The Word of Avis, Pt. 2 is the fourth and final issue of Season 1.5 of The Orville, and the second part of a two-part episode known as The Word of Avis. According to a press release, the USS Orville intercepts "a small Union ship en route to the interstellar territory of the easily aggravated Krill. The passengers, originally thought to be a group of xenoanthropologists, turn out to be much, much more interesting and dangerous than the crew of the Orville could’ve imagined."[1]
The episode was written by executive producer David A. Goodman and staffed by artist David Cabeza and colorist Michael Atiyeh.
Plot[]
The crew of the USS Orville finds themselves 30 light years in Krill territory. Helmsman Gordon Malloy pilots the ship back at maximum speed, but it will take 2.78 hours to get home.
At Chief of Security Alara Kitan's suggestion, Isaac disguises the Orville as a Krill destroyer using a holographic generator recovered from the Calivon.
In the Captain's Office, Ed Mercer, First Officer Kelly Grayson, and Alara place Doctor Darden and his team under arrest for sabotaging and hijacking the ship. Darden is unsympathetic: "We were trying to get home. ... You would not understand. You are not of Avis."
Meanwhile, Chief Engineer John LaMarr finds Celeste in the Brig. "You want to tell me why you lied to me?" He asks. Celeste answers that it was "the will of Avis," and that she wanted to be around followers of the Anhkana.
On the Bridge, Second Officer Bortus detects three destroyers set to pass the Orville.
The trio of destroyers is led by Captain Kratok, curious as to why a Krill ship is headed toward Planetary Union space. Though typical long-range scans detect nothing, a shadowed adviser directs Kratok to scan the ship with neutron radiation. Neutron radiation stymies the holographic generator, and the Orville's disguise is unveiled. The three destroyers move to intercept the Orville in three minutes.
The Orville flees to a planetary system with a dense asteroid field with two of the three destroyers close behind. The destroyers launch missiles with a "sophisticated guidance system," but the Orville manages to abscond into the cave of a nearby asteroid. The explosion of the missiles shatters the mouth of the cave, sealing the Orville inside the asteroid's interior.
While the Krill cannot detect the Orville, the Orville is trapped. John devises a plan to use the holographic generator on the xenoanthropologists' transport to disguise it as the Orville. By sending it on "a one-way trip" at maximum speed, the Krill would mistakenly pursue the transporter. Unfortunately, the xenoanthropologists had locked their ship's computer.
Ed, Kelly, and John confront the xenoanthropologists but they are unmoved, even if everyone dies. Suddenly, falling debris from Krill destroyers drilling through the asteroid collapses on the Orville, overloading its systems. As the officers rush to the bridge, the brig's systems fail and the xenoanthropologists sneak to the Shuttle Bay and onto their transport, unlocking its computer. Just then, Ed, Kelly, and John board the transport, PM-44s drawn; the debris, drilling, and the systems overload was a ruse to trick the xenoanthropologists to unlock their ship.
Meanwhile, the Krill are actually tunneling through the asteroid. John and Celeste set up the holographic generator and, as soon as the Krill break through, the transport (disguised as the Orville) jets off into the distance, destroyers hot on its tail. The real Orville leaves towards Union space.
John visits Celeste in her quarters, telling her that it was the least he could do after helping him.
In the epilogue, the mysterious adviser tells Kratok that she is interested in the Orville. She steps out of the shadows, revealing herself to be Teleya: "Its commander is someone I have plans for... Very special plans."
Trivia[]
- This issue notably features the first instance of the word "fuck" said in The Orville when Helmsman Gordon Malloy describes the holographic generator as a "clusterfuck."
- The word had been used in the first draft of the script for Old Wounds where Ed calls Kelly a "crazy motherfucker," but was removed prior to filming.[2]
- Curiously, the high priest aboard Kratok's battleship is referred to as "the Sazeron". Sazeron was the name of the high priest of the Yakar.[3]
- As the first Sazeron was killed within the events of that episode, the two cannot be the same individual.
- Isaac states that at maximum speed, the Orville will take 2.78 hours to traverse 30 light years distance. This means the Orville's top speed is 10.7914 light years per hour.
- This is consistent with Pria where Ed mentions the Orville's quantum drive is capable of speeds exceeding 10 light years per hour.
Timeline[]
- The canonical date of this issue is around July 2420.
- By now, Teleya has escaped from Union custody. She was imprisoned at the end of 2419 in Krill.
References[]
- Alara recalls the events of Command Performance when she and Isaac rescued Ed and Kelly Grayson from the Calivon Zoo by using the Calivon's holographic generator to disguise the Orville as one of their own ships.
- John tells Celeste that he was lost "a little while ago" and that he had to figure out who he was before getting his life on a new track, alluding to the events of New Dimensions in which Kelly convinced him to take the role of Chief Engineer.
- Teleya notes that she has plans regarding Ed, foreshadowing her return as "Janel Tyler" in Ja'loja.
- Isaac's screen shows Epsilon 2.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Capt. Ed Mercer
- Cmdr. Kelly Grayson
- Lt. Cmdr. Bortus
- Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr
- Lt. Alara Kitan
- Dr. Claire Finn
- Lt. Gordon Malloy
- Isaac
Special Guest Cast[]
Recurring Cast[]
References[]
- ↑ "ECCC 2019: DARK HORSE AND 20TH CENTURY FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS INVITE YOU TO EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE WITH". Dark Horse. March 7, 2019.
- ↑ MacFarlane, Seth. Orville 1x01 - Pilot. Fox Broadcasting Co.
- ↑ Haros: "I am Captain Haros. This is my High Priest, Sazeron." Episode 1x06: Krill