ORVILLE, THE: OLD WOUNDS {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this comedy science-fiction series about the oddball crew of The Orville, an outer-space exploratory vessel roaming the cosmos in the 25th century. In this episode, in 2418, Ed Mercer is distressed to catch his wife Kelly in bed with an alien lover. A year later, his boss Admiral Halsey offers him command of a ship, the Orville, though sternly adds that it is his "last chance" to prove himself, given his irresponsible behavior over the past several months. Mercer vows to excel at the job and suggests his friend Gordon Malloy as helmsman, promising to keep his mischievous pilot "focused." Malloy is thrilled by the offer, though attempts to calm his first-day nerves with a beer, and Mercer soon addresses his new crew and talks with his senior officers, including 23-year-old Lt. Alara Kitan, who possesses super-strength, no-nonsense Lt. Commander Bortus, who hails from a single-gendered species, wise Dr. Claire Finn, and Isaac, a Kaylon whose alien species is "legendarily racist" against biological life forms. Malloy bonds with navigator John LaMarr as Halsey issues their first assignment, a simple drop-off at a science station, but Mercer's contentment with his first day as captain is ruined when he learns the identity of his new first officer: his ex-wife Kelly Grayson.
Halsey overrides Mercer's complaints, explaining that Grayson requested the position, and Malloy fills the rest of the crew in on the hot gossip. Grayson arrives, and she and Mercer immediately begin bickering about her cheating and his workaholic inattentiveness, but Grayson states that she has joined his crew as a form of "atonement" and will transfer back out at the first opportunity. Malloy assures Grayson that he has no problem taking orders from his best pal's ex, promising that he told the crew only positive things about her, and the Orville soon arrives at its destination of Epsilon 2. Once there, however, Dr. Aronov confesses that he does not need scientific supplies, but instead requires the crew's help in hiding a new invention from the Krill, a villainous alien race. He demonstrates the science station's amazing research, including a new seed that can grow vegetation in any environment, and then explains that they have invented a device that can rapidly accelerate time within a confined space, though Kitan points out that it could easily be used as a weapon. One of the scientists, Derek, then reveals himself to be a traitor when he pulls a weapon and demands the device, and physicist Janice Lee is killed in the ensuing scuffle when she falls into the device's "bubble" and instantly ages a century.
The Orville team, pursued by Krill, rushes back to the ship with the device, with Kitan putting her super-strength to good use, and Malloy employs some daredevil flying maneuvers to get them to safety. The Krill catch up with them, however, and demand the device in exchange for their lives, and Mercer attempts to buy time by chatting with the confused Krill captain about his own marriage and the harms of infidelity. Grayson then gets an idea and suggests handing over the device, as demanded, but with a surprise inside. Mercer agrees and sends the device over to the Krill ship – but then turns it on, causing the special seed hidden inside to rapidly age into an enormous tree, which tears through the Krill ship, destroying it. Later, Grayson tells Mercer that she has found another first officer to replace her, but Mercer, impressed by her quick thinking with the device, asks her to stay aboard the Orville after all. Grayson agrees and thanks Halsey for trusting her with the position, though she confirms that Mercer does not "know" a certain secret. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Fox
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:45:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 130554
- GENRE: Comedy, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy, fantasy/science fiction; Space exploration; Space aliens
- SERIES RUN: Fox - TV series, 2017-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Liz Heldens … Executive Producer
- Jason Clark … Executive Producer
- David A. Goodman … Executive Producer
- Brannon Braga … Executive Producer
- Jon Favreau … Executive Producer, Director
- Seth MacFarlane … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Wellesley Wild … Co-Executive Producer
- Cherry Chevapravatdumrong … Co-Executive Producer
- Howard Griffith … Co-Executive Producer
- Andre Bormanis … Supervising Producer
- Lori Motyer … Co-Producer
- James Williams … Co-Producer
- Joy Fehily … Co-Producer
- Natasha Francis … Visual Effects Producer
- Bruce Broughton … Music by
- Seth MacFarlane … Cast, Ed Mercer
- Adrianne Palicki … Cast, Kelly Grayson
- Penny Johnson Jerald … Cast, Dr. Claire Finn
- Scott Grimes … Cast, Gordon Malloy
- Peter Macon … Cast, Lt. Commander Bortus
- Halston Sage … Cast, Lt. Alara Kitan
- J. Lee … Cast, John LaMarr
- Mark Jackson … Cast, Isaac
- Victor Garber … Cast, Admiral Halsey
- Brian George … Cast, Dr. Aronov
- Joel Swetow … Cast, Krill Captain
- Patrick Cox … Cast, The Ogre
- Norm MacDonald … Cast, Yaphit (voice)
- Christine Corpuz … Cast, Janice Lee
- Sean Cook … Cast, Derek
- Dylan Kenin … Cast, Krill Soldier
- Dee Bradley Baker … Cast, Dr. Jorvik