History Fridge / TheOrville

** Likewise, the attacking horde of zombie people seems to consist entirely of males. Are the females all dead, or are they all being kept as prisoners? Did the males outcompete them?

* "Majority Rule" also gets more horror-ish when you realize that the constant surveillance and policing of the population was NOT done by a government nor enforced by it. Instead, it was done willingly by the people themselves, at all levels - from detection to enforcement to execution - and at all forms - from publicity officers to talk show hosts to officers of the law. It is a truer form of the 1984-style dystopia than any sort of actual police state even as it is also a truer form of democracy (in practice, if not in philosophy or ideology by Western standards).

** Maybe not. The rest of her body was still in normal time, which from inside the bubble would have been virtually the same as non-functioning. It’s possible she lost consciousness within minutes. Still awful, but less so.

* Another bit of Fridge Horror, same episode. Moclans want to claim that a female birth is a very rare thing that must be "corrected" immediately. Yet, in the episode, we see three examples of Moclans born with the "condition" (two forcibly corrected, one left to develop, but forced to keep her gender a secret). It's possible that it's a lot more common than anyone admits to, much like the Trill in Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine covering up the fact that fifty percent can support a symbiont, but this is hidden to give Trill that fail to qualify as hosts a publicly acceptable reason why they failed, instead of admitting to something like dormant psychological issues.

* Another bit of Fridge Horror, same episode. Moclans want to claim that a female birth is a very rare thing that must be "corrected" immediately. Yet, in the episode, we see three examples of Moclans born with the "condition" (two forcibly corrected, one left to develop, but forced to keep her gender a secret). It's possible that it's a lot more common than anyone admits to, much like the Trill in Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine covering up the fact that fifty percent can support a symbiont, but this is hidden so that the Joined can maintain their elite status.

* Teleya's belief that Belloq is the hero of ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' is indicative of the cultural blinkers she has on. In that film, it is Belloq's arrogance and single-minded[=/=]shortsighted pursuit of the power of the Ark of the Covenant that resulted in himself and the Nazis horrifically dying, similar to how the crew of the Krill destroyer Ed and Gordon took down in "[[Recap/TheOrvilleS1E06Krill Krill]]" met their ultimate fate due to what's shown to be a one-sided interpretation of the Ankhana, the Krill holy text.
** Also a bit of fridge logic in the writing department is the fact that she probably saw the Nazis as the good guys because of the fact that they are similar to the Krill in the one regard of them trying to take resources from neighboring lands, much like how the Krill have been doing with neighboring sectors. And with a dash of fridge horror at the fact that she has no idea that the Nazis killed a lot of people due to their religious belief (as she probably wouldn't have taken the time to do research on Earth's past as it wouldn't have been an concern of hers).

* In ''Into The Fold'', there's a throwaway gag about the damage reports including some Ensign reporting that he spilled soy sauce on his pants. Being an EnsignNewbie, he's most likely very inexperienced, and somehow thought he was supposed to report ''personal property'' damage as well, in order to get reimbursed for cleaning or replacing his uniform.

* Isaac's 'petting' of Gordon. Yes, it's a moment of funny. But given that he was just told what having a pet is and how to bond with it, take a moment then to realize what he's doing. He's ACTUALLY trying to BOND with Gordon and thus, he actually is showing that he does care about his fellow officers and crew.

* Moclas being an industrialized planet that specializes in military manufacture and military culture makes a lot of sense when you remember that Moclans are all male. Moclas is an example of historically masculine culture at its apex. Why bother about the environment when one can make weapons that make bigger explosions. Why go on a candle light dinner when a combat simulation will do. Moclas and the Moclans are the male ego turned up to eleven.

* Primary tried to convince Isaac that organics, particularly humans, weren't worth saving by bringing up the history of slavery and giving him a copy of ''Literature/{{Roots}}.'' Isaac downloads it, but it doesn't change his opinion. Why? He's had access to the whole ship's computer, including the media archives. Ten to one, he already read it (or similar works) well before Primary tried that stunt. On a meta level, Ty's ethnicity would play into Isaac realizing that Primary, like a lot of "liberators" is full of shit and more interested in power than justice.
* It should also be noted that [[Recap/TheOrvilleS1E12MadIdolatry Isaac has witnessed - first hand, over ''centuries'' - an organic species evolve completely beyond their incredibly warlike ways,]] and has watched their society develop intellectually, emotionally, socially, and technologically, to a point far in advance of the Union, and possibly even the Kaylons. He's not merely of the opinion that humanity and many other species are capable of shifting from violent to benevolent, he's ''experienced it,'' in a manner that no other Kaylon could likely fully understand, no matter how many status reports he sent them. He simply ''knows'' that Primary's perspective is flat-out factually wrong, and has clear evidence-based proof to back him up.

