Yeah…this was a missed opportunity.
Was it dangerous for Daddy to climb down because of high gravity? I thought that in addition to being very strong to cope with it, they would have evolved some physical protection.
It sure could have been clearer what the problem was. Was it the higher gravity, or just the fact that he was old and injured? I assume their planet has the same problems with getting weaker with age, just higher up on the scale, as it were.
While Alara’s planet makes no sense (everyone there should be two feet tall and five feet wide, the air pressure at the surface would be crushing), these are nitpicks within normal parameters. From a science, or even a storytelling perspective, The Orville is no worse than TNG. I like the show. I am also liking the "less bathroom humor"style this year.
I think that fact he could only use the one hand was the big factor.
While it’s nice fan-service to cast Robert Picardo, I think the episode might have been better served if it turned out Alara was one of the tallest members of her species, like freakishly tall.
That said, I’m wondering how much G-force would be needed to spontaneously crush the tibia and fibula of a healthy human male who was lying on the ground. I could picture Mercer suffering a significant leg injury if he was standing and possibly carrying a heavy weight when the gravity hit him, but he was in the lowest possible stress position and his bones still crunched. There are human test pilots who have pulled 9g maneuvers and not suffered bone breaks so the gravity on this planet must be absurdly implausibly high.
I kinda got the impression this species thought itself (or at least Alara’s father thought his family) had evolved beyond the need for anything resembling rambunctious physical activity, let alone violence, so his daughter being in the military would strike him as especially jarring, he himself would be hesitant to engage in something as demanding as climbing over a railing and jumping to the ground, and he would be utterly psychologically helpless when confronted with sadistic home invaders.
Mama or Sis could have gone.
It was just so Alara could say, “You can do this!”
True, why didnt Sis go?
Now THAT would make an interesting species. While they they tell themselves (and anyone who will listen) that they are more advanced than the mere humans and their military ways, the fact is, on their home planet they are still vulnerable. They are so at risk from high falls (even with their adaptations), that they’ve developed a culture that is risk-averse in all things. So Alara isn’t just “dumber”, she’s like a Niven puppeteer - if she’s willing to take risks that could get her hurt, then she’s obviously mentally unsound.
What we view as Alara’s strengths, her own people consider mental illness. But her “illness” is what saved her family. She was willing to do what was necessary, and the average person on her planet wouldn’t. Fortunately for them, the criminal element is ALSO risk averse. It’s just Phlox’s passion over his dead son overrode his caution.
You’re thinking of Deep Space Nine.
“Sis go” = Sisko
The only good pun is a bad pun.
I like that.
Well, related to my earlier comment that it might have been interesting if Alara had well-above-average height for her species, I picture that species having some semi-dogmatic bias against the tall, i.e. extra height means reduced blood flow to the brain, or some such nonsense. Alara need not be dumb or slow by the standards of her species (merely average), but she has faced the unreasonable bias her whole life, another factor in driving her off-planet where she finds she’s considered highly intelligent and even petite by human standards, and discovers she’s highly dangerous (as opposed to constantly endangered) and nearly invulnerable, sparking some long-repressed sense of aggression.
Of course, if the planet did have a dwarf-like population, I can picture Malloy making some disparaging or mocking comment, prompting:
Mercer: You realize there are toddlers here that could rip you in half like toilet paper, right?
Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes was outstanding.
Are you kidding? The Greatest Hits of Billy Joel? We’re all DOOOOOOOOOMED!
Yeah that was a good one. Nice Star Trek style theme and I really liked finishing with that song. Most amusing.
Eta: I did see the twist coming as soon as the Krill made an appearance but still fun.
A spoiler.
A reviewer pointed out that Mercer puts his jacket on her shoulders when she is cold, and uses it later to protect her from sunlight.
Yes and yes. I was a bit disappointed that the twist was so obvious, but still mostly a solid, competent episode.
Per movie night:
“What was the one with the taxi driver?”
“Er, Taxi Driver?”
“Yeah, what was the name of that one?”