The Orville

I was born in a time of dreams.

We were pure of spirit and devout in our beliefs.

The blessings of Avis were showered upon us,

and brought our greatest hopes to life.

But now we face a looming nightmare.

We brought this nightmare upon ourselves

when we placed our fate

into the hands of a false prophet.

Supreme Chancellor Korin

has turned his back on everything we hold sacred.

At this very moment,

he consorts with our enemies a thousand light-years away,

negotiating a treaty with the Planetary Union,

a treaty that will imperil our civilization.

The Chancellor would have you believe

that this treaty protects us.

But in truth, it weakens us.

It demands we surrender our divine right

to expand our territory.

It forces us to protect other worlds

at the risk of our own...

to spill our blood,

to expend our resources for their benefit!

If this treaty is ratified, what will they demand next?

More of their ships in our space?

Their politicians interfering in our affairs?

The inevitable erosion of our ideals and our identity?

Where will it end?

When you go home to your children,

will you tell them you chose to destroy our future?

Or will you tell them you have reclaimed our dreams,

and placed your trust in the word of Avis?

A word which declares...

that Krill comes first!

Place your faith in me as your Supreme Chancellor,

and I will end this madness!

And those responsible will pay for their treason!

Did you enjoy your evening on Broadway, Chancellor?

Indeed. However, the repeated prophecy of the orphan child

was quite haunting.

"The sun will come out... tomorrow."

In our culture, the sun is a symbol of suffering and death.

Yes, in retrospect, "Oklahoma!" might've been a better choice.

The performance depicted a time

of tremendous hardship in your history.

For how long did your world endure this catastrophe?

The Great Depression. It lasted over a decade.

Sadly, those kinds of societal collapses

used to be pretty common.

It wasn't until we advanced beyond the need

to buy and sell things,

that our world became a more stable place.

The Merchant Class is the backbone of our civilization.

And our society has been stable for tens of thousands of years.

What you lack is divine guidance.

All things considered,

I'd say we're doing pretty well these days.

And yet, in the face of the Kaylon threat,

you come to us begging for salvation.

Pakor!

With all due respect, I wouldn't exactly call it begging.

There's a clear and obvious mutual advantage here.

The treaty is not just for our advantage,

but for yours as well.

The Kaylon threat--

The Kaylon will be defeated.

Our fighting forces are unequaled.

But... our combined forces will ensure success.

When the threat is existential,

one cannot afford a margin for error.

A toast.

To our combined forces and the salvation of all our worlds.

It's been a pleasure hosting you, Chancellor.

Perhaps one day a Union delegation can visit Krill.

We would be most pleased to return your generosity.

Once the details are finalized,

I propose we sign the treaty

in our glorious capital city of Dalakos.

And we will celebrate my re-instatement

as Supreme Chancellor.

It would be our great honor.

I've... been meaning to ask about that, if I may.

You seem very certain of your victory.

My opponent is a divisive figure

who exploits fear and ignorance.

She has a devout following, but it is insignificant.

Our projections show that Chancellor Korin will prevail.

Once the people of Krill see you for themselves, as I have,

they will understand you are not the soulless monsters

my opponent would have them believe.

Well, at the risk of getting us all drunk on toasts,

here's to your victory, Chancellor.

And to a new era of long-lasting peace.

Hear, hear!

(saloon piano playing "The Yellow Rose of Texas")

Aw, man, y'know, that makes me miss your moustache.

Oh, my God, you had a moustache?

Oh, yeah, it was amazing.

I thought Moclans didn't grow facial hair.

Doctor Finn was able to stimulate growth.

What about the Hippocratic Oath, "First do no harm"?

Wait a minute, how is that harm?

It's a moustache.

She's got us there.

Whoa! Commander, you might wanna pace yourself,

we're only in the 1800s.

Eh, don't worry about me, I'll make it.

Have you been through the whole simulation?

Almost. The pub crawl through history

is a classic in my family.

My dad once made it from ancient Greece

all the way to the Water Wars.

You know, I gotta say,

I've never understood the "pub crawl."

We're here, we're drinking.

The booze is gonna be

exactly the same at the next place.

Let's just stay here, we're enjoying ourselves.

Hey. Here's to your promotion. Lieutenant Commander Keyali.

- It's got a nice ring to it. - Thanks, John.

Best part is, I don't have to call you "sir" anymore.

That's fine by me.

Kinda like hearing you use my name.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

Wouldn't mind hearing it more often, actually.

Are you trying to tell me something?

Oh, my God.

This town will not accommodate

the numerical totality of our combined mass.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

- (comm beeps) Bridge to Captain.

Go ahead.

I have Admiral Halsey

on a priority-one channel for you and Commander Grayson.

We're on our way.

So this is actually happening? Like it's a done deal?

Everything but the ink.

The last few outstanding points

were finalized about an hour ago.

Admiral, I gotta say, congratulations to all of you.

This... This is huge.

Well, you and your crew

should congratulate yourselves as well.

The Orville played a critical role

leading up to this achievement.

I'm proud of you.

Thank you, sir.

The treaty signing will take place

in Dalakos in one week.

Dalakos?

On Krill?

President Alcuzan has been invited,

along with Senator Balask and myself.

And I've requested The Orville for transport duty.

Really?

You'll be among the first Union officers

ever to set foot on Krill.

Sir, this is... this is amazing.

We're so grateful.

Don't be, you've earned it.

You'll head back to Earth immediately

to pick up the delegation.

Saddle up, you've got a long ride.

Halsey out.

- Oh, my God. - This is unbelievable.

You know what the best part is?

What?

He had no idea we'd been drinking.

- This is a good day. - It is a good day.

Ah! Captain Mercer.

So good to finally meet you.

The privilege is all mine, Mr. President.

And you must be Commander Grayson.

I've heard great things from Admiral Halsey.

We both admired your father very much.

Thank you, Mr. President. I know he felt the same.

Well, I appreciate the honor guard,

but, uh, you didn't have to go to the trouble.

It's no trouble, sir.

This is my Chief of Security, Commander Talla Keyali.

Your team is impressive, Commander.

Thank you, sir. It's not every day

I get to show them off for a group like this.

If you're ready to get settled, we'll show you to your quarters.

Ah, wonderful.

Ed.

Before we get underway,

there's something you should know...

about the election.

What is it?

What they call a treaty,

I call a capitulation of cowards!