Domino

Season	Episode
3	9

Air date

July 28, 2022

Writer

Brannon Braga

André Bormanis

Director

Jon Cassar

Composer

Kevin Kaska

Production Order

Previous episode	Next episode
Midnight Blue	Future Unknown

Chronological Order

Previous release	Next release
Sympathy for the Devil	Future Unknown

Domino is the ninth episode of the third season of The Orville. The invention of a powerful new weapon against the Kaylon pits the crew of the USS Orville — and the entire Planetary Union — in a political and ethical quandary.

Domino was written by Brannon Braga and André Bormanis and directed by Jon Cassar. Music was composed by Kevin Kaska, with John Debney credited for additional music.

The episode title likely references the domino theory, a political theory popular during the Cold War which held that if one country fell to communism, others would fall in response, creating a chain reaction similar to a line of falling dominos. Isaac uses the term twice within the episode when he describes the cascading effect of the Union's device on the Kaylon and when he presents a final eulogy for Ensign Charly Burke: "Her existence was brief. But much like the first domino in a succession, her impact will be felt, far into the future."

Domino follows the television episode Midnight Blue. However, in the canon of The Orville, it follows the novella Sympathy for the Devil, which takes place between Midnight Blue and Domino.

After airing, Domino was met with overwhelming praise by fans and critics alike. The episode has become one of the standouts of the series. The episode holds a 9.3 rating on IMDb, the highest rated episode of The Orville ever.^[1]

Plot[]

Act 1[]

A Moclan delegation arrives on Krill to meet Supreme Chancellor Teleya. The Planetary Union has expelled Moclus, a decision the Moclan ambassador calls inevitable. He then turns to the Kaylon, who are amassing thousands of ships in preparation for a full-scale invasion. The Kaylon will focus on the nearest worlds, Vikarris and Xelaya, first, but Teleya and the ambassador know the Kaylon will one day come for them. The ambassador proposes an alliance, where Moclus produces armaments for the Krill fleet. Teleya will agree to an alliance on the condition that they share command.

Act 2[]

In orbit above Xelaya, the Union awaits the arrival of a Kaylon war fleet. Ed orders the USS Orville go to red alert as the Kaylon arrive. Ensign Charly Burke reports that a special device will be fully armed in two minutes. The Kaylon number 61 ships to the Union's 19, surrounding them. The Kaylon attack, starting the Battle of Xelaya. Isaac initiates the device, a massive blue wave shoots out, destroying every Kaylon ship. The crew on the Bridge stare in disbelief. The space surrounding Xelaya is filled with the debris of Kaylon vessels.

At Planetary Union Central on Earth, Ed, Kelly Grayson, Charly, and Isaac meet with Admirals Thomas Halsey, Perry, and Ozawa. Charly and Isaac worked together to create that device. The device exploits a Kaylon weakness: All Kaylon are connected to each other via a synchronization matrix. The device triggers a feedback loop in the interlink chain of the matrix. "Basically it turns the relays into a row of dominos," Charly summarizes. "Knock one down, they all go down." Once a feedback loop starts, it cannot be stopped. The device's range is based on its power source. The Orville's quantum core powered the device up to 10 million kilometers, but a stronger source could extend that range. Perry states that their priority should be to build a quantum core of sufficient size to completely destroy the Kaylon.

Ed and Kelly have their reservations. Complete annihilation of the Kaylon would be genocide, and the Kaylon are capable of change. Perry and Ozawa believe the device is a necessary evil to prevent the extinction of all other life and changing the minds of 10 billion Kaylon is not feasible. Halsey agrees with Ed. The matter must be decided by the Planetary Union Council.

Back on the Orville, Charly, John LaMarr, Gordon Malloy and Talla Keyali debate the problem. Charly and Gordon want to use the weapon to protect themselves, but John and Talla believe it runs contrary to the Union's principles. Charly wonders if John is biased because Isaac is his friend. Frustrated, John leaves. Charly continues that if they had the weapon a year before, Amanda would be alive.

Admiral Tom Halsey reports to Ed and Kelly that the Council has decided to use the weapon as a deterrent to frighten the Kaylon into submission. They will travel to Kaylon to reveal the weapon, demand surrender, and use it if they don't surrender.

Tom leads the Orville to Kaylon 1. Ed initiates a tactical alert and vessel phases out of quantum. The Kaylon intercept. Though Tom warns them he will use the device again should they attack, the Kaylon open fire anyway. The Orville uses the device two times, destroying waves of Kaylon vessels. After, the Kaylon finally hold their fire. Kaylon Primary says they will receive them and sends landing coordinates.

