An astrophysicist reacts to THE ORVILLE | S2E14 The Road Not Taken

[@jackiepaper1817]

Futurama has the perfect "spaceship under water" scene. Their ship is sinking in the ocean and Fry asks, "how many atmospheres can this ship handle?" And the super smart scientist character responds, "well, it's a spaceship. So anywhere from 0 to 1." As they're passing several tens of atmospheres.

[@th3d3wd3r]

Farnsworth. You can't not read that line in his voice either hahaa

[@cda32]

And then somehow Fry saves the entire situation by flushing the toilet

[@billhumiston9888]

One could conceivably pressurize a starship to withstand the forces produced by being under water, but the strength of the hull needs to be taken into consideration when doing this or doing so could either explode the hull or crush the occupants.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

@@billhumiston9888 Perhaps the technobabble drive exerts enormous stresses requiring enough reinforcing as to render it pressure resistant as an unintended benefit. I say fan-wanking faster than the hadron collider's particles.

[@Persanity]

@@patrickmccurry1563 Well yeah, that drive moves the entire universe around the ship. It better exert enormous forces.

[@robertespley248]

My favourite Terry Pratchet quote - “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”

[@comozo924]

Samuel Clemens said: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

[@williamswenson5315]

That's odd. Mark Twain said something very similar...

[@comozo924]

@@williamswenson5315 yes, what a coincidence

[@trevorlambert4226]

He said truth, not facts. And more importantly, he said it ironically.

[@jamiegagnon6390]

@@trevorlambert4226 Yes, about journalism, not fictional storytelling.

[@williamswenson5315]

@@comozo924 Isn't it? You'd almost think the two knew each other.

[@joen0411]

You should do video on “For All Mankind”. They had an episode where there was a solar flare hitting the moon and another where they used duck tape to make a space suit to walk on moon. Supposedly the show is scientifically accurate but we need Dr Becky’s seal of approval.

[@Si_Vert]

@@RyanMercer Hi Bob

[@davidmacphee3549]

“For All Mankind” was Great!

[@joen0411]

@@RyanMercer Hi Bob

[@zero132132]

The duct tape space suits would have worked way better than they did in the show. The goal is to make a compression suit so that your lungs don't rupture if you hold your breath. Very doable way to substantially increase how many seconds of useful consciousness you have.

[@marcusdirk]

Scott Manley did a video on that one: "Could You Make A Space Suit From Duct Tape?"

[@xtieburn]

'Dear lord, thats over 150 atmospheres of pressure' 'How many atmospheres can the ship withstand??' 'Well, its a space ship, so Id say anywhere between zero and one.' - Futurama.

[@craigmooring2091]

Speaking from the West side of the Atlantic, I have never until this moment even heard of Keith Harris or his "puppet" Orville the duck. The eponymous ship of the series "Orville" is indubitably named after the Orville, the brother of Wilbur Wright, the pioneers of heavier-than-air flight.

[@rafaucett]

From IMDB: "A small model of the Wright Flyer is on Captain Mercer's desk. The ship is named after Orville Wright, one of the Wright brothers."

[@ssssssssssss885]

It's the secondary directive: "Never enter a black hole!" They do, but no one ever talks about it afterwards out of embarrassment and fear for reputation loss.

[@jonjohns8145]

And here I was thinking it was named after the Popcorn guy.

[@YourMamaCat]

I came here to say this. That was kind of an embae=rassing moment, IMHO. An astrophysicist who doesn't know who Orville ad Wilbur Wright were? Did she not notice the little model on the desk? Kermit's companion?

[@craigmooring2091]

@@YourMamaCat To be fair, maybe the name triggered a childhood memory that she wanted to share, and she just forgot to mention the Wright Brothers. But, yes, I was thinking it was embarrassing for her, too.

[@jamesanderton8817]

I absolutely love The Orville it perfectly blends comedy with the best of the Star Trek the Next Generation.

[@jaredf6205]

So does Lower decks!

[@davidmckinney2111]

I like it but my main objection is in the 2nd season where obviously stupid decisions the principle characters make just to get the story going.

[@noenken]

@@jaredf6205 I hated every single one of the few minutes I watched lower decks for. It's trying too hard to be family friendly Rick & Morty.

