******SPOILER ALERT******
"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." - George Harrison
Star Trek connections - This is the 2nd episode directed by Robert Duncan McNeill. The mult-talented John Rubenstein, who played the Prefect, appeared in Star Trek - Voyager and Star Trek - Enterprise.
Seth MacFarlane connections - Ted Danson, who played Admiral Perry, worked with MacFarlane in American Dad and "Ted".
In this episode, Seth MacFarlane targets the most popular phony science in our society: astrology. (I'm certain that astrology is bunk because I'm a Taurus.)
We are introduced to the Orville's new Security Chief: Lieutenant Talla Keyali (played by Jessica Szohr, who worked with MacFarlane in "Ted 2"). She has a checkered past, especially after she belted her previous Captain, but Ed wants another Xelayahan for the post. Besides, when you think about the eccentricities of the crew, someone like Talla would be a good fit.
The 2nd planet in the Gamma Velorum system has a humanoid population who have achieved 20th-Century technology. The people call their world Regor 2 and send a simple microwave transmission into the universe. The message: "Is anyone out there?"
A few years later, on the Orville, Kelly is anticipating a birthday party. Since Bortus' birthday is only 6 days later, she suggests a joint party, but Bortus declines. Then the Orville receives the message from Regor 2. Thus, the Orville can initiate First Contact! The entire crew is excited about meeting a new civilization.
At first, everything goes well. A shuttle carrying Ed, Kelly, Claire, Bortus, and Talla lands at the central-government area. Ed and his crew are welcomed warmly by the Prefect. The Regorians give Claire and Talla a tour of a hospital. Claire and Talla witness a premature birth by Caesarian-section, even though the mother had no health issues. This makes Claire uneasy.
At the state dinner, everything goes well until Kelly casually mentions her birthday and that Bortus' birthday is only 6 days later. Kelly says that a First Contact is a wonderful birthday present, but the Prefect and the other Regorians are suddenly enraged. Kelly and Bortus are arrested and the other officers are taken for "processing." That processing involves taking tooth samples to determine the exact ages of the officers.
The horrible truth: Regorian society is controlled by astrology. Kelly and Bortus were born under the sign of Giliac; this, supposedly, makes them violent and dangerous. The signs of the others (Panaji, Corobahn, and Valeigh) are not a problem, so the Prefect lets them leave. But he refuses to release Kelly and Bortus. Instead, they are placed in a prison camp where they would stay for the rest of their lives.
Ed contacts Admiral Perry, but he refuses to let Ed use force to rescue Kelly and Bortus. Instead, Ed tries to negotiate with the Prefect. However, the Prefect won't listen to anything which challenges Regorian beliefs.
Bortus and Kelly are interred with other Giliacs, who have never tried to escape from their prison. They always were told that they belong there. During their 4-week internment, Kelly delivers a baby girl for a Giliac couple, while Bortus comments, "It is much easier with an egg." However, now Regorians are under the sign of Wasanda; supposedly, all Wasandas are destined to be great leaders. Thus, the prison guards forcibly take the girl from her mother. That is the last straw for Kelly. She and Bortus start a violent escape attempt but are stopped at the gate.
Talla gives John and Isaac an idea for freeing Kelly and Bortus: turn Regorian astrology on its head. When the Regorians started basic communities - 3122 years earlier - a star in the constellation of Giliac became a black hole. This frightened the primitive Regorians into fearing all Giliacs. John and Gordon deploy a solar sail that would reflect sunlight at the position of the black hole; a jamming device on the sail would make the Regorians believe that it's a star. When the Regorians see the fake star in the constellation of Giliac, they no longer believe that Giliacs are violent. All of the Giliac prisoners - including Kelly and Bortus - are released.
Obviously, this episode didn't focus mainly on Talla. Instead, we were merely introduced to someone who, as Ed said, has "big shoes to fill" in replacing Alara. But, so far, I like Talla.
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