# The Orville Season 2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [December 31, 2018, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966 "2018-12-31T06:20:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/281 "2019-01-25T17:20:09Z")
I thought the obvious thing to say would have been “Oh you’re right, they’re Jiliacs. Well, no need to trouble yourselves, we have prison facilities on our ship”. Also, when you land in the first place surely you have some kind of protection from attack (although I can handwave it; maybe they let their guard down after a time because the Rigorians seemed so hospitable). But overall, as **SenorBeef** said: a TNG episode played straight. 2 ways diverged slightly: 1. How excited everyone got about first contact. Even if it was a bit silly, it was cute. 2. Bortus and Kelly capping punks was not something that would have happened on TNG. Even if Picard killed plenty of mooks they rarely (ever?) used regular guns because it just seems too real to 21st century humans. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/282 "2019-01-25T18:07:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I thought the obvious thing to say would have been “Oh you’re right, they’re Jiliacs. Well, no need to trouble yourselves, we have prison facilities on our ship”. > Also, when you land in the first place surely you have some kind of protection from attack (although I can handwave it; maybe they let their guard down after a time because the Rigorians seemed so hospitable). > > But overall, as **SenorBeef** said: a TNG episode played straight. 2 ways diverged slightly: > > 1. How excited everyone got about first contact. Even if it was a bit silly, it was cute. > 2. Bortus and Kelly capping punks was not something that would have happened on TNG. Even if Picard killed plenty of mooks they rarely (ever?) used regular guns because it just seems too real to 21st century humans. They certainly seemed to handle alien projectile weapons fairly well. Kudos to Union training! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/283 "2019-01-25T19:16:49Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Even if Picard killed plenty of mooks they rarely (ever?) used regular guns because it just seems too real to 21st century humans. [Sometimes](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&q=picard+kills+borg+machine+gun). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/284 "2019-01-25T19:24:41Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Favorite line: “I liked you a lot better when you were using contractions”. I had to think for a moment before I got it, then laughed. > > I didn’t guess the twist. I didn’t see the resemblence, and still don’t. Just watched this episode. As soon as the Krill ships showed up, I guessed it half-way (maybe 3/4 way, didn’t predict the throwback, mostly because I didn’t remember). I so much want to like this show, but the crew is just _so_ unprofessional that it breaks my suspension of disbelief. I’m trying, but I don’t know if I’ll last all season. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/285 "2019-01-25T21:03:32Z")
That mirror was placed awfully close to the planet. Ground-based telescopes would be able to easily tell that it wasn’t near as far away as it should be. ---
**Author:** ![ohiomstr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/82dd89/32.png) [@ohiomstr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ohiomstr2)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/286 "2019-01-25T21:11:33Z")
I so want to like this series, injecting some humor into a starship is a refreshing change from the norm. I must aggree that the lack of professionalism is off-putting. It will be interesting to see how the captain avoids a court martial for allowing his girlfriend to escape. In a real world I suspect such a move would, at a minimum, result in him being relieved of command. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/287 "2019-01-25T21:15:17Z")
I like it better without comedy, but “Remember, if you do not eat, you will die” was pretty nice. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/288 "2019-01-25T21:17:26Z")
Anyone else notice that Peter Macon (LCDR Bortus) played a submarine’s COB on “SEAL Team” last night? Apparently that’s how he speaks; my wife and I were watching, and looked at each other, and commented that he sounded really familiar and has a unique pattern of speaking and diction. It finally dawned on me that it was Bortus I was hearing about five minutes later. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/289 "2019-01-25T23:14:32Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Came here to express my aggravation that this never came up. Thought this would be a good argument against their whole astrology system entirely. How can astrology be accurate when there are so many other worlds so far apart, and the stars are all in different positions? This is \*their \*world, the center of the universe. Of \*course \*the alignment of stars around their planet controls everything in the universe. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/290 "2019-01-25T23:17:29Z")
