It’s time for another week of Two Captains’ Log and with Orville and Strange New Worlds both shows had pivotal episodes. Let’s dive into thoughts on Orville’s ”Gently Falling Rain” and Strange New World’s ”The Elysian Kingdom.”
Music
Mr. DAPs: “This week the soundtracks were quite different from each other. Star Trek had a quirky score that reminded me of The Original Series at times. Orville’s soundtrack was quite forward and almost brazen at times. I found myself again being reminded of Galaxy Quest as I watched it. I think this week I enjoyed Star Trek more than Orville as I did find myself distracted by the latter at times.”
Murray: “Both shows had some great soundtracks this week. Orville’s was very theme heavy to the situations, while Strange New World’s had a very fun soundtrack that fit the situation at hand. I’m going to give the nod to Orville this week for having a very movie-sounding soundtrack for it being an hour long episode. It was dramatic, but not overly done in that way.”
Special Effects, Makeup, etc.
Mr. DAPs: “This week was an easy win for Strange New Worlds in terms of special effects, makeup, and the like. Orville seemed to reach too far. I’m not a huge fan of the Krill’s makeup in general as it looks too rubbery and not enough like either skin or scales. Strange New Worlds, on the other hand, embraced the weird this week and leaned into some very weird set decorations and costumes. I’m not sure either of them were fantastic this week but because Strange New Worlds leaned into the vibe of some of the old-school Star Trek feel of some series in The Original Series, this one takes the cake.”
Murray: “Orville was the much more heavy in special effects, but I think they keep dropping the ball on animation. Ships move too fluidly in space and that bothers me a bit. Strange New World was heavy in set design and costuming this week and they really knocked it out of the park. It reminded me of the Original Series and some of their episodes. So, it really played on nostalgia while being a unique setting.”
Story
Mr. DAPs: “Here is where things get more complicated. I actually think that Orville had the better story and script. I am just not sure about the execution. Star Trek, on the other hand, had a very whimsical story that was a lot of fun but also had some big implications for some characters. It felt very much like one of the stories from The Original Series where they took old medieval-type settings and tried to make them make sense in the future. It was weird, but it worked.”
Murray: “This is another tough competition this week. Orville had a huge in-universe shattering episode that also featured some continuation from a season before. But, I think they rushed some things and it really didn’t land well. It was such a shocking episode, but the characters didn’t really soak it all in well. Strange New World had such a fun episode, but wrapped up an ongoing story involving the doctor well. It was a great mysterious plot that really came together and I have to give the story points to this series.”
This Week’s Winner
Mr. DAPs: “This week Star Trek was a clear winner in my book. While I actually thought Orville had the better script and more potential, at the end of the day there were too many distractions. From an over-the-top score, effects that just felt off, makeup that didn’t feel real, and cramming too much into too short of an episode, it just didn’t work. It almost felt like the stakes were too high for the amount of time it was given. Strange New Worlds, on the other hand, was whimsical and fun to watch and then had surprising implications for the bigger story of this crew of the Enterprise. This week Strange New Worlds wins, which surprised me. I watched Strange New World first and thought ‘there is no way this one is winning.’ All that being said, this wasn’t the strongest week for either series but Strange New Worlds won.”
Murray: “I really enjoyed Orville and really made an epic episode full of suspense and surprises. But, Strange New World had a very fun ‘Squire of Gothos’ type episode that really wrapped up an ongoing story emotionally. So, Strange New Worlds gets the win.”
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