Exploring The Orville: Essays on Seth MacFarlane's Space Adventure

by David Kyle Johnson (Editor), Michael R. Berry (Editor)

Overview

This is the first book to take a deep dive into the philosophical, social, moral, political, and religious issues tackled by Seth MacFarlane's marvelous space adventure, The Orville.

These new essays explore what The Orville has to say on everything from climate change, artificial intelligence, and sexual assault, to gender, feminism, love, and care. Divided into six "acts" (just like every episode ofThe Orville), with the show as its backdrop, the book asks questions about the dangers of democracy and social media, the show's relationship to Star Trek and the puzzle of time travel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476642529
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	295
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David Kyle Johnson is a professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He also produces lecture series for The Teaching Company’s The Great Courses and has edited several volumes of works on popular culture. Michael R. Berry is an associate professor of mass communication at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His research interests are in presidential debates, superheroes/pop culture figures, and their representations in mass media. He has published on deception, academic debate. and superheroes.
David Kyle Johnson is a professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He also produces lecture series for The Teaching Company's The Great Courses and has edited several volumes of works on popular culture.
Michael R. Berry is an associate professor of mass communication at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His research interests are in presidential debates, superheroes/pop culture figures and their representations in mass media. He has published on deception, academic debate. and superheroes.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword by André Bormanis
The Teaser and Theme: What Is The Orville?
Is The Orville … Star Trek?
L. Brooke Rudow
Introduction: How The Orville Does Philosophy
David Kyle Johnson
Act I: Gender, Sex and Feminism
Finding the Female: Gender in Moclan Society
Catherine Nolan
Darulioian Assault: The Orville and Sexual Consent
Michael R. Berry
Toward a Queer Utopia: Alien Alterity and Sexuality in The Orville
Liz Fairchild
The Orville: A ­Meta-Pop Culture Phenomenon for Feminism
Francesca Putignano
Act II: Religion and Reason
Avis Vult! Krill and the Dangers of Religion
Darren M. Slade
Resisting Dogma and Damnation with The Orville
L. Brooke Rudow
Act III: Science and Politics
“If the Stars Should Appear” and Climate Change Denial
David Kyle Johnson
“Majority Rule” and a Critique of Pure Democracy
Patrick Welsh
Act IV: Love, Care and Nepotism
Loving Isaac
Mimi Marinucci
The Space Between and Beyond: Timeless Depictions of Care
Shaun Respess
Nepotism on The Orville
Joe Slater
Act V: The Funny and the Final Flyout
The Ethics of “Sophomoric” ­Sci-Fi: The Orville, Pop Culture, and Lacan
Leigh E. Rich
Thinking About Bad Taste in a Funny
Christopher M. Innes
Making Sense of Time Travel in The Orville
David Kyle Johnson
The Credits: About the Contributors
Index