The Orville returns for a third season on June 2, 2022 on Hulu, and fans of the show can’t wait to fall in love with its universe and characters all over again. Now is the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted with the loveable crew of the Orville, especially after such a long hiatus between seasons due to the recent pandemic.
Each character on The Orville can be defined by a single quote that best sums up their personality. Some are funny, others are poignant, but all of them help establish the differences between these characters, not to mention the ties that bind them all together as shipmates, and family.
Lieutenant Yaphit
“I Gotta’ Say, Watching Your Corpse Drift Away To This Music Would Be So Peaceful.”
Yaphit had one of the driest senses of humor on the entire ship, thanks in large part to actor Norm MacDonald’s hilarious performance, which made him a perfect fit for the character. The gelatinous and carefree alien was known for cracking jokes in the most relaxed manner possible, and that went double when engineering decided to pump some Barry Manilow through the sound system.
It all started when LaMarr took a swipe at the music, saying it was so depressing that he wanted to throw himself out of the airlock. Yaphit didn’t waste a second rebutting with this quote, which was definitely a mark of his character’s easygoing nature, even when it came to morbid topics.
Lieutenant Talla Keyali
“We Actually Have This Crazy System Where We Judge People By Their Actions, Not Their Birthdates. It’s Kinda’ Wacky, I Know.”
When Lieutenant Keyali first came on board the Orville to replace Alara Kitan, she was nervous, yet direct. She had no problems telling Captain Mercer that she once punched out her commanding officer in order to save the day, which definitely made her more direct and bold than her predecessor.
Later, the Orville crew was forced to deal with an extremely superstitious civilization that relied on astrological signs to label people as either good or evil. Talla made her feelings on the matter quite clear when she rebutted the alien world’s President with this quote.
Isaac
“May I Make A Final Observation? Your Children Are Unruly, Disrespectful, Volatile, And Highly Unpredictable. I Am Quite Fond Of Them.”
Isaac didn’t operate within the parameters of human emotion, but his job was to study it in all of its facets. After all, his time on the Orville was designed specifically for that purpose, and any excuse to study humans interacting with one another was considered an opportunity not to be missed.
When he was forced to deal with Claire’s unruly kids, he analyzed their behavior and reported back his findings to her, with this quote. To Isaac, it was the most optimal situation he could have found himself in since it gave him a wealth of material to study. This trait also made him one of the most intelligent crew members on The Orville.
Lieutenant Commander John LaMarr
“You Want Power Steering, Too? Maybe An Air Freshener Shaped Like A Little Tree?”
John LaMarr started out as an underachiever too afraid of his own intellect to act on it, but he soon blossomed into a capable officer. However, that didn’t stop him from using his blunt sarcasm at almost every opportunity, especially when it came to his friends.
He got mildly irritated when Gordon Malloy treated the Orville more like an exotic sports car as opposed to a starship. He dropped this quote in order to make Malloy see how ridiculous he was behaving, which was spot-on LaMarr from top to bottom.
Lieutenant Alara Kitan
“Apparently, Having A Girlfriend With Ten Times Your Physical Strength Makes A Guy Feel Emasculated.”
Alara Kitan could crush a steel pipe with her bare hands, but that didn’t mean she was the most confident of the Orville’s crew. Her race was one of the strongest on The Orville, boasting incredible strength which often made Alara feel more isolated among her crewmates, especially when it came to having a love life.
She uttered this understandable quote, which was a window into the type of loneliness she was feeling. Though she loved her crewmates and relied on them for confidence building, she always felt like the odd one out.
Lieutenant Commander Bortus
“Finish Your Plokta. Remember, If You Do Not Eat, You Will Die.”
Bortus lacked anything resembling humor, and every one of his responses was dry, direct, and mechanical. His homeworld also wasn’t known for laughter and comedy, given the fact that they were one of the galaxy’s most prolific weapons developers.
It was no shock then, to see his fatherly skills lacking both tact and sensitivity. At the dinner table, he uttered this quote to his child, which was about as horrible a thing to say as possible. Clearly, he didn’t have much in the way of a nurturing spirit.
Lieutenant Gordon Malloy
“You Paint Some Flames On The Side, Maybe Like A Rainbow Unicorn, You Got Something!”
Though one of the most gifted starship pilots in the entire galaxy, Gordon Malloy was essentially an intellectual teenager who never grew up. He was a capable officer, but his personality was positively juvenile, and that ended up holding him back.
Proof of his immaturity could be seen in the opening episode of The Orville when he dropped this quote in reference to the titular ship. It showed just what Malloy’s mind was on, and it wasn’t living up to the respectable standards and class that the Union represented.
Doctor Claire Finn
“People Say Things They Don’t Mean When They’re Angry. You Know How Sometimes I Yell At You And Your Brother If You Do Something Wrong? Well, You Know I Still Love You With All My Heart, Right?”
Doctor Finn was tough as nails, but she was never afraid to show her sensitive side. As a doctor, she knew the value of a bedside manner, even if she put it aside when required. That went double for her children, who grew up bratty and misbehaved, perhaps due to the lack of a father figure in the home.
She was forced to play mediator during an especially cruel spat between her two sons, helping to build a bridge between them. She used her own behavior as an example of what family love really meant, and that was perfectly in line with her character.
Commander Kelly Grayson
“Generally, When Someone’s As Smart As You Are, They Make Productive Use Of It.”
Kelly Grayson had faults, and she knew it, but she was also a Commander, and that meant keeping them close to her chest. At the same time, it was her job to see the potential in others and help them excel at being model officers.
She spoke this quote to LaMarr in an effort to get him to live up to his full potential, which he was secretly afraid of doing. Her words were kind, but also tough, and she put expectations on LaMarr that eventually encouraged him to take a leap and be a better officer. That was Kelly Grayson, summed up.
Captain Ed Mercer
“Look, I Understand What’s At Stake. I’m Just Saying That If We’re Not Willing To Stand Up For The Values That This Union Was Founded On… What Exactly Are We Defending?”
Ed Mercer was a goofball on the best of days, but few Captains could match him when it came to ethics, morals, and integrity. That ended up making him the best character on The Orville, by far. He fought when needed, but he was more interested in settling things peacefully through diplomacy and constructive dialogue.
For all his faults, Mercer epitomized nobility. This particular quote comes from the season 2 episode “Sanctuary,” which remains one of The Orville’s most praised by both fans and critics alike. Those who have not seen it should definitely check it out in order to feel the full impact of these words.
