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John Wick of Dogs
Mar 4, 2017

A real hellraiser


She's basically Golden age Superman which rocks

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Owlofcreamcheese
May 22, 2005
Probation
Can't post for 9 years!
Buglord

bull3964 posted:

I'm hoping that transporter tech exists, it's just that they're horrified to use it on sentient life due to the whole killing your twin aspect of it.

Star trek teleporters physically move you through subspace, except in episodes they don't because the plot needs you to be datafiles in a computer.

John Wick of Dogs
Mar 4, 2017

A real hellraiser


That's right, Jay. People always talk about soul less copies, but that isn't hope transporters work. We've even seen people's continuous streams of consciousness during the beam. However that is how transporting works in The Culture novels.

Cojawfee
May 31, 2006
I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius
Star Trek transporters work however that week's writer thinks it works because no one bothered being consistent.

Cael
Feb 2, 2004

I get this funky high on the yellow sun.

My favorite line is still "There is no pizza party, I repeat, there is no pizza party!", mainly just for the emphasis MacFarlane gives it. This is a solid "will watch on my other monitor at work" whenever it comes on Hulu i.e. I'm entertained but don't feel the need to proselytize it to others.

Comrade Fakename
Feb 13, 2012


The Bloop posted:

Ok ok, your overall point about humanity and sci fi might and up being true, but there is no way you know that yet, and Farpoint was a pilot but it was also more than twice the runtime AND had three seasons and, what, four or five movies plus cartoon, comics, and twenty years of cultural consciouseness behind it. It was more about differentiation from TOS and introducing characters (especially the EntD) than it was about world building.

I judged what they gave me. This is a pilot episode and I compared it to the pilot episode of the show it's ripping off. The pilot is where the initial concepts and ideas for a show are put forth - and there was not a single original sci-fi idea in this.

Could it improve? Sure. Anything can improve. By season 3 it could be The Wire of sci-fi. But as a pilot episode it was loving awful, and it did not bode well for the future.

John Wick of Dogs
Mar 4, 2017

A real hellraiser


I think Bortus should have known better than to explicitly threaten that much larger ship. All the damage they took and repair work they'll need is basically his fault. They were willing to talk.

Accretionist
Nov 7, 2012
I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Cojawfee posted:

Star Trek transporters work however that week's writer thinks it works because no one bothered being consistent.

That always irritated me. They're everything from a harmless people-mover to something like a combination fax machine-paper shredder.

Edit: I hope there's a cosmic horror episode about the 'combination fax-shredder' concept. Outer Limits did that once and it ruled

Accretionist fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Sep 12, 2017

The_Doctor
Mar 29, 2007

"The entire history of this incarnation is one of temporal orbits, retcons, paradoxes, parallel time lines, reiterations, and divergences. How anyone can make head or tail of all this chaos, I don't know."

Accretionist posted:

That always irritated me. They're everything from a harmless people-mover to something like a combination fax machine-paper shredder.

Edit: I hope there's a cosmic horror episode about the 'combination fax-shredder' concept. Outer Limits did that once and it ruled

You should give Stephen King's short story 'The Jaunt' a read if you haven't.

Owlofcreamcheese
May 22, 2005
Probation
Can't post for 9 years!
Buglord
I talked to some people that didn't know this wasn't really star trek, I wonder if that is a thing.

Zurui
Apr 20, 2005
Even now...



I enjoyed this but it's so clear that it's MacFarlane's Firefly. There's no way we're getting more than a season.

Kibayasu
Mar 28, 2010

Al Borland Corp. posted:

Yeah, simply not having transporters led to the program's best action sequence, which was really fun. Love "threading the needle" type starship maneuvers.

Actually my dumb nerd brain is already going "The evil ship clearly only had guns on the front so they really should have just stayed behind them instead of continually circling." Like a goofy version of that scene in Pitch Black where Riddick stays in the monster's blind spot.

John Wick of Dogs
Mar 4, 2017

A real hellraiser


Kibayasu posted:

Actually my dumb nerd brain is already going "The evil ship clearly only had guns on the front so they really should have just stayed behind them instead of continually circling." Like a goofy version of that scene in Pitch Black where Riddick stays in the monster's blind spot.

