Shadow Realms

Shadow Realms
Season	3
Episode	2
Air date	June 8, 2022 (USA, partial) June 9, 2022 (USA, general release)
Writer	Brannon Braga André Bormanis
Director	Jon Cassar
Composer	John Debney
Date	Likely 2422
Production Order
Previous episode	Electric Sheep
Next episode	Mortality Paradox

Shadow Realms is the second episode of the third season of The Orville. When the USS Orville journeys where even the Krill dare not go, the crew must survive against the dangers that lurk in the Shadow Realm.

The episode was jointly written by Brannon Braga and André Bormanis and directed by Seth MacFarlane and Jon Cassar. Music was composed by John Debney. The title is derived from the Krill name for the Kalarr expanse - "the Shadow Realm."

Shadow Realms was first shown to a limited audience at the California Science Center on May 25, 2022. It was officially released June 9, 2022 on Hulu, although it actually premiered in the western United States on June 8, 2022.

As of August 20, 2022, the episode holds a 7.3 rating on IMDb. This is the lowest score overall of the season.

Plot

Act 1

The senior staff are assembled in the Briefing Room, where Captain Ed Mercer tells them their new mission: to pick up Vice Admiral Paul Christie from Outpost 35 and then host negotiations with the Krill for access to the Naklav sector. The Naklav sector is on the other side of Krill territory, and the Planetary Union has never had access to it. If negotiations go smoothly, then the USS Orville will likely get to be the first Union vessel to explore the sector.

Paul surprises Doctor Claire Finn in Sick Bay. The two had been close many years ago. He calls her beautiful and asks her to dinner, but Claire rebuffs his advances. Paul then apologizes for something that occurred 25 years before.

Act 2

The Krill arrives, and both sides convene in the Mess Hall for food and drink. Ambassador K.T.Z. openly states that once the Kaylon conflict ends, both sides will resume hostilities. Claire and First Officer Kelly Grayson steal away to Claire's quarters to drink in privacy. Claire confides that she had been married to Paul, but she felt that he treated her as a "bed warmer" and not as a partner. After giving him an ultimatum to change, he divorced her.

K.T.Z. and another Krill officer meet with Ed, Kelly, and Paul in the Briefing Room. The Krill are willing to grant passage rights to the Naklav sector in exchange for mining rights of harcarium in the Obrall system, but they want a single Union ship to make the voyage as a trial run. Paul selects the Orville to make the trip. The Krill demand the Orville carry a tracking beacon for the Krill to monitor its location. Paul is especially interested in information about the interior of the Naklav sector, especially the Kalarr Expanse. The Krill hesitate and warn them that the expanse is a dangerous place where demons dwell. If the Orville's crew wish to enter the expanse, the Krill will neither stop them nor save them. As the Krill leave, they recite a prayer for the Union officers they believe are fated to die.

Paul, Ed, and Kelly consult with Admiral Tom Halsey to decide whether to venture into the Kalarr expanse. Halsey is cautious, worried that real danger looms inside the expanse, but Paul and Ed believe the risk is worth the journey. Halsey consents to the mission.

That night, Paul finds Claire in Mooska's. She congratulates him on successful negotiations, then Paul breaks the news that he will not be leaving for Outpost 55 as he had planned. He will stay with the Orville for its mission. He then shows Claire his old wedding band made of Xelayan sun stone. Claire confesses she no longer has feelings for him. Hurt, Paul slips the ring back on for luck and leaves.

Act 3

The Orville sets off through Krill space. Paul meets Isaac in the Astrophysics Lab. He says that he knows he can trust Isaac after reading the after-action battle report of the Battle of Earth, then says that both of them have been romantically involved with Claire in the past. Paul asks what makes Claire happy; Isaac replies her children and career. Isaac realizes that Paul struggles emotionally with Claire's absence, then confides that he too feels that way.

On the Bridge, the crew surveys the Naklav sector. Suddenly, a distress signal from within the nearby Kalarr expanse interrupts them. Ed hesitates, then orders the crew to set course for the signal.

The Orville finds the source of the signal: An enormous space station. Scanners show its atmosphere is safe, so an away team of Ed, Claire, Kelly, Paul, Chief Security Officer Talla Keyali, and Chief Engineering Officer John LaMarr enters the station.

The station interior is dark and empty. Its walls are made of an unknown alloy, and a heavy mist covers the floor. The team finds the source of the signal, as well as glowing lavender pods. When Paul approaches one of the pods, it opens briefly then closes. Finding nothing else, the team leaves.

In Engineering, John and Isaac report no findings of life and cannot understand the station's purpose. Claire wonders if the outpost itself is a life form. Paul starts to order the crew to explore more of the expanse, but he collapses in pain. His face contorts and begins to change.

Act 4

Claire treats Paul in Sick Bay. She is confused because Paul's DNA is changing, but there seems to be no cause. Ed, Talla, and John scuttle back to the alien station (this time in environmental suits). Talla collects a sample of spores emitted from the lavender pods. John reports that the distress beacon has changed its signal to broadcast the outpost's coordinates.

Paul wakes and talks to Claire. He is scared but not in pain; she attempts to console him. Paul believes he may die and begs Claire to slip his sun stone ring on his finger. Ed calls Claire to report that Paul has been infected with a bacterial spore. Meanwhile, Paul disappears from Sick Bay. The Orville's controls go down, and all systems and engines stop. In Sick Bay, Claire grabs a light and tells Nurse Henry Park that she is going to check on her kids. Henry hears a thud and investigates to find Paul's torn uniform on the floor. He turns around, and a ferocious creature screams.

