^TagEd Mercer (character in Orville series)

3D rendered fantasy alien planet. Rocks and moon

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Author
Gary Varner
Date
January 14, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Bortus (character in the Orville series), Charly (character in Orvilles 3), Dr. Finn (Orville character), Ed Mercer (character in Orville series), Featured, Gordon Malloy (character in Orville series), Heveena (character in the Orville series), Isaac (robot in Orvilles 3), Kelly Grayson (character in Orville series), Klyden (character in the Orville series), LaMarr (character in Orvilles 3), Lysella (character in Orville series), Moclans in Orville sci-fi series, Orville Season Three summary view, Seth MacFarlane, Star Trek vs. Orville, Straw man argument, Topa (character in the Orville series)}

Final Thoughts on The Orville Season Three — What Went Wrong

_{Unlike Star Trek, which put conflicting opinions in the mouths of beloved characters, Orville 3 screams its opinions to the point of harming the story} _{Gary Varner

January 14, 2023

6

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

What a terrible season! I remember watching the beginning episodes of The Orville and thinking the show wasn’t quite there yet but held promise. Sadly, things did not improve with time. I think part of the problem is that The Orville was taken over by Hulu which is now owned by Disney. This, likely, prompted a degree of studio involvement that dropped the show’s quality. The Orville tried to address controversial subjects, just as Star Trek did years before. But it did not understand or reproduce the most important ingredient of the way the classic sci-fi series dealt with such topics. Star Trek used its main characters as voices that represented various positions. This is not to say that Star Read More ›

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
December 17, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Science Fiction

Tagged
Bortus (character in the Orville series), Dolly Parton avatar in Orville series, Ed Mercer (character in Orville series), Featured, Heveena (character in the Orville series), Kelly Grayson (character in Orville series), Klyden (character in the Orville series), Moclans in Orville sci-fi series, Moclus (planet in Orville series), Topa (character in the Orville series), Union (in Orville series)}

The Orville 3 8: The Writers Finally Figured Out Moral Ambiguity

_{Is it right to endanger the lives of many to save one? The Orville crew must confront that in the case of the Moclan girl Topa} _{Gary Varner

December 17, 2022

7

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Science Fiction}

Judging by my mixed emotions regarding the Episode 8 from Season 3, I’d say the writers did fairly well with tackling a morally ambiguous story. There are still problems, but nothing that damages the story. For once, the writers do not scream their opinions at the audience. They even chose two likable characters to act as surrogates for the opposing points of view. As the story opens, Topa wants to meet Heveena, the female Moclan who defended her in court when she was a baby and tried to prevent the all-male (by preference) race from turning her into a boy. Heveena was unable to convince the Moclans to spare Topa, but the young girl later learned the truth and was Read More ›

Time concept. Hi-res digitally generated image.

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
December 3, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Ed Mercer (character in Orville series), Featured, Gordon Malloy (character in Orville series), Orville Season 3 Episode 6, Star Trek vs Orville, Time travel and moral dilemmas, Time travel in science fiction}

The Orville, Season 3, Shows Its Authoritarian Side

_{This time travel episode is distinctly authoritarian in a way I’ve never seen before} _{Gary Varner

December 3, 2022

10

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

Last time, we discussed how The Orville, Season 3, Episode 6, crossed into some truly disturbing territory, not just by showing a terrible event, but in a very subtle and manipulative way, advocating for it. This week, we’re going into the details. To recap, the Union sent the Orville to drop off a time travel device at a lab because they were worried that the Kaylon or Krill might try to use it to wipe out the Union in the distant past, something they consider a horrible crime. We discussed how the writers ignored a gigantic plot hole in order to contrive a tragedy for Gordon, who was sent into the past as a result of this attack. The Orville Read More ›

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Author
Gary Varner
Date
November 5, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Abortion in science fiction, Anaya (character in Orville series), Charly (character in Orvilles 3), Dr. Finn (Orville character), Ed Mercer (character in Orville series), Featured, Gently Falling Rain (Orville 3 4), Kelly Grayson (character in Orville series), Krill (characters in Orville series), LaMarr (character in Orvilles 3), Orville Season 3 Episode 4, Planetary Union in Orville series, Political messaging in science fiction, Seth McFarlane, Teleya (character in Orville series)}

Episode 4: The Orville Writers Try Their Hand at Woke Messaging

_{No, it doesn’t work. In Season 3, the plot gently falls apart} _{Gary Varner

November 5, 2022

11

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

Episode 4 of The Orville, Season 3, titled “Gently Falling Rain,” starts out strong and then gradually falls apart, in a way that is almost reminiscent of a frog slowly boiling in a pot of water. For most of the episode, there is only one really glaring plot hole and it’s easy enough to ignore. But then within the last quarter of the show, viewers are pounded with so much idiocy that we barely have time to realize what’s happened. As the episode opens, the hostile Krill are ready to sign a treaty with the Planetary Union. They’ve been taken to a futuristic Broadway production of Annie — it’s good to know that that little overplayed gem of a production Read More ›

male in protective hazmat suit disinfect public isolated spaces, carrying barrels, pathogen respiratory quarantine coronavirus covid-19 concept

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
October 22, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Science Fiction

Tagged
Dr. Finn (Orville character), Ed Mercer (character in Orville series), Featured, Gordon Malloy (character in Orville series), Isaac (robot in Orvilles 3), Kalarr Expanse (area in Orville series), Kelly Grayson (character in Orville series), Krill (characters in Orville series), Orville Season 3 Episode 2, Paul Christie (character in Orville series)}

The Orville Episode 2: Bacterial Assimilation? — It Gets Messy

_{A ship that crew members investigate turns out to be a deadly mixture of mechanical — and organic — material} _{Gary Varner

October 22, 2022

8

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Science Fiction}

Episode 2 of Season 3 opens with the Orville crew beginning its negotiations with the Krill, an aggressive reptilian species that has joined a temporary alliance with the Planetary Union of flight-capable species to counter the new threat from the Kaylon, an artificially intelligent species. A Krill moment: The Orville group begin by discussing routes through the Krill territory, so the Union can explore the regions of space on the other side. The discussion grows tense when the admiral who has boarded the Orville for the negotiations, Admiral Paul Christie, mentions exploring the Kalarr Expanse (the “Shadow Realm”). The Krill become nervous about this request, telling Ed Mercer and Kelly Grayson, and Christie that demons dwell there. And that they Read More ›