"Woof."
IN THIS ONE... Alara struggles with command when Mercer and Grayson are made part of an alien zoo.
REVIEW: Though it wasn't really designed to do so (as it was meant to be fourth in broadcast order and was pulled forward), Command Performance introduces a number of things, among them Chief Engineer Steve Newton, Bortus' mate Klyden (very briefly seen), the big mess hall set, and the larger Kermit on Mercer's desk (who gets heralded as a leader Ed admires, it's really quite sweet). A subplot concerning Bortus sitting on his egg for 21 days creates a reason for the Second Officer to be out of action and the surprise reveal at the end - that they had an "impossible" daughter - will reverberate through the next two seasons.
So perhaps the Ed-Kelly relationship wasn't meant to be so front and center so soon after the pilot, however it still works in sequence, and is balanced by this really being an Alara story. Ed and Kelly are the victims of a classic Trek plot when they get lured into a ship that's really just a long-range transporter buoy, and from there, "caged" in an alien zoo. Part of that lure is the very believable image of Ed's embarrassing parents asking about his colon and how he's getting on with the ex. As ever, this is about realy people in space. Kelly packs an edible in case the reunion is too much to bear (surprisingly, and perhaps unfortunately, it doesn't really figure in the plot). They don't realize they're in a Calivon zoo - these red aliens are so sure of their superiority, they treat almost everyone else as animals - and reconnect in their old, recreated apartment. It gives us a chance to know them better as a couple, what worked (and they do click) and what didn't (they get on each other's nerves by morning). The SF premise is really just there to have them together, reminiscing and clashing. Once the zoo is revealed, it's just a matter of having the Orville come to their rescue.
Which almost doesn't happen. In what is ostensibly the A-plot, Alara is left in charge of the bridge for the first time ever. She doubts herself even when it's supposed to be for a few minutes. When it all goes pear-shaped, and I think Claire has it absolutely right, she fears the crew not trusting her leadership, so obstinately ignores their council, leading to disaster. The ship damaged, she's not even allowed to go rescue Mercer and Grayson because the star system to which they are tracked is off limits. I do like that there are more advanced civilizations out there than the Union, and that Union ships steer clear of them (you don't really get that sense in Trek where everyone is more or less at the same level). But it makes Alara pretty unpopular with the crew when she carries out the Admiralty's orders to leave Ed and Kelly for dead. Again, Claire has some good advice that points, not for the last time, to this universe embracing mavericks in a way that never really acknowledged in Star Trek. You can disregard orders and if it's a mistake, you'll ruin your career. If you triumph, however, they'll give you a medal at the end of the episode. Look, this was true of Kirk etc. too, but the show never dared say so. And while we're on the subjects of both Trek and Claire and her role as ship's counselor, I feel like The Orville is a much better place for that role than in TNG where everyone was so well put together. Troi often had little to do except act as living lie detector, but Dr. Finn's crew is filled with insecurities.
Anyway, Alara has an advantage the Admirals didn't think of - a Kaylon aboard. Isaac is from a "superior" race the Calivon respond to as equals, so he can act as ambassador and visit the zoo unmolested, even in the company of his "pet" Alara. The solution at the end, played a bit like a Silver Age comics reveal, kind of comes out of nowhere - she was introduced to reality TV by Malloy and trades the full databank for her officers. It's amusing, and the kind of 21st-Century element that is part of the show's comedy, though I do think using a punchline as a solution is dangerous. The ending also suffers from having Ed and Kelly also rescue an alien child that just doesn't figure enough (nor is it explained how they bartered for him). It's also monstrous that there's no justice for all the other people trapped in the zoo. Maybe over time, the Calivon will close down their zoos and turn them into cineplexes for bad TV, who knows. One gets the feeling some material was cut to accommodate the Bortus stuff when they made changes to the airing order.
WHERE SOMEONE HAS GONE BEFORE: The very first Star Trek story, The Cage, had its captain become an exhibit in an alien zoo of sorts. Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, who cut his directorial bones on Voyager, where he also played Tom Paris (using Trek directors from the era makes complete sense). Ron Canada (Admiral Tucker) is a Star Trek veteran, perhaps best remembered as a Klingon lawyer on DS9. The beautiful opening credits sequence, first used here, is in the style of Voyager's.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-High - The personal stories are strong, but the plot is a little undercooked.
REVIEW: Though it wasn't really designed to do so (as it was meant to be fourth in broadcast order and was pulled forward), Command Performance introduces a number of things, among them Chief Engineer Steve Newton, Bortus' mate Klyden (very briefly seen), the big mess hall set, and the larger Kermit on Mercer's desk (who gets heralded as a leader Ed admires, it's really quite sweet). A subplot concerning Bortus sitting on his egg for 21 days creates a reason for the Second Officer to be out of action and the surprise reveal at the end - that they had an "impossible" daughter - will reverberate through the next two seasons.
So perhaps the Ed-Kelly relationship wasn't meant to be so front and center so soon after the pilot, however it still works in sequence, and is balanced by this really being an Alara story. Ed and Kelly are the victims of a classic Trek plot when they get lured into a ship that's really just a long-range transporter buoy, and from there, "caged" in an alien zoo. Part of that lure is the very believable image of Ed's embarrassing parents asking about his colon and how he's getting on with the ex. As ever, this is about realy people in space. Kelly packs an edible in case the reunion is too much to bear (surprisingly, and perhaps unfortunately, it doesn't really figure in the plot). They don't realize they're in a Calivon zoo - these red aliens are so sure of their superiority, they treat almost everyone else as animals - and reconnect in their old, recreated apartment. It gives us a chance to know them better as a couple, what worked (and they do click) and what didn't (they get on each other's nerves by morning). The SF premise is really just there to have them together, reminiscing and clashing. Once the zoo is revealed, it's just a matter of having the Orville come to their rescue.
Which almost doesn't happen. In what is ostensibly the A-plot, Alara is left in charge of the bridge for the first time ever. She doubts herself even when it's supposed to be for a few minutes. When it all goes pear-shaped, and I think Claire has it absolutely right, she fears the crew not trusting her leadership, so obstinately ignores their council, leading to disaster. The ship damaged, she's not even allowed to go rescue Mercer and Grayson because the star system to which they are tracked is off limits. I do like that there are more advanced civilizations out there than the Union, and that Union ships steer clear of them (you don't really get that sense in Trek where everyone is more or less at the same level). But it makes Alara pretty unpopular with the crew when she carries out the Admiralty's orders to leave Ed and Kelly for dead. Again, Claire has some good advice that points, not for the last time, to this universe embracing mavericks in a way that never really acknowledged in Star Trek. You can disregard orders and if it's a mistake, you'll ruin your career. If you triumph, however, they'll give you a medal at the end of the episode. Look, this was true of Kirk etc. too, but the show never dared say so. And while we're on the subjects of both Trek and Claire and her role as ship's counselor, I feel like The Orville is a much better place for that role than in TNG where everyone was so well put together. Troi often had little to do except act as living lie detector, but Dr. Finn's crew is filled with insecurities.
Anyway, Alara has an advantage the Admirals didn't think of - a Kaylon aboard. Isaac is from a "superior" race the Calivon respond to as equals, so he can act as ambassador and visit the zoo unmolested, even in the company of his "pet" Alara. The solution at the end, played a bit like a Silver Age comics reveal, kind of comes out of nowhere - she was introduced to reality TV by Malloy and trades the full databank for her officers. It's amusing, and the kind of 21st-Century element that is part of the show's comedy, though I do think using a punchline as a solution is dangerous. The ending also suffers from having Ed and Kelly also rescue an alien child that just doesn't figure enough (nor is it explained how they bartered for him). It's also monstrous that there's no justice for all the other people trapped in the zoo. Maybe over time, the Calivon will close down their zoos and turn them into cineplexes for bad TV, who knows. One gets the feeling some material was cut to accommodate the Bortus stuff when they made changes to the airing order.
WHERE SOMEONE HAS GONE BEFORE: The very first Star Trek story, The Cage, had its captain become an exhibit in an alien zoo of sorts. Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, who cut his directorial bones on Voyager, where he also played Tom Paris (using Trek directors from the era makes complete sense). Ron Canada (Admiral Tucker) is a Star Trek veteran, perhaps best remembered as a Klingon lawyer on DS9. The beautiful opening credits sequence, first used here, is in the style of Voyager's.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-High - The personal stories are strong, but the plot is a little undercooked.
Comments
One might shudder at the thought of Orville-level jokes popping up in the next Pigs in Space sketches, however.