what is the orville?

you may be thinking to yourself: do you mean the star trek knockoff that seth macfarlane made? are you kidding me right now? to this i say: i am also thinking the same thing! yet it has inexplicably entranced my mind.

the orville is about ed mercer (yes, played by macfarlane himself), the new captain of the planetary union ship U.S.S. Orville. he recently got out of a divorce after his wife cheated on him which shook his life up, and this command is his "last chance", so to speak. he commands the ship with his first officer and ex wife, kelly grayson; second officer the moclan bortus; navigator/engineering chief john lamarr; pilot gordon malloy; security chiefs alara kitan (s1) and talla keyali (s2-3); chief medical officer claire finn; kaylon emissary artifical lifeform isaac.

it is set in a utopian future, where money became obsolete with the invention of matter synthesis, and the main currency is "reputation" (i.e. doing nice things for others, being prominent in a work field, etc). the planetary union has hundred and hundreds of members, all from different worlds. each alien, even in the background, is unique both visually and conceptually. the worldbuilding is interesting. but what do i love most about the orville? its characters, of course. mostly, primarily, that.