* Basically, it's rather ironic that when trying to express their concern for Gorden's fantasy, no one brings up the obvious issue of how wildly inaccurate the simulation probably is. The people populating "Laura's" life are surely just figures pulled from her photos, many of whom might just be friends' friends or people caught in the background who she wouldn't really have known well, or at all; the afore mentioned house, and pristine looks; and finally, the simple fact that the phone can only show the tip of the iceberg of who Laura was. Who knows what passions, habits, conflicts, and so forth the real woman dealt with every day, and would've brought up to a boyfriend, that she wouldn't mention too often on her phone?

* At first, the crew not knowing a lot about different species, including Ed in the first episode in regards to Moclans and Xelayans (Kaylon gets a pass as their being part of the Union seems relatively recent), comes off as the crew being ignorant. Then you remember that ''The Orville'' is a (respectful) deconstruction of ''StarTrek''. Ask a 21st century human about, say, Kenyan culture. Most would fumble with the question. Now add a bunch of planets to the mix and suddenly, Ed comes off as just inquisitive and interested in his new crew's cultures.

** If your verdict on the universe is [[Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything "It'll have to go"]], then it would help to increase your numbers before you start demolishing planets that are in the way.

** Why are the Kaylons stuck in clunky humanoid bodies? Being A.I., they could downloaded into any shell they choose (such as floating orbs, for example). One would assume that actors in costumes were cheaper than the CGI or practical effects that would demand, but it's revealed that their creators were originally humanoid, and they were likely built to resemble them.

** There are apparently no chairs on the planet, yet there are guide rails and doors (things that a robot wouldn't use). Even the architecture doesn't match the inhabitants; large swaths of floor space are complacently empty (even though the Kaylons have no concept of personal space) and many buildings seem almost abandoned. One would naturally assume that the producers had to make due with whatever set was available. Yet it all makes sense in context when you realize those buildings were never built for the Kaylons in the first place, but their organic creators. The robots are essentially squatting in the ruins of the race they drove to extinction and simply haven't bothered to modify it.

** In "reputation-based economy" terms, Kelly could be seen as trying to talk Gordon out of a bad investment. It has become clear, especially post-''Identity'', that Gordon is easily one of the best damn pilots the Union has. Going for a command position would mean exchanging a position where he's highly regarded (with a potential to do even better in the future) for one where he'd be mediocre at best. Kelly is in fact protecting Gordon from stunting his own potential - and by the end of the episode, it seems he's come to agree with her.
* In Identity, Isaac was purposefully deactivated once his mission was completed. We don't actually learn if this is because the Kaylons view the individuals as disposable or if this was a plot devised by using the data collected to determine the Orville command crew would likely risk entering Kaylon space to save him. Not sure which option is worse, though the former begs the question of why the Kaylons expanded their numbers to a point that exceeded planet efficiency.

** But’s it’s made clear that those things would have happened regardless. It’s a natural, necessary part of a culture’s development. And cultural contamination is pretty much inevitable unless all societies become isolationist to the point of hostility. Take a look at the North Sentinalese people[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sentinel_Island]] for a striking illustration of how that really works. If aliens showed up with a cure for cancer, I’d be pissed if they decided we “weren’t ready” and refused to share it (unless, of course, [[ToServeMan it’s a cookbook]]).
*** I imagined the point was less the natural development of a culture and rather ''disruption'' of that culture to the point that it is wiped out. That is, they couldn't be certain that they wouldn't cause a nuclear holocaust, bring unintended pathogens, or any number of situations that would be destructive. Intervention is probably inevitable, particularly at a point when a culture could handle an early reveal. It's also possible to be a rule in order to discourage/prevent people from ''intentionally'' doing what Kelly did and taking over a planet - that could stop development altogether or send a species down a very dark path. Making it such a fundamental rule gives it strong legal and ethical grounds with which to stand on.

