By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Seth MacFarlane’s underrated sci-fi series The Orville may have been pitched as a comedic parody of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it didn’t take long for Jonathan Frakes to give his blessing. The man who invented the Riker Maneuver not only directed “Pria,” the show’s fifth episode, but during a 2016 comic convention, explained, “The Star Trek that we have has really found its voice, and Discovery has really found its voice. And The Orville has filled in a void. For a lot of people The Orville is their new Star Trek because it does tell stories like [The Next Generation], and it’s got wild humor in it.”
Jonathan Frakes Is A Fan Of The Orville
The Orville earned Jonathan Frakes praise early on, with the actor-turned-director noting that Seth MacFarlane made the choice to fill the writer’s room and production crew with Star Trek veterans. From bringing on board Brannon Braga, the writer behind some of Trek’s best television episodes and its best movie, First Contact, to another actor-turned-director in Star Trek Voyager’s Tom Paris, Robert Duncan Macneil, who helmed the show’s second episode, “Command Performance.” Even the same cinematographer, Marvin Rush, was brought on board, all of which Frakes approved of, stating: “He filled the room with Next Gen people so that the show would look and feel like it. I think he did it.”
Going deeper on why The Orville found success, Jonathan Frakes also stated, “I think the fans of Seth expected the show to be much more Family Guy than he ever intended it. In that, part of what he did by hiring [Star Trek veteran] Brannon [Braga] and others is to tell Star Trek stories that happen to have moments of absurdity, and that humor we have come to know. But it was never underlined and never expanded and if you blink sometimes you missed the humor and I think that approach worked in season one. Now for season two, we have these character studies.”
It was never just about capturing the morality at the heart of Star Trek’s best episodes for MacFarlane he nailed the feel of the classic series. The Orville’s shot-blocking, camera movements, and framing are all things that Jonathan Frakes says fans became accustomed to seeing on The Next Generation. Frakes believes that there’s room for fans to embrace both MacFarlane’s loving homage and Star Trek: Discovery, which took the franchise in a bold new direction.
Fans weren’t on board with Discovery, which, unlike The Orville, eschewed classic Star Trek and embraced the cinematic styling of J.J. Abrams Kelvinverse, even Jonathan Frakes points out the difference, explaining that the style is “Much more cinematic, a lot of crane work, and a lot of movement, a lot of dutch angles.” Strange New Worlds also embraced the more cinematic style, but it was more grounded in the trappings of classic Trek compared to its parent series, which is why one is a fan favorite and the other…is Discovery.
The Orville Is The Next Generation’s Spiritual Successor
The Orville and Discovery both share the distinction of having Jonathan Frakes directed episodes in their first seasons. Frakes would end up returning to both shows for The Orville Season 2 episode, “Sanctuary,” where he brought Marina Sirtis along with him, and then seven more episodes of Discovery and one Strange New World episode. So when he says that it’s possible to be a fan of both and to enjoy each series for different reasons, he knows what he’s talking about.
While The Orville was never able to get Jonathan Frakes in front of the camera, there’s still hope for Season 4. Tim Russ, Tuvok in Voyager, made an appearance, as did his co-star, Robert Picardo, and Enterprise is even represented thanks to John Billingsley, Phlox, appearing in “Home.” That’s not even counting the main cast members who appeared in both franchises: Seth MacFarlane (Enterprise), Penny Johnson Jerald (TNG and DS9), and Scott Grimes (TNG).
Not every fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation is a fan of The Orville like how Jonathan Frakes is, but they should be. Frakes is right; no other show has captured the look, feel, and tone of the all-time great sci-fi series like Macfarlane’s comedy. Now, how can we get Patrick Stewart to appear in Season 4?
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