On the surface of Kaylon 1, he main crew of the Orville meets with Kaylon Primary, who asks for their demands. The Union wants to end the war and the Kaylon to recall their vessels. The Union will place monitoring stations in their territory to ensure compliance. Primary initially fears they intend to enslave them, but surrenders because there is no defense against their device. However, Primary vows to discover a weakness in the device one day.

Act 3[]

The crew of the Orville celebrate peace in a rustic cabin. Gordon and Charly perform Simon and Garfunkel's "Flowers Never Bend with the Rain," and Kelly breaks out a rare bottle of rum. Outside on a footbridge, Topa, Isaac, and Claire, Ty and Marcus Finn watch an aurora borealis. From the cabin balcony, Charly watches the sky as well. Ed joins her, and Charly expresses they should have killed the Kaylon and leaving them alive was a huge mistake. Ed insists they must give the armistice a chance. Charly says that Timmis and Isaac prove Kaylon can change, but the other Kaylon have not changed, and she worries they may find a weakness.

At Planetary Union Central, a male security officer boards a lift to Sub-level 32. He enters a room where three officers guard the device. He tricks the first officer into turning around and stabs him. A second officer motions to intervene, but the third officer shoots him from behind. The two open a door, revealing the device. Using the room's communications array, they identify themselves as Team Echo and report they have the device to an unknown person.

Morning at the cabin. Claire greets Kelly as she watches the sunrise. With a new peace with the Kaylon, the only stress is their hangovers. They are interrupted by Tom, who instructs Kelly to grab her team because the device has been taken.

Act 4[]

A Union shuttle drops out of quantum and enters a Krill vessel. The Union officer is Admiral Perry, who believes his compatriots have made a grave mistake and the Kaylon will figure out a defense against the weapon. Teleya promises him the swift extinction of the Kaylon. Currently, only Isaac and Charly know how to use the device, but the Krill and Moclans have prepared a facility to begin reverse-engineering it. Perry departs in his shuttle, but Teleya betrays him and destroys it, convinced they cannot risk Perry divulging their alliance to the Union. The Moclan ambassador points out they will learn anyway, but she insists there is no need to rush it.

At Planetary Union Central, Talla has discovered no evidence of forced entry. Whoever was responsible had fleet-level codes. Admiral Halsey says he believes Perry did this. Tom and Ed worry Perry may use the device.

The Orville finds the remains of the shuttle and weapons signatures of the Krill and Moclans. If the Moclans have the device, Second Officer Bortus reasons, then "they will seek Doctor Kalba." Kalba is a famous weapons expert, one of the most brilliant Moclan scientists and the director of a research outpost Draconis 427. Ed orders a course set. Meanwhile, a massive Moclan and Krill fleet arrives at Draconis 427. The Orville evades detection with a jamming signal. Scanners reveal a substantial quantum core power source, one powerful enough to extend the weapon's range by thousands of light years. "We're going to need some help," Ed realizes, and the Orville beats a hasty retreat.

The Orville reports their discovery to Kaylon Primary. Primary says the Union's carelessness has jeopardized their existence. An alliance will be necessary between te Kaylon and Union to retrieve the device. Union Central is prepared to send every available ship. The Kaylon and the Union prepare to rendezvous.

Act 5[]

The massive Kaylon fleet rendezvouses with the Union's in space. Primary, Kaylon Secondary, and Kaylon Tertiary meet Ed, Kelly, and Bortus in the Orville's Briefing Room. The Orville intends to send a ground team to infiltrate an underground chamber using an emergency tunnel. While the fleets battle the Krill and the Moclans and keep them distracted. Primary insists he goes with the ground team. Ed agrees on the condition Kelly is permitted to shoot Primary if he disobeys her orders.

The Battle of Draconis 427 begins. The Union fleet slams into the combined forces of the Krill and Moclans. Without the Kaylon, the start of battle is lopsided in favor of the Krill-Moclan side, and the Krill leader, Captain Dalak, predicts a swift victory. However, the tide turns when the Kaylon arrive, and the easy victory quickly turns into a route. "Avis help us all," Dalak prays.

The ground team exits the Orville to the surface, their shuttle cloaked and escorted by a contingent of Pterodon fighters. Enemy fighters pursue through the atmosphere of Draconis 427, picking off Union vessels. Even though the shuttle is invisible, it is trapped in a tight formation and damaged by crossfire. The ground team is forced to bail before the shuttle is destroyed.

