The Orville

[MadAmosMalone]

The Starlost was an early 70s science fiction show that was conceived by Harlan Ellison and starred Keir Dullea. It was about a colossal space ark (called simply "The Ark") that had gotten off course and was headed for a collision with a star. The occupants of the ship, having been separated into different biospheres because of an accident long ago, were completely unaware of their predicament. The series protagonist, Devon (Dullea), stumbles upon a portal to the "outside world" from his tyrannical agrarian theocracy of Cypress Corners. There he discovers the truth. He escapes Cypress Corners with two friends, Rachael and Garth, and they make their way to the ship's bridge. Through the view port, they see the entire Ark spread out before them and the universe beyond. They are awed by the sight of it and set out on a quest to save the Ark from certain destruction.

The show failed utterly. Ellison even took his name off the project, substituting his "fuck you" pseudonym Cordwainer Bird. If you think Voyager was the poster child for wasted potential, just check out this promo for the series.

https://youtu.be/VllG88T9YYM

[technobabbler]

if you like camp, high-concept, 1970's low budget sci-fi, watch at least one episode of Starlost!

[MadAmosMalone]

Agreed! Honestly you can see the germ of some great ideas in this show but they dropped the ball so hard no one ever picked it up again. If any show deserved a reboot/re-imagining/re-tread it is this one.

[Robovski]

Tonight's episode was uncannily similar to the old 70s show, The Starlost. Admittedly there are certain tropes common to most all generation ship stories but there were concepts and even scenes from the debut episode of Starlost in tonight's ep.

I have yet to see tonight's episode but I used to have a DVD set of The Starlost, and I consider it a severely underrated 70's sci-fi but it IS 70's sci-fi. And yes, lots of wasted potential. But it really scratches that Metamorphosis Alpha itch.

[MadAmosMalone]

Well then I don't wanna spoil it for ya but there is a lot to geek out on in tonight's ep. In addition to the Starlost (ahem) "homage" there were a few cool guest stars that I recognized.

[Durandal_1707]

The Starlost was an early 70s science fiction show that was conceived by Harlan Ellison and starred Keir Dullea. It was about a colossal space ark (called simply "The Ark") that had gotten off course and was headed for a collision with a star. The occupants of the ship, having been separated into different biospheres because of an accident long ago, were completely unaware of their predicament. The series protagonist, Devon (Dullea), stumbles upon a portal to the "outside world" from his tyrannical agrarian theocracy of Cypress Corners. There he discovers the truth. He escapes Cypress Corners with two friends, Rachael and Garth, and they make their way to the ship's bridge. Through the view port, they see the entire Ark spread out before them and the universe beyond. They are awed by the sight of it and set out on a quest to save the Ark from certain destruction.

The show failed utterly. Ellison even took his name off the project, substituting his "fuck you" pseudonym Cordwainer Bird. If you think Voyager was the poster child for wasted potential, just check out this promo for the series.

https://youtu.be/VllG88T9YYM

Is that really more similar to this episode of "The Orville" than, say, the earlier "For The Moon is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" was?

I mean, sure, this one was going to crash into a star instead of a colony planet, but that doesn't really seem like that meaningful a distinction. It's was gonna be the same result for the people on the ship either way...

[MadAmosMalone]

Is that really more similar to this episode of "The Orville" than, say, the earlier "For The Moon is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" was?

For the World is Hollow and This Episode Title is Way Too Damned Long was a few years before Starlost but both were well after Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky. So it's like I said, there are certain tropes common to all generation ship stories. Still, the detail of crashing into "a type G solar star" was hammered into the dialog in Starlost in many episodes so, yes, I would say that was definitely a nod to Starlost. Also the fact that Cypress Corners was a tyrannical agrarian theocracy just like the setting for last night's Orville seemed way too similar. Even the access control for the hatch they found that led to the ship's control center was like the keypad controls on every door on the Ark. The clincher for me was when they found the ship's control center and looked out the view port. That scene was just an awful lot like the final scene in Starlost's first episode.

[technobabbler]

and to be clear to people who are unfamiliar with Starlost and curious----you also have to enjoy watching people who were given lemons and are trying really hard to make lemonade.

And Seth MacFarlane is just old enough, and I believe he grew up in Rhode Island, that Seth probably caught reruns of Starlost when he has a kid.

Star Lost was a Canadian show I believe produced by the Canadian version of PBS.

[MadAmosMalone]

Yes Canadian scifi has definitely come a long way since Starlost which was, I think, their very first effort.

[Darth Wedgius]

I didn't enjoy "If the Stars Should Appear" as much as the last story, but I did enjoy the humor more. It seemed serviceable, overall. I did think the special effects were used well in the service of the story.