The Orville was never the light-hearted Star Trek spoof it was pitched to be.
Mercers reaction to Lt. (The response, that they only urinate once a year, is much more original and funny).
But most of that broad comedy turned out to be restricted to the pilot.
It was also always much darker than you think.
It guest-starsThe Next Generations Marina Sirtis,Voyagers Robert Picardo and Tim Russ, andEnterprises John Billingsley.
The shows directors includeStar Treks Brannon Braga, Robert Duncan McNeill, and Jonathan Frakes.
Most importantly, Braga and his current writing partner Andre Bormanis have written seven episodes.
Meanwhile, Into the Fold, co-written and directed by Braga, is almost a rerun ofVoyagers Innocence.
That the scope is bigger.
The show is more ambitious.
By thenThe Orvillehad become more of an unofficial addition to theStar Trekuniverse than a parody.
The ending of this episode is incredibly dark and depressing.
While there is a slightly happier resolution in the end, the original episode remains a deeply depressing watch.
Season 1s darkness does not stop there though.
The episode also features a scary clown, a giant spider, and murderous versions of some crew members.
Sure,Star Trekhas done horror movie-inspired episodes too, but this is particularly freaky stuff.
It is not surprising, then, that this darker side only grew over time.
But thats nothing compared to poor Malloys time travel mishap in season 3.
Is The Orville Darker Than Star Trek?
(Both are great, by the way this is a structural observation, not a value judgement).
ButThe Orvillewas always hiding a much darker edge thanStar Trektends to have.
The upcoming Section 31 TV movie will likely be fairly dark as well.
To some extent, all these bitter, depressing storylines are just reflecting fashions in current television.
All three seasons of The Orville are available to stream on Hulu.
