Don't trust "Professional" critics.

catheterjunkie

I don't generally like Seth Macfarlane's work. I'm not a fan of family guy or the like. But I love The Orville. While it can be considered a parody of Star Trek, it embraces this niche and performs excellently. I've seen all of Star Trek more than once, with my least favorite being Enterprise and the new Discovery. I've waiting with bated breath for a new Star Trek series that would satisfy my longing desires for engaging space fairing adventures involving the Alliance. But what The Orville taught me about my love for Star Trek, is that I didn't just want some more cookie cutter Star Trek - recycling familiar family names and phrases to keep die hard fans in the loop. Star Trek Discovery makes just this error, and develops an action like, JJ Abrams-esque universe which is dull and does not push the envelope of human discovery where we as viewers have our imaginations opened up to the endless possibilities of the universe. This sense of adventure and peace-loving discovery was the essence of what made Star Trek shows like Next Generation, Voyager and DS9 so impeccable. Instead we're given just another action sequence What I was really waiting for, was a show that wanted of me, all of my emotions in where I was genuinely engaged and invested into the chemistry of the on screen character's individual alien culture and it's affect on their personal lives. From Isaac discovering what it means to be human (while still being hilariously and "legendarily racist") to Bortus' decision to not alter the gender of his first born child. The Orville made me laugh, watch anxiously in fear and anticipation, and expanded my imagination to what infinite possibilities await in the universe,an idea easy to enhance considering the abundance of cultures and lifestyles that exist even on a single planet.

I've never in my life written a review in my entire life, but there was something magical about The Orville that was able to recapture that childlike wonder I experienced when I watched series like Star Trek, Firefly, Farscape, etc. It's a feeling that truly makes me appreciate the awesome gravity of how endless existence is, and it's what makes Sci-Fi attract my interest so much. It's my hope that this series continues along for more than a single season, and that my review was able to change at least one person's mind about this show.

score 10/10

catheterjunkie 3 October 2017

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3822069/