Command Performance is the second episode of The Orville Season 1.
Plot synopsis
The Orville must rescue the USS Blériot, which has been attacked by the Krill. To Captain Mercer's surprise, his parents are on board, heading to Deneb 3 for vacation. Ed Mercer and Kelly Grayson go to the Blériot via Shuttle. With Bortus off duty to incubate his egg, Alara Kitan is promoted to the position of acting Captain until their return.
After Ed and Kelly board the Blériot, it disappears, revealed as being a holographic projection. This trap is the work of the Calivon, who make them prisoners and detain them in a zoo, their habitat being a replica of their former shared apartment in New York City. Aboard the Orville, Alara is having trouble properly leading the ship and attempts to receive guidance from Claire Finn. In the Zoo, Ed and Kelly begin to bond once again and discuss the past and why their marriage failed in the first place. The novelty of the situation doesn't last however when Ed and Kelly become irritated at each other's behaviors and quirks.
The crew eventually discover Ed and Kelly's whereabouts, which happen to fall outside Planetary Union jurisdiction and therefore are forbidden for The Orville to enter. Alara, desperate to be a proper Captain, tries to simply accept these rules but loses much respect from the crew, particularly Gordon Malloy and John LaMarr, who insist Captain Mercer would've done anything to save her if the roles were reversed.
Inspired by those words and advice from Claire, Alara sends the Orville to the Calivon home world to get Ed and Kelly back. Alara is accompanied by Isaac to the Zoo, as the Kaylon are one of the only species aboard The Orville the Calivon don't view as physically and intellectually inferior. Isaac pleas with the Zoo Administrator to let his friends go, but to no avail. Alara, however, has an idea and after Isaac convinces him that he should speak to a Xelayan she offers the Zoo reality television from the 21st century Earth in exchange for Ed and Kelly.
The deal is accepted whilst The Orville is united once again. Bortus and Klyden afterward notice their egg beginning to hatch. The excitement fades quickly when both realize the baby is female.
Cast
Main Cast
- Seth MacFarlane as Ed Mercer
- Adrianne Palicki as Kelly Grayson
- Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn
- Scott Grimes as Lieutenant Gordon Malloy
- Peter Macon as Bortus
- Halston Sage as Alara Kitan
- J. Lee as John Lamarr
- Mark Jackson as Isaac
Also Starring
Special Guest Star
Recurring Cast
- Larry Joe Campbell as Steve Newton
- Ron Canada as Admiral Tucker
- Andrew Bering as Technician Jennings
- Alaina Fleming as Technician Reed
Guest Cast
- Brett Rickaby as Lurenek
- JD Cullum as Calivon Zoo Administrator
- Jerry O'Donnell as Captain of the USS Bleriot
- Mike Gray as Ensign Parker
- Jeremy Guskin as Ock'or
- Maxwell Hurlburt as Greenish Alien
- George Tsai as Shuttle Bay Officer #1
- Ryan Dietz as Calivon Official #1
- Shannon McClung as Calivon Official #2
- Sarah Buehler as Calivon Mother
- Armen Nahapetian as Calivon Child
- Tory Belleci as Calivon Alien
- Kari Byron as Calivon Alien
- Erin St. James as Calivon Alien
Trivia
- Due to Fox's Sunday Night Football going into overtime, this episode didn't start until around 9pm.
- Bortus and Klyden give birth to a baby female Moclan, a very rare occurrence among the species, as it happens only once every 75 years.