** Some potential Fridge Horror for the Union and in fact the entire galaxy & universe . The time difference between the Union galaxy/universe and the time phasing planet & it's universe is an astonishing rate. 700 years per 11 days is a breakneck pace. In a single year in the Union galaxy, 23,000 years will have passed in the other universe. Which is three times as long as 'organised' human civilization has existed for. 50 years in the Union will mean 1.1 million in the time shifted planet. In the cosmologically small timeframe of 500,000 years, the other universe will have pushed through 10 billion years. It's envisioned that star formation itself will cease after 100 trillion years, which will happen much quicker than in the Union galaxy. A species that develops in the twilight of their galaxy may invade for pure survival, to leave behind the darkness of a dying universe.
*** When you consider how many empires have risen and fallen, how many wars have been fought, how many countries conquered for expansion or resources or on ideological grounds on just Earth, should an empire arise on the other side and look to the Union enviously, their level of technology was already far in excess of the Union, any future invasion could be equivalent to a human exterminating a colony of ants. Even if it's less an 'invasion' and more 'sharing a room' the differences between vastly more advanced species could cause its own set of problems without needing hostility.
*** An invasion of the Union universe even by an envious evil empire from this planet would be highly unlikely. The reason being that it would take the invaders months, at the least, to conquer even just the nearest planets to this time shifting planet. Those who stayed in the Union universe to conquer it would return to find that several millennia had passed in their own universe, and whatever justification they had for their actions would be long gone. In short, the time shifting planet invading wouldn't really be worth it.

** The security on Kaylon is downright pathetic for such a hyper-advanced species. Even though they're obsessed with intellect, they're not competent enough to prevent a small child from waltzing right by them. However, since most ships that got anywhere close to Kaylon would have been bown up, ground security is probably of little concern, and in any case, the Orville never had any chance of escaping and the crew was helpless from the get-go. So what if Ty found out their dirty little secret? They were going to tell them anyway.

** The security on Kaylon is downright pathetic for such a hyper-advanced species. Even though they're obsessed with intellect, they're not competent enough to prevent a small child from waltzing right by them. It turns out that the Kaylons weren't incompetent, but apathetic. The Orville never had any chance of escaping and the crew was helpless from the get-go. So what if Ty found out their dirty little secret? They were going to tell them anyway.

* It should also be noted that Isaac has witnessed - first hand, over ''centuries'' - an organic species evolve completely beyond their incredibly warlike ways, and has watched their society develop intellectually, emotionally, socially, and technologically, to a point far in advance of the Union, and possibly even the Kaylons. He's not merely of the opinion that humanity and many other species are capable of shifting from violent to benevolent, he's ''experienced it,'' in a manner that no other Kaylon could likely fully understand, no matter how many status reports he sent them. He simply ''knows'' that Primary's perspective is flat-out factually wrong, and has clear evidence-based proof to back him up.

** They are also a race of very advanced robots who feel very comfortable in their superiority. They likely feel no imperative to improve their designs, and CreativeSterility (already a big problem for AI) has probably kicked in hard. It's probably going to end up as their FatalFlaw, since HumansAdaptQuickly and the Kaylon probably ''can't.''

** They are also a race of very advanced robots who feel very comfortable in their superiority. They likely feel no imperative to improve their designs, and CreativeSterility (already a big problem for AI) has probably kicked in hard.

* Speaking of Avis, Gordon flying a Krill fighter? Well, he probably had a chance when he and Ed took that ''entire'' warship back to Union Command. As for why the Krill let him? Well, they were likely shy on pilots after the attack, and those craft look vaguely suicidal to be piloting anyway. They likely figured that if he wanted to try harder and die for the glory of Avis in honorable combat, why not let him "[[StealthPun rent]]" one of their craft?
* In hindsight, Isaac trying to dump Claire in "A Happy Refrain" makes sense. He was probably trying to keep himself from getting too attached, only to end up hit with a form of InLoveWithTheMark. Likewise, the Kaylons deciding to pull the plug the instant he and Claire told the boys (making it a "serious" relationship) was probably the Kaylons realizing that Isaac was GoingNative and was going to be a liability to their plans...which, they turned out to be dead-right on, especially when Primary managed to piss him off by threatening Ty.

* Why would the Krill be happy to take out Kaylons? Well, there ''might'' be some debate behind the scenes as to whether or not other organics may be able to have or obtain souls. But MechanicalLifeforms? ''Perfectly'' justified. Add that the Krill seem to have a side order of ProudWarriorRace going on, and they're probably drooling over a chance to nuke a few abominations for Avis's glory.
* In hindsight, Isaac trying to dump Claire in "A Happy Refrain" makes sense. He was probably trying to keep himself from getting too attached, only to end up hit with a form of InLoveWithTheMark. Likewise, the Kaylons deciding to pull the plug the instant he and Claire told the boys (making it a "serious" relationship) was probably the Kaylons realizing that Isaac was GoingNative and probably was going to be a liability to their plans...which, they turned out to be dead-right on, especially when Primary managed to piss him off by threatening Ty.
* Primary tried to convince Isaac that organics, particularly humans, weren't worth saving by bringing up the history of slavery and giving him a copy of Literature/{{Roots}}. Isaac downloads it, but it doesn't change his opinion. Why? He's had access to the whole ship's computer, including the media archives. Ten to one, he already read it (or similar works) well before Primary tried that stunt.