Oh I meant the catching the shuttle part. I just have to assume the evil ship had aft guns

twistedmentat
Nov 21, 2003

Its my party
and I'll die if
I want to
Is it me or does the Orville look both expensive and cheap at the same time? I feel like its really flatly lit, which worked in SD but now in HD it just makes everything look flat and cheap. Which clashes because the show has pretty good production values for network sci-fi. It just makes the whole thing look like Stargate.

I also really don't like that Palecki is ex-wife and first officer, because it suggests their entire relationship is going to be antagonstic and cliched ex wife stuff. I mean the other option is to make her an object of McFarlanes desires which is also gross and cliche.

Epicurius
Apr 10, 2010
College Slice

The_Doctor posted:

You should give Stephen King's short story 'The Jaunt' a read if you haven't.

Or James Kelly's "Think Like a Dinosaur".

Paradoxish
Dec 19, 2003

Will you stop going crazy in there?

Epicurius posted:

Or James Kelly's "Think Like a Dinosaur".

I think the Outer Limits episode he's talking about is actually based on this story.

gizmojumpjet
Feb 21, 2006

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Grimey Drawer

twistedmentat posted:

Is it me or does the Orville look both expensive and cheap at the same time? I feel like its really flatly lit, which worked in SD but now in HD it just makes everything look flat and cheap. Which clashes because the show has pretty good production values for network sci-fi. It just makes the whole thing look like Stargate.

The close up shot of the captain chair's arm when Mercer is getting the message about his new XO showed some pretty crummy upholstery.

Kazinsal
Dec 13, 2011



All of these microsperg faults just make this a better Star Trek.

I seriously hope MacFarlane still has enough pull with FOX to get another season ordered.

Mister Kingdom
Dec 14, 2005

And the tears that fall
On the city wall
Will fade away
With the rays of morning light

Kazinsal posted:

All of these microsperg faults just make this a better Star Trek.

I seriously hope MacFarlane still has enough pull with FOX to get another season ordered.

I just want to see a full season. Thirteen eps have been ordered.

Sir Kodiak
May 14, 2007


twistedmentat posted:

I feel like its really flatly lit

Yeah, I could not get over how boringly lit it is and how much damage that does to the already not-great physical sets. Compare that to Discovery, which, while it clearly has its own problems in general, appears to be shot by someone who gives even a tiny bit of a poo poo how it looks.

Baronjutter
Dec 31, 2007

"Tiny Trains"

Terrible flat lighting?? In my TNG parody!?!

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE
I enjoyed the episode apart from the "long awkward moment" gags and the Conn Comedy Duo, but after sleeping I can see how it was lacking any real bite or point to its scifi-ness and basically being a low-key ensemble sitcom with Star Trek set dressing.

I'll play along for a few episodes, is where I'm at. If it grows into a better low-key ensemble sitcom, I think I'll at least be satisfied. If it grows into an action serial about Heroic Captain MacFarlane and his hot wife and pals versus the evil Snake-Klingon Empire, I'll be grumpy.

Sir Kodiak
May 14, 2007


Baronjutter posted:

Terrible flat lighting?? In my TNG parody!?!

It's not a parody.

Selachian
Oct 9, 2012

twistedmentat posted:

I also really don't like that Palecki is ex-wife and first officer, because it suggests their entire relationship is going to be antagonstic and cliched ex wife stuff. I mean the other option is to make her an object of McFarlanes desires which is also gross and cliche.

I do think their scene at the end of the episode suggested they'd managed to get past that. Because the alternative is either degenerating into eternally squabbling exes or "will they or won't they," neither of which I want to see.

John Wick of Dogs
Mar 4, 2017

A real hellraiser


I do know from write ups the next episode will at least still partially deal with their issues, but will have to see how extensively.

Cojawfee
May 31, 2006
I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

twistedmentat posted:

Is it me or does the Orville look both expensive and cheap at the same time? I feel like its really flatly lit, which worked in SD but now in HD it just makes everything look flat and cheap. Which clashes because the show has pretty good production values for network sci-fi. It just makes the whole thing look like Stargate.

I'm guessing they have to do that lighting so whatever CG shop they went with can more easily match up the CG background.

