# 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:** 66
**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:** [November 17, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1301 "2017-11-17T21:20:31Z")
Yes, I was incredulous and kind of pissed that they made it an “only a dream” thing. On another note, I suppose it was too obvious to point out that Alara’s father is Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor from Voyager, but I see that her mother was [in one episode of DS9](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Eris). ---
**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:** [November 17, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1302 "2017-11-17T21:23:16Z")
Going into scifi nitpick mode: There’s no way a military ship like the Orville doesn’t have some kind of command log. If ‘protocol 38’ is such a powerful command, and a career killer if misused, it has to show up as a high-level log entry. At some point, probably during a performance review, a ‘protocol 38’ order has to come to the attention of Mercer’s superiors and has to be explained. > [@](#): > > Admiral: Your logs show protocol 38 was ordered by your security officer. Care to explain? > > Mercer: Uh, we had a slight command malfunction, but uh… everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here now, thank you. How are you? > > Admiral: We’re putting the entire ship under review. Report to the closest starbase immediately. > > Mercer: Uh, uh… negative, negative. We had a reactor leak here now. Give us a few weeks to lock it down. Large leak, very dangerous. You’re breaking up. > > _Mercer shuts off the comms._ > > Mercer: Boring conversation anyway. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1303 "2017-11-17T22:12:40Z")
Hah! That was the funniest moment in any Star Wars movie. Nice callback. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1304 "2017-11-18T01:31:04Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > Going into scifi nitpick mode: > > There’s no way a military ship like the Orville doesn’t have some kind of command log. If ‘protocol 38’ is such a powerful command, and a career killer if misused, it has to show up as a high-level log entry. At some point, probably during a performance review, a ‘protocol 38’ order has to come to the attention of Mercer’s superiors and has to be explained. What so powerful about ordering people to wear shoes in engineering? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1305 "2017-11-18T04:53:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Yes, I was incredulous and kind of pissed that they made it an “only a dream” thing. > > On another note, I suppose it was too obvious to point out that Alara’s father is Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor from Voyager, but I see that her mother was [in one episode of DS9](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Eris). When I saw the Mother I said “Herman’s Head!” That show is over 20 years old but it’s still what I associate her with. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1306 "2017-11-18T05:54:46Z")
I enjoyed this episode and I have to say that this show in my opinion is superior to ST Discovery on all counts. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1307 "2017-11-18T06:34:31Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > I enjoyed this episode and I have to say that this show in my opinion is superior to ST Discovery on all counts. It is a homage to ST:ToS and yes, it is great. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1308 "2017-11-18T09:06:53Z")
It’s really more of an homage to TNG. I thought the ep did a great job executing horror tropes. I especially loved Evil Isaac lurking in the background of the shuttle bay. Holodeck episodes are always a bit of a cop-out, and I didn’t like the way the reveal was handled. Third-act exposition with a bunch of people sitting around explaining what happened is always eye-rolling. IMO a more interesting story would be if we find out that it’s a simulation much earlier, and the crew, realizing what Alara has done, must go inside it to convince her to end the program. Then they have to convince her that they are real and not the horror versions of themselves. Hijinks! Speaking of holodeck episodes, in a lot of ways this one reminded me of the Voyager ep _Worst Case Scenario_, which is great fun. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1309 "2017-11-18T16:47:57Z")
When it became overly obvious they were going down the “simulation/dream” route, we tried speculating when it had taken over. I thought she was going to “wake up” in engineering, still facing that fireball. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1310 "2017-11-19T01:18:04Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > When it became overly obvious they were going down the “simulation/dream” route, we tried speculating when it had taken over. I thought she was going to “wake up” in engineering, still facing that fireball. same. I liked this episode. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1311 "2017-11-19T01:24:54Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > Going into scifi nitpick mode: > > There’s no way a military ship like the Orville doesn’t have some kind of command log. If ‘protocol 38’ is such a powerful command, and a career killer if misused, it has to show up as a high-level log entry. At some point, probably during a performance review, a ‘protocol 38’ order has to come to the attention of Mercer’s superiors and has to be explained. The misquote of the protocol was homage to Red Dwarf. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1312 "2017-11-19T02:07:07Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Yeah but, the whole show is commentary on the genre. They have explored a major cliche in just about every episode. Seems weird to complain about it now. Excellent point I had failed to think of. You could look at the Holodeck/Dream trope in this episode as a commentary or reference rather than a simple cop-out. We might see this happen less and less as the show goes on. Once they really hit their stride, I hope they’ll be too busy creating their own show with their own style to lean on references as much. I know this is a McFarlane show, but still. They’re showing signs of becoming a very good ensemble sci-fi show\*, with flawed ppl that are a little less serious than we’re used to. I’m hoping they can take it to the level they’re now flirting with. It’s a dream/holodeck episodes are weak sauce. \*- Sherry Palmer’s character and acting is a little uneven, though. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1313 "2017-11-19T13:29:13Z")
I enjoyed seeing Issac have his ass kicked. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1314 "2017-11-19T18:44:18Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > When I saw the Mother I said “Herman’s Head!” That show is over 20 years old but it’s still what I associate her with. Same here! To add a bit more to the discussion, I do like the discussion on whether it’s a cop-out for it to have been a dream/holodeck or an homage to other shows. I will say that I think they did the reveal at the best time, which is after a major character dies, compared to the nurse in sickbay, to explain it to the viewer. That worked for me. Reading more here, though, I agree that not explaining it until the end, or having different versions show up to convince her it was real could have been a nice twist or added to the tension of it all. I did like the idea of a Cthuhlu-esque evil Q type big bad that they might encounter as well. I do think we are asking them a bit much not to have some explanation because they have to assume not all viewers will be as savvy as us here! Sure, it fell a bit flat but now that they have done it once, it can be improved. The misquote of the directive was hilarious! Thanks for the good discussion! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1315 "2017-11-19T21:27:23Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > When it became overly obvious they were going down the “simulation/dream” route, we tried speculating when it had taken over. I thought she was going to “wake up” in engineering, still facing that fireball. I was convinced she was going to wake up in sick bay, having been concussed by a beam falling on her as she actually rescued that crewman, and dreaming ever since. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1316 "2017-11-20T00:40:06Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I was convinced she was going to wake up in sick bay, having been concussed by a beam falling on her as she actually rescued that crewman, and dreaming ever since. Same here, though it did take me until pysco-Claire to realize it was all just a dream/hallucination/simulation. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1317 "2017-11-20T00:56:18Z")
Penny Johnson was scary being crazy. She had a standard crazy character to play, and standard lines, but she brought it off. In _DS9_ she had a standard, campy line to deliver when she realized that her husband had died and returned as prophet, or “worm hole alien”; “Oh My God.” But she brought it off. On the bad side, she was much more attractive on _DS9_ than _Orville_. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1318 "2017-11-20T00:58:22Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Same here, though it did take me until pysco-Claire to realize it was all just a dream/hallucination/simulation. Yes, they’d have written off two cast members by that time. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1319 "2017-11-20T01:38:39Z")
I thought it was a great episode. I didn’t like her running down the hallway for what seemed like hours as they were discussing her situation. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1320 "2017-11-20T03:00:00Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > When I saw the Mother I said “Herman’s Head!” That show is over 20 years old but it’s still what I associate her with. Me too, though I had to check IMDB to see why she looked so familiar. > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > When it became overly obvious they were going down the “simulation/dream” route, we tried speculating when it had taken over. I thought she was going to “wake up” in engineering, still facing that fireball. I was kind of hoping that her talk with her parents had been imaginary. I was reminded of TNG’s “Remember Me” episode, but the way. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Penny Johnson was scary being crazy. She had a standard crazy character to play, and standard lines, but she brought it off. Yeah - her “emptiness of space” speech was effective. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=67)