* In Identity, Isaac was purposefully deactivated once his mission was completed. We don't actually learn if this is because the Kaylons view the individuals as disposable or if this was a plot devised by using the data collected to determine the Orville command crew would likely risk entering Kaylon space to save him. Not sure which option is worse, though the former begs the question of why the Kaylons expanded their numbers to a point that exceeded planet efficiency.

* How is the ship able to put up with the massive beating it takes in "Identity?" Because it had its shields upgraded two episodes earlier by the Moclans so it can take far more hits than a regular Union ship.

* In hindsight, Isaac trying to dump Claire in "A Happy Refrain" makes sense. He was probably trying to keep himself from getting too attached, only to end up hit with a form of InLoveWithTheMark. Likewise, the Kaylons deciding to pull the plug the instant he and Claire told the boys (making it a "serious" relationship) was probably the Kaylons realizing that Isaac had GoneNative and probably was going to be a liability to their plans...which, they turned out to be dead-right on, especially when Primary managed to piss him off by threatening Ty.

* Why would the Krill be happy to take out Kaylons? Well, there ''might'' be some debate behind the scenes as to whether or not other organics may be able to have or obtain souls. But MechanicalLifeforms? Well, that's ''perfectly'' justified. Add that the Krill seem to have a side order of ProudWarriorRace going on, and they're probably drooling over a chance to nuke a few abominations for Avis's glory.

* Also in "Majority Rules" the plot of the week depending on Lamarr [[WhatAnIdiot dry humping a statue for no apparent reason.]] With the reveal in "New Dimensions" that Lamarr [[spoiler: is actually a certified genius, [[TallPoppySyndrome who was forced to hide his intellect.]]]] Then his actions become a result of him overcompensating when trying to hide the fact [[spoiler: that he is a lot more [[ObfuscatingStupidity intelligent then he lets on.]]]]

* Isaac makes a small but notable change in speech in "Mad Idolatry" when [[spoiler: he offers to stay on the planet for 700 years.]] He notes that 'his body' would survive versus something like 'I would survive'. It's unusual because normally he speaks and acts like his body is him (as it is for organics). But considering what he's offering to do, he's probably trying to help his fellow officers overcome resistance to the idea by disassociating his body with him.

** Why are the Kaylons stuck in clunky humanoid bodies? Being A.I., they could downloaded into any shell they choose (such as floating orbs, for example). One would assume that actors in costumes were cheaper than the CGI or practical effects that would demand, but it's revealed that [[spoiler:their creators were originally humanoid, and they were likely built to resemble them.]]
** The security on Kaylon is downright pathetic for such a hyper-advanced species. Even though they're obsessed with intellect, they're not competent enough to prevent a small child from waltzing right by them. [[spoiler: It turns out that the Kaylons weren't incompetent, but apathetic. The Orville never had any chance of escaping and the crew was helpless from the get-go. So what if Ty found out their dirty little secret? They were going to tell them anyway.]]
** There are apparently no chairs on the planet, yet there are guide rails and doors (things that a robot wouldn't use). Even the architecture doesn't match the inhabitants; large swaths of floor space are complacently empty (even though the Kaylons have no concept of personal space) and many buildings seem almost abandoned. One would naturally assume that the producers had to make due with whatever set was available. [[spoiler: Yet it all makes sense in context when you realize those buildings were never built for the Kaylons in the first place, but their organic creators. The robots are essentially squatting in the ruins of the race they drove to extinction and simply haven't bothered to modify it.]]

* Darulio is a walking bomb of Fridge Horror. That slimebag knows what his pheromones do. Even if his own culture treats sexual matters casually, he's been off-world long enough to know other cultures (like humans) do not. And as much as he claims that all it does is amp up what's already there? The whole [[spoiler: Claire and Yaphit]] incident would point to it being MoreThanMindControl. And not only did he pull his pheromone roofie on ''both'' Kelly and Ed in the episode, it's entirely plausible that his ''initial'' encounter with Kelly - the one that broke up Kelly and Ed's marriage, sent Ed's career into a tailspin, and kinda trashed their lives - was due to Darulio exploiting both his pheromone roofie and Kelly's loneliness. Worse, he put the ship at risk ''and'' nearly caused a diplomatic incident that could have easily escalated into war. And the lowlife ''still'' doesn't seem to have a clue about how much damage he caused, much less have any remorse about it.