CBS launches "Star Trek: Discovery", which premieres not only on the primary network, but via such streaming sources as CBS All Access and eventually Cave TV, and Netflix. (A new episode will dispatch each Sunday.)
There's been a fair sum of controversy surrounding "Discovery", which I won't delve into here, since it's been beaten to death, but the dramatic gist of this new incarnation links to the "primary universe" and therefore isn't part of the alternate-reality track contained in the recent, theatrical films.
"Discovery" will take place a decade prior to the '60s Kirk mission and mirror "Voyager" in having two crews merge: one from the USS Discovery NCC-1031 and the other from the USS Shenzhou NCC-1227. (Wonder which one gains dominance--ha, ha.) The story line is serialized and focuses on a previously unseen branch of Klingons. The classic antagonists will look different than those who've come before, but likely behave as expected.
The cast is impressive, consisting of (now take a deep breath) Sonequa "Walking Dead" Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham (who holds a surprise connection to Spock's clan); Jason Isaacs as Captain Gabriel Lorca; Michelle "Tomorrow Never Dies" Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou; Doug "Pan's Labyrinth" Jones as Science Officer Saru; Anthony Rapp as Science Officer Paul Stamets; Maulik Pancholy as Chief Medical Officer Nambue; Terry Serpico as Admiral Anderson; Wilson Cruz as Medical Officer Hugh Culber; Chris Obi as T'Kuvma, the prime Klingon leader and possible clan unifier; and Kenneth Mitchell as Kol, the latter's protege, who's linked to John Colicos' legendary Kor from "Errand of Mercy". Incidentally, genre favorite James Frain portrays Spock's father, Sarek (originally embodied by the exalted Mark Leonard) and crafty ol' Harry Mudd will be played by Rainn Wilson (popularized in the '60s by Roger C. Carmel).
On the lighter side of interstellar (mis)adventure, Fox serves up Seth MacFarlane's "The Orville": that's the name of the ship, of course...the USS Orville, to be exact. The Orville's odyssey takes place approximately four centuries into the future.
Per publicity, "The Orville" isn't so much a "Trek" spoof as it's a heartfelt, humorous homage, where reflections of current events will be analyzed. For the record, former "Trek" producer Brannon Braga is on board, with Jonathan Frakes and Simon Pegg set to guest star.
The cast is as impressive as "Discovery'"s and includes MacFarlane as Captain Ed Mercer; Adrianne "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Palicki as First Officer Kelly Grayson (who just happens to be Mercer's ex); Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn; Peter Macon as Lt. Commander Bortus; Chad L. Coleman as Klyden (interesting that "Discovery'"s Martin-Green played his "Walking Dead" sister); Scott Grimes as Helmsman Gordon Molloy; J. Lee as Navigator John LaMarr; Halston Sage as Alara Kitan; and Mark Jackson as Isaac, an artificial life form with a Nomad/V'ger complex. To ensure guffaws, Norm MacDonald will manifest every so often to voice a blob-like creature called Yaphit.
As a science-fiction satire, "The Orville" appears to be as much "Futurama" and even more so "Quark" (the cult, NBC '77-'78 series starring Richard Benjamin) as "Galaxy Quest". On this basis, one must wonder if "The Orville" might not reference similar productions as "Quark" did, perhaps tossing in some "Battlestar Galactica", "Buck Rogers"; "Babylon 5" and "Space: 1999" for good measure.
Considering MacFarlane's penchant for snarky humor, the series will probably push the envelope at times. On the other hand, MacFarlane has expressed what seems to be a sincere respect for Roddenberry's creation and even references "Twilight Zone" as one of his series' inspirations: an encouraging sign.
Whether either show hits a cultural chord is up in the air, but I imagine we'll know fairly soon whether longevity awaits.
"Discovery" premieres Sept 24; "The Orville" Sept 10.
"The Orville'"s "Old Wounds" was a nice start: more in tune with "Trek" than I might have thought. (I knew it had the "Trek" look, but I wasn't so sure if it would have the feel.) The show's approach is funny, but not overly so. This isn't some big-time lampoon.
ReplyDeleteI like Captain Mercer, in particular. He's flawed and therefore identifiable, but so are many of the other characters. The imperfections gave the episode a sprinkle of "Guardians of the Galaxy". Maybe I sense a little of "Dark Star" and "Red Dwarf" in there, as well, and yeah, "Galaxy Quest" and "Quark".
Anyway, I think "The Orville" has potential, if given the chance to last.
Well, it doesn't appear "Discovery" is true to the original universe, based on fan consensus. That complicates matters for sure. CBS' reluctance to make the show more accessible is also troubling. Wonder where all this will go...
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