[@jaredf6205]

@@noenken I don’t know a single trek fan who doesn’t think Lower Decks is the best Trek on air right now. Did you just watch the first episode? It’s got like a 6/10 rating and the characters are insane so it’s understandable you don’t like it. It seems like the first few episodes were almost written by someone else or they hadn’t decided on the characters personalities yet.

[@noenken]

@@jaredf6205 Well, you know me now. :P I really didn't like the feel of what I saw but even if it would get better over time, I'm also just not that interested in animated Star Trek to begin with. So in all fairness the show had to fight an uphill battle with me right from the start and it didn't win me over.

[@noenken]

The Orville really captures some of the feel of mid 1990's to early 2000's Star Trek and packs it into something you can easily call a family friendly tv-show. It is sci-fi comfort food at it's best. By the way: Seth McFarlane is a real nerd. This is his entertainment sci-fi show but he is also partly to blame for the modern version of Cosmos with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

[@PBeringer]

"Blame" is apt ...

[@noenken]

@@PBeringer I liked it.

[@Gibson99]

I wouldn't call it family friendly with all the sexual themes in most episodes. The one where Bortus was cheating on his mate in the simulator, Kelly's thing with the blue guy, the one where they all go nuts and the green blob guy hooks up with the doctor.... Then again I don't consider Family Guy or American Dad to be family friendly either.

[@PBeringer]

@@noenken Yeah, I didn't mind it at all, really. It just had some monumental shoes to fill as a continuation of the original Cosmos. And it was (possibly intentionally) pitched at a lower age, or perhaps just narrower range of ages - whichever it was, I think fell outside of it. Haha. I'm probably being a bit harsh; the first series is just so "once-in-a-lifetime" special, nothing is likely to be "worthy" ...

[@ReggieArford]

@@PBeringer Face it: NGT is no Carl Sagen, not by a mile. Beelions and Beelions of miles, in fact...

[@leobourbonnais]

Dr. Becky, the astrophysicist who pronounces astrophysicist in 1 millisecond and blaaackkk hooooole in 10 sec. You're the best! Keep up the great work. I enjoyed your book very much and yourself reading it on audible was a blessing!

[@ohkaygoplay]

The Orville is like a love letter to Star Trek by someone raised in it and on sci-fi. :) It's honestly more Trek than Discovery ever was. I found your book on audible. So glad you narrated it yourself! I'm looking forward to listening to it. As a sci-fi fantasy writer, I'm going to try to do the best I can to have at least some realism in my story, so I'll be paying attention. It might take me a while since I have bad ADHD, but I'll try! :)

[@JustOneAsbesto]

IMO Orville is the best Star Trek since DS9.

[@originalhgc]

Seth MacFarlane has more Star Trek in his pinky finger than everyone at Disney has in their whole bodies.

[@JustOneAsbesto]

@@originalhgc Disney never had anything to do with Trek. Do you mean CBS?

[@davidmacphee3549]

@@JustOneAsbesto Binge watching "Enterprise" is now possible The way it should have been.

[@esaedvik]

@@JustOneAsbesto It's Paramount nowadays.

[@briantykelley7617]

RE: Quantum Drive - I'm not sure if this is what the Orvill is going for, but I've see a line of logic where if your drive system was based on a quantized phenomenon your speed would also be quantized. With some clever engineering you could skip over the exact value of c, and thus skip over the need for infinite energy to accelerate infinite mass.

[@jamesanderton8817]

If you want a series to fill in for Firefly, The Expanse is absolutely my recommendation.

[@homo_sapiens_sapiens]

Oye beltalowda!

[@rensin2]

In a previous video she explained that she had already watched some of the expanse and didn't like it.

[@homo_sapiens_sapiens]

@@rensin2 yeah Season 1 sadly isn't on par with other seasons imo

[@pynchon9]

Tonally, the Expanse is much less light. The character drama is also quite different, despite having a similar found-family structure. It mostly just shares an effort to keep space physics within reach of reality.

[@qzbnyv]

Idk how OP can suggest The Expanse to someone who likes Firefly. It feels like recommending True Detective to someone who likes Brooklyn 99. They both have cops, after all.🙃 I’m a fan of both Firefly and The Expanse, but my own experience is very different from the commenter above. I found Season 1 of The Expanse the best, setting up so much promise for the universe across the rest of the Series, which wasn’t lived up to by those later seasons. It felt like after Season 1 it started to rely on generic modern/sci-fi drama tropes. And you could feel the tightness of the production budget also, with them walking the line about getting cancelled again. I’ve also read the books since then and also didn’t particularly like the later books in the novel series either. A shame.

[@vr4042]

You might want to look at the first episode of Andromeda. A Gene Roddenberry show from 2000. Black hole and time dilation.

[@nofarDcohen]

If you haven't watched The Expanse yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is well known as being very accurate so it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on it:)

[@Ricky_B4]

If you check Dr Becky’s videos you will find one on The Expanse.

[@alwaysdisputin9930]

@@Ricky_B4 Yeah I remember when the guy poured the water into a glass & the water made an S shape because he was in a rotating spacestation & then it fell neatly into the glass

[@nofarDcohen]

@@Ricky_B4 oh thanks! Im gonna check it out:)

[@snozwanger760]

The books were excellent.

[@Ricky_B4]

@@alwaysdisputin9930 It adds to the enjoyment of a series or movie when someone involved in the making of a sci fi has a good knowledge of physics.

[@carlstreet7095]

To resist the vacuum of space and the incredible pressure under water, the hull MUST be manufactured out of Unobtainium. A rare material mined from the surface of a black hole.

[@alexwright4930]

Presumed it was handwaved with magic force field shields and inertial dampeners.

[@carschmn]

The Orville is fun. I’d recommend it. I didn’t think the first season was that bad. It’s a light fun take on Star Trek closer to galaxy quest.

[@cybisz2883]

Galaxy Quest is a great comparison. Season 1 is very good, even if a few of its episodes lean a bit more toward comedy than some viewers might have preferred.

[@carschmn]

@@cybisz2883 I also really like the mature relationship between the former spouses. Wish my parents could be so mature.

[@davidmacphee3549]

'Galaxy Quest is still a favorite for many people

[@TheChiraagG]

@@cybisz2883 Seth Macfarlane had to keep the bods happy but he really wanted, tonally, season 2 and 3 I believe

[@KrazyVideoChick]

I freaking loved season 1. This is why the only reviews I consider are reviews for products. With media I like to just jump right in with no outside opinions.

[@CaptainNemo1701]

To fully appreciate the finale episode, I would suggest the preceding one as it shows you how the alternate timeline happens. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Orville. After a shaky start, it quickly jumps up in scope and character development and above all, is just good fun. Seth MacFarlane is a huge Star Trek fan and it shows (he cameos in an episode of Enterprise). Its a show with a heart to it and has its tongue firmly in its cheek. I'd recommend a binge!.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Yep. I find it funny that the "crude comedy knock-off of Star Trek" is the one Sci-fi show that is probably closest in feel to the actual original Star Trek. Complete with campy sections, serious morality tales, and addressing current-day social issues by proxy of aliens.

[@CarbonPhysics]

The third season is incredible.

[@Geoffrey___]

I feel like Dr. Becky has much better things to do on a daily basis than sit down and binge watch THAT show...

[@Ricky_B4]

The third season seems to be less camp and thereby to me IMHO more enjoyable.

[@Geoffrey___]

@@Ricky_B4 I would agree with that. It's a shame the show isn't that good, because there's space in that world 😉and Seth has everything he needs to make it good. That's why I watch every season, and every season, I get disappointed. We'll see how season4 goes. We'll see what Disney does to it.

[@adenansu]

Red Dwarf series 4, episode 4 "White Hole". I'm sure you'd just *love* how scientifically accurate it is 😂

[@th3d3wd3r]

So, what is it?

[@adenansu]

@@th3d3wd3r I've never seen one before no one has but I'm guessing it's a white hole

[@MrEnglischjules]

@@th3d3wd3r hehe made me chuckle

[@stuartwoodcock9780]

Is that hole spewing time?

[@stuartwoodcock9780]

OH Someone punch him out!!!

[@Fretless99]

Dr/ Becky, I think you are wonderful. Thank you for making science accessible for all. You present the material in a fun, engaging way. Love your sense of humour :)

[@NikStarow]

I watch the Orville as sci-satire more then sci-fi. They know the science is forked up, so they play with it instead.

