Halston Sage made a surprise return as Lt. Alara Kitan in the second season finale of The Orville. Now fans are wondering if she could return on a regular basis. The Orville executive producer David A. Goodman says the series will continue to look for ways to bring Sage back as Alara, but that they shouldn’t expect her to return to series regular status.

“Halston is a friend of the show,” Goodman tells Trek Movie. “We love her and would definitely want to figure out ways that she can come back. I don’t think she is coming back as a regular. But, we love that character and we love her and so if there is an opportunity to bring her back story-wise, I think she would be open to it and we would love to have her back.”

Earlier in season two, Alara was written out of The Orville in the episode “Home.” FOX confirmed to ComicBook.com that “Home” was Sage’s final episode as a series regular, but noted that the door remained open for her to return.

Sage stepped through that door in The Orville’s second season finale episode “The Road Not Taken.” The episode follows up on the penultimate episode of the season, in which a version of Kelly Grayson from before she had her second date with Ed Mercer was inadvertently brought into the future. That Kelly had her mind wiped and was sent back to her own time, but the mind wipe failed due to a protein deficiency in her brain. Having full knowledge of her failed marriage to Ed, this Kelly chooses to reject his offer for a second date.

This one choice had drastic consequences for the galaxy. Since Kelly never married Ed, never cheated on him, and never experienced any guilt for putting him in a career rut, she also never tried to make it up to him by suggesting him for command of the Orville. Without Ed in command and Kelly as his first officer, Issac’s time aboard the Orville went differently. He did not develop the personal relationships that led him to betray his people and so the Kaylons conquered the galaxy and destroyed Earth.

In “The Road Not Taken,” Kelly tries to make things right by assembling the people who were members of Orville’s crew in the future she visited. With their help, she plans to send Dr. Claire Finn back in time to fix the problem with her memory wipe, thus erasing this darker timeline. In order to do this, she needs a dose of the protein that her brain is lacking. In order to obtain this protein, she needs the help of “the Lieutenant.”

This turns out to be Alara, who was serving aboard the Orville when the Kaylons attacked. Now she leads an underground resistance movement. She gives Kelly the protein she needs before the Kaylons find her base and attack. Kelly’s team offers to let Alara come with them, but she chooses to stay behind with her troops.

What do you think of Halston Sage’s return to The Orville? Let us know in the comments. The future of The Orville remains uncertain as FOX has yet to announce its renewal or cancellation.

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