S02.E02: Primal Urges

[chitowngirl]

Ed and the crew discover a planet about to be destroyed by its sun; Bortus struggles with a controversial addiction that throws his marriage to Klyden into crisis

eta-I can see why they switched up the order of the episodes. This would not be the episode to draw in the football crowd. The episode they showed gave a good intro to everybody for those not familiar with The Orville.

Edited January 4, 2019 by chitowngirl

[marinw]

I retract my previous statement about the show using the Environmental Simulator with restraint.

I just don’t know about this season. The “A” plot with the disintegrating planet was quite compelling. I almost teared up when the First Minister said goodbye to her husband and child. This drama was combined with a … Very Special Episode about porn addiction.

I did like the porn peddler. 

[EllenB]

Dammit, Seth, you've got me going from laughing to gagging to crying to biting my nails all within a few minutes.  It's a rough ride but I love this crazy show.

[SimoneS]

That was a sad and unexpected ending for those people. Yet they were fortunate that 30 of their people got to survive.

Bortus' porn addiction was gross, but I am glad that there continues to be fallout from the surgery on Topa. I hope that we see more of it and this wasn't putting a bow on it. I don't see how Bortus can remain in that relationship when he is still so upset.

Edited January 4, 2019 by SimoneS

[The Companion]

Just now, SimoneS said:

That was a sad and unexpected ending for those people. Yet they were fortunate that 30 of their people got to survive.

Bortus' porn addiction was gross, but I am glad that there continues to be fallout from the surgery on Topa. I hope that we see more of it and this wasn't putting a bow on it. I don't see how Bortus can't remain in that relationship when he is still so upset.

Agreed on both accounts. The hope turning to agony as they had to choose 30 people to survive was intense. I was also so glad the fallout continued. How often do we see an episodic show immediately forget about some intense conflict? I thought the answer might be Bortus going through some intense mating cycle and being scared of having another girl. 

I really liked this episode. The show continues to balance the humor and the emotional impact.

[Mr. Sparkle]

19 minutes ago, marinw said:

I just don’t know about this season. The “A” plot with the disintegrating planet was quite compelling. I almost teared up when the First Minister said goodbye to her husband and child. This drama was combined with a … Very Special Episode about porn addiction.

See for me, this is exactly what I like about this show, and what sets it apart from the shows that it is clearly influenced by. Tense science fiction, touching scenes that weren't resolved happily, PLUS weird alien porn?? Count me in!! 

[marinw]

The show is really uping its' alien game. Athough most of the crew are human, there are lots of aliens that look…alien, not just humanoids with bumpy foreheads. 

[chaifan]

I didn't even realize Orville was back on, and was lucky enough to have an hour before this aired to watch Episode 1. 

Did anyone else think the bridge view screen shots of the planet seemed to be still shots, instead of "live" action, especially in the last 1/2 of the episode.  In the opening scene they really made a big deal of watching the evaporation and clouds, and then the later far shots just seemed to be stills.

The Bortus porn scenes were just so...  icky.

I was surprised that they let the remaining 45 people perish.  I thought there would be some last minute discovery (transporter anyone?), or that Bortus would go back alone getting them all at the very last minute.  But, that's what sets this show apart from pretty much every version of Star Trek - things don't always have to end up with a happy ending, tied up with a pretty bow.

I was wondering what happened to the new cartographer from Ep 1, but learned in the Ep 1 thread this Episode really belonged to Season 1, that Ep 1 really came after this one.  So, if that's the case, was this meant to be the Season 1 finale? 

[legaleagle53]

8 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I didn't even realize Orville was back on, and was lucky enough to have an hour before this aired to watch Episode 1. 

Did anyone else think the bridge view screen shots of the planet seemed to be still shots, instead of "live" action, especially in the last 1/2 of the episode.  In the opening scene they really made a big deal of watching the evaporation and clouds, and then the later far shots just seemed to be stills.

The Bortus porn scenes were just so...  icky.

I was surprised that they let the remaining 45 people perish.  I thought there would be some last minute discovery (transporter anyone?), or that Bortus would go back alone getting them all at the very last minute.  But, that's what sets this show apart from pretty much every version of Star Trek - things don't always have to end up with a happy ending, tied up with a pretty bow.

