410 replies to this topic

[Gothneo]

Futuramma meets Star Trek is an excellent way to discribe the Orville .

[Gothneo]

Wow. So I just finished watching the "Krill" Episode... that was a no win scenario... with great analogy to real issues today. If hard core Trekkers that are upset with the current state of the franchise don't like this show because its technically not Trek.. then there really isn't anyway to please those folks. 

 

I see the admiralty gets there own color... purple! 

 

What I like about this show is that the "union" is shown to be almost a bit of blue collar working folks type of establishment... which is to say they aren't the most technologically advanced... and maybe not even the best fighting force out there, but they seem "scrappy" and try and do the best they can in every situation.    

[s8film40]

This wasn't my favorite episode, but it was really great for what it was. I'm still continuously amazed by how deep and serious this is for a comedy series. I loved the panel catching on fire, it was a great inside joke for all of us Star Trek fans.

[Gothneo]

You know... theres a lot of what I would call obvious impracticality in the series.... when a plot could get overly complex, such as all the questions about proper disguise, language, customs, etc... they simply make it obvious... again basically an inside joke to Trek Fans, and then work that angle... and ignore the details... like "Chris" and "Devon" wouldn't be instantly recognized for what they are... but thats the joke. 

[MisterPL]

If all the Trek supremacists who were so angry with Discovery waddled over to The Orville, why aren't the ratings higher? The show's "free" and it's waving the same Fox banner as their favorite source for fake news yet ratings continue to slide downward. Over 60% of Orville's audience bolted since the premiere and they've yet to get a full season order while Discovery has already secured a second season. Why did the mutiny fail?

 

My theory is that after watching a few episodes of a show that "looked more like Star Trek than Star Trek," these "fans" realized that it actually was Star Trek in spirit, complete with the things they didn't want shoved down their throats; social issues ranging from gender identity to religious extremism. That's what can be expected when people are most interested in appearances. The color of someone's skin or the design aesthetic of a TV show doesn't matter. The content does, and shallow minds will never understand that.

[Gothneo]

[Gothneo]

Yep, The Orville is darn good TNG. I still think the critics don't totally get what it is... and younger and modern viewers probably find it a bit slow and stale compared with alot of whats on TV. 

[s8film40]

If all the Trek supremacists who were so angry with Discovery waddled over to The Orville, why aren't the ratings higher? The show's "free" and it's waving the same Fox banner as their favorite source for fake news yet ratings continue to slide downward. Over 60% of Orville's audience bolted since the premiere and they've yet to get a full season order while Discovery has already secured a second season. Why did the mutiny fail?

 

My theory is that after watching a few episodes of a show that "looked more like Star Trek than Star Trek," these "fans" realized that it actually was Star Trek in spirit, complete with the things they didn't want shoved down their throats; social issues ranging from gender identity to religious extremism. That's what can be expected when people are most interested in appearances. The color of someone's skin or the design aesthetic of a TV show doesn't matter. The content does, and shallow minds will never understand that.

To be fair CBS hasn't released numbers. It's entirely possible The Orville is doing much better than Discovery. Whatever the case may be though Star Trek fans aren't a large enough demographic to matter for either show.

[MisterPL]

Well I certainly don't see longtime fans of Celebrity Apprentice flocking to either show, that's for sure.

[s8film40]

Well I certainly don't see longtime fans of Celebrity Apprentice flocking to either show, that's for sure.

Were not really talking about fans of any show, just the general population casually watching. Thats where the real numbers are at. If either show cant capture that theyre both in trouble. Discovery has the benefit of being the experiment to drive traffic to a new streaming service so will get lots more leeway due to that but even still if it doesnt pull in the numbers its not going to be saved.

[MisterPL]

Since it's behind a paywall, there's much less of a chance of the general population stumbling upon Discovery while channel surfing. It's destination television. If anything it's The Orville that needed those general viewers which is why Fox premiered it after an NFL game before moving it to Thursdays.

 

Even in terms of their respective broadcast premieres, The Orville couldn't match Discovery's ratings. So again, I have to wonder, where did all those angry little fans go? Or were they just loud?

[s8film40]

Since it's behind a paywall, there's much less of a chance of the general population stumbling upon Discovery while channel surfing. It's destination television. If anything it's The Orville that needed those general viewers which is why Fox premiered it after an NFL game before moving it to Thursdays.
 
Even in terms of their respective broadcast premieres, The Orville couldn't match Discovery's ratings. So again, I have to wonder, where did all those angry little fans go? Or were they just loud?

Im pretty sure CBS doesnt want their streaming service to be an exclusive club of niche fans. They most definitely want the general population subscribing.

Most fans arent angry, if they dont like Discovery they just silently moved on. Sure theres a vocal minority who are still complaining, just like theres a vocal minority of fans still raving about Discovery. Aside from discussing it here I really dont hear that much about it anymore. From what Ive observed Discovery split the Star Trek fandom with the majority not having any interest in Discovery. Orville picked up some not all of both sides.

[Gothneo]

I know people that were casually interested and actually watched the 1st broadcast episode... and were completely unaware that it was behind a paywall... and when they found out they just said "oh well, it looked good", so there are a good number of people that just aren't into streaming services.. and were never gonna sub up. 

 

If you go to sites like trekmovie.com where they do pretty good reviews, I think your right because those that don't care for it have mostly moved on and its really mostly discussion like we're (trying) to have here.

[MisterPL]

Don't conflate CBS All Access with Discovery. Of course CBS wants subscribers but I doubt they care if they came to see Star Trek, The Good Fight, or any of the other content the service has to offer. They just want them to stick around, which is why they're planning more original content from Ridley Scott, Will Ferrell, and maybe even another Trek series from Nicholas Meyer.

 

The Orville, on the other hand...  Well, disappointed Trek viewers didn't flock to Fox in nearly the numbers needed to give the show the bump it could use.

[s8film40]

 
The Orville, on the other hand...  Well, disappointed Trek viewers didn't flock to Fox in nearly the numbers needed to give the show the bump it could use.

Again there arent enough Star Trek fans in the world to save Orville. It has to connect with a good number of the general public or its not going to survive.

[Gothneo]

Based on the numbers do you guys think it makes the season? Or will it get cut early?

[Alteran195]

I think Fox will let it finish its season since Macfarlane is behind it. 

[MisterPL]

I'll be surprised if it gets a full season order. Right now it's got, what, 13 episodes? It seems like it's already on the bubble which is a shame because it's pretty good sci-fi. 

[Gothneo]

A full season would be closer to 20 episodes. 

 

Also.. .I guess based on Macfarlanes success of reviving programs... he could go off a season and then try and get it back on again

[MisterPL]

The Orville really needed to go full Star Trek right from the start; take that pilot episode (that most people didn't care for) and dump it before it even aired, just like "The Cage." It was okay as proof of concept but Alara's eyebrows weren't the only things that needed tweaking.