# The Orville-Seth McFarlane **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814 "2017-05-17T03:28:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 50
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/981 "2017-10-16T13:44:36Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > The teacher called them “trainees”, so it may be some kind of Avis approved JROTC program. Yeah. They were young, but human cultures sometimes sent 10 or 12-year-olds to sea in warships as officers in training. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/982 "2017-10-16T13:45:04Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > The teacher called them “trainees”, so it may be some kind of Avis approved JROTC program. Thanks! ---
**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:** [October 16, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/983 "2017-10-16T14:39:25Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Yeah. They were young, but human cultures sometimes sent 10 or 12-year-olds to sea in warships as officers in training. And here I was thinking how Evile the Krell are, indoctrinating children into space warriors! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/984 "2017-10-16T14:48:10Z")
Did the teacher’s ominous “They will be” make anyone else think of Yoda’s ominous “You will be”? ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/985 "2017-10-16T15:19:05Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Maybe I’m looking too deeply into this - but this show actually works pretty well when it tries to tell a serious, plausible story that just tacks on some character moments and comedy organically rather than being a full on farce with a plot that doesn’t make much sense. We’re all looking too deeply into the show. We’re all speculating wildly how this episode affects Union/Krill relations while the events probably won’t be referenced ever again. Orville doesn’t, yet, have the depth of canon that Star Trek has to really support deep speculation. Nevertheless, it is fun to fan theorise. Not many scifi shows like this around. Haven’t watched ST: Discovery to say anything about it. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/986 "2017-10-16T15:33:40Z")
Maybe, at some level, we’re all taking this way more seriously than it deserves. People poked continuity holes in Trek all the time but that was supposed to be serious fiction. “Orville” is Trek without, as Jack Nicholson said, accountability and reason. It’s supposed to be fun. And if they can make a serious point occasionally, while being fun, hey great. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/987 "2017-10-16T15:42:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > And here I was thinking how Evile the Krell are, indoctrinating children into space warriors! > 🙂 Hey, you’ve posted in Aubrey/Maturin threads. How old do you think the mids like Babbington and Forshaw were? ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/988 "2017-10-16T16:01:48Z")
Oh, and “Originally Posted by carnivorousplant: What does the Black guy do besides be stupid?” Clearly the character is intended to poke fun at Mayweather on Enterprise. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/989 "2017-10-16T16:23:03Z")
Finally caught up. As others have said, this episode presented a couple of very interesting dilemmas and I enjoyed it overall. I didn’t mind the terrible infiltration as much as some here did. It’s always done in an implausible way in sci-fi and I think it’s fine to lampshade it. I enjoyed silly stuff like not being used to the dimensions of his own outfit. As a non-american, all the Avis stuff didn’t land for me; I know it’s a car rental company, but there is no automatic association in my mind, so nothing inherently anything silly about a god called Avis. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2017, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/990 "2017-10-16T16:36:57Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Hey, you’ve posted in Aubrey/Maturin threads. How old do you think the mids like Babbington and Forshaw were? Indeed. 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 16, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/991 "2017-10-16T16:41:34Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Oh, and “Originally Posted by carnivorousplant: What does the Black guy do besides be stupid?” > > Clearly the character is intended to poke fun at Mayweather on Enterprise. I did not remember that character until I Googled him in ST uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/992 "2017-10-16T18:00:00Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Finally caught up. > > As others have said, this episode presented a couple of very interesting dilemmas and I enjoyed it overall. > > I didn’t mind the terrible infiltration as much as some here did. It’s always done in an implausible way in sci-fi and I think it’s fine to lampshade it. I enjoyed silly stuff like not being used to the dimensions of his own outfit. > > As a non-american, all the Avis stuff didn’t land for me; I know it’s a car rental company, but there is no automatic association in my mind, so nothing inherently anything silly about a god called Avis. When I was a kid, ISIS was a female Saturday morning superhero who came on after Shazam. Oh mighty Isis! Times and references have changed. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/993 "2017-10-16T18:04:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Could be, but nobody rational would make that argument. 😛 Unless, of course, they actually watched the show. Look, I like the show. When it concentrates on the plot and serious characterization, it’s quite good. And every so often, the jokes actually connect. But ‘we addicted the aliens to reality TV!’ and ‘the alien god has the same name as a car rental place!’ are the level of the vast majority of the jokes, and they frequently swamp the good parts. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/994 "2017-10-16T18:08:07Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > When I was a kid, ISIS was a female Saturday morning superhero who came on after Shazam. Oh mighty Isis! Times and references have changed. Funny, she was and is a Eqyptian God to me. Though I do recall that crappy show. But I was always into myths and legends I guess. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/995 "2017-10-16T18:25:26Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Funny, she was and is a Eqyptian God to me. Though I do recall that crappy show. But I was always into myths and legends I guess. I thought Isis was a [Cat](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Isis)? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/996 "2017-10-16T18:28:17Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I thought Isis was a [Cat](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Isis)? I didn’t click the link yet, but I’m going to guess a link to the Star Trek episode with Gary 7 and Teri Garr? ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/997 "2017-10-16T18:29:47Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > When I was a kid, ISIS was a female Saturday morning superhero who came on after Shazam. Oh mighty Isis! Times and references have changed. [Relevant standup bit.](https://imgur.com/gallery/svDQJx2) ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/998 "2017-10-16T18:39:41Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I didn’t click the link yet, but I’m going to guess a link to the Star Trek episode with Gary 7 and Teri Garr? Yes - but there is also evidence [here](http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Isis_(Cat)) from a different historical document. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/999 "2017-10-16T18:56:17Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I didn’t click the link yet, but I’m going to guess a link to the Star Trek episode with Gary 7 and Teri Garr? You are correct, but I was thinking of the cat in _Catspa_w. I wonder if the same cat worked in both episodes? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1000 "2017-10-16T19:50:19Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > We’re all looking too deeply into the show. We’re all speculating wildly how this episode affects Union/Krill relations while the events probably won’t be referenced ever again. This episode’s plot relied on a critical reference to something that happened in Episode 1. I think the showrunners are more ambitious than you give them credit for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=51)