On the surface, the ground team finds the entrance but the access hatch is sealed. Talla forces it open, and they go in. Talla pinpoints the location of the quantum core, but a group of Krill and Moclans open fire. Charly finds another set of towers with her scanner. Kelly orders Charly go with Isaac and Primary.

Teleya stares at the massive quantum core. She asks Doctor Kalba how much longer they must wait. He answers about eight minutes for sufficient power to be achieved. A guard reports that the facility has been breached. Teleya orders defensive units to all access points and leaves. Kalba brings the array online and the device begins to power up.

Ed asks the Pterodon team to find a way to inflict greater damage. John and Gordon attempt to reconfigure their weapons while also keeping the Krill fighters busy. Back in the facility, Kelly and Talla fight their way through Krill soldiers. In the sky, the Pterodon fighters attack the transmitter array, but find it protected by powerful shields.

Talla and Kelly get separated, and Teleya manages to grab Kelly and hold a knife to her throat. Teleya tells Kelly to order her people to stand down and throws her PM-44 to the side. Kelly says she is grabbing her comscanner then jabs Teleya in the face. The two trade blows.

In the main chamber, the quantum core reaches full power and Kalba begins the countdown sequence. The Pterodon fighters cannot disable the weapon. Kalba engages surface-to-air missiles, forcing them to retreat.

Isaac, Charly and Primary enter the quantum core room. Primary orders Kalba to stop the countdown sequence, but it is too late: The firing armature is interlocked with the quantum core and cannot be disabled. Isaac discovers he is correct. Shutting down the core would take hours. She goes to a console and begins work. Several Moclans move to flee, so Primary kills them.

Back in the corridor, the fist fight between Kelly and Teleya continues, mocking each other at the same time. In the quantum core room, Charly realizes there will not be enough time. A Moclan reaches for a weapon, and Isaac shoots it out of his hand. Primary asks why he spared him, and Isaac explains killing was not necessary. In the corridor, Teleya seizes a knife and nearly stabs Kelly, but Talla knocks Teleya out with her rifle.

Kelly and Talla get to the quantum core room, holding Teleya prisoner. Charly is trying to trigger an overload to disable the weapon, but it will take out the entire outpost and a good chunk of the planet. Charly tells the group to leave. Kelly protests, but Charly says her orders are to disable the weapon by any means necessary. Kelly, Isaac, Primary, and Teleya leave in a Krill shuttle. The Union ships begin to retreat. Suddenly, Charly realizes she has succeeded. The overload begins. "I'm here, Amanda," states Charly as the core explodes. Kelly hails the Orville and says that they had to destroy the system and they could not bring Charly home. After a moment of silence, the Orville and other vessels leave.

Kelly and Primary enter the Bridge, but Teleya goes to the Brig. Ed asks Primary if the Kaylon will depart peacefully. Primary asks why Charly terminated her existence. "To save you," Kelly tells him. Primary does not understand why someone who loathed them also sacrificed herself. Isaac tells him the Union is not like the Builders and are worthy of preservation. "They are my friends," he tells him. Primary speculates they have judged the Union wrongly.

Ed speaks with Teleya in the Brig. Teleya will be tried for war crimes, but Ed wants to know about their daughter, Anaya. Teleya attempts to use her as a bargaining chip for her freedom, but when Ed refuses to negotiate she taunts Ed, saying a divine purpose eclipses all family bonds and Anaya will understand.

At Planetary Union Central, a Kaylon delegation meets with admirals and President Alcuzan. Alcuzan offers the Kaylon a provisional seat on the Council with the possibility of full membership in the Union if they behave in good faith. Further, they expect defensive help against the Krill-Moclan alliance. The Kaylon accept the proposal.

The Orville undergoes repairs in the Dockyard. Ed officiates Charly's funeral in the Shuttle Bay and posthumously awards the Union Medal of Valor. Isaac delivers final eulogy:

Ensign Burke loved pancakes. She consumed them with butter but no syrup and was indifferent to the addition of berries or other condiments. As a child, pancakes were her favorite breakfast. I served with Ensign Burke for 257 days, 17 minutes, and 49 seconds. And yet, my understanding of her remained incomplete. She had an impressive brain for a biological. She perceived the universe in ways others could not.
Ensign Burke regarded me as an enemy. Yet despite her animosity, she chose to save my life when no one else was able. And in the final seconds of her own life, Ensign Burke substantiated for all the galaxy her true nature. One of integrity and selflessness. And in her sacrifice, she inspired the enemies of the Union to become friends.

Her existence was brief. But much like the first domino in a succession, her impact will be felt, far into the future.

Production[]

A previs of the episode was completed by March 13, 2020.^[2] However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down production, this episode was not filmed until the year 2021.

New restrictions and scheduling conflicts due to Covid-19, as well as three pregnant co-stars, made filming Season 3's remaining five episodes extremely difficult. As a result, the production leaders decided to shoot all of the five episodes at the same time, an unprecedented and surprising move. "It's unbelievably difficult," director Jon Cassar reported in May 2021. "But we're doing it. We're holding onto the tone."^[3] Despite Cassar being credited for this episode, the challenges of shooting during a pandemic meant both MacFarlane and Cassar directed scenes as time and schedules allowed. "It's almost like we're co-directing at this point," Cassar surmised.^[3]

In order to film Charly Burke jumping out of a shuttle, actress Anne Winters had to jump out of a plane, which Winters loved. The outfit she wore for that scene took "weeks" to assemble - the helmet alone was a "massive" undertaking as they had to be specially fitted to her head.^[4]

After filming her death sequence for the show, Winters departed the set, choosing not to hang around for the funeral scene. "I don't want to see people just stare at my face on a massive funeral arrangement thing!"^[4]

Trivia[]

The song performed by Gordon Malloy and Charly Burke is Simon and Garfunkel's "Flowers Never Bend with the Rain," arranged and produced for the episode by Joel McNeely.
Including all credits, not including commercials, this episode runs approximately an hour and 18 minutes. This places it as the second longest episode of both the season and the series itself, behind Midnight Blue at an hour and 27 minutes.
In "Inside 'Domino'," a bonus feature available on Hulu, executive producer and episode co-writer Brannon Braga describes this episode as being one that sets things in motion. Director Jon Cassar describes Charly's working with Isaac directly as something they didn't think would ever happen, in terms of where the character started. André Bormanis states the question of genocide explored in the episode is the biggest topic explored to date on the series, and something that is the "ultimate evil." Anne Winters states that she loves playing Charly and is proud of her arc and her growth. Finally, Braga explains that Seth MacFarlane wanted all along to bring in the Charly character with a particular attitude and a particular ending, always having in mind that Charly would sacrifice herself.
The Pterodon vessel provided to the Orville in the premiere "Electric Sheep" is seen in combat for the first time, along with other Union Pterodon vessels.
Yaphit appears at Charly Burke's funeral, but has no dialogue, and thus Norm Macdonald is not credited.
Act 5 of this episode comprises more than half of the entire episode and is about an hour long, making it the longest single act of any episode.
According to IMDB, the cabin in this episode was a cabin used in the movie This is Us.^[5]

References[]

When Talla Keyali says that "revenge is for children and savages," Gordon Malloy quips, "Yeah, well, he never had his leg cut off." Gordon is referring to Isaac's prank in Pria, when he amputated Gordon's leg and hid it in the ceiling.
Admiral Tom Halsey says, "The one thing you can say for democracy is that all other forms of government are even worse." This is a paraphrase of a famous quote by Winston Churchill: "Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."^[6]
- Funnily enough, Churchill had just been mentioned in the scene where a different quote was falsely attributed to him:

Tom Halsey: Yes, but how did you accomplish it so quickly?

Ed Mercer: "For great achievements, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time."

Perry: Churchill.

Isaac: Leonard Bernstein.

When Ed learns of an alliance between the Moclans and the Krill, he remarks, "Molotov-Ribbentrop all over again." The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a 1939 agreement of non-aggression between Russia and Germany.
Isaac begins his eulogy by recounting Charly's love of pancakes with butter, no syrup or condiments. This was one of the first things Charly ever said to him in Electric Sheep.

Timeline[]

The episode takes place at the end of the year 2422 or early 2423.
This episode takes place over a year following the Battle of Earth in Identity, Pt. 2, which started when the Kaylon took over the Orville in late January 2421.
Kelly's bottle of rum is from the 21st century, making it about 400 years old.
Isaac observes that he served with Ensign Burke for 257 days, 17 minutes and 49 seconds. Charly joined the Orville at some point before Electric Sheep.

Mistakes[]

Characters twice use the term "bogey" to warn other pilots of identified enemy ships. However, a bogey is an unidentified aircraft. These enemy fighters are identified, so they would be called "bandits."
The Orville detects "residual weapons signatures" from the Moclans and the Krill. This is not possible as only the Krill fired their weapons. The Moclans did not.