Tag: Fox

For the third time in a month, a far-flung Union colony is under Krill attack, and the Orville answers the distress call despite being badly outgunned by the Krill cruiser it finds itself facing. But thanks to a desperate last-ditch maneuver ordered by Captain Mercer, not only does the Orville emerge victorious, but it retrieves an intact Krill shuttle from the resulting wreckage, giving Union engineers a unique chance to analyze Krill technology. But a Union admiral has other plans for the shuttle: Mercer and helmsman Gordon Malloy will assume Krill disguise and infiltrate the nearest Krill cruiser, trying to obtain a copy of the Krill’s holy book, as their religion dictates their drive for war. The infiltration goes smoothly enough, but when Mercer and Malloy discover that this cruiser is on a mission to finish the job left undone by the ship destroyed by the Orville, things become much deadlier.

written by David A. Goodman
directed by Jon Cassar
music by Joel McNeely

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Kelly Hu (Admiral Ozawa), Michaela McManus (Teleya), Dylan Kenin (Captain Haros), James Horan (Sazeron), Michael Dempsey (Mining Chief Harry Leidecker), Makabe Ganey (Coja), Gabriella Graves (Krill Girl Student), Caleb Brown (Krill Boy Student), Tim Neff (Krill Soldier), Brandon Melendy (Krill Guard), Jordan Lane Shappell (Krill Helmsman), Fred Tatasciore (Krill Voice)

Notes: James Horan is the latest Star Trek veteran drafted back into the service of The Orville, having appeared in TNG (Suspicions, Descent Part II), DS9 (In Purgatory’s Shadow), Voyager (Fair Trade), and throughout the run of Enterprise as the “Humanoid Figure” issuing orders from the future to Silik from the pilot episode forward.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Orville is assigned to retrieve a team of undercover Union cultural anthropologists from the earthlike world Sargus IV; the team has been out of contact for some time. Kelly, Alara, Dr. Finn and navigator Lt. John LaMarr arrive on Sargus IV and obtain badges, mandated by law, allowing anyone to “upvote” or “downvote” them. LaMarr makes the mistake of doing a somewhat lewd dance near a statue of a historical figure held in high regard. Citizens nearby capture video of this with their phones and upload it to the “Master Feed”, a constant stream of information, and his badge begins registering hundreds of thousands of downvotes. At one million downvotes, LaMarr is arrested and forced to mount an “apology tour”, appearing on live broadcasts to apologize for his actions in the hopes that sympathetic viewers will upvote him out of trouble. At ten million downvotes, however, a citizen is “corrected” via lobotomy. Dr. Finn discovers that this was the fate of the only surviving anthropologist – and LaMarr’s lack of social graces don’t promise much of a future for him.

written by Seth MacFarlane
directed by Tucker Gates
music by John Debney

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Giorgia Whigham (Lysella), Steven Culp (Willks), Ron Canada (Admiral Tucker), Catherine Shu (Hoshel), John Viener (Man Spilling Coffee), Roy Abramsohn (Morning Host), Loren Lester (Lewis), Barry Livingston (Tom), Mike Estes (Guard #1), Michael Shen (Man in Suit), Heather Brooker (Mother), London Fuller (Little Girl #1), Gwen Van Dam (Grandmother), Alec Manley Wilson (Man #1), Matthew Spencer (Man #2), Curtis Kingsley (Man #3), Denell Johnson (Man #4), Danny Smith (Vendor), Merrick McCartha (Scientist), Matt Kaminsky (Interviewer), Penny Peyser (Customer), Jesse Egan (Pedestrian), Corey Mendell Parker (Policeman #1), Travis Goodman (Detention Guard), Anne Judson-Yeager (Carris), Kimberly Fox (Semmla), Daniel Robaire (Man in Cap)

Notes: There are some similarities between this episode of The Orville and a 1985 Doctor Who story, Vengeance On Varos, which also involved up or down votes, though only for the governor of a human colony each time he proposed changes to the law. The difference between 1985 and 2017 is, of course, the presence of omni-present (and always-judgemental) social media. Steven Culp is the latest Star Trek veteran to transfer to the Orville; he played the recurring role of MACO leader Major Hayes in the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Dr. Finn and her two sons, Ty and Marcus, depart the Orville aboard a shuttle bound for a vacation planet. A last-minute pilot replacement leaves Dr. Finn with Isaac in the pilot’s chair rather than Gordon, and Isaac confesses complete bewilderment about the seemingly disrespectful behavior of the Finn children. But there are bigger problems than brothers picking on each other: the shuttle falls through a rift in space, suffering significant damage along the way. As the shuttle plummets through the sky of a habitable planet, Isaac tries to bring it in for a controlled landing while Dr. Finn tries to restore auxiliary power in the rear section of the shuttle, which is torn off by the shuttle’s rough landing with her inside. Dr. Finn, still unconscious, is dragged away by a being named Drogen, who seems to want to keep her prisoner, and won’t give in to her demands to find her children. Isaac finds himself trying to ride herd over the feuding Finn brothers, gather resources the power up the shuttle wreckage enough to send a distress call, and fending off a relentless horde of cannibals.

written by Brannon Braga & Andre Bormanis
directed by Brannon Braga
music by Joel McNeely

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Larry Joe Campbell (Chief Newton), Brian Thompson (Drogen), Norm MacDonald (voice of Yaphit), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), Rachael MacFarlane (Computer Voice), Brett Easton (Feral Alien Man), Heidi Pascoe (Feral Alien Woman), Brandon Melendy (Feral Alien #5)

Notes: Guest star Brian Thompson is the latest Star Trek veteran to appear in the Orville; his lengthy list of genre credits includes The Terminator, Otherworld, Knight Rider, Star Trek: The Next Generation (A Matter Of Honor), Alien Nation, Superboy, two episodes of Deep Space Nine, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Seven Days, the Babylon 5 spinoff Crusade, The X-Files, and episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. Dr. Finn’s children were neither seen nor mentioned prior to this episode.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Karaoke night aboard the Orville is somewhat mercifully interrupted by new orders from Admiral Halsey: the Navarian/Bruidian conflict over the planet Lopovia – and its ruins that may indicate ancient settlement by either race, depending on DNA analysis – is coming to a head. Mercer is ordered to proceed to Lopovia and consult with a Planetary Union archaeologist, who will announce the results to ambassadors from both species immediately…in the hopes that the Union’s presence will keep a full-scale war from instantly breaking out over Lopovia. But a smaller-scale war seems inevitable when the arachaeologist turned out to be Darulio, the alien who ended Mercer’s marriage to Commander Grayson. Despite the palpable tension of sitting in the middle of a potential war zone, however, members of the crew begin acting strangely: after initially being enraged at Darulio’s presence, Mercer finds himself inexplicably attracted to his ex-wife’s former lover. Dr. Finn finally gives in to Yaphit’s advances. All of the strange behavior coincides with Darulio’s arrival, and may be related to his pheremones. As one of very few members of the Orville’s crew unaffected by these strange urges, Alara decides Darulio may be the key to preventing a war.

written by Liz Helden
directed by Jamie Babbit
music by John Debney

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad L. Coleman (Klyden), Rob Lowe (Darulio), Victor Garber (Admiral Halsey), Larry Joe Campbell (Chief Newton), J. Paul Boehmer (Navarian Ambassador), Derek Mears (Bruidian Ambassador), Norm MacDonald (voice of Yaphit), Mike Henry (Dann), Ralph Garman (Kanoot), Stevens Gaston (Ensign Brooks), Gavin Lee (Henry Park), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), Alexander Bedria (voice from Comm)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

A bumpy ride through an ion storm turns into a deadly ride through an ion storm. When part of the roof of the engine room collapses, Alara is asked to help lift pieces of debris off of trapped crewmates. When a fire erupts in front of her, she hesistates, and one of the engineers dies. She begins questioning her own abilities, even to the point of trying to hand Captain Mercer her resignation. She contacts her parents to ask if she suffered any trauma at a very young age due to a fire, and begins exploring what other fears might stop her in her tracks. But her attempts to scare herself mean that Alara will have to take an even riskier course of action that could well mean watching all of her friends and crewmates die before her eyes.

written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
directed by Brannon Braga
music by John Debney

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Larry Joe Campbell (Chief Newton), Molly Hagan (Drenala Kitan), Robert Picardo (Ildis Kitan), Tim Mikulecky (Lt. Harrison Payne), Gavin Lee (Henry Park), Rachael MacFarlane (Computer Voice), Seth Austin (Clown)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Chief Newton is preparing to retire from the service, and even as the farewell party commences, Captain Mercer and Commander Grayson are already turning their attention to finding a replacement for the chief engineer. A casual glance through crew records reveals something surprising: Lt. LaMarr, the ship’s navigator, has extensive engineering experience that more than meets the qualifications for the job… and yet the crew knows him for his largely lowbrow antics. When this is brought to Mercer’s attention, he’s surprised as well, but favors giving Yaphit the job. Grayson insists on giving LaMarr a fair shot…and then accidentally drops a hint that she also insisted that Mercer himself get a promotion to Captain. As LaMarr tries to navigate his way through the unfamiliar space of a departmental command position, Mercer begins questioning if he’s the right person to be sitting in the captain’s chair. Amidst all this self-doubt, an anomaly lurks in nearby space whose strange nature could flatten the Orville and her crew.

written by Seth MacFarlane
directed by Kelly Cronin
music by Andrew Cottee

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Victor Garber (Admiral Halsey), Larry Joe Campbell (Chief Newton), Norm MacDonald (Yaphit), Mike Henry (Dann), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Paul Vogt (Horbalak Captain), Michael J. Sielaff (Palovis), Dan J. Evans (Engineer #1), Erica Mathlin (Engineer #2)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Bortus is the last member of the Orville’s crew that Captain Mercer would expect to have attendance problems, and yet the normally stoic Moclan is asking to leave nearly every shift early…and is arriving in his quarters very late every evening. When Bortus’ spouse, Klyden, attempts to kill him – the Moclan method of initiating a divorce – Dr. Finn is able to save Bortus’ life, over his protests. Mercer has Klyden thrown into the brig and finally begins to demand answers, but since the incident has disrupted routine duties aboard a Union ship, the captain refuses to acknowledge the lethal divorce proceedings, instead “sentencing” Bortus and Klyden to couples counseling. But Bortus still has a secret – he’s been using the holographic simulator aboard the Orville to satisfy some base desires…and his appetite for doing so may put the entire ship, and a high-stakes rescue mission, in extreme danger.

written by Wellesley Wild
directed by Kevin Hooks
music by John Debney

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad L. Coleman (Klyden), Kelly Hu (), Lesley Fera (), Mike Henry (Dann), Michael C. Mahon (Altox), Darren Dupree Washington (Simulated Moclan), Jude B. Lanston (Moclan Prison Guard), Veronica Matheu (Nyxian Girl), Gavin Lee (Henry Park), Joseph Johnson (Moclan Doctor), Michael James Lazar (Moclan #1), Torrance Jordan (Moclan #2), Aaron McPherson (Crew Member)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Captain Mercer has been keeping a romantic relationship with the Orville’s new dark matter cartographer, Lt. Janel Tyler, hush-hush, but finally begins letting the word out ahead of a vacation shuttle trip with her. But as if often the case, Mercer can’t have nice things: a small group of Krill fighters seem to home in on the shuttle, even when it’s cloaked, until it is captured by a larger Krill ship. The Krill separate the two and demand Mercer’s command codes, and it is only then that he learns that Lt. Janel Tyler is Telaya, a Krill who Mercer met which disguised as a Trill himself. Acting as a surgically-altered Krill deep-cover agent, Telaya is returning the favor, but a surprise attack by another enemy of the Krill forces the two into an escape pod which sets down on a planet inhospitable to Telaya, who, like all Krill, cannot survive direct exposure to sunlight. With the Krill’s enemies hunting them down, Mercer has to find a way to signal the Orville…and protect a woman who’s holding him at gunpoint.

written by Brannon Braga & Andre Bormanis
directed by Jon Cassar
music by Joel McNeely

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad Coleman (Klyden), Michaela McManus (Telaya / Lt. Janel Tyler), Patrick Warburton (Lt. Tharl), Chris Johnson (Cassius), Michael Traynor (Krill Captain), Nathan Dana Aldrich (Krill Officer), Greta Jung (Comm Officer), Giovanni Bejarano (Security Officer), Michele Boyd (Lieutenant Dorsett), Fred Tatasciore (Krill voice)

Notes: Mercer and Gordon met Telaya in season one’s Krill, while “Lt. Tyler” boarded the Orville at the beginning of season two (Ja’loja), though Michaela McManus was not credited in that episode, presumably to avoid tipping the hand of this episode’s plot developments (and perhaps to confuse speculation as to who would replace Halston Sage as a series regular).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Convinced by Lt. Malloy that he’d look good with a moustache, Bortus boldly goes where no Moclan has gone before – to Dr. Finn, to have hair follicles stimulated on his upper lip. Dr. Finn, however, has other things on her mind: asking the Orville’s resident Kaylon science officer, Isaac, out on a date. Her children already love spending time with him, and despite his being an emotionless artificial life form, Dr. Finn has slowly grown to enjoy his company as well. Isaac, however, has one major problem: being an emotionless artificial life form, not only is he devoid of any feelings for Dr. Finn, but he regards human dating as a primitive mating ritual to be studied for a while, and then abandoned. Only after putting Dr. Finn’s romantic feelings for him through the wringer does Isaac realize that human relationships can be much more long-term – and that breaking those relationships off can cause major rifts in normal working relations with his shipmates.

