Why The Orville: New Horizons Season 4 Needs to Happen

The Crew’s Love Life

On the lighter side, The Orville expertly traversed the personal lives of the crew in its third season, perhaps save the all-too-brief relationship between John LaMarr (J. Lee) and Lieutenant Commander Keyali (Jessica Szohr).

It would certainly be interesting to see how the marriage between Doctor Finn and Isaac (Mark Jackson) would unfold. While the final nuptials of the season finale is certainly a concrete enough ending if the show were to conclude this season, that story is not necessarily over. Could the two adopt a child, or perhaps even… create one? 

One other tease that was clearly an intentional moment to create gossip between fans was simply a moment of eye-contact rife with sexual tension between Commander Grayson and Bortus (Peter Macon) during a rescue mission of Bortus’ daughter, Topa (Imani Pullum). Grayson has found herself to be an excellent mentor for Topa in her times of need, and there is an understandable respect between Grayson and Bortus. Yet when Bortus described his fondness for what Grayson has done for Topa, it seemed to speak volumes more. Considering the show has never been afraid to tackle topical issues, could the stoic Bortus possibly be a little more fluid in his sexual identity? This could also create tension in his marriage with Klyden (Chad L. Coleman) after the couple just renewed their vows.   

Perhaps the most unlucky in love is Lieutenant Malloy (Scott Grimes), as he once again had his heart torn out, and his family literally torn away from him. Granted, through the magic of science-fiction, it was merely a possible alternate timeline where he was able to meet his beloved Laura (Leighton Meester) in the 21st century and start a family, but as a fan-favorite, many believe Malloy deserves that happiness.

Time Travel Possibilities

The episode that featured Malloy finally achieving domestic bliss, “Twice in a Lifetime,” did try to wrap up the story neatly, but it felt like a very easy out. The Gordon Malloy who was eventually rescued was unaware of what he had in a possible future, and easily forgave Mercer and Grayson for making the hard decision to protect the timeline and tear away that possibility. 

In a show where anything is possible through the lens of science fiction, this doesn’t mean that we’ve necessarily seen the last of the Malloys. Could there be a descendent of Malloy’s out there, specifically from this alternate timeline that manages to make their way to the Orville universe? Could Laura find her way to the future, knowing the full gravity of who her husband is, and where (and when) he originated?