Bio-ship

The Bio-ship
A view of the bioship's interior ecosystem.
Affiliation	None
Commander	Kemka (de jure)
Status	Active
Appearances
First appearance	If the Stars Should Appear

This vessel was constructed by my people as a first attempt to visit another planet. Our world is remote, and we knew that a journey to even the nearest habitable world would take over a century. Three generations would live out their lives on board this bio-vessel. The third would be the one to reach our destination.— Jahavus Dorahl

The Bio-ship (also Bio-vessel) refers to a 2,000-year-old, unnamed vessel encountered by the USS Orville at the frontier of the quadrant.

The Bio-ship was originally a transport ship to deliver colonists of an unnamed planet to a new one, and the journey was expected to last only three generations. To sustain them, the ship hosted a large, artificial ecosystem.

The only named captain of the bio-ship was Jahavus Dorahl.

Description

The Bio-ship was extremely large spaceship by Planetary Union standards, about 790 square kilometers by cross-section. From the outside, the ship was dark grey and somewhat ovoid. Most the ship was dedicated to sustaining a vast artificial ecosystem. Additionally, a sky-light could be raised or lowered to allow those in the ecosystem to view the stars. An entry door to the exterior was known to the Reformers, but they were unable to open the door as the ancient access codes had been lost.

Bridge

The Bridge of the Bio-ship was forbidden. Control panels allowed the crew to regulate the ship's systems, navigate the craft, or open the artificial sky dome to reveal the stars. The Bridge preserved a 2,000-year-old recording of Jahavus Dorahl.

Capital city

The Bio-ship's capital city was never named. It was large and somewhat toward the center of the ecosystem. The capital building was the seat of the ship's dictatorial theocracy, a government led by the First Guardian Hamelac.

History

Hamelac's chambers.

We are marooned in space and drifting. Unless we can repair the damage, this ship is now our home.— Jahavus Dorahl

During Dorahl's captaincy, the ship's engines were irreparably damaged by an ion storm. Unable to contact other civilizations for help, Dorahl decided to retreat to the Bio-ship's ecosystem and hoped a species capable of repairing the damage discovers their craft. The ship drifted for over two thousand years. In that time, the inhabitants forgot their mission and their dormant technology. They adopted a rustic, simple lifestyle and deified Dorahl, and exiting the ecosystem to the ship's infrastructure became a crime worthy of execution.

The USS Orville made contact with the Bio-ship when the crew discovers it is on course to collide with star J-2837 in about six months. Isaac was able to determine that the problem with the ship's engines could be repaired by the Union in about 24 time and the crew promised to teach the population how to properly utilize their ship again.

Production

In designing the Bio-ship model, the creative team turned to the 1979 science fiction thriller Alien and its vessel, the Nostromo. "That ship is 100% based off the Nostromo," said Visual Effects Supervisor Luke McDonald. "It feels like that kind of Nostromo, hardcore, little bits and pieces as opposed to the sleek, vacu-formed look of the Orville." According to McDonald and digital effects supervisor Brandon Fayette, the Bio-ship looks exactly like the Nostromo from underneath and the back, though neither sides are seen in the episode.

The capital city was filmed at the Disney Ranch in Santa Clarita, California.

Trivia

• The Bio-ship was so large that the Orville's bridge crew is unable to view the entire ship. Isaac was forced to reduce its scale on the monitor by a factor of 10,000.
• The name of the ship is never given. Doctor Claire Finn calls it a "Bio-ship," while Jahavus calls it a "Bio-vessel." It is called "Bio-ship" in The World of the Orville and The Orville: Original Television Soundtrack - Season 1.

Appearances

• Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear