Exploring The Orville: Essays on Seth MacFarlane's Space Adventure is an upcoming book on The Orville published by McFarland Books on April 16, 2021.
The book is a collection of essays on the show edited by professors David Kyle Johnson and Michael R. Berry. Creator Seth MacFarlane wrote a blurb for the back cover.[1] A forward is written by André Bormanis, the show's supervising producer, science consultant, and writer.[2] According to an official synopsis:
This volume is the first book to take a deep dive into the philosophical, social, moral, political, and religious issues tackled by Seth MacFarlane's marvelous space adventure, The Orville. Far more than just "Spaceballs for Star Trek," the episodic sci-fi adventure combines humor and philosophy to create a narrative that both engages fans and sheds light on the realities of today's world.
These essays explore what The Orville has to say on everything from climate change, artificial intelligence, and sexual assault, to gender, feminism, love, and care. Divided into six "acts" (just like every episode of The Orville), with the show as its backdrop, the book asks questions about the dangers of democracy and social media, the show's relationship to Star Trek and the puzzle of time travel. It features a foreword by The Orville writer and co-executive producer Andre Bormanis.[3]
The book is 238 pages in paperback form and available for pre-order.
Contents[]
| Title | Author | Page # |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgments | v | |
| Forward | André Bormanis | 1 |
| The Teaser and Theme: What Is The Orville?
Is The Orville … Star Trek? |
L. Brooke Rudow | 6 |
| Introduction: How The Orville Does Philosophy | David Kyle Johnson | 23 |
| Act I: Gender, Sex and Feminism | ||
| Finding the Female: Gender in Moclan Society | Catherine Nolan | 34 |
| Darulioian Assault: The Orville and Sexual Consent | Michael R. Berry | 48 |
| Toward a Queer Utopia: Alien Alterity and Sexuality in The Orville | Liz Fairchild | 62 |
| The Orville: A Meta-Pop Culture Phenomenon for Feminism | Francesca Putignano | 75 |
| Act II: Religion and Reason | ||
| Avis Vult! Krill and the Dangers of Religion | Darren M. Slade | 98 |
| Resisting Dogma and Damnation with The Orville | L. Brooke Rudow | 122 |
| Act III: Science and Politics | ||
| “If the Stars Should Appear” and Climate Change Denial | David Kyle Johnson | 140 |
| “Majority Rule” and a Critique of Pure Democracy | Patrick Welsh | 165 |
| Act IV: Love, Care and Nepotism | ||
| Loving Isaac | Mimi Marinucci | 180 |
| The Space Between and Beyond: Timeless Depictions of Care | Shaun Respess | 196 |
| Nepotism on The Orville | Joe Slater | 209 |
| Act V: The Funny and the Final Flyout | ||
| The Ethics of “Sophomoric” Sci-Fi: The Orville, Pop Culture, and Lacan | Leigh E. Rich | 226 |
| Thinking About Bad Taste in a Funny Way | Christopher M. Innes | 245 |
| Making Sense of Time Travel in The Orville | David Kyle Johnson | 261 |
| The Credits: About the Contributors | 273 | |
| Index | 277 | |
References[]
- ↑ Creator Seth MacFarlane received an advance copy of the book prior to publication and wrote,
I created The Orville because I felt that Hollywood’s science fiction offerings for the 21st century had left a large void when it came to the kind of allegorical, speculative, thoughtful episodic storytelling that I had enjoyed from the genre while growing up. It seemed as though ideas that left the viewer with something to chew on had been replaced by twists, trading intellectual nutrients for quickly burned calories. With that gap left wide open, the circumstances seemed right for a show like The Orville, which, tonally light though it could be, to set out to honor the classic model of science fiction storytelling. Exploring The Orville is exactly the kind of response I hoped would emerge from what we were doing. This book identifies and dives deeper into the issues presented in the series, and does so with skill and precision, thanks to a variety of voices offering philosophical analyses and carefully considered takes on the material that in some cases presented a fresh lens even to us, the writers. It’s a fun, invigorating, and inspiring read, providing a better understanding and appreciation of both The Orville and the moral, political, societal, and philosophical issues it addresses. Exploring The Orville is a must read for any Orville fan.
- ↑ Exploring The Orville. McFarland. Last accessed Dec. 13, 2020.
- ↑ Exploring The Orville: Essays on Seth MacFarlane's Space Adventure (Paperback). Waterstones.com. Last accessed Dec. 12, 2020.