doodler Reviews

The Orville: New Dimensions (2017) Season 1, Episode 11

This show remembers what Star Trek forgot

[10/10 · 9 December 2017]

Some of the visuals in this episode were absolutely stunning - notably the depiction of a two dimensional universe.

It took this show a while to really find it's footing and it's on its way to being truly great. Certainly there are many aspects of the show that are taken directly from the original Star Trek and it's later series (except for the transporters, which I'm glad they left out).

The Orville has one big bonus that the Star Trek universe forgot: Human history and its cultural past. Sure, Star Trek occasionally made references to the past as a plot point here and there, but the Orville lives in OUR future. Besides, Star Trek made up a lot of "history" by mentioning things that happen between our time and theirs.

Beginning with the Kermit the Frog doll on the captain's desk, we are constantly reminded that our present is truly their past. This episode alone referenced "Doctor Who" and the novel "Flatland. In past episodes we've seen references to "Friends", "Real Housewives", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "The Sound of Music", "Seinfeld" and other media touchstones that you would hope the future won't forget.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Rascals (1992) Season 6, Episode 7

Great idea for an episode, but don't think about it too hard.

[7/10 · 11 December 2014]

My rating of 7 is for the interesting premise of this episode. I imagine writers sitting around a room and suddenly someone says "Hey, how about an episode where some of the characters become children. Star Trek Babies"!

And with that idea the episode provided many great laughs, plus a few tidbits of the character's history. The mini Guinan and Ro nailed their older selves perfectly. Mini Picard less so and mini Keiko was not really believable.

The reason I didn't rate this higher was a number of eye-rolling moments. The Enterprise's shield power is all over the place in various episodes, but in this one it was particularly weak. It took only a couple of Klingon ship phaser strikes to knock it out? Really?

And then there was Worf, missing a Ferengi with his phaser at a distance of only 15 feet or so? Come on. He should have been demoted for that embarrassment.

And of course, now they know how to use the transporters to change anyone's age. Immortality for everyone! Oh, wait, I guess that usage is quickly forgotten.