Fans of The Orville will know that one of the reasons the show has done such a good job of capturing the feel of Star Trek shows of days gone by is that it has gotten help from some of the folks who worked on those shows. Now, the production has added yet another Star Trek veteran behind the scenes. Joe Menosky, who has been a member of the writing staff on four different Trek series, was recently revealed to be a part of at least one upcoming episode of The Orville.
The news that Joe Menosky is working on The Orville came via an Instagram post, that has since been taken down, from Ivy Thaide, a costume designer who's working on The Orville. Thaide posted a photo of the call sheet for the first day of work on The Orville Season 2, and in the credits listed for that episode Joe Menosky is among the co-executive producers/writers.
Joe Menosky began his Star Trek writing career on The Next Generation in Season 4, writing such episodes as "Darmok," which is widely considered to be one of the best episodes of that series, and "Time's Arrow." Menosky went on to write for Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Discovery. All told, he's written 34 episodes of Star Trek television, so we can be sure that the guy knows his way around a space-faring science fiction show. While working on Voyager, Menosky frequently co-wrote with Brannon Braga, who is an executive producer/writer on The Orville.
Show creator Seth MacFarlane, who also serves as star, executive producer and writer on the series, has been free to admit that the show comes directly from his love of Star Trek and that he's wanted to do something like it for a long time. The influences from Trek are all over the show, from the music and costumes to Penny Johnson Jerald who plays the ship's doctor and also had a recurring role on Deep Space Nine. Of course, there are plenty of folks behind the scenes who have connections to Trek on The Orville as well. Along with Brannon Braga and, now, Joe Menosky, actors Jonathan Frakes and Robert Duncan McNeill have both stepped behind the camera to direct episodes of the series.
Well, it's good to see that The Orville is continuing to dive into the Star Trek well for creative talent on the show. Adding Joe Menosky to the fold is sure to help the series continue to serve as a worthy (albeit comedic) successor to Trek-like stories. We don't know right now if Menosky will write any additional episodes of the series, but it wouldn't hurt to keep our fingers crossed for that wish to come true.
The Orville is currently filming Season 2, which will debut on FOX sometime during the 2018-2019 television season. For more on what you can watch in the coming weeks, check out our midseason premiere guide.
