Seth McFarlane defended a controversial episode of The Orville during a PaleyFest panel on Saturday, calling the storyline where an alien child undergoes gender reassignment as “topical.”
“Good science fiction should be topical,” the show’s creator, writer, and lead explained. “Certainly, character-driven science fiction should be able to touch on any subject.”
The episode McFarlane discussed was the third of the first season, entitled “About A Girl.” In the episode, Lieutenant Commander Bortus and his male mate Klyden give birth to a baby girl, which is seen as an aberration in their all-male Moclan culture.
The couple first asks the ship’s doctor to perform gender reassignment surgery so the baby will fit in Moclan society. When she refuses, they then ask McFarlane’s Captain Mercer to order Doctor Finn to perform the procedure, but he too refuses.
Bortus goes behind Mercer’s back and requests a Moclan vessel take the child. He eventually has a change of mind but his mate doesn’t, pitting the two fathers against each other. In the end, the baby does undergo the reassignment surgery from female to male — not the feel-good, politically correct resolution many fans expected.
It’s heavy material for a show that’s touted as a comedy, or at least a dramedy. McFarlane explained that the critical backlash to the plot was swift and severe.
Critical Reaction
“The reaction to the episode initially at the TCA (Television Critics Association) was this weird hostility, like ‘who do you think you are writing about this stuff?'” (McFarland is a cis white male). “The reaction from the fans was the opposite. Like ‘we’re game for any type of story you want to tell us and keep expanding this world.'”
He further explained how sci-fi should be where these topics are explored.
“In this genre, there really shouldn’t be anything off-limits. The second you start closing off issues — certainly issues that are of the moment — in regards to your storytelling, then you are not doing your job.”
For actor Peter Macon, who portrays Bortus, the storyline challenged notions of fatherhood, domesticity, and duty. “It’s brave territory,” the actor explained. “I hadn’t seen that before on TV.”
Added Penny Johnson Jerald, who plays Finn, “It starts a conversation. A very needed conversation. And I think fans are smarter than people think.”
The topical nature of The Orville is what has made it popular among fans. Production is currently underway for the second season.
McFarlane kept mum about the upcoming season but teased there is one episode that is completely character-driven and devoid of sci-fi elements. Jerald simply described Season 2 as “oh my God!”
The Orville will likely return to FOX this fall.
