The Artificial Supreme

"Identity, part 1", last night's new episode of The Orville, was a nice, eerie pleasure, playing on The Orville's own distinct, established virtues and introducing a new one. Written by writers from various Star Trek series (beginning with TNG), Brannon Braga and Andre Bormanis, this is another episode that shows they've spent the time since working on Star Trek thinking about new ways to interpret and deploy some classic devices. It was definitely time well spent.

Spoilers after the screenshot

The story veers wildly from one emotional tone to another yet it all works well, each section building surprisingly but organically from the other. Isaac (Mark Jackson) and Claire (Penny Johnson Jerald) are still in a relationship, there's a standard, heart warming moment of awkwardness as the kids roll their eyes at Isaac's typical arrogance. He's always so matter of fact about how the Kaylons are a superior species because of their intellect. You just get used to it.

Then, after Isaac mysteriously shuts down, the crew of the Orville decide to undertake a risky mission to Isaac's homeworld of Kaylon 1. They land and we're treated to one of the most beautiful landing sequences on the show yet.

The episode slowly builds towards what should be obvious--the Kaylons are a bunch of genocidal maniacs. Why wasn't it obvious? True, some viewers did predict it but no-one on the Orville did, even with Ed (Seth MacFarlane) compulsively commenting on the Kaylons' infamous racism when he first met Isaac. A charge Isaac never denies.

Why didn't Claire get any inkling? Obviously she's closer to Isaac than anyone. I would have liked more build up, frankly, with Claire getting some suspicions--I found their relationship more credibly written in "A Happy Refrain". At any rate, Claire should stop being surprised when Isaac fails to have an emotional reaction at this point. But watching her kids go through the heartbreak is really effective.

Particularly when it comes to the youngest kid, Ty (Kai Wener), which leads to the big revelation the episode turns on. Watching Ty wandering around the cold, Spartan Kaylon street I thought about how strange it is the little boy didn't seem more freaked out. Can you imagine just walking off a ship onto an alien world? But it makes sense--all Ty has known his whole life is safety and friendly people. That's the environment on the Orville. The adults aren't as innocent as Ty but they are a lot more innocent than the protagonists on other shows. They don't even lock the doors of the Simulator when they're using it. And this isn't the first time Ed and the crew have walked right into an unknown place in good faith. These people aren't cynical or even pessimistic, which is lovely and refreshing, but it has its drawbacks.

For them. For me, the contrast between the innocent Union folks and the sudden discovery of massive piles of bones under the city brought a piquancy to the recipe. These really are two very different cultures.

The Kaylons look a bit like Cybermen but, unlike the Borg, they're not a straight copy of the Cybermen. In fact they're more like the Daleks--they don't seek to assimilate, they seek to exterminate. But unlike the Daleks, they're not angry about it. The subtle irony the episode presents is that the Kaylons reproach humanity for its irrational wars but the Kaylons can't see the irrationality of their own action in wanting to obliterate the Union. It's good old fashioned ethnocentrism--they know they're the very model of good so anything else must be inferior and potentially expendable.

I look forward to seeing how this plays out next week. I hope the writers find a solution that doesn't involve Isaac discovering he has emotions.

Twitter Sonnet #1208

The yellow yarn adopts a human form.
The fabric sky was full of cloudy lint.
A field of wool contrived to make us warm.
But slith'ring scarf from lower drawer was sent.
A navy sailed together facing fog.
As timing liquid moved the eye along.
The floating place collects a grounded frog.
Some tails unite to make a switching song.
Amounts of sleep accepted run to time.
Suggested dreams include a swimming gin.
Consorting feathers sheets were pressed to sign.
Containers built for tea were kinds of tin.
Connected soups became the ocean's goo.
In only briefs the legs were cold but true.

By the Will of Avis and Billy Joel

In addition to some unexpectedly excellent use of music, last night's new episode of The Orville also had that distinct Star Trek feel you can't get from Star Trek anymore courtesy of writers Brannon Braga and Andre Bormanis. Both writers worked on previous Star Trek series beginning with The Next Generation, Bormanis also served as a technical advisor. It's fitting last night's episode, "Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes", aired the same night Star Trek: Discovery's second season premièred as it seemed to be, in part, a thinly veiled commentary on one of the main plot twists of Discovery's first season. Braga and Bormanis took Discovery to school.

Spoilers for "Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes" and Star Trek Discovery season 1 after the screenshot

Much like Michael Burnham on Discovery, Ed (Seth MacFarlane) falls for an enemy agent who was surgically altered to appear human. The character even has the same name, Tyler, in this case a woman played by Michaela McManus. McManus had played the Krill officer Teleya the previous season and the production team on The Orville wisely didn't waste time and money trying to make it look like Teleya was played by a non-existent actress. She wasn't around in human form long enough, anyway, but the important thing is that the people behind The Orville know that a good story isn't about the plot twist.

We skip past Ed and Tyler getting to know each other and going out and find them already in a relationship, snuggling up to watch The King and I* with Yul Brynner singing the episode title. It turns out to be a very appropriate sentiment as Ed points out later--just as Siam can't be in conflict with the British forever, the Krill and the Union can't be in conflict forever without expecting an ultimate calamity.

There are some nice, clever moments where Braga and Bormanis bring in some twists on old Star Trek concepts. Why didn't anyone think of detecting a cloaked ship by venting plasma or something else on it before? Why not create dummy command codes for captains to give out when they're captured? When Ed is captured by Teleya, the Krill are attacked by another excellently designed alien and Ed and Teleya end up stranded alone on a planet together for a set up that recalls the movie Enemy Mine as well as Star Trek episodes like "The Enemy" and "Darmok". Braga and Boremis add romance to the old equation. They use it do something Discovery avoided by having their Tyler remain confused about his identity; they had Ed and Teleya discuss the difference in ideology that keeps their peoples in conflict.

Discovery tried to have colonialism as a minor theme but it became muddled quickly as the Klingons hating the Federation for eroding their identity didn't make very much sense. With the Union and the Krill, it's cut and dry; the Krill see it as their destiny to take land from other people. I would have liked a bit more development to Teleya's character but at least the basic conflict is clear.

The episode ends with another nice musical choice, Billy Joel with "She's Always a Woman" which also cast Teleya in a more complicated light and made the whole episode better retrospectively.**

*The real life Anna Leonowens, on whom Deborah Kerr's character is based in The Kind and I, had a daughter named Avis. Probably a coincidence.
**I also wondered if the Billy Joel references in the episode were a nod to the writer Billy Martin who's a big Seth MacFarlane fan as well as a Billy Joel fan.