Ed, Talla, and John are in their shuttle. John reports that the Orville is emitting a ship-wide dampening field that makes weapons useless. They dock, and John breaks off for Engineering.

Act 5

Claire reaches her quarters to find it empty. Meanwhile, Marcus and Ty Finn are looking for their mother. Talla and Ed reach the Bridge where Gordon, Kelly, and Ensign Charly Burke are trying to restore limited power to the Scanners. John deduces that the source of a dampening field must be in one of the engineering conduits, so he and Isaac begin checking each of the ship's 132 conduits. In the Mess Hall, Marcus and Ty hide from one of the alien creatures prowling. Lieutenant Woodson enters only to be attacked by the creature. The creature spits a green substance on Woodson's face, which transforms Woodson into another creature. Marcus and Ty flee to the Bridge and report what they saw. Claire believes Paul is now one of those creatures and is infecting and transforming others. Talla decides to find and warn John of the creatures. In the conduits, John successfully restores minimal power. Second Officer Bortus escorts Claire to Sick Bay to research a counteragent to the alien threat. Two creatures pursue John, who manages to lock himself in the Brig. Talla lures them to the Shuttle Bay. The aliens are remarkably adept fighters, but she overcomes them with her immense Xelayan strength. A third creature finds Isaac and seems mystified by his inorganic body and leaves. Isaac releases John from the Brig, and the return to the Bridge. John restores Communications. Talla brings the corpse of one of the aliens to Claire in Sick Bay for analysis. Long-range scanners detect a hostile ship incoming.

Claire realizes the creatures have weak immune systems and starts creating a synthetic virus. Ed decides to warn the creatures of the virus for a chance to avoid more deaths, so Claire leads a detachment to find the creature who was once Paul in Engineering. She tells him that she is prepared to release a devastating virus if he does not take his people and go. He refuses, and Claire tells Ed to release the virus. He panics and relents. The creatures leave but promise "not forever."

Claire dines alone in Mooska's. Isaac decides to check on her wellbeing, which surprises her, then says he spoke with Paul about her. She admits she missed him and invites him to sit down.

Production

A table read of Shadow Realms' script was probably held on October 15 (possibly 16), 2019, which would be between table readings of Electric Sheep and Mortality Paradox.

The space station of the Arachnids was called the "Arachnoid Ship" by showrunner Seth MacFarlane. The set of the ship was built within the set of the Shuttle Bay of the Orville.

While filming Electric Sheep in the first week of November the crew shot minor footage of Shadow Realms, "gathering material" in preparation for filming this episode, Mortality Paradox, and possibly Gently Falling Rain.

Filming concluded sometime before March 13, 2020, although probably well before. Peter Macon (Bortus) mentioned that some scenes were filmed after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Post-production

Post-production of Shadow Realms was considered complete by July 22, 2020, although a week later, editor and associate producer Tom Costantino said that parts remained unfinished.

Trivia

• At approximately 66 minutes in length, including all credits but not commercials, this episode is only 4 minutes shorter than the previous instalment. This also makes it the second-longest episode of the series to date.
• In the bonus feature "Inside The Orville: Shadow Realm" included on Hulu, writer and executive producer Brannon Braga states that the idea for the episode came from the question of "What are the Krill afraid of?" Director Jon Cassar describes the episode as being designed as a horror movie aboard the Orville.
  • The "horror movie" aspect the episode is inspired from might be the films from Alien (franchise). In the series, a species known as "the Engineers" genetically engineer different species with a biogenic fluid that dramatically changes the DNA of a species. The Engineers were the creators of the infamous Xenomorphs, the main alien antagonist of the Alien franchise. Aspects of Alien (franchise) can be seen with the transformation of Paul Christie into an alien through spores that landed on his body and the disaster that occurs upon the Orville after Paul sheds the spores of the alien species through skin.

Timeline

• The episode probably takes place in the year 2422.
• The last time a Krill ship entered the Kalarr expanse was over 100 years ago, so probably in the 23rd century or (at the latest) very early 24th.
• Claire dated Paul during her final year at Union Point, and they married six months after graduation.
• Paul Christie says his apology about divorcing Claire Finn is 25 years late, implying their separation took place around the year 2397.
  • Claire also says that their divorce took place once she became an Ensign, so their marriage was probably very brief.
• The Orville surveys a star cluster that is two billion years old.

Cast

The following cast list is drawn from a variety of sources and is not officially confirmed.

Main cast

• Seth MacFarlane as Capt. Ed Mercer
• Adrianne Palicki as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson
• Peter Macon as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus
• J. Lee as Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr (as J Lee)
• Jessica Szohr as Lt. Talla Keyali
• Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn
• Scott Grimes as Lt. Gordon Malloy
• Mark Jackson as Isaac

Special guest cast

• James Read as Admiral Paul Christie

Recurring cast

• Victor Garber as Admiral Tom Halsey
• Kai Wener as Ty Finn
• BJ Tanner as Marcus Finn
• John Fleck as K.T.Z.
• Gavin Lee as Nurse Henry Park
• Kyra Santoro as Lieutenant Jenny Turco
• Mike Bash as Lt. Woodson (as Security Crewman) (originally listed as Security Crewman Michaels prior to airing)

Guest cast

• Eric James Kelly as Restaurant Patron
• Simon Templeman as Consul
• Randy Jay Burrell as Arachnid Alien

Gallery

Videos

The Orville- New Horizons - Sneak Peek Episode 2 - Shadow Realms - Hulu

Inside the Orville- Shadow Realms - Hulu

Still images