# 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:** 74
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1461 "2017-12-04T20:45:35Z")
Regarding ‘ripping off’ Star Trek, I think they are safe so long as they don’t attempt to use trademarked symbols and such. Star Trek itself ripped off previous science fiction stories. Tribbles were basically Heinlein’s ‘flat cats’ - right down to the specific trouble they caused. So much so that the writer wrote an apology to Heinlein, who basically said, ‘forget it - I probably lifted the idea from someone else anyway’. Roddenberry has described Star Trek as ‘Wagon Train in space’ and Kirk as ‘Horatio Hornblower in space’. I don’t believe you can copyright something as vague as a show about people on a starship exploring and fighting enemies. So long as they don’t use ‘warp drive’ or fire ‘phasers’ or ‘photon torpedoes’ or use other protected terms, they are probably fine. I wouldn’t be surpised if transporters are not part of the show because Fox’s legal team thought that might be pushing a boundary, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1462 "2017-12-04T23:45:12Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Although if CBS or Roddenberry’s heir(s) decided to sue, that would certainly help their case. They can take it up after MGM sues them for ripping off _Forbidden Planet_. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1463 "2017-12-05T00:10:53Z")
How did the Orville survive the 1st trip to flatland (The 1st time they hit the anomaly?) Not sure it was mentioned Brian ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1464 "2017-12-05T00:19:23Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > How did the Orville survive the 1st trip to flatland (The 1st time they hit the anomaly?) Not sure it was mentioned > > Brian They didn’t actual enter except for one small section that had plants in it and no crew. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1465 "2017-12-05T00:23:05Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > They didn’t actual enter except for one small section that had plants in it and no crew. That was the gross noodle guy’s ship. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1466 "2017-12-05T01:32:44Z")
No, the orville originally skimmed it and gross noodle guy went right 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:** [December 5, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1467 "2017-12-05T02:03:10Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > No, the orville originally skimmed it and gross noodle guy went right through. You are right, the plant was in an unoccupied state room of _Orville_. Mea culpa. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1468 "2017-12-05T02:33:49Z")
Liked this episode but when the Captain and XO were wondering why they didn’t know about Lamarr’s brains (and engineering qualifications - I’m pretty sure they mentioned his surprising educational experience) the answer that was obvious to me was “Because the XO hasn’t done her job” - I may be mistaken, but I think an XO can be expected to be conversant with the personnel records for officers like Lamarr. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1469 "2017-12-05T13:52:43Z")
Being intelligent doesn’t mean that you can change from driving the boat to taking it apart and putting it back together. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1470 "2017-12-05T14:14:41Z")
The main thing I didn’t like was when Ed & Kelly were arguing in the passageway, in public. Captains & XOs do not argue in public. Captains _certainly_ do not express lack of confidence in their ability to command in public. They really should have ducked into the nearest compartment before starting that fight. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > What happened to the alien smuggler ship? Did they just leave it, and all the weapons, behind for the Krill to pick up? Why couldn’t the _Orville_ have just stuck around and had Mercer say to the Krill, “We found these, but we think they’re yours - so you’re welcome to take them back”? Did you miss the episode where Mercer & John went undercover on the Krill ship? The Krill are bloodthirsty monsters who want to eliminate all non-Krill, and Mercer has seen that first hand. The only way to deal with the Krill is from far away, with greatly superior firepower. Not with a disabled ship facing 3 enemies who are probably pissed off to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1471 "2017-12-05T14:21:51Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Star Trek itself ripped off previous science fiction stories. Tribbles were basically Heinlein’s ‘flat cats’ - right down to the specific trouble they caused. So much so that the writer wrote an apology to Heinlein, who basically said, ‘forget it - I probably lifted the idea from someone else anyway’. Specifically, Heinlein said he’d taken it from the “rabbits in Australia” and Ellis Parker Butler’s story “Pigs is Pigs”. (To clarify, the “pigs” in Butler’s story are guinea pigs which keep multiplying.) When they said, "Two dimensional universe I said, “Flatland!” My brother suggested I read that when I was a kid and I thought it was great. Glad they mentioned it. I really liked the 2-D effect. The shuttle towing the ship reminded me of the TARDIS towing the Earth on Doctor Who. Hope they bring back the 2-D universe. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1472 "2017-12-05T14:37:18Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > When they said, "Two dimensional universe I said, “Flatland!” My brother suggested I read that when I was a kid and I thought it was great. Glad they mentioned it. I really liked how Malloy started asking about the possibility of 4th and 5th dimension viewers, which was a further reference to Flatland. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1473 "2017-12-05T15:05:31Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I really liked how Malloy started asking about the possibility of 4th and 5th dimension viewers, which was a further reference to Flatland. “Could they be watching us under a blanket?..or in the sleeve of a down coat?” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1474 "2017-12-05T15:23:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > More potential names for starships… Care to add any more? 🆒 I’d overlooked this before. One of my early-aviation heroes was trained by the Wright Brothers, and was the first to fly across America, “crash by crash.” So I look forward to a reference on the show sometime to the USS _Rodgers_: [Calbraith Perry Rodgers - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calbraith_Perry_Rodgers) ---
**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:** [December 8, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1475 "2017-12-08T14:01:34Z")
Concerning _Mad Idolatry_. I really enjoyed this episode. The episode had a nice high-concept plot with a good resolution. Civilization is going to civilization and, despite some outside contamination, people are going to find reasons to hurt each other regardless is a good lesson. Liked the Ed’s and Kelly’s chemistry and their decision to stay friends felt real and genuinely bittersweet. It was light on humor but I found the game of “Latchkum” scene funny. It was also nice to see that Bortus and his mate having a good time. Last time we saw them they were fighting. Did anyone else think the aliens at the end looked like backup dancers from a Michael Jackson music video circa [Dangerous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_(Michael_Jackson_album))? ---
**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:** [December 8, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1476 "2017-12-08T14:19:38Z")
Ha, true. This might have been my favorite episode yet. There is someone, a TNG superfan, I am trying to get to reconsider this show after he disliked the pilot. He will watch one more episode if I ask him to; but I need to decide which one. I’m basically torn between this one and the one where they sneak onto the Krill ship (both of which deal with religious extremism). Which would you pick, or would you suggest an entirely different one? ---
**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:** [December 8, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1477 "2017-12-08T14:31:00Z")
The one with the generation ship. (E4), I think. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1478 "2017-12-08T14:50:21Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > The one with the generation ship. (E4), I think. Also one of my favorites! Except that I didn’t like the scene when he just suddenly exposes them to the stars. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1479 "2017-12-08T14:58:00Z")
I really liked the ending, when they told Kelly that if it were not her, they would’ve found some other deity to worship and fight over. I looked at my wife and said, “just like planet Earth.” ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814/1480 "2017-12-08T19:09:23Z")
Definitely closed on a high note for the season. One of the best explorations of the “cultural contamination” trope I’ve seen, even if I called the “jump ahead in time” and “Kelly as deity” right away (right before the planet returned the first time, thanks very much). The Kelly/Ed plot I could have done without, but I suppose it was inevitable, and now I’m glad it’s out of the way. “Latchkum” was funny, as was Ed’s stop at John’s quarters before that. I also chuckled at the “forgot to hang up” gag, silly as it was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=73) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-orville-seth-mcfarlane/786814.md?page=75)