‘The Orville’ Star Mark Jackson Says Show Is For “Disgruntled” ‘Star Trek’ Fans

One star of Fox’s The Orville just made a bold claim about the series’ connection to Star Trek.

Mark Jackson, who plays the android Isaac on the upcoming Seth MacFarlane-created series, discussed the show’s potential success in a recent interview with ScreenRant. As Jackson asserted, The Orville will succeed by filling a void for many original Star Trek fans.

“At San Diego Comic-Con,” Jackson explained, “we had a lot of people queuing who wanted to get into our panel, and because it’s Seth [MacFarlane], I think people will give it a go. I think [it’s] a lot of the Star Trek fans, disgruntled about not having Star Trek for years.”

Of course, fans will have multiple Trek-influenced shows to tune into this television season, with CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery also joining the mix. But as Jackson explained, Discovery being behind a premium paywall makes a big difference.

“That’s only going to be available online,” Jackson added. “And you have to pay a subscription for it. So I think there’s going to be a few disgruntled Star Trek fans who will love this show, as well as Seth MacFarlane fans, so we’ll have quite the mix.”

Jackson isn’t the only Orville cast member to make this claim, with MacFarlane criticizing the “dark direction” the Trek franchise has undergone in recent years during the show’s TCA press tour. Trek fans will just have to wait and see if Discovery or The Orville – or possibly both – resonates with them when both series premiere next month.

From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane (FAMILY GUY, “Ted,” “Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey”), THE ORVILLE is a live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future that follows The Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of everyday life.

The Orville premieres on Fox on Sept. 10.