[@jackielinde7568]

Dr. Becky: DO GALAXY QUEST! Like how fans of Star Trek consider The Orville as part of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest gets the same treatment where Star Trek movies are concerned.

[@vr4042]

Given the nacelles on the Orville, I'd imagine they are using a various of the Alcubierre drive. And nothing to do with quantum lol

[@ninetales1234]

10:05 "Spaghettification-proof spacecraft" that's a banger of an idea! Someone pitch this to the writers for Season 4!

[@waynewright5023]

I was *SO* glad that Dr. Becky brought up the matter of the "asteroid field" and the cinematic density (which is **always** dense and perilous and moving at speeds that are unrealistic). Asteroid fields, as she explained "are actually quite sparse"--there is a LOT of distance between asteroids in a given field..

[@txmike1945]

I believe "The Orville" comes from Wilbur and Orville Wright who flew their plane all those years ago.

[@RedPixelMage]

Yup. When Seth MacFarlane was working on creating the Orville he was reading a book on the Wright brothers. He thought they were being really down on Orville so he decided he'd use his name for that name of the starship.

[@ssssssssssss885]

@@RedPixelMage Undoubtedly it was the "first" (actually younger) Wright brother as namesake. But why is Wilbur totally ignored?

[@isoroxuk]

Comes from Keith Harris

[@ecospider5]

If you get that close to a black hole the spinning disk will look blue on one side and red on the other. But this is always left out because cinematically it always looks weird.

[@iabervon]

Maybe the quantum drive in the Orville only works exactly when the one in the Wilbur is broken. You can't tell what's going on, but if you get them in the same place and compare logs, they're always opposite despite being halfway across the galaxy at the time. Spooky!

[@roccov3614]

And hence why it's called quantum. I get it. "Spooky action at a distance".

[@NeoTechni]

the people who suggested this episode did you a disservice by not getting you to watch the first part of this two-parter

[@kdog290]

Hey! The people at LIGO wouldn't be happy with your comment on the only form of information transfer lol. Also in the event horizon scene, wouldn't you still see nothing? Light would still be forced to travel toward the singularity so there could be no light reaching you from any point deeper within the black hole. I love this series, always interesting to hear your insights.

[@ctakitimu]

What about the light going past you on its way towards the singularity in the center? *edit* so you would still see the stuff 'outside' the horizon, but nothing behind you

[@wh44]

One would think so, but we don't know. As Dr. Becky said, time becomes a direction and we just don't know what happens.

[@eroraf8637]

You could still see your feet, assuming you hadn’t been ripped apart by tidal forces yet.

[@mpjstuff]

You'd still have relativity at play - so, space is warping weirdly near a black hole. I think it's possible you might not even know you were near it -- because space would stretch or shrink to maintain the speed of light (really, of transfer of information). The light is also orbiting a black hole and even gravity orbits a spinning black hole -- which I wonder if that reduces it's mass footprint because gravity is really caused by a time gradient. So hey, I think I just solved the missing mass issue on galaxies. No dark matter required. You are welcome. Of course -- I could be wrong. But, it's actually a sound theory that a spinning black hole would cause a time gradient for the galaxy but not in just it's local space -- because it also would drag the galaxy with it and speed it up.

[@BlaiseTighe]

You must remember, the "window's" on this spacecraft are not window's. They're made from the same alloy as the ship itself. You're basically seeing a digital screen of what you would be seeing if there were a window there. They can enhance and illuminate things like stars and plants so maybe it's a setting for the ships "window's".

[@spacebystorm]

Yay! I’m glad I could help you pick an episode 😀

[@boathousejoed1126]

This would have made a great Seinfeld episode.Jerry dates an Astrophysicist and goes to a sci-fi movie where she talks through the entire movie.🙂

[@davidmacphee3549]

Ha Ha Ha! 😅🤣

[@toolzshed]

