Seth McFarlane's "The Orville"

[Dark Raven]

I'm guessing they were going with the "alternate universe" theory of time travel.

Good episode. Would have liked for them to go full Thomas Riker, with bangs instead of sideburns.

Kelly wouldn't have had sideburns anyway.

But how do we know she hasn't done something like this by changing the timeline? If she knows the future and is changing it, is that making her actions somewhat villainous? Or is she just doing what she thinks is best to try to save both her and Ed a lot of heartache?

Since it wasn't a two-parter and the next episode won't connect to this one, it's got to be an alternate timeline. If she changed 'our' timeline, everything would be different in the next episode and the characters wouldn't even be aware of it. Maybe they'll go back to that timeline somehow in the future and we'll see how Younger Kelly's actions changed things.

How do we know it's not a two parter? Some of the news articles for this episode seem to suggest that this was the first part of the season finale, as if it's setting up the next episode. Maybe there is a change in the timeline and that's what they'll have to fix if someone is aware?

How is younger Kelly still retaining her memories though or some kind of residual awareness?

If I met myself from 7 years ago, I know I wouldn't be that different at all from what I am now. 7 years doesn't really seem such a long time and goes by very quickly. Sometimes not that much can happen in 7 years. That said, the version of myself from 7 years ago probably would still undo some of the things that have happened in the last 7 years if given the chance.

 

[Zorro]

Younger Kelly seemed happy before going back. She was proud of older Kelly by the end and was agreeing when everyone was saying they'd meet her in the future.

She was even worried in the last meeting that she'd go back and somehow remember everything and be tempted to change stuff. She does seem aware and kinda remember after she wakes up though and so maybe she figured that she wouldn't change the future like before and so she was tempted.

The next episode is the season finale and there's no preview yet? There is going to be a season 3 right?

 

[Dark Raven]

Younger Kelly seemed happy before going back. She was proud of older Kelly by the end and was agreeing when everyone was saying they'd meet her in the future.

She was even worried in the last meeting that she'd go back and somehow remember everything and be tempted to change stuff. She does seem aware and kinda remember after she wakes up though and so maybe she figured that she wouldn't change the future like before and so she was tempted.

The next episode is the season finale and there's no preview yet? There is going to be a season 3 right?

I think they deliberately didn't show a preview to leave it ambiguous as to the effects of the end of this episode where it was somewhat of a cliffhanger. If they showed a preview, it would give away whether anything has changed or not.

I really hope there will be a Season 3. It would be criminal for this show to end here when they've set up so much stuff for the future with the Kaylons, Moclans and the Krill.

But then if it did end here, maybe that's why there was this episode about young Kelly. Maybe she has undone the entire timeline and so the adventures of the Orville can't exist anymore. Ed would never get his ship and be captain, because that was a result of older Kelly pulling strings. With the twist at the end of this latest episode, they have potentially given themselves a way out to bring closure to the series in some way, even though it's not the kind of closure we'd want to see.

Also, I hope they don't always have a shortened opening credits sequence like they did this episode. Here they showed the names of the actors over the opening minutes of the episode after the shortened credits rather than the title sequence.

 

[Dr.]

For lightweight sci-fi, I thought this episode did a reasonably good job of explaining the two main “versions” of time travel: a fixed timeline (the Novikov self-consistency principle) or alternative timelines. And by the end, everyone seems to decide that a fixed timeline must be how things work - because sending a mind-wiped Kelly back into the past is consistent with present day reality. But the twist is that the mind-wipe (apparently) didn’t take, and Kelly begins to change the past. Therefore, alternative timelines is how time travel works.

Now, this would be just fine as the conclusion to a standalone episode. I.e., there’s nothing that necessarily needs fixing or solving. It seems, though, that the next episode is designated as “part 2.”

 

[Dark Raven]

For lightweight sci-fi, I thought this episode did a reasonably good job of explaining the two main “versions” of time travel: a fixed timeline (the Novikov self-consistency principle) or alternative timelines. And by the end, everyone seems to decide that a fixed timeline must be how things work - because sending a mind-wiped Kelly back into the past is consistent with present day reality. But the twist is that the mind-wipe (apparently) didn’t take, and Kelly begins to change the past. Therefore, alternative timelines is how time travel works.

Now, this would be just fine as the conclusion to a standalone episode. I.e., there’s nothing that necessarily needs fixing or solving. It seems, though, that the next episode is designated as “part 2.”

Maybe it's not an alternate timeline though, and if she did remember, then she has changed the linear timeline. Could we see Kelly in charge of the Orville in the next episode? But then many of the crew would be different. Ed might not even be on the ship.

Of course, it could show an alternate future in the next episode, but then we're not really spending time with the crew we know but a different one. I don't think that would be good for the finale, especially in case it's not renewed. It's better to have the episode about the crew we've been following, even if their circumstances are changed.

The question is whether Kelly changed the timeline deliberately with her knowledge of the future, or she couldn't remember but just had a feeling that she couldn't explain and did it inadvertently without knowing what the consequences would be.

 

[Thome216]

I'm betting on the mindwipe having removed more than Finn thought it would and that Kelly then didn't remember even having that date with Ed. When she woke up at the end, she looked really lost and confused, and maybe not remembering the date, she decided to let this guy who was calling down easy.

From there, her original plan stays in effect, striving for command. I think in the next ep she's going to be the Captain and Ed will be the exec. There maybe small changes in the crew because it can't all stay the same, and certainly Gordon would still be there because he came on board with Ed anyway.

 

[terry78]

This episode plot is eerily similar to avengers Endgame lol.

 

[SV Fan]

This episode plot is eerily similar to avengers Endgame lol.

I was thinking more Star Wars

 

[sueb1863]

Spoiler

I was thinking more "Yesterday's Enterprise".

Good episode but I was really expecting some big curve ball at the end. But nope, they had Kelly accepting Ed's offer and everything was solved and we're apparently right back where we started. Which is nice but sort of anti-climactic. I guess they didn't want to end on some big cliffhanger or game-changing event in case they aren't renewed.

 

[Ozbridge]

I think anti-climatic is the right word. Even though this isn't series finale it's still season finale and I expected something more. The whole episode is kind of rushed too, I wish it were 2 episodes.

 

[sueb1863]

Spoiler

I would have been impressed if the time travel attempt didn't work and they spent part of next season trying to get it right. Or what if they never got it right and the rest of the series played out as our heroes fighting the Kaylon in the new timeline? They didn't have to fix it.

 

[Zorro]

Could have been better but still a great episode. I love this show!

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

Once Kelly gave the premise I spent the season finale episode waiting for a Denise Crosby cameo

 

[Zorro]

I hope to see some episodes centered around Lamar next season and more Gordon stuff too

 

[Dave McFly]

was Bortus 'thinner' or was I just seeing things when he was on the ship when he was by himself?

 

[terry78]

Nah he was thinner. Maube the actor uses padding or something.

 

[Dark Raven]

It was a good season finale but different to the normal Orville episodes.

Reminded me a little of some of the Star Trek movies like the Search for Spock or even the Voyage Home with the crew of the Orville in these civilian clothes as a kind of ragtag crew. I suppose some would point to Firefly, but it reminded me more of the Star Trek movies.

Also reminded me of some of the Voyager episodes like the one where Chakotay and Harry had to find Voyager in an alternate future where it was buried under the ice and then try to change history.

It was great to see Alara again. I would like to see her return for more guest appearances.

I hope this series gets renewed. While it could work as a fitting ending to the series, it would feel too much like the end of Voyager which ended suddenly as soon as they returned to the Alpha Quadrant.

But will history be exactly the same as before or will things still have changed? Can you repeat history exactly as it was before?

 

[terry78]

Fox gives MacFarlane a lot of tenure and he just got a star on the walk of Fame. They'll probably keep it on.

 

[Incarnadine]

A good, but not great episode.

I was a bit annoyed that after the memory wipe failed all Kelly did with her knowledge was avoid a painful failed relationship. Why wouldn't she warn of the Kaylon threat giving the Union 7 years to prepare, especially giver her father's position to do something about it.

 

[terry78]

You can cause all kinds of weird **** if you try and change things. The Kaylon need to do what they're gonna do or something worse could happen.

 

[Dr.]

These sorts of alternative timeline stories have a common structure: Familiar protagonists are presented in a strange - usually dystopic- reality. Eventually, they discover this is the “wrong” reality; and they can restore things via backward time travel and by fixing a crucial detail.

I’m never clear, though, on why this action would necessarily delete the dystopic timeline. Wouldn’t a fix just cause the timelines to branch - as they did to cause the problem in the first place? I.e., once created, alternative timelines don’t just disappear. No?

But even if the nasty timeline does disappear (according to the fictional rules), it always struck me as odd that the protagonists would be willing participants in their own eradication - so that other versions of themselves, in a different timeline, can have better lives.

 

[Thome216]

Thought they could have done this as a three-parter, just to pull things out a bit more. But a good episode over-all. Though yes, Kelly not warning anyone of the Kaylon's true intentions is a plot hole.

They could have said that the mindwipe was partially effective and she only remembered events on a more personal level, since that was the basis of the first part.

 

[Zorro]

 

[Dr.]

‘The Orville’ Renewed For Season 3 By Fox – Deadline

 

[terry78]

Of course.