written by Seth MacFarlane
directed by Seth MacFarlane
music by Andrew Cottee

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Jessica Szohr (Lt. Talla Keyali), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad L. Coleman (Klyden), Mike Henry (Dann), Chris Johnson (Cassius), Norm MacDonald (Yaphit), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Blesson Yates (Topa), Kyra Santoro (Ensign Turco), Mark Graham (Conductor), Aaron Goddard (Waiter), Brent Alan Henry (Bartender)

Notes: Both Mark Jackson and Norm MacDonald appear “in the flesh” as, respectively, Isaac and Yaphit, thanks to the environment simulator’s holographic overlays.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Orville returns to Moclus for a deflector upgrade, to be overseen by one of the Moclans’ most skilled engineers, Locar. He happens to be an old flame of Bortus’, but Bortus does his best not to associate with the distinguished guest. As his security liaison and escort aboard the Orville, Lt. Keyali spends the most time with Locar, and is caught off guard when he confesses that he is attracted to her. Since Moclans are (mostly) single-gender, a Moclan attracted to females faces being ostracized from Moclan society. When Locar goes missing after a walk in the environment simulator with Lt. Keyali, she replays the environment simulator records and discovers that he appears to have been murdered – and Bortus’ mate, Klyden, is the prime suspect. Klyden admits to confronting Locar about what Moclan society perceives as his perversity, but denies killing him. Keyali realizes quickly that, with Locar’s engineering genius, what seems like an open-and-shut murder case may be something much more complex…and perhaps not a murder at all.

written by David A. Goodman
directed by Seth MacFarlane
music by Andrew Cottee

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Jessica Szohr (Lt. Talla Keyali), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad L. Coleman (Klyden), Mike Henry (Dann), Chris Johnson (Cassius), Kevin Daniels (Locar), Wren T. Brown (Captain Rechik), Norm MacDonald (Yaphit), Blesson Yates (Topa), Kyra Santoro (Ensign Turco), Chase Brosamle (Newsie), Rachael MacFarlane (Computer Voice), Vivienne Rutherford (Little Girl), Yvette Tucker (Window Dancer #1), Steve Hanneman (Window Dancer #2), Bruce Willis (Groogen)

Notes: Wren T. Brown is a two-time Star Trek veteran, having appeared in the Next Generation episode Manhunt (1989) and the Voyager episode Prophecy (2001). Kevin Daniels has appeared on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Smallville. Bruce Willis’ guest voice role was neither credited on-screen nor featured in advance publicity.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Moments after Dr. Finn reveals to her sons that she and Isaac are an item, the Kaylon promptly keels over, showing no signs of life. Captain Mercer gets permission from the Planetary Union to visit the home planet of the Kaylons, not just to seek care for Isaac, but to see if they’re any closer to a decision on joining the Union. When they awaken Isaac, he announces that his mission – to join the crew to learn more about humanity and other organic life forms – has been completed, and that he will be leaving the Orville. Distraught, Dr. Finn’s youngest son sneaks out of the ship to look for Isaac, but in the course of hiding from other Kaylons, finds himself hiding in an underground chamber. When Dr. Finn, Bortus and Lt. Keyali find Ty, he has found something horrifying: a mass grave site of organic life forms. Scans of the planet reveal that these mass graves circle the entire Kaylon homeworld. When Captain Mercer presses the Kaylons for details, they reveal that the dead were the organic beings who constructed the Kaylons to be robotic servants, and then refused to give them rights when the Kaylons achieved sentience. The Kaylons wiped them out in a genocidal conflict, which rules out their ever joining the Union – which seems to suit them just fine, as they intend to board and hijack the Orville to facilitate a similar conquest of Earth.

written by Brannon Braga & Andre Bormanis
directed by Jon Cassar
music by John Debney

Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Jessica Szohr (Lt. Talla Keyali), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Chad L. Coleman (Klyden), Victor Garber (Admiral Halsey), Graham Hamilton (Kaylon Primary), Mike Henry (Dann), Robert David Grant (Kaylon Secondary), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), Norm MacDonald (Yaphit), Jay Whittaker (Kaylon Tertiary), Blesson Yates (Topa)

LogBook entry by Earl Green