😂🤣😂🤣

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

For me, the attraction of The Orville is that (once it has established it's characters and context over the earlier episodes) it seeks to explore the same aspects of social, cultural, and moral issues that the original Star Trek television series sought to explore back in it's day. Even now, so many decades after the first "inter-racial kiss" was shown on television sets thanks to Star Trek, we still live in a world where we see prejudice and division over differing perspectives over issues such as race, gender, culture, sexuality, etc. Oddly enough, I find that I can suspend my scientific "disbelief" for the most part, whilst enjoying The Orville. Admittedly there might be the odd guffaw, rolling of the eyes at times. But The Orville manages the above whilst delivering comedy and entertainment at the same time. In fact, after watching the first two seasons, I felt that The Orville had more in common with the original Gene Roddenberry Star Trek than The Orvilles' contemporary, Star Trek Discovery (2017-onwards). (Speaking of which - I wish I could fly, right up to the stars but I can't)

[@orchdork775]

@Smee Self I think it was, actually, well at least for network TV in a prime time spot. I'll have to check. Edit: I looked it up and it seems to be contested whether it was truly the first interracial kiss on TV, but it's definitely regarded as *one* of the first. I saw some articles arguing that I love Lucy featured the first interracial kiss since Lucy was white and her husband in the show (who was also her husband in real life) was hispanic, but it really depends on how you define different races, which isn't universal. That being said, it does seem to be the first kiss between a black character and a white character on TV, so that is still a big deal!

[@mr51406]

On black holes in science fiction, there is the Space: 1999 episode “Black Sun.” Everything about that wonderful series was implausible. The writers didn’t care nor did the fans. The show was always more about philosophy and psychology than about astronomy. And it was oh! so cool and stylish.

[@oiwithyou]

Actually the no to a second date thing really was more of a "road not taken" situation. The whole thing is about seeing what would have happened if, knowing the future, one of them decided that they didn't want to put the other one and themselves through the messiness their relationship became even if at the end of it they both came out in a better spot. It's more of the classic "you never know what might happen unless you try" mixed with a little "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".

[@alanguile8945]

The Core movie has a similar chat, "why can't we get to the earths core and fix it, we can go into space no problem"🤪. I was laughing in anticipation when they wanted to hide "just below the event horizon" and wondered if you could hold it together! Never heard of the show but a planet sized duck seemed interesting.

[@jdh2024]

The Quantum drive was named after its inventor, Bill Quantum. 😂

[@k7jeb]

I thought it was Max Quantum, or maybe his son Werner Quantum.

[@tubebrocoli]

afaik there is one link between quantum physics an FTL travel: when a particle is travelling very close to the speed of light, since it's really the wavefunction propagation that travels at the speed of light, a particle can actually "quantum tunnel beyond the lightspeed barrier", just, very little, and very rarely.

[@47f0]

A Twinkie is an entirely synthetic cream-filled sponge cake that apparently has a shelf half-life slightly longer than plutonium-239. I'm not sure if these are even classified as food under EU food regulations, but if there is an EU approved version, I'm sure some Scot will figure out a way to fry it.

[@thewhiskybowman]

Watch you react to a science fiction book you say? I'd love to see how you cope with "Skippy magic" in the Expeditionary Force books by Craig Alanson. So it doesn't put you off it's not magic, it's the old: an entity is so far above us in technology that what it is capable of seems like... well you know how that goes. They do try to explain it to a degree so it would be interesting. Oh and get the audiobook version, that absolutely makes it worth sticking with. The first one, Columbus Day, is free on audible plus if you have a subscription. A word of warning, it only REALLY gets going around half way through the book when said entity appears, but from then on it is a hoot.

[@braingasim]

What I really love about The Orville is that Seth has amazing creativity, he manages to squeeze in real world issues and topics into quite a lot of his episodes.

[@jovetj]

But he's a terrible actor. It'd be much better if he were not in the cast.

[@braingasim]

Reallly? I thought he was good. When he was in Ted, he was great as a voice actor.

[@bryan__m]

AND he does it in a way that feels like it should naturally belong there, much like how a lot of the older Star Trek shows used to. Nowadays when shows try to bring up contemporary issues, it often feels ham-fisted, but McFarlane does it with grace and good storytelling.

[@HotCanineMilk]

@@braingasim Yeah. I think Seth does well. I mean, he no Peter Macon (Bortus, who is fucking amazing ) but he does well. Especially with Grimes during comic relief moments. Yet, his character is just more serious then other characters of his, as so many lives are in his hands so he has to be. He feels like an approachable captain who tries to be as understanding as he can while doing what he needs to do the right thing, not just what he is told. He isn't afraid to be goofy when the time calls nor is he afraid to be serious. If anything, Seth shows a prime example of what a leader should be. A different person wouldn't be Mercer. Seth plays him well.

