Watch: ‘The Orville: New Horizons’ Goes Tomb Raiding In Preview Of Episode 4 “A Tale of 2 Topas”

On Thursday, June 30 The Orville: New Horizons debuts its fifth episode, titled “A Tale of 2 Topas,” which will obviously focus on Topa, the Moclan child of Bortus and Klyden. Hulu has also released a couple of inside look videos for the season and last week’s episode “Gently Falling Rain.” Disney has also announced they will publish a novella in July based on the script for an unproduced season three episode.

“A Tale of 2 Topas”

Synopsis:

Tensions between Kelly and the Moclans result when she helps Topa prepare for the Union Point entrance exam.

Preview video:

Inside The Orville

This week there are two “Inside the Orville” videos, with the first looking at last week’s episode “Gently Falling Rain”:

And there is another video looking at the “New Horizons” season as a whole.

“Sympathy for the Devil” Novella

Originally the third season of The Orville was planned to have 11 episodes, but due to production issues from COVID it was reduced to 10. So Seth MacFarlane has taken the episode that had to be cut and turned it into a novella, titled “Sympathy of the Devil.” This lost episode is set between the upcoming 8th and 9th episodes of New Horizons. Here is the synopsis:

When Captain Ed Mercer and the crew of the U.S.S. Orville come face-to-face with one of humanity’s most vile ideologies, they must solve the moral conundrum of who to hold accountable for evil deeds real… and imagined. Occurring just after New Horizons Episode 8, this is The Orville like you’ve never seen it before.

The Orville: Sympathy for the Devil will be available in ebook and audiobook on July 19, 2022. You can pre-order the ebook now at Amazon, currently priced at $3.72.

The cover art is an original piece from Eisner-winner Bill Sienkiewicz, and the audiobook will be narrated by Babylon 5’s Bruce Boxleitner, who appeared in episode 4 playing the Union President.

Sympathy for the Devil cover

Here is Seth’s tweet about the novella:

 


Keep up with all The Orville news and analysis on TrekMovie.

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If I was a betting man, I’d probably consider the turning of that episode to a novella as a pseudo-confirmation that this will probably be the last season of the show because if they were confident the show would continue they would have at least tried to make this as an episode in season 4.

I fear so. The only other explanation I can think of is the story might be too heavily dependent on its place in continuity but that seems unlikely. :(

It would be a fitting home if it gets cancelled and then a few years down the line there’s a cinema adaptation though.

Orville: The Motion Picture . . .

I’ll say this for MacFarlane, the dude is pulling out all of the stops to try to keep this series running.

I admire the passion.

(this is the last season)

I still don’t know why Orville gets so much coverage here, yes it is a ‘fun’ show…but not Star Trek?

It’s more Star Trek than anything else on television right now that isn’t explicitly Star Trek. To be honest, it’s more Star Trek than ST: Picard, and arguably more Star Trek than Discovery in terms of format. It’s really solid and having it running in tandem with SNW is a godsend for the fandom, especially as its continued to shed it’s juvenile humor after S1.

Because it’s a science fiction show with a similar premise to Star Trek that a lot of Star Trek fans will probably enjoy too?

Not every Star Trek fan is going to discover it exists either, but if it’s promoted here that will help.

I was worried this would be an in your face slap but That was very well done and had sensibilities that appeal to both more left and right leaning people on this issue. They didn’t deny science and genetics like sometimes we are forced to by the left sided media but also wasn’t totally heartless like some people on the far right can be toward what the subject is going through. I’m also happy they considered the parents wishes with what information is shared being the child was a minor. It sort of sliced it right down the middle of a couple major issues we are facing nationally actually like the parental rights acts in several states and the NCAA swimming stories. The way it ended though was balanced and her “restoration” to how she was born put an interesting spin on it. Usually it is the outward appearance at birth that is kept and the child later changes gender. She was changed at birth physically but had female genes and is just going back to how her genes express themselves. Kind of a reverse of the issue women’s sports is currently experiencing. Anyhow, I can see this episode winning a Hugo or Saturn award or even an Emmy. Bravo.

It was the best episode of this season so far.