Chief Newton is preparing to retire from the service, and even as the farewell party commences, Captain Mercer and Commander Grayson are already turning their attention to finding a replacement for the chief engineer. A casual glance through crew records reveals something surprising: Lt. LaMarr, the ship’s navigator, has extensive engineering experience that more than meets the qualifications for the job… and yet the crew knows him for his largely lowbrow antics. When this is brought to Mercer’s attention, he’s surprised as well, but favors giving Yaphit the job. Grayson insists on giving LaMarr a fair shot…and then accidentally drops a hint that she also insisted that Mercer himself get a promotion to Captain. As LaMarr tries to navigate his way through the unfamiliar space of a departmental command position, Mercer begins questioning if he’s the right person to be sitting in the captain’s chair. Amidst all this self-doubt, an anomaly lurks in nearby space whose strange nature could flatten the Orville and her crew.
written by Seth MacFarlane
directed by Kelly Cronin
music by Andrew Cottee
Cast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Halston Sage (Lt. Alara Kitan), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Victor Garber (Admiral Halsey), Larry Joe Campbell (Chief Newton), Norm MacDonald (Yaphit), Mike Henry (Dann), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Paul Vogt (Horbalak Captain), Michael J. Sielaff (Palovis), Dan J. Evans (Engineer #1), Erica Mathlin (Engineer #2)
LogBook entry by Earl Green