[@anyawillowfan]

That is literally the point for almost all TV shows, especially sci-fi and dystopian ones as it shows us an extreme environment and how humans would still be humans.

[@martenyar8775]

Definition of a twinkie is a spongy food snack that has a shelf life span of a red giant.

[@C.Y.123]

AWESOME, my girls and I love watching this show and they love you. They're going to be so excited to see this.

[@MeerkatADV]

The Expanse wins hands down for sci fi TV or movies. Other good ones are Firefly, Battlestar Galactica (the new one), For All Mankind, Love Death and Robots (beyond the Aquila Rift). You've reviewed a few of these. You should also check out Kerbal Space Program for a full physics based spacecraft building game.

[@michaelwilson9483]

The "Quantum Drive" is a speculative extrapolation of how a future, working, Alcubierre Drive might function. There's a Wiki page for the Orville's Quantum Drive but as I'm not a physicist I have no idea how realistic any of it would be. Also, I think the ship is named after Orville Wright, and not Orville the Duck. :)

[@jonathankozenko]

Supposedly, the name "Orville" came about because, apparently, in the manuscripts of the Wright Brothers, Orville thought that it was a team effort, but Wilbur thought that Orville was, essentially, dead weight, which he didn't kick to the curb solely because he was his brother. Supposedly, when discovering that, the creator of The Orville decided that this would be the name of the ship.

[@Paplefication]

18:14 The good news is that that's not the moral! Without giving too much away, it's more of a destiny thing (hence the episode title)

[@oohhboy-funhouse]

I almost wanted to rewind and hear it again because it was a weird take. Not really her fault as she didn't watch part one.

[@Ken19700]

The shuttle surviving the dive from space into the ocean doesn't bother me. The people surviving the sudden stop, without even seatbelts, does.

[@leewriter4656]

OMG Deflectors. They don't feel inertia!

[@willemvandebeek]

By all means, go watch the rest of The Orville episodes, they will certainly fill that Firefly hole. :)

[@petersage5157]

There was also an Orville associated with popcorn, but I'm guessing both the ship and the puppet were named after a bicycle repairman from Dayton, Ohio.

[@thatego9417]

It's reallly fascinating that they have a craft that can enter a black hole and yet have never done it before.

[@Haesslich1962]

Entering a black hole is easy, the challenge is in getting back out.

[@hasindukumara5358]

@@Haesslich1962 I'm not a scientist but i think getting in is the hardest part becuase of the heavy gravity.matter stretches as you get close to the black hole.( spagetification i think that's called )We have to survive that.

[@Xeridanus]

@@hasindukumara5358 Thankfully that happens well inside the event horizon of super massive black holes.

[@zaneal-amood5474]

Oh, and a quantum drive is essentially, a warp drive where you used the expanding space behind the ship, to induce a force that would compress space in front of the ship so instead of pinching space-time, in front of the ship, you were used a very high speed, expanding space-time inflated behind the ship to pull the space-time in front of the ship, eliminating the distance for the ship to travel that’s eliminating the necessity for the passenger area. The bubble of stable space time to ever go above the speed of light, or anywhere near the speed of Light. Because space-time is moving faster than light around it.

[@boterlettersukkel]

:) Yes, you are overthinking it. The Orville is a fun show with vibes like the original Star Trek. Double story lines, One the story and second a human problem/faults... Nice done by Seth Mcfarlane.

[@esaedvik]

Funny enough too, Seth was an executive producer of the Neil deGrasse Tyson-hosted Cosmos show too. You'd think he'd make some extra effort to make the science somewhat legit.

[@boterlettersukkel]

@@esaedvik He doesn't have to be precise on the physics all the time. He doesn't have Michael Okuda there to check the script for things that are impossible

[@ElTurfStuff]

Orville was originally supposed to be a "micky take" of Star Trek, but eventually gained a life of its own. The quantum drive is their realisation of the Alcubier drive, (hope I spelled that correctly). Basically, a warp drive - but much faster. 10 light years an hour I think. That's Sci-Fi for you. The ship is named after Orville Wright too....

