Earth

Earth
Earth in 2421.
Type:	Homeworld
Status:	Inhabited
Satellites:	Moon
Native Species:	Humans
Affiliation:	Planetary Union
New York, a city on Earth.

Earth was the third planet in the Solar system and capital of the Planetary Union. It was home to the space flight-capable species known as humans.

Modern humans divided Earth's history into two periods: Old Earth, the time before humans invented the means to travel faster than the speed of light, and Modern Earth. Such travel was made possible with the discovery of Dysonium deposits in Earth's mantle in the early 22nd century.

Old Earth

Even Earth is a little fuzzy on some of its own history.— Commander Kelly Grayson

The planet of the 21st century and earlier was frequently referred to as "Old Earth" and "ancient history," an age remembered as a "dark time" in human history.

The worst period of Old Earth were the years between 2000 and 2200, referred to as the "Lost Centuries" by Union historians. According to Captain Ed Mercer, by 2015, Earth stood at the brink of a major climate disaster that humanity actively attempted to ignore. A series of resource conflicts known as the Water Wars were fought. The historian Doctor Emmanuel Saadia later wrote that the Lost Centuries were "the most perilous in our long history." Millions became refugees due to the changing climate but were usually turned away by other nations. Diseases, dormant for thousands of years, were released into the environment by melting permafrost, to which humans had no immunity. Pandemics killed millions, and many more died from poverty, heat exposure, and starvation. Of this climactic period, First Officer Kelly Grayson commented, "It's a miracle the human race survived."

Humans of Old Earth oscillated between "periods of enlightenment and tyranny," and the Kaylon said of Earth's past:

Billions have been killed as a consequence of war, slavery, genocide, and persecution. Greed, individualism, and competition have been the governing principles of [Human] society.

Knowledge of Old Earth by contemporary humans is uneven due to the passage of time. For example, Kelly knew the capital of the former United States of America had been Washington, D.C., but Helmsman Gordon Malloy did not.

By the end of the 22nd century, Earth had permanently changed. It was warmer; its oceans barren and too acidic to support life; and its rising waters had altered the coastlines. To survive, humans created a new, planet-wide government known as the League of Free Cities, "stitched together from the scattered rural communities, free cities, and autonomous regions that had survived the onslaught of the seas and deserts."

Modern Earth

The League of Free Cities

The Lost Centuries era ended by the early 23rd century. The new, modern era was ushered in by the League of Free Cities, which managed resources to ensure humanity's long-term survival. The government was "far from perfect," but its guiding principles to use science and nature to sustain humanity and repair the planet ensured that people did not return to the chaos of the Lost Centuries.

The League undertook large-scale construction projects, building "immense solar power plants" in deserts and floating wind turbines in the oceans and skies. Greenhouse gasses were slowly removed from the atmosphere and, in time, glaciers began to grow again and sea levels decreased. The period signaled a new era of public enthusiasm for science and arts. An even distribution of essential resources also reduced income disparity.

Planetary Union

Earth became a unified planet with a single representative government in the Planetary Union. Membership in the Union ended humanity's cycle of tyranny and propelled them toward a more civilized society.

Earth was the host world of the Union and held the Union Dockyard, a large docking station for spacecraft, in orbit between the Moon.

Cityscapes were a melange of modern buildings with sleek curves and classical architecture of Old Earth. New York City boasted a city-wide monorail and commuter pods allow for quick, easy transportation. Apartments were common leaseholds in cities.

Besides New York, several other former nations or states continued to exist as regions in the 25th century: Japan, Saint Lucia, New Jersey and Maryland. However, these places were no longer politically independent entities as they had been in Old Earth.

The sizes of cities of modern Earth were relatively unchanged after 400 years. Baltimore, Maryland's size was still 210 square kilometers and New York City continued to be approximately 790 square kilometers.

Doctor Claire Finn described modern Baltimore as always having something "to see and do: music, art, live performances." The city had one of the best symphonies in North America.

The city of Melbourne had the Melbourne Center, a health facility for psychological deprogramming.

Helmsman Gordon Malloy told Laura Huggins that not many women in modern New Jersey attempted music careers while working in retail.

New York

Several locations of New York are identified:

• Albany - A large city that Doctor Sherman stated still existed in the 25th century.
• New York City
• Saratoga Springs - An Old Earth city and home to Laura Huggins and her friends.
  • In 2015, "some people" in Laura's town decided to bury a time capsule and Laura included her cell phone.

Battle of Earth

Main article: Battle of Earth

The Kaylon attacked Earth and its moon in February 2421 in an attempt to destroy the Union and wipe out all biological life. A temporary alliance of the Union and Krill successfully fended them off.

Alternate timeline

The Kaylon destroy all life and leave Earth a fallow husk in an alternate timeline.

Main article: Alternate timeline

In the original timeline where the Orville was destroyed by a dark matter storm, Pria Lavesque said New York City and Paris still existed in the 29th century.

In an alternate timeline where Kelly Grayson did not date and eventually marry Ed Mercer, Earth was scoured in the Battle of Earth and all biological life extinguished by the Kaylon in early 2421. Doctor Claire Finn noted that the Kaylon even killed off the Earth's fish.

Trivia

• Animals still in existence in the 25th century include dolphins.
• Captain Griffith said of Old Earth, "In the old days, when you had a problem with a new car, you took it back to the dealership."

Mistakes

• The following history concerning the discovery of dysonium is found in The Guide to The Orville. However, because it contradicts the show's established timeline that dysonium was discovered in the early 22nd century, it cannot be considered canon:

Also in the early 23rd century, dysonium was discovered on Earth's moon. A discovery which allowed humans to fuel ships capable of faster-than-light travel. Within 10 years of its discovery, humans had tested and launched their first starship. By the close of the 23rd century, dozens of starships were in use.

Appearances

• Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
• Episode 1x02: Command Performance (simulation)
• Episode 1x03: About a Girl (simulation)
• Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear (mentioned only)
• Episode 1x05: Pria (mentioned only)
• Episode 1x06: Krill (mentioned only)
• Episode 1x07: Majority Rule (mentioned only)
• Episode 1x08: Into the Fold (mentioned only)
• Episode 1x11: New Dimensions (mentioned only)
• Episode 1x12: Mad Idolatry (mentioned only)
• Episode 1.5x03: The Word of Avis, Pt. 1 (flashback)
• Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes (mentioned only)
• Episode 2x06: A Happy Refrain (mentioned only)
• Episode 2x11: Lasting Impressions (mentioned only)
• Episode 2x12: Sanctuary
• Episode 2x13: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
• Episode 2x14: The Road Not Taken
• Episode 2.5x05: Digressions, Pt. 1
• Sympathy for the Devil