The Orville is an American science fiction comedy-drama series created by and starring Seth MacFarlane, for whom the project is something that has been a dream since his childhood.

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The series tells the story of Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane), Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki), and the crew of the Orville as they embark on various diplomatic and exploratory missions.

Many Trek fans have noticed similarities with Trek and specifically Star Trek: The Next Generation and that is no coincidence. There are a number of high profile TNG vets working behind the scenes including Brannon Braga, Andre Bormanis and Marvin Rush. Number one, Jonathan Frakes even directed an episode.

In choosing the design for The Orville, series producer Jason Clark has revealed that the production team went through 140 different designs of the ship provided by 13 different designers and concept artists. However, Seth apparently made his own doodle sketch of the ship which was then agreed upon and finalized by concept artist Matt Tkocz.

The USS Orville (ECV-197) is a mid-level exploratory vessel in Planetary Union service in the early 25th century, designed for exploration and cartography of uncharted space. It is capable of speeds up to 10 light years per hour. Currently, the ship is commanded by Captain Ed Mercer and First Officer Kelly Grayson with 300 crewmembers on board.