I was wondering what happened to the new cartographer from Ep 1, but learned in the Ep 1 thread this Episode really belonged to Season 1, that Ep 1 really came after this one.  So, if that's the case, was this meant to be the Season 1 finale? 

The Union doesn't have transporter technology yet, for some reason.  Or were you thinking that the planet's residents would have it and could simply beam themselves aboard?

[chaifan]

Yeah, I know there isn't transporter technology on this show (yet).  It was more of a comment on how on other sci-fi shows there always is a conveniently timed discovery of new technology just as the need arises.  I wouldn't be surprised if transporters make their way onto The Orville, in some shape or form, if the show runs long enough. 

[shapeshifter]

I thought Bortus doing his job wasn't heroic enough to completely absolve him from the consequences of his actions—but PTSD over the mutilation of his child would have been an acceptable reason to me for his forgiveness—but then he shouldn't be cleared for duty until Claire determines him no longer a threat to the well being of the ship and its crew, including himself.

 

Over the past few years I have used the eventual expansion of our sun and its devouring of our planet to impress upon at least a hundred undergraduate students the permanence and universality of the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) that gives the digital address of a published scholarly article. I tell them that if they are on a spaceship leaving this solar system, the DOIs assigned to articles will still locate them. And then I tell the students, "So. Now you're all going to want to become astronauts." And then they chuckle. I like to imagine that at least one of these students is both watching this show and still involved with journal articles, and that after watching this episode that former student momentarily wondered if anyone on the Orville uses DOIs when locating articles for research.

[Danielg342]

The first question I have to ask about this episode is, "how many hours did the makeup crew work on this episode?" Not only did they have to do Bortus' head and his entire body, as well as Topa and Klyden, they had to do a whole group of nearly naked Moclans.

So, I bow to you, makeup crew, for all that hard work. Let me tell you it was all spot on, so good job.

The other main point about this episode is the main point I always make about The Orville- the characterization is just spot on. Seth McFarlane gets it- you're not going to care about a story unless you care about the characters...and, darn it, Bortus is so compelling because of the details.

Probably Bortus'- and the Moclans'- one trait is that he is extremely blunt and does not know how to express anything with euphemisms or subtlety. Hearing Bortus and Klyden refer to "the sexual event" and sex in other blunt terms is a masterstroke of the writing. McFarlane is invested in these characters and wants nothing more than the characters to stick to their characterization that everything just works wonderfully, even when it's the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen.

Like Pleasure Cove and a pack of horny, loin-cloth clad Moclans. Also, props to Issac for not even flinching when a Moclan came from behind Issac and ran his hands all over him and licked his head repeatedly...that's also great dedication to the character.

I'm not sure I would have gone with Bortus reporting back to work immediately after what he did (he probably should have been suspended for at least a week), but that's a minor quibble.

I also liked how the Xylians' plight fit with Bortus' plight. Oftentimes those moments are lazily shoehorned in but tonight it just worked wonderfully. It all boils down to the subtlety- one brief encounter where the husband of Reese said his tearful goodbye was all that was needed to make the point. No need for an additional scene "getting to know" Reese, her husband and her child because that wasn't necessary- this is Bortus' story, and I'm glad the writer understood that.

So overall, it did drag a bit at the beginning but it's safe to say McFarlane has his winner again.

[Ottis]

Much better than last week. Both an external planetary exploration plot and a very unusual internal plot that hasn’t been done like this unless you count Wesley being addicted to that VR game thingy. I liked pretty much all of it, even the end, where the two threads were brought together by Bortus gaining perspective from the sacrifice of the people left behind. 

Not as much on the humor front, though I LOL’d at the “went to town on myself” line. I also thought Isaac’s perspective on porn was very interesting, zeroing in on the fact society manufactures and places shame for  it. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Ottis

[ajsnaves]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought Bortus doing his job wasn't heroic enough to completely absolve him from the consequences of his actions—but PTSD over the mutilation of his child would have been an acceptable reason to me for his forgiveness—but then he shouldn't be cleared for duty until Claire determines him no longer a threat to the well being of the ship and its crew, including himself.