The Bloop
Jul 5, 2004

by Fluffdaddy

Comrade Fakename posted:

I compared it to the pilot episode of the show it's ripping off.

You are maybe just being goonily hyperbolic, but this phrasing kind of makes me think you didn't really give it a fair shake.

Drink-Mix Man
Mar 4, 2003

You are an odd fellow, but I must say... you throw a swell shindig.

Sir Kodiak posted:

It's not a parody.



That should just be the official Orville tagline now

Mokotow
Apr 16, 2012

Saw it, liked it. It scratches the TNG itch and does things its own way. Also, I don't remember seeing a show so divisive yet, and the RT score is a good example. I guess I'm happy that TV sci-fi can be both plentiful and varied enough to make people angry.

Baronjutter
Dec 31, 2007

"Tiny Trains"

I think a light hearted scifi comedy can work, I loved Red Dwarf and how they managed to combine often serious plots and legit high concept scifi poo poo with pure goofy comedy. Galaxy quest is perfect too. But so far this feels like, well it feels like a late season episode of red dwarf after the co-writers parted ways and poo poo just got real cringy and bad real fast. Maybe it will get better but I'm not so desperately thirsty for scifi that I'll lap up the first puddle of piss I see.

Rigel
Nov 11, 2016

The Orville's debut had pretty good ratings. It was the 2nd-strongest debut not counting anything with a super bowl lead-in

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/the-orville-premiere-ratings-sunday-night-football-1202556058/

Zurui
Apr 20, 2005
Even now...



Rigel posted:

The Orville's debut had pretty good ratings. It was the 2nd-strongest debut not counting anything with a super bowl lead-in

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/the-orville-premiere-ratings-sunday-night-football-1202556058/

:stare:

Holy poo poo. Is this show just accidentally what America wants right now?

Mister Kingdom
Dec 14, 2005

And the tears that fall
On the city wall
Will fade away
With the rays of morning light

Rigel posted:

The Orville's debut had pretty good ratings. It was the 2nd-strongest debut not counting anything with a super bowl lead-in

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/the-orville-premiere-ratings-sunday-night-football-1202556058/

Well, Leon really seems to have enjoyed it.

The Fuzzy Hulk
Nov 22, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT CROSSING THE STREAMS


Zurui posted:

:stare:

Holy poo poo. Is this show just accidentally what America wants right now?

Yes. Except for the ones that watch football or NCIS.

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


I'm happy, but at the same time cautious.

The drop-off for the second episode is what we have to watch out for. High premier is great, but it won't matter for much if people don't want to watch a 2nd episode.

Comrade Fakename
Feb 13, 2012


The Bloop posted:

You are maybe just being goonily hyperbolic, but this phrasing kind of makes me think you didn't really give it a fair shake.

Yeah, this show has nothing to do with TNG. In fact I doubt McFarlane has even seen it.

Sinistral
Jan 2, 2013
I have no idea why goons are falling over themselves for what is essentially a really dull episode of TNG mixed in with some tepid humor. Oh look the robot character doesn't know what feeling are! Hilarious!

Yawn

twistedmentat
Nov 21, 2003

Its my party
and I'll die if
I want to

Cojawfee posted:

I'm guessing they have to do that lighting so whatever CG shop they went with can more easily match up the CG background.

There was some really dodgy green screen work throughout too.

It's like Trek that's less serious, not everyone is so perfect. I do with the Robot was way more racist though. Like totalyl Hk-47/Bender level of Kill all Meatbags.

Polo-Rican
Jul 4, 2004

emptyquote my posts or die

Sir Kodiak posted:

It's not a parody.

Yeah, this is what I find weird about the pilot. Is it even legal for a show to rip off a series in every way and then not actually parody that series??

It's more like a fan show than a parody... But fan shows are only tolerated legally sometimes because they have tiny distribution.

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Cojawfee
May 31, 2006
I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

Polo-Rican posted:

Yeah, this is what I find weird about the pilot. Is it even legal for a show to rip off a series in every way and then not actually parody that series??

It's more like a fan show than a parody... But fan shows are only tolerated legally sometimes because they have tiny distribution.

CBS/Paramount don't own "TV show set on a space ship."

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