Since about the late 2000s, the "Star Trek" franchise has been hit and miss when it comes to its relevance in the cultural zeitgeist. The year 2009 gave us a JJ Abrams-directed reboot featuring the original series' characters played by new, young actors. It and the two sequels were popular at the box office but it started a polarizing trend among Trekkies.
The films were set in an alternate timeline and focus more heavily on action and big explosions than actual exploration and discovery as the series originally focused. Abrams’ new variation felt more like a visit to your local Apple store with an unnecessary amount of lens flare blocking the camera.
Over the last few years there’s been a resurgence of what fans dub “New Trek” building off this alternate reality instigated by the 2009 reboot. Shows like “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Picard” undo a lot of the canon and assassinate already-established characterizations.
With the exception of the newest series, “Strange New Worlds,” this version of Star Trek is bleak, hopeless and demoralizing. And that brings us to “The Orville.”
“The Orville” is a science-fiction series created by Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy," "American Dad") meant to be an homage to classic "Star Trek." Ironically enough it is more "Star Trek" than current-day "Star Trek."
The premise of the show follows a 26th-century exploration ship – the Orville – as it is travels the galaxy as part of the Planetary Union. There’s a sense of optimism and hope in spite of threats of looming war and the intricacies of interplanetary cooperation.
MacFarlane plays Ed Mercer, the Orville’s captain. He and his first officer/ex-wife Kelly Grayson (Adrienne Palicki, “Agents of SHIELD”) command the vessel with an interestingly varied crew reminiscent of class Trek.
Many guest actors appearing on the show such as Ted Danson, Kelly Hu, Victor Garber, and Rob Lowe have appeared in MacFarlane’s various animated series or have been a part of science fiction in the past. One bittersweet guest appearance is a CGI character named Yaphet voiced by the late Norm MacDonald.
While the show had a strong comedy vibe nearly bordering on parody and spoof during its first season, it has come along on its own merits with brilliant writing and strong performances from its central and guest cast.
What’s most impressive is the return of a genre-specific series using sci-fi themes to explore hot-button issues plaguing our society. That has always been the point of science fiction; while it opens audiences up to fantastical experiences, it is meant to bridge a gap between philosophies and ideologies people would otherwise close themselves off from.
While social media platforms become a hotbed of fomenting anger and hostility towards topics like toxic masculinity, MacFarlane and company address the subject during a recent season three episode with nuance.
MacFarlane has adapted his satirical comedy style into serious, thought-provoking television that makes several "Star Trek" fans wish New Trek was more like the Orville and her crew.
The show’s third season – subtitled “New Horizons” – kicked off eight weeks ago, making the jump from the Fox network to Hulu. This came with a serious upgrade in budget and production value.
While some are waiting for more Star Trek to beam down on the Paramount+ streaming platform, you might just check out “The Orville” on Hulu. It’s worth the watch. Seasons 1 and 2 are already on the platform and new Season 3 episodes lunch every Thursday.
Garrett K. Jones is a local fantasy author. He currently has four books released in his ongoing series, and he produces a vlog on YouTube and the Creator's Corner podcast (available on Spotify, Google, & Apple). www.archivesofthefivekingdoms.com/ IG/Twitter: @gkj_publishing
Feel free to contact him with title suggestions of films you’d like him to review.