 

To be fair, he really was only a danger to ship and crew when he was off duty.

[thuganomics85]

I'm a little surprised it took them this along to do a porn addiction subplot, involving this show's version of the hologram.  While Star Trek did address being too addicted to the holodeck in general with the Barclay character and I remember DS9 at least hinting at it being used for sex at times, no one has quite gone into depth like this show has!  I did like that Bortus' addiction ended up being connected with what happen with Topa and the surgery, and how there are still issues between him and Klyden over it.  Now that it is out in the open, hopefully they'll become stronger.  I do hope we check in on the marriage counseling and Bortus fighting the addiction, because realistically, that should still be ongoing issues for them.

Of course, Moclan's version of a "divorce" is stabbing your spouse, and it's treated like no big deal.  Ed and Kelly's reaction to all of that was great.  I know Seth MacFarlane isn't the strongest actor out there, but I do love how he has Ed in a constant state of "This is getting crazier and crazier by the minute!", whenever cultural shocks like this happen under his watch.

The show isn't afraid to have the bittersweet ending, with Bortus and Isaac only being able to save 30 of the aliens.  And it looks like it showed that some of the children weren't going onboard, so it looks like the species didn't even allow age to be an exception for the drawling.

Twenty second cameo from Kelly Hu's Admiral!

This episode seemed to have a lot of great visual effects in this one.  Hope they didn't go too overboard with the budget, but then again, I kind of suspect MacFarlane has a good enough relationship with FOX that he can get as much money as he needs.

[phalange]

It makes sense that Bortus would continue to hold resentment towards Klyden for what happened with Topa and there was bound to be some fallout from that. I like the way Dr. Finn handled the marriage counseling, though it was funny Klyden assumed it involved a battle. Killing your mate when you want to divorce is, um, a bit extreme, though. Hopefully divorce doesn't happen on Moclus very often or there would be a serious dent in the population. 

It's cool to see the different, non-human looking aliens the show comes up with. The alien that Bortus got his simulator porn from looked vaguely like a tardigrade. And that's a sentence I never thought I'd type. 

Loved all the little moments of humor sprinkled throughout: Bortus telling Topa he has to eat or he'll die; "Everyone on this ship is gross"; Isaac thanking Ed for not interrupting him anymore because he's very busy; the look on Ed and Kelly's faces when they saw the simulation with all the Moclans; Ed's "neat" when Gordon tells him they have yet another problem. And the casual delivery of "I'm Dann" absolutely slayed me. 

I do respect the show not always going for the happy ending route, though it was sad to see that only 30 of the Nixians could be saved. I felt terrible for the First Minister and her family as they were saying goodbye to each other. 

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

Did anyone else think the bridge view screen shots of the planet seemed to be still shots, instead of "live" action, especially in the last 1/2 of the episode.  In the opening scene they really made a big deal of watching the evaporation and clouds, and then the later far shots just seemed to be stills.

I noticed that too. I thought my cable was glitching for a second.

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

I was wondering what happened to the new cartographer from Ep 1, but learned in the Ep 1 thread this Episode really belonged to Season 1, that Ep 1 really came after this one.  So, if that's the case, was this meant to be the Season 1 finale? 

This episode was was originally episode 12 of season 1, so the second to last.

[shapeshifter]

27 minutes ago, ajsnaves said:

To be fair, he really was only a danger to ship and crew when he was off duty.

He installed black market software that was 6 seconds away from destroying the ship and all 300+ souls aboard.

 

29 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Of course, Moclan's version of a "divorce" is stabbing your spouse, and it's treated like no big deal

Yeah, I was okay with this. I too am probably a potential danger to myself and others, LOL.

[SimoneS]

There was choppy editing when Ed and Kelly were in the captain's room waiting for Bortus and Klyden. It was very poorly done. 

[futurechemist]

2 character driven episodes in a row. Definitely not what I was expecting from this show. But it's appreciated compared to most other scifi shows.  And I appreciated the plot came from character history. Bortus cheated on Klyden because of Klyden's betrayal with their child. 

2 plot quibbles. Only Bortus and Isaac could go to the planet because of the radiation. So how did they get all the residents out? And if last week, Finn's subplot involved her struggles as a single parent, how did she become the ship's relationship counselor?

[Andromeda]

Interesting episode. Being the owner of a PC that suffered from a porn-borne virus (courtesy of my partner), I got a big chuckle out of that twist. I think I'm done with seeing nearly nude Maklins, though. I felt so bad for Bortus' partner, until Bortus brought up the sex change. Boy, their hatchlings grow fast. 

I'm so glad this show doesn't have a transporter. Makes things that much harder. And its about time a show addressed what would be a huge attraction for a holodeck. Maybe the crew needs to ration its use, though. There didn't even seem to be a schedule. Or door locks, oops. 

[dwmarch]

Good episode, especially for going where no Star Trek episode has gone before. We have had Geordi recreating one of the ladies (Dr. Leah Brahms) who helped build the Enterprise and when he programmed her to be more realistic she got a little... enthusiastic in describing the ship. Cue the real Dr. Brahms walking in on this moment and thinking Geordi was a total creep. And Lt. Barclay had Deanna Troi cavorting around in a low-cut dress which was a lot less revealing than her low-cut uniform. But other than that the TNG crew mostly used the holodeck for fighting, scenery or historical re-creations. Nobody ever went in there to jerk off and we know that if there was a real holodeck ever invented that is the first thing anyone is going to do in there.

There is no way 32 human-sized beings fit on one of those shuttles but I'll consider this a Voyager tribute and leave it at that.

Laugh line of the night went to Dr. Finn for her response to Klyden's "So I don't stab Bortus again?" with her "Yes, that's one of our goals."

Bortus had a bunch of simulations with fairly specific details to them and I assume he created these himself. Why did he need to outsource when the main difference was "add more Moclans"?

At one point Bortus referred to Klyden as "she" and I thought this was going to be a plot point but it didn't come up again.

Minor nitpicking but why didn't they park the shuttle with the ass-end facing the door the people were going to come out of? Make them walk all the way around when the planet is about to get swallowed up by a star? Rude!

[Jacks-Son]

1 hour ago, dwmarch said:

Bortus had a bunch of simulations with fairly specific details to them and I assume he created these himself. Why did he need to outsource when the main difference was "add more Moclans"?

At one point Bortus referred to Klyden as "she" and I thought this was going to be a plot point but it didn't come up again.

Love your question. Why not just adjust the output. While I can grasp the subject of porn addiction and accept that it's reportedly on the rise, I applaud McFarlane's attempt at discussing the subject intelligently and with the proper approach for resolutions.  However, one of the purposes of the episode was to make me aware of the dangers to all, while making me feel uncomfortable.  It certainly did that!  Bortus surrounded by scantily clad "adventurous" Moclans, was certainly,,,,,,,,,,different(?).

It would have been nice NOT to have another spousal betrayal leading to a violent resolution episode so soon after the one that transpired on "Midnight, Texas".  I'm starting to suspect that Moclans as a race, are a bit eccentric almost to the point of insanity.  I'm surprised they've joined he Union considering the strict traditions and protocols of their society.  Moclans don't seem to be flexible about alternative perspectives.  It seems like it always has to be their way. Even their compromises have to conform to a strict progression of acceptable solutions.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Jacks-Son

[MissLucas]

Well, that was a lot of plot for one episode. I was about to get annoyed since the B-plot felt far more compelling than Bortus' sexual fantasies. I got flashbacks to Discovery's last season where far more interesting plots were cut short in order to make room for endless Klingon shenanigans. Once we got to the cause for all the Moclan soft porn (there was still too much of it but kudos to the make-up departement) - Bortus struggling with what happened with Topa - I was okay with the episode's structure. What happened to Topa nearly put me off the show for good - especially as it looked like there would be no aftermath. I'm surprised they picked it up again and considering the massive fall-out we witnessed this episode I assume there's more to follow. I noticed that Topa is already beyond toddler age and  and I guess that's not just a writers' whim.

That said I still think the B-plot deserved more time. They could have gotten a whole episode out of all the ethical and philosophical questions arising from the plight of the people on the dying planet.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I liked this episode way more than Sunday's episode.

[Ubiquitous]

I nodded off partway thru this ep, but not because the ep bored me.

8 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm a little surprised it took them this along to do a porn addiction subplot, involving this show's version of the hologram.  While Star Trek did address being too addicted to the holodeck in general with the Barclay character and I remember DS9 at least hinting at it being used for sex at times, no one has quite gone into depth like this show has! 

DS9 didn't hint at it; Quark specifically rented it out for that purpose.

 

8 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

The Union doesn't have transporter technology yet, for some reason.  Or were you thinking that the planet's residents would have it and could simply beam themselves aboard?

They don't? I could have sworn I saw them use one...

[marinw]

When it comes to discipline the Crewmember (Won’t fathom the gender) who gives or sells porn is in at least as much trouble as Bortus. Introducing a Virus that endangered the ship and everyone aboard would be a firing offence at most jobs. The Union must have some very enlightened HR policies, although “Human Resources” isn’t the correct term here.

I like this episode more now that I have had the opportunity to literally sleep on it. The episode tackles a sensitive topic without being preachy.

Edited January 4, 2019 by marinw

[shapeshifter]

27 minutes ago, Ubiquitous said:

9 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

The Union doesn't have transporter technology yet, for some reason.  Or were you thinking that the planet's residents would have it and could simply beam themselves aboard?

They don't? I could have sworn I saw them use one

Early in the episode, LaMarr suggested using a tractor beam to capture the planet's fuel ore. I did doze off for a couple of minutes during and after a commercial—right when they would've first communicated with the people on the planet; did I miss a reason why they couldn't beam the refugees at least off the planet in their space suits?

[legaleagle53]

41 minutes ago, Ubiquitous said:

They don't? I could have sworn I saw them use one...

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Early in the episode, LaMarr suggested using a tractor beam to capture the planet's fuel ore. I did doze off for a couple of minutes during and after a commercial—right when they would've first communicated with the people on the planet; did I miss a reason why they couldn't beam the refugees at least off the planet in their space suits?

The Union does not have transporter technology.  Anytime we've seen it being used on the show, it's always been a more advanced race using it to transport themselves or others.  It belongs to those races, and they're not sharing it with the Union.

Think about it.  If the Union had transporter technology, would we really be seeing the shuttles used as much as they are for away missions? Wouldn't using a transporter be much more efficient and cost-effective?

[benteen]

Another really good episode.  This show continues to impressive me a great deal.  They handled the whole Bortus porn thing well and occasionally hilariously.  I was particularly impressed with the awesome special effects.

I give them credit to for going with a more realistic ending to rescuing the survivors.  Star Trek definitely would have found a way to rescue all of them.  They didn't take the easy way out and I give them credit for it.

Love that they will create some really alien aliens.  Plus, the guy sounding like Jabba the Hutt, talking slang and selling porn was brilliant.

[Cobb Salad]

6 hours ago, futurechemist said:

2 plot quibbles. Only Bortus and Isaac could go to the planet because of the radiation. So how did they get all the residents out? And if last week, Finn's subplot involved her struggles as a single parent, how did she become the ship's relationship counselor?

Isaac asked the leader about radiation suits and she said they each had one. 

About Claire, I guess one could be a good counselor but not always be able to solve their own problems. 

Good episode overall.  I can’t imagine what the final hours would be like for the members of a dying civilization - first “we’re all going to die”, then “phew, we’re going to make it”, then “only some of us will make it”.  

Edited January 4, 2019 by Cobb Salad

[shapeshifter]

7 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

About Claire, I guess one could be a good counselor but not always be able to solve their own problems

Sure. Or she decided she is not suited to having a life partner—perhaps after experience—or maybe she's even widowed. But it's an interesting character choice (single marriage counselor). I wonder if they will use it for humor.

[Ottis]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Of course, Moclan's version of a "divorce" is stabbing your spouse, and it's treated like no big deal.  Ed and Kelly's reaction to all of that was great.  I know Seth MacFarlane isn't the strongest actor out there, but I do love how he has Ed in a constant state of "This is getting crazier and crazier by the minute!", whenever cultural shocks like this happen under his watch.

This is the only thing I *didn't* like. As soon as the stabbing thing happened, and Seth seemed so surprised, I thought surely "the Union" has some passing understanding of the main cultural aspects of its crew members. A divorce may or may not be considered a main cultural aspect on its own, but *anything* that says "stabbing is OK" should be.

55 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

About Claire, I guess one could be a good counselor but not always be able to solve their own problems. 

Sometimes I think people who aren't married are the best relationship counselors!

56 minutes ago, benteen said:

I give them credit to for going with a more realistic ending to rescuing the survivors.  Star Trek definitely would have found a way to rescue all of them.  They didn't take the easy way out and I give them credit for it.

LOVED this. And I said the same thing to Mrs. Ottis when the show said only 30 could leave. I still half expected a miracle solution at the end. My only quibble is that they might have added a final scene interacting with the survivors on Orville to really nail the ending (since we just saw a bunch of people quietly sacrifice themselves), and that may have been what Bortus saw and used to return to his mate. But the short cut worked as well.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Ottis

[benteen]

It would be interesting to revisit the story of the survivors.  They are definitely the type of species the Federation wouldn't have dealt with because they were a pre-warp civilization.  Technically, they would have let them die and there have been plots revolving around this subject on TNG.

[AConspiracy]

So killing your partner is considered divorcing.

I guess that's one way to enforce "till death do us part" in marriage!

[The Companion]

10 hours ago, phalange said:

 

Loved all the little moments of humor sprinkled throughout: Bortus telling Topa he has to eat or he'll die; "Everyone on this ship is gross"; Isaac thanking Ed for not interrupting him anymore because he's very busy; the look on Ed and Kelly's faces when they saw the simulation with all the Moclans; Ed's "neat" when Gordon tells him they have yet another problem. And the casual delivery of "I'm Dann" absolutely slayed me. 

I do respect the show not always going for the happy ending route, though it was sad to see that only 30 of the Nixians could be saved. I felt terrible for the First Minister and her family as they were saying goodbye to each other. 

I noticed that too. I thought my cable was glitching for a second.

This episode was was originally episode 12 of season 1, so the second to last.

The "neat" made me laugh so hard. 

The non happy ending is one of the best things about the show. There are real stakes. I thought the same thing last year with the gender reassignment. The ending shouldn't always be satisfying.

 

6 hours ago, dwmarch said:

 

Laugh line of the night went to Dr. Finn for her response to Klyden's "So I don't stab Bortus again?" with her "Yes, that's one of our goals."

 

Lol. That entire scene was great. I actually enjoyed how much Klyden got into it. 

4 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Well, that was a lot of plot for one episode. I was about to get annoyed since the B-plot felt far more compelling than Bortus' sexual fantasies. I got flashbacks to Discovery's last season where far more interesting plots were cut short in order to make room for endless Klingon shenanigans. Once we got to the cause for all the Moclan soft porn (there was still too much of it but kudos to the make-up departement) - Bortus struggling with what happened with Topa - I was okay with the episode's structure. What happened to Topa nearly put me off the show for good - especially as it looked like there would be no aftermath. I'm surprised they picked it up again and considering the massive fall-out we witnessed this episode I assume there's more to follow. I noticed that Topa is already beyond toddler age and  and I guess that's not just a writers' whim.

That said I still think the B-plot deserved more time. They could have gotten a whole episode out of all the ethical and philosophical questions arising from the plight of the people on the dying planet.

It was wholly unsatisfying and I was happy to see it as a continuing plot line as well. I think it is interesting to see the tension between partners. I actually think there is an element of cultural influence that is fascinating. Bortus, who interacts more outside their home with other cultural perspectives is struggling between his cultural heritage and a different viewpoint that he is starting to adopt. I would love a starker contrast from his child, who will be raised and educated with wildly varying viewpoints.

2 hours ago, marinw said:

When it comes to discipline the Crewmember (Won’t fathom the gender) who gives or sells porn is in at least as much trouble as Bortus. Introducing a Virus that endangered the ship and everyone aboard would be a firing offence at most jobs. The Union must have some very enlightened HR policies, although “Human Resources” isn’t the correct term here.

I like this episode more now that I have had the opportunity to literally sleep on it. The episode tackles a sensitive topic without being preachy.

I think it makes sense that it isn't a firing offense for two reasons. First, the Union probably prefers use of holoporn to fraternizing. There would be some who were unable to date anyone not below their rank, and many of their vessels may be on extended voyages. Second, and perhaps more critically, a ship requires specialized crew and carrying non essential personnel is already a burden. Firing someone would either require diversion or keeping someone on board for some period of time who has knowledge to cause problems and a grudge. Only the most serious offenses (such as something requiring incarceration) would be resolved that way. Negligence would likely be addressed through probation, retraining, etc. 

[marinw]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Think about it.  If the Union had transporter technology, would we really be seeing the shuttles used as much as they are for away missions? Wouldn't using a transporter be much more efficient and cost-effective?

We lost a bunch of posts in the PTV re-org, so I can’t find the quote. But someone here stated that The Orville is better off without the Transporter. I agree, on Star Trek the Transporter was an overused Deus ex machina

Edited January 4, 2019 by marinw

[marinw]

8 hours ago, The Companion said:

Union probably prefers use of holoporn to fraternizing.

Good point. It is the amount of porn that was the problem. Bortus' porn use was impeding his abilty to do his job. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by marinw

[Ubiquitous]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Think about it.  If the Union had transporter technology, would we really be seeing the shuttles used as much as they are for away missions? Wouldn't using a transporter be much more efficient and cost-effective?

According to one of the science of Star Trek books, their transporter technology would be less efficient and cost-effective IRL, so I could see them not wanting to use it often. How did they handle it in Enterprise?

[Cobb Salad]

1 hour ago, benteen said:

It would be interesting to revisit the story of the survivors.  They are definitely the type of species the Federation wouldn't have dealt with because they were a pre-warp civilization.  Technically, they would have let them die and there have been plots revolving around this subject on TNG.

This plot reminded me of 2 Star Trek original series episodes: The Naked Time for the ship’s observation of the planet’s demise and subsequent peril to the ship and “All our Yesterdays” for the Enterprise crew planned rescue of the planet’s inhabitants even though they had their own plan already.  They did not have space travel either - Kirk, Spock and McCoy violated Federation policy when they went down to the planet to save the inhabitants. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Cobb Salad
Grammar

[The Companion]

36 minutes ago, marinw said:

Good point. It is the amount of porn that was the problem. Bortu's porn use was impeding his abilty to do his job. 

Absolutely, though from an HR perspective I supposed the fact that he was off duty (even if he was asking to leave early) is also a mitigating factor. They might have a different opinion had he been on duty. Even then, porn addiction might be treated like any other addiction. I would imagine there might even be protocols in place for use of the holoporn in species who have strong mating seasons/go into heat. A lock is probably going on the maintenance list, though.

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, Cobb Salad said:

Isaac asked the leader about radiation suits and she said they each had one. 

That's great, but I find it hard to believe that there aren't radiation suits on board the Orville.  And if that's true, why would it have to be Isaac and Bortus specifically to go?

Besides that, Bortus says to the first minister "I assume you have radiation suits?".  I would hope someone verified that before that point.

Could have done without watching some of that Moclen porn, lol.  But I almost think it was a bit of a copout in some ways to blame his porn addiction on what happened to Topa.  That seemed like a reasonable explanation, but if they're going to tackle porn addiction, why not just let Bortus get addicted to porn just by falling into it, rather than having some sort of "excuse" for him.  I have to admit it does further the storyline with his family though.

[chaifan]

47 minutes ago, marinw said:

Good point. It is the amount of porn that was the problem. Bortu's porn use was impeding his abilty to do his job. 

OK, silly quibble.  Is it really porn if it is interactive, even in the simulator?  It seems it wasn't a porn addiction, it was more like an actual sex addiction.  Or are we just to assume that in the 25th century all media - including porn - is interactive.   (God, I can't believe I'm actually typing this.)

[The Companion]

14 minutes ago, rmontro said:

 

Could have done without watching some of that Moclen porn, lol.  But I almost think it was a bit of a copout in some ways to blame his porn addiction on what happened to Topa.  That seemed like a reasonable explanation, but if they're going to tackle porn addiction, why not just let Bortus get addicted to porn just by falling into it, rather than having some sort of "excuse" for him.  I have to admit it does further the storyline with his family though.

I think it was directly related. He was engaging in the act both to satisfy his needs because he couldn't bring himself to do so with the mate he resented and to avoid his mate in general. 

13 minutes ago, chaifan said:

OK, silly quibble.  Is it really porn if it is interactive, even in the simulator?  It seems it wasn't a porn addiction, it was more like an actual sex addiction.  Or are we just to assume that in the 25th century all media - including porn - is interactive.   (God, I can't believe I'm actually typing this.)

I think this is more analagous to porn and a device than sex because the scene appears to play out on a fairly set script and the partners don't have any AI/individual agency. 

[iMonrey]

Now this was a good episode. This show often has trouble balancing the sci-fi drama with the parody but it struck just the right chord this time. I thought all the porn scenarios were hilarious, as was Bortus' bad acting. "No, I can't. I'm a virgin." LOL. Or the doctor asking him to turn around and bend over the table so he could begin the exam. They really managed to capture the essence of every generic porn situation. (I've heard. ahem.) The Moclan sticking his tongue in Isaac's ear was hilarious.

Loved the idea of the dying planet too, but I have a bit of a quibble on this one. In the time it took them to stand around and discuss and have everyone go off and draw lottery numbers, they could have made 2 trips in the shuttle and saved 60 of them. They weren't that far away from the ship and they just wasted way too much time on long, drawn-out talking in such an urgent situation.

At any rate this was a much stronger episode than the one they aired Sunday. I have a sneaking suspicion Fox didn't feel like this episode was "family-friendly" enough for the Sunday night promotional spot.

[dvil]

Why wasn't the simulator sandboxed?

[Biggie B]

Quote

And if last week, Finn's subplot involved her struggles as a single parent, how did she become the ship's relationship counselor?

This episode was from last season - so when they wrote/filmed it, Dr. Finn's struggles with her older son that we saw on Sunday hadn't yet happened.

[jmonique]

Looks like I may be venturing into "unpopular opinion" territory here, but this episode encapsulated my problem with Seth Macfarlane's sensibilities: He's always going to not just push the boundaries, but throw it into reverse, run over the boundaries, and then do it again four more times. 

I got the point about Bortus's porn addiction after the second time he bailed on work and his partner to have his Moclan way with holograms. I felt like the other incidences were Seth delighting in pushing the boundaries because he can. 

I don't know, I just have a love/hate relationship with this show and how sometimes I feel like I'm watching a live action "Family Guy" dream sequence.

[Jacks-Son]

10 hours ago, dwmarch said:

At one point Bortus referred to Klyden as "she" and I thought this was going to be a plot point but it didn't come up again.

 

Admittedly, I was a bit put off by the focus of the story on Bortus' OOC behavior rather than the survival of a "First Contact" Race, especially since it appeared to be a human colony, but when I heard Bortus say "She" I didn't think he was referring to Klyden, I got the impresson he was referring to Topa as a "she",

[Cobb Salad]

1 hour ago, dvil said:

Why wasn't the simulator sandboxed?

Good question.  I was wondering how just anyone could open the panel and put in a disk to run a holodeck program for it not be checked for something like viruses or if it is “Union approved” or whatever.   From having worked for a bunch of companies that issue laptops to their employees I know they tightly control what someone can install on it in order to protect both the laptop, the company network and other company laptops from viruses, etc. I’d think that this type of thinking would exist on the Orville and their other ships.  

[Gummo]

Well, if you asked me which network show this week was going to feature a sensitive story about a troubled, failing marriage, my answer would NOT have been The Orville! This show continues to surprise and delight.