I guess I’m still stuck on Prime Directive. No reason to make contact after just a transmission. Wait until they’ve established faster than light travel. I found the prison break surprising. They killed many guards and managed to time it when the sail was deployed? Which was another Prime Directive violation, which doesn’t exist, so I’m having problems disassociating that. The episode was directed by Lt. Paris. Anyone catch that? So does the new security chief get the gravity treatment they designed for Alara? And how many pregnancies are artificially extended in order for the child to be born under the lucky sign? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/291 "2019-01-25T23:26:28Z")
I thought replacing Alara with a very similar Xelayan seemed like kind of a weird choice. We’ve already established that Alara is very unusual for her race - being interested in security, being interested in exploring space, and being mentally retarded by her race’s standards. So, then, this new brunette young Xalayan girl either also has to be retarded by Xalayan standards, or she has to be the smartest one of the biological bridge crew and generate her own ideas and plans, and either way is a weird fit. If she does, it’s obviously it’s just an exact 1:1 swap of actors without really changing the character (even though the character does change), or it’s a continuous plothole. Feels like they should’ve gone in another direction, but I guess they have a million “girl lifts a shuttle over her head” gags they feel the need to push forward through. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/292 "2019-01-25T23:32:22Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > …being mentally retarded by her race’s standards. ugh. Do we have any evidence of her being unintelligent other than her Father’s nasty remarks? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/293 "2019-01-25T23:44:38Z")
I don’t think it’s meant to be controversial or unclear that she’s dumb by Xalayan standards. Her mom also tried to pitch coming home to her gently and basically disapproved of her out there trying to do her own thing. I think other characters also made reference to how much smarter Xalayans are. I suspect they’ll just sort of forget about that whole thing and let the new security officer be of normal average human level of intelligence with no explanation. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/294 "2019-01-26T01:02:02Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Setting aside the highly convenient timing for Kelley and Bortis of the appearance of the fake star, that’s one mighty forgiving civilization to just let them go after they wiped out half a platoon of camp guards. Were they all as Nazi-like as the commander? Did none of them have families? > > . Yeah so being a geliac is a crime, but killing a dozen camps guards is OK? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/295 "2019-01-26T01:04:12Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > And nobody pointing out the obvious fact that Kelly and Bortas are from different freakin’ planets, with different month and year lengths and different constellations in the sky. First thing I thought of. “No, Tribune, they are not Geliacs, they are Leos, look see…” Well,the second thing after “give us our crew back or we vaporize your planet”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/296 "2019-01-26T01:05:19Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I would have liked the astrology episode a lot better if they hadn’t shown the exact same episode last season. No, they didnt. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/297 "2019-01-26T01:20:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > First thing I thought of. “No, Tribune, they are not Geliacs, they are Leos, look see…” > > Well,the second thing after “give us our crew back or we vaporize your planet”. 😃 That was my problem with Star Trek. Things should have gone this way: Picard: “Wesley is an obnoxious little shit, and we will pay for the things he broke; but if you execute him, we will phaser your planet into a cinder. Observe your moon. Mr. Worf, fire.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/298 "2019-01-26T01:24:31Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That was my problem with Star Trek. > Things should have gone this way: > > Picard: “Wesley is an obnoxious little shit, and we will pay for the things he broke; but if you execute him, we will phaser your planet into a cinder. Observe your moon. Mr. Worf, fire.” Not with Wesley, I would just expect a \*The Ransom of Red Chief \*ending. > **[Short Story: ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ by O. Henry](https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-23-2009-06-12-voa1-83142177/117086.html)** > > On AMERICAN STORIES: Two kidnappers get more than they expect from their young hostage. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/299 "2019-01-26T01:26:06Z")
Yes, I know, the Prime Directive. “Those people are killing and eating each other down there, and all we can do is watch it on the view screen. 256 channels, and there is nothing on!” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966/300 "2019-01-26T01:34:37Z")
I actually looked it up. Apparently Geliac = Aquarius if we go by the airdate of the show and that their birthdays were “next week.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-season-2/826966.md?page=16)