Even thoughThe Orvilledoes have its own unique audience, those who flock to the show because of its similarities to theStar Trekfranchise’s classic era may not know they’re drawn to Seth MacFarlane’s space opera due to pivotal contributions to a key behind-the-scenes figure. Despite being more well-known for his animated comedy projects, likeFamily GuyandAmerican Dad!,MacFarlane has managed to create a shockingly accurate homageto the olderStar TrekTV shows, but he hasn’t done it alone.
Despite not canonically fitting into the officialStar Trektimeline,The Orvillecertainly feels like it could have thrived as a part of the franchise in the 1990s and early 2000s'.The Orvillehas borrowed heavily fromStar Treksince the show’s inception in 2017, butMacFarlane hasn’t stopped at familiar imagery and warmly nostalgic sci-fi storylines. Instead, he has chosen to work with someone who is a huge reason whyStar Trekcontinued to be loved around the world after the end ofThe Original Series.
The Orville Producer Brannon Braga Also Worked Heavily On 3 Classic Star Trek Shows
The Next Generation, Voyager, & Enterprise all benefited from Braga’s input
Star Trek: The Next Generationbrought with it a long-awaited return to TV screens for the franchise in 1987. Its success resulted in multiple spinoffs within a relatively short space of time. Starting his behind-the-scenes tenure withStar TrekonThe Next Generation, producer Brannon Braga also went on to be a key figure whenStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Enterprisewere being made. His seniority within the larger organization grew the longer he stayed, buttheStar Trek: Enterprisefinale was the end of an erafor both the franchise and Braga himself.
Star Trek: Deep Spacewas the only show in this era of the franchise that Braga did not work on.
Braga’s role as a producer within the franchise was so great by theend ofStar Trek: The NextGenerationthat he was kept on forStar Trek: Voyager. He quickly became even more important toVoyagerwhen he was promoted to showrunner not long into his work on the show. After season 6,he went on to co-createStar Trek: Enterpriseand was incredibly senior in all four seasons. This was his finalStar Trekproject, but serving asThe Orville’s producer has brought an incredible level of authenticity to MacFarlane’s tribute show.
Seth MacFarlane’s Love For The Iconic Franchise Also Contributes To The Orville’s Faithful Homage To Classic Star Trek
Family Guy & other MacFarlane shows are filled with Star Trek references
WatchingSeth MacFarlane’s TV shows, it’s very obvious that he’s a sci-fi fan.There are often storylines inFamily Guyand his other projects that involve time travel, outer space, clones, and other tropes of the genre. More specifically, he folds in countless jokes that lovingly poke fun at and referenceStar Trek’s classic era. The most salient example of thisFamily Guyseason 7, episode 11, “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven,” which reunites theStar Trek: The Next Generationcastfor a caper with Stewie Griffin.
One ofSeth MacFarlane’s best cameoswas inStar Trek: Enterprise.
So, Braga hasn’t done all the heavy lifting when it comes to recapturing the vibes ofStar Trek’s classic era forThe Orville. MacFarlane’s obvious affinity forThe Next Generationand other classicStar Trekshows is another big factor inThe Orville’s accurate replication of the formula Brannon helped to create.TheFamily Guycreator writes almost all the scripts for his sci-fi show, and the episodic framework feels incredibly true toStar Trek’s 90s/00s shows. Therefore, it would be unfair to ignore his hard work too.
MacFarlane & Braga’s Collaboration Is So Effective, Many Star Trek Fans Prefer It To The Franchise’s Modern Era
Discovery kickstarted the new age of Star Trek in 2017 (the same year The Orville premiered)
Ignoring JJ Abrams' Kelvin Timeline movies, as they take place in another reality,modernStar Trekbegins in 2017 withStar Trek: Discovery. The franchise’s TV comeback was incredibly different from the show Trekkies had come to expect, so many established fans struggled to connect withDiscovery’s massive changes. Although successive shows, likeStar Trek: Strange New Worlds, have reverted to something closer to the space opera’s classic framework, some still think it’s not quite the same asThe Next Generationand its contemporaries.
When The Orville Began, I Never Expected Seth MacFarlane’s Sci-Fi Show To Get As Emotional As It Did In This Season 3 Episode
The Orville began with far more jokes than is typical of its newer episodes, and the season 3 premiere caught me off-guard with how sad it was.
There’s a good reason for that:ModernStar Trekis intentionally different from the older shows. It has been brought up to date to bring in newer fans while retaining as many of the older ones as is reasonably possible. Inversely,The Orville’s main goal has seemingly been to make a show as close to the olderStar Trekshow as is legally permitted without sharing the same continuity. I actually really enjoy the wide variety ofStar Trekshows on offer in the modern day, but I also understand why other Trekkies gravitate far more toThe Orville.
The Orville
Cast
Created by Seth McFarlane and set in the 25th century, The Orville follows the crew of the titular ship and its captain, Ed Mercer (McFarlane) as they explore the galaxy. Inspired by Star Trek, it also spoofs the sci-fi classic, taking a comedic approach to its serialized story and science-fiction premise. Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, and Scott Grimes star alongside McFarlane as part of an ensemble cast.
Star Trek
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.
