Pod

A conveyance pod flies over the waters of the planet Xelaya.

A pod was a small auxiliary transportation craft used in the Planetary Union in the early 25th century. With the exception of escape pods, a pod was used in travel solely inside the atmosphere of a planet, distinguishable from shuttlecraft, which were auxiliary craft used by larger space flight-capable vessels for travel.

There are three identified types of pods, which are similar but not related to each other: a commuter pod used on Earth, a conveyance pod used on Xelaya, and an escape pod used in spacecraft as an emergency transport vessel to a habitable or safe environment.

Commuter pod

An open door reveals the commuter pod's interior. Note that the pod's user console has retracted, allowing Ed Mercer to exit the pod.

The commuter pod was a single person transporter used primarily on Earth for short-distance travel. It was spherical, with two bottom, dorsal wings presumably responsible for keeping the pod aloft. Most of the pod was built of a transparent, glass-like windshield that rose for loading or unloading. Many buildings sported small docking bays customized expressly for commuter pods, including Planetary Union Central and individual apartment units.

Conveyance pod

Non-canonical termThis subject matter was never named by a canonical source. However, for the purposes of identification and clarity, the term conveyance pod has been provisionally adopted by the Wiki.

Interior of a conveyance pod.

A conveyance pod was a four-person transporter used primarily on Xelaya for short-distance travel. It was ovoid, with three extendable legs for landing. Two lower, leglike wings extended at either side while in flight.

Escape pod

Main article: Escape pod

Production

Commuter pod

Production design of the commuter pod.

Initial concept art by Luke McDonald and Stephen Lineweaver of the commuter pod was more ovoid and sleeker in appearance, with the wings fanning from the sides of craft, rather from the base. Inspiration came from the production line of Tesla motorcars. A comment from the production team (likely McDonald) is found in the book The World of the Orville:

We hybridized [the commuter pod] into this all-glass thing, but it was essentially trying to find something that had the panoramic view of the Tesla cockpit with a spherical design.

An empty commuter pod. Note that the user console, previously retracted in the photo above, has re-extended in front of the seat. The retractable user console was visual effects artist Yoshi Vu's idea.

With the overall spherical shape and and wing/stabilizer placement decided the final stage of design, including control panels, details, and mechanical functionality, was completed by visual effects artist Yoshi Vu who created the 3D model used in the pilot episode:

I was given a basic overall layout/silhouette (the main sphere, door/glass placement and functionality, and stabilizers) without any concept or reference beyond that, and allowed to design everything else inside and out. I was heavily inspired by the look of the drone in Oblivion in coming up with the overall look and paneling.

Vu gave the pod an retractable user console which extended in front of the driver "in a rotating motion outward."

Conveyance pod

The conveyance pod was designed by senior concept designer Lex Cassar, assistant art director Kit Stølen, and other artists. As the production staff had no official term for the vehicle, artists began to call the craft a 'Xelayan conveyance pod,' although Stølen's sketches for the set label the craft 'Xelayan vehicle.'

Trivia

• Laura Huggins, in a message to the future left on her old mobile phone before donating it to the Saratoga Springs time capsule in 2015, said she hopes that future people have flying cars, which would make her "super jealous". This came true in the form of the commuter pod.

Appearances

• Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
• Episode 2x03: Home
• Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes
• Episode 2x11: Lasting Impressions (Indirect mention only)