The fate of the Orville remains undecided. After three seasons, it could all be over in a blink of an eye. Still, if all we got were three seasons, then what a wonderful three seasons it was. The series won over fans by embracing the core concepts of Star Trek. Granted, it was with a humorous twist most times, but the idea of pushing for a brighter future while also pushing important cultural conversations was straight out of the Star Trek playbook.
The fact that the Orville so lovingly modeled itself after the prime years of Star Trek (1987-2005), and the shows that came with it isn't some random act. Many of the men and women who worked on those iconic shows 20 to 30-odd years ago were brought in by Seth MacFarlane to help launch and mold the Orville into a spiritual successor to all of those wonderful Star Trek shows of the 80s, 90s, and 00s.
So it's not at all surprising that the show also featured many on-screen alums of Star Trek. Today, we're looking at just three of the actors and actresses who appeared in both the Star Trek franchise and The Orville, and highlighting why each of them stood out in both franchises.
John Billingsley
On Star Trek: Enterprise, John Billingsley played Phlox, the often jovial and caring doctor of the USS Enterprise-NX. He was one of the best gems of the show, oftentimes using his earnest nature to talk through conflicts with Captain Jonathan Archer. Yet, on the Orville, Billingsley played a vastly different character. He played Cambis Borrin, the father of a disgraced associate professor. His son wrote a paper that claimed a vaccine caused a disease that it actually didn't and after being discredited, he took his own life. In the episode in which Billingsley appeared, he came to confront a fellow Star Trek alumni, Robert Picardo, whose character was the leading author behind Cambis' son's discrediting.
The dynamic difference in personalities between the two characters that Billingsley played is stark. On Enterprise, he was a kind soul. Yet on The Orville, he was driven by revenge. He attempted to have Picardro's character (Ildis Kitan) retract his claims that ultimately ended their son's life but to no avail. It was a powerful performance that touched on very real debates that are going on still to this day. Even though it was just one episode, it was a powerhouse of a performance for Billingsley.
Robert Picardo
As with Billingsley, Robert Picardo's turn on The Orvile was one that mirrored his time on Star Trek. Having spent eight-plus seasons as The Doctor across two (soon to be three) shows. During his time as The Doctor, he was sardonic and sarcastic but also very caring. Even if he was only a hologram. On The Orville, he played the father (Ildis Kitan) of one of the first season's main characters, Alara Kitan. In his first outing, we found out that the likable traits he had in Star Trek were gone. A professor at a prestigious university, his character of Ildis Kitan was one of a racist. He thought poorly of humans and was even vocal in his belief that his daughter, Alara was lacking.
There would be a bit of a change in the character between his first and second appearances, as he would later appear alongside Billingsley in what would be Picardo's second outing as Ildis Kitan. Yet, it was the stark differences between his Orville and Star Trek characters that made him stand out. His dismissive and bigoted views helped highlight the dynamic degrees Picardo could reach as an actor. Helping make his appearance as Ildis all the more different than his time as The Doctor.
Penny Johnson Jerald
Both Billingsley and Picardo went from stars of Star Trek to guest stars on The Orville. Penny Johnson Jerald, however, went from a recurring character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to a starring role on The Orville. On Deep Space Nine, she played Kassidy Yates, the freight runner who visited Deep Space Nine quite a bit. She would later be exposed as a smuggler, and after serving her time, would reunite with the series' main character Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), and later marry him.
She was a very popular side character on Deep Space Nine, but on The Orville, she really upped her fandom. She plays Doctor Claire Finn, a mother of two young boys and the character with one of the most interesting story arcs on the show. Not only do we follow along with her journey to be a good mother to two very high-energy youngsters, but she ends up falling in love with not only an alien but a robot alien. Her romance with the aforementioned character, Isaac, was a major plot point in seasons two and three and culminated in one of the more memorable episodes of the third season.