They actually do address this concern. Yaphit (the gelatanous alien) is said to be the old Chiefs successor and to become the new engineering chief, until Kelly decides to let Lammar have a try at doing something that requires him to prove his intellect. There is a scene even showing Yaphit upset that he was going to take over etc.
I like the show very much. I think it is great science fiction . However, I find the comedy to be lame and sophomoric, -comedy that most teenage boys would laugh at. I'd rather see a straightforward trekkie kind of show with drama and sophisticated comic relief.
I love the comedy and without it I would not be watching -- the drama is ok but not out of this world great enough to draw me in after there have been so many shows of this sort. Much of the comedy is relatively subtle - not all in your face sophomoric stuff (e.g., a lot of the conversations between Gordon and John, are a little juvenile). The satire on the diversity we see on Star Trek is hilarious -- any scene with Yaphit is funny (c'mon ... a gelatinous blob as a respected member of the crew?). Bortus is a funny version of Worf and he has a built in humorous expression (I see it anyway). The other aliens like the ones that got killed in the dimension shift in the next-to-last episode are designed to look so ridiculous it's hilarious. The frequent 21st century references such as in colloquialisms in speaking (even the most far out aliens speak like 21st century hipsters) and culture (e.g. the karaoke scene recently, the reference to Barry Manilow as a genius, etc.) are funny on two levels, one of which is the very idea that in the 25th century (or whatever) people would even be aware of such things. The humor is the major thing to me and without it I would not be interested.
I started out not liking the show and then ended up watching the entire thing. I’m liking the characters, so I’ll stick around for season 2.
Only thing I would change about the humor is where it’s placed in the story. Among the staff/shipmates it seems fine, but sometimes when it’s used with aliens/outsiders it can seem a bit out of place. Not a big deal, though. I’ve really been enjoying the show.
No they don't. They actually show why what was done on the show doesn't work. You don't wait until after the position on an active ship is vacant, the decision is made before you transfer a crew member off the ship. You don't want the confusion and uncertainty in your ship at all. Yes, someone such as Lammar may be given a chance to step up in a position he has never held before over someone who is in that department. But do it before the Chief Engineer transfers. And the Orville is under staffed until the Planetary Union sends a replacement. I know it's a comedy, but let's pretend they are competent too.
I think a big part of that, was Seth McFarlane had to pitch the show as a comedy first, as the network would only agree to it being done that way. In his heart he wanted a straight Star Trek show, but this was his only route to do it. Yes some of the humor is silly and out of place at times, but to me it goes on/off so fast, and never seems to have any lasting change on anything. It is almost like they are turning to the camera and saying a funny comment to "us" and then back to normal operations.
I think that could very well be close to what happened. It's also interesting to me that, despite MacFarlane's many years of TV success, they would only let him make 12 episodes of The Orville for the first season. It's even weirder to realize that when the show comes back in the fall, it'll be produced by DISNEY.
I do not think Seth MacFarlane would be considered a Pioneer in Science Fiction, but mostly comedy. Fortunately he seems to have a very firm grasp on what makes Star Trek good and appealing to most Star Trek Fans. Yes the Orville is a bit of comedy thrown in and some off color comments at times, but at its heart is so much of the Star Trek universe, at first everyone thought it was a parody or a silly version of Star Trek. I see it simply as his "run around" of not being able to Call it Star Trek legally, and not being able to use certain names and terms. Perhaps a good thing now looking back.
I thought it was funny in the final episode that the "futuristic" aliens (the ones who temporarily worshipped Kelly as a god) invented a transporter that could beam people up to the Orville spaceship, even though the Orville crew had no access to anything like the transporter technology. So at least they acknowledge it exists somewhere, but they don't show it much in the show.
Finally finished the whole season. Well done on last episode. Some episodes were miss. I'll watch Season 2. Great job on the music for tv show..
Star Trek Lite for 10 year olds with the odd 'sneaky' thrown in, a few good episodes ...at least it's better than Rick and Morty
Not everything he's done has been a huge success. He's been rather hit-or-miss as a producer. Anyone remember The Winner? Dads?
Need more info....do you normally like Star Trek Next Generation? Do you not like the humor or characters or what? If no to any of these, maybe not your type of show.
I do like STNG, and actually will cop to liking (some) Voyager as well (with TOS at the top, for me). The opening credits to The Orville look v. much like that to Voyager. I like humor, but knowing this is Seth McFarlane's show - I can't help but hearing Brian. The type of humor from Family Guy 'works' in that context, but for me, not so much for The Orville. The tug of war between 'serious' plot and Family Guy type of humor bits confuses my watching enjoyment, I guess. I'm not 'hating' on The Orville, just observing that I'm not getting it. So, that's on me.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'better' (how could it be better for you?). If after the first six eps you're not feeling it, then I'd say it's not for you. After the first couple of eps, the show's been pretty consistent, so I guess from your perspective, it doesn't get 'better'.
So what do you like to watch? I thought The Orville was awful the first couple of episodes, but it's tried out some interesting ideas throughout the rest of its first season. While I agree that it's "lite," I also found it progressively more engaging starting with episode 3. Rick and Morty is totally gonzo satire, and I love it (though I stop well short of the fanaticism some people have for the show).
I loved Star Trek Next Generation, and Orville is quite similar. Honestly I feel it is more watchable overall. STNG, got a bit boring at times, was a bit preachy and frankly a few dozen stories were really lame. I know this sounds odd, but now find the look of STNG to be darkish and Closed in feeling after seeing orville. Next gen feels a bit more limited and dated now.
