The Orville [SPOILERS WITHIN]

Also like "The Perfect Mate" on TNG, where Famke Jansen's pheromones were making the crew horny.

This is apparently what this show does - pull a Star Trek trope out of a hat, homage it, and try to do a slight twist on it.

*Pushes up glasses*
ACTUALLY, that was Lwaxana Troi in DS9's "Fascination".

"The Perfect Mate", was about the chick who could mold her personality to be anyone's ideal partner, and she bonds to Picard.

AND makes any male in the crew she meets crazy. You're right there were no pheromones involved - just her sexiness.
"Riker to bridge. I'll be in holodeck three."

Except that Forbin was right.

Kamala's (Famke Jannsen) pheromones DID make the men around her woozy.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Perfect_Mate_(episode)

It was "Fascination" to a T, but at least Darulio wasn't as annoying as Lwaxana Troi.

The DNA results were pretty predictable and the resolution both ethically questionable and annoyingly pat, but it was fun to watch.

It'd be interesting to see a sequel with these two species dealing with the aftermath, since there's no way their rivalry just goes away because they share some DNA and somebody slipped their ambassadors a mickey.

Another solid episodes with really solid jokes. I like the one about labels and looking in the mirror (you do realize you just used a label, right?) and they assume the audience isn't dumb.

I wanted to hear Bortas belt out "My Heart Will Go On"....

"Clown!"

*strokes neckbeard*

Or the tears of Elaan in the TOS episode "Elaan of Troyius." If, however, you want to strictly limit it to pheromones, then the novelization of TMP mentions that the crew found Ilia's pheromones particularly arousing and had trouble concentrating on their duties. Granted, this is the novelization, and not something which appeared on screen, but given that the novel is credited to Gene Roddenberry, it must be considered canon, in the truest sense of the word.

*shaves neckbeard off*

So, Robert Picardo was in the latest episode, and they've had one episode directed by Frakes. They need to get a TOS, DS9, and ENT cast member involved to have the complete boxed set. They've had Liam Neeson, so they've already got a toe in the Star Wars universe. I'm sure Hamill would be happy to do a guest spot.

Does McFarlaine himself count? He was a guest ensign on ENT.
He's canon.

I thought Alan Dean Foster actually wrong the novelization to The Motion Picture (which would make sense given novelizations is one thing Foster is known for).

Sure several of Roddenberry's ideas made it into the novelization like the "debunking of the K/S stories" and the "Sorgell's Gibraltar Dam idea"

Nope.



IIRC, David Gerrold actually wrote most of the book, but Gene got all the credit.

My bad. I had forgotten about Gerrold. At any rate he is a far superior writer to Roddenberry anyway.

Creepy crazy Penny Johnson was AWESOME!

He wrote a "Star Trek Phase II", episode with a gay couple making out in it.
Ope, now he's ruined for you.
Aw, look at Dayton's sad little face.
It's a good day already!

Just because I disapprove of homosexuality doesn't mean I steer away from anything with homosexuality in it. I still enjoy the tv series Major Crimes and it has a number of regular and recurring homosexual characters. Some played by homosexual actors.

Well, that just invited some Soma spam.

I don't see why Alara has to be afraid of fire because of some non-remembered childhood trauma. Seems both contrived and unnecessary. Can't she just be afraid of fire because, duh, it's fucking fire?

It was never revealed who was afraid of alligators.

Interesting episode.

As soon as we saw the clown I started thinking this might be a simulation, whether generated by someone on the crew or some alien species living in the plasma storm. We've seen plenty of Trek episodes where a character works out some insecurity in the holodeck or in some type of alien simulation. Pretty much every episode so far has hearkened back to something I've seen before, even if I can't immediately identify it. Not sure if thats a good thing for this show.

I'm gonna keep watching this show but it does make me miss actual old school Trek. I kind of want to go back and revisit DS9 in particular. I don't think this show will ever be up there with TOS/TNG/DS9 but I think it has a good shot of being better than VOY/ENT at least.

Of the main cast, Alara definitely seems to be the one getting the most character growth. She's also IMO the most interesting character since she has these deep insecurities. She doesn't really remind me of any other main character on Trek, which is a good thing. Isaac is just Data. Bortas is Worf. Claire is Crusher (even doing the single mom thing). Mercer and Grayson could be Riker/Troi maybe? Gordon and John are just comic relief, they don't even count as characters yet. If I had to compare Alara with anyone I would probably go with Ezri Dax. Insecure but lots of potential.

It's doing a good job of mimicking TNG but I'd like to see something more soon.

She certainly is the most three-dimensional so far.

You could almost argue that, of the main cast, Mercer and Grayson are the least developed. (Grayson in particular; she really doesn't get much to do, although her friendship with Alara provides some nice moments.)

I'd say Adriana Palicki is definitely the most developed person on the show.
Especially when she's standing at attention.

Alara, without her makeup.

Rumour is that the actress is dating McFarlane.

McFarlane isn't gay?

Its episodes like this that bother me because the way they write it, a holodeck basically makes it impossible to ever distinguish what is real and what's not. To me, Star Trek would be better off if they "limited" the holodecks to only simulating "terrestrial" type environments like the one in The Animated Series "Practical Joker".

It wouldn't be much of a training aid, then.

Doesn't our military train just fine today without holodecks?