friends, Helmsman Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott
Grimes), the perennial prankster and Navigator, Lieutenant Commander. John
LaMarr (J. Lee). His IQ is second only to the robotic Science Officer, Isaac
(Mark Jackson), who comes from a planet inhabited by artificial Intelligent
mechanical life forms. In most ways, he is a metallic Mr. Data. Considering a
substantial portion of the target demographic is male, it is prudent to include
a very attractive young woman in the cast. In the current sociopolitical climate
might appear to be politically dubious, the undeniable fact of life and business
necessity is such casting decisions have been integral to entertainment for
millennia and is not about to change to conform to the current level of social
enlightenment. The actress assuming this role is Halston Sage, a burgeoning
talent currently paying her dues with supporting roles in critically acclaimed
productions. Here she portrays Lt. Alara Kitan, the Chief Security Officer.
Although the youngest of the senior officers Alara comes from a world dedicated
to intellectual pursuits. It also possesses a significantly larger gravity than
Earth she exhibits incredible strength quite anachronistic for someone so
petite.
Every aspect of the show’s production reveals the enthusiasm ingrained in the
very diverse abilities consistently demonstrated by Mr. MacFarlane; so many of
the fundamental components of the production reveal his lifelong infatuation of
the Star Trek franchise, and by extension, the science fiction genre in general.
His penchant for endless popular culture references particularly, in this
instance, to one of the most popular science fiction franchises in history. It
is well known that these fans are fiercely protective of the most miniscule
details of the canon. Among the many attractive aspects of this premise is the
way parody is used in a respectful, almost loving fashion, emanating from the
mind of a truly dedicated fan. Ultimately, the survival of the series depends on
the acceptance of that dedicated cadre of aficionados. The proof of this
hypothesis can be found on the aggregate review sites. I am always intrigued
when I see a significant difference between the ratings of online critics and
the audience members. Although I do belong to the former category, I have spent
many decades sitting in dark theaters gleefully watching the movies. The first
season of series was considered pedantic, at least by most accepted critical
standards. The official score in the mid-twenties stands out against a viewer
acceptance over 90. The rationale is simple; Mr. MacFarlane is a dedicate an
extremely talented fan writing for other fans, he is not looking for critical
accolades or the favor of those reviewing it. He set out to produce a television
show that is fun to watch and enjoyable on every level.