[@morganalefay5141]

Star Trek did this too with taking a space craft deep into an ocean. All I can think is 'if we one day manage to invent shields then we pretty much never need to worry again'. As much as I love all these shows, I have a very special place in my heart for The Expanse and it's realism.

[@Xeridanus]

Becky was so confused by the orientation of the spaceship and the drive being under their feet. It was quite funny.

[@ashmomofboys]

Yay! One of my favorites. I just started the video and already know this will be gold.

[@tonyramos6265]

They escaped the gravitational pull of a black hole but Dr. Becky is worried about the ship surviving under the water. I love it. Lol

[@cliveklg7739]

So you didn't listen to the fact she said there were problems with escaping the black hole. Because they way you wrote this, it implies she was fine with that and just critical of it going under water, when she analyzed both as not being right. Your whole post makes absolutely no sense.

[@tonyramos6265]

@@cliveklg7739 OMG, ok, let me explain what a observational joke is. She didn't seem that bothered about the ship leaving the inside of the black hole because she obviously knows that that can't happen as she mentioned in the video, but when it came to the ship leaving the vacuum of space and diving into the depths of an ocean. It seemed she was more bothered by that than the ship passing the event horizon of a black hole and escaping the black hole. And I would think if the ship can handle the pressures of a black hole, then diving into water would be no big deal seeing as how the gravity on this ocean world or whatever planet they landed on would be no where as close to a black hole. And that's the joke, definitely not a great joke, but a joke nonetheless.

[@cliveklg7739]

​@@tonyramos6265 Except she was critical of it you liar. "She didn't seem that bothered about the ship leaving the inside of the black hole" This is pure lie to justify your botched 'joke'. She did exactly what she did with the water for the water as she did for the black hole. She literally put more time into explaining what was wrong with the black hole segment than she did for the water. YOU just don't know how to tell a joke. And now are just being a bigger fool.

[@ellahyland1705]

I had the same reaction as you to "I said no to a second date." Also, you do need to watch the previous episode to get what's happening in this one, the time travel isn't that confusing thankfully.

[@norbertzillatron3456]

One of my favorite books: "Earth" by David Brin. The real science is pretty solid - even the fictional parts sound plausible (to me). And ... drum roll ... central elements of the story are black holes. 🤓

[@protocol6]

Twinkies are a sort of small oblong yellow sponge cake filled with fake sugary whipped-cream-like stuff. They are commonly sold packaged singly or in pairs in vending machines and you can buy boxes of them at any grocery store. They are a favourite unit of measure for paranormal scientists. (See Ghostbusters. In fact, Egon holds one up while using it as an example.)

[@Guido_XL]

As a European, my first virtual encounter with a twinkie was by the first Die Hard movie, when Bruce Willis' character found an ancient twinkie. Through the context, it was obvious what it was, even if we didn't have any prior knowledge of this.

[@protocol6]

@@Guido_XL Zombieland is another Twinkie-centric movie. Woody Harrelson's character basically spends the whole movie fighting zombies just to see if any store they pass has any remaining Twinkies.

[@stuartwoodcock9780]

My 2.5 year old grandson moves faster than the speed of light when he hears a chocolate wrapper

[@michael.a.covington]

13:15 I have no idea what The Orville says about this, but an old, standard idea in science fiction is that the windows of a spaceship are actually video screens fed by cameras that are sensitive enough to show you what's outside, including stars. I remember encountering this at Disney World in 1972 -- it was part of the narration of their spaceship ride.

[@pete2861]

Underwater spaceship - One of the tenants of star trek level space travel is 'inertial dampeners' this is why/how they can transition from air to water with seemingly no effect. And how they accelerate to faster than light without becoming goo.

[@brianwhiting3280]

Just so you know, a Twinkie is a sweet cream filled roll made by Hostess here in the states.

[@quillclock]

going under water with a spaceship reminds me of that Futurama episode where they went to the lost city of Atlanta Leela - Depth at 45 hundred feet, 48 hundred, 50 hundred! 5000 feet! Professor - Dear Lord, that's over 150 atmospheres of pressure. Fry - Well how many atmospheres can this ship withstand? Professor - Well it's a spaceship, so I'd say anywhere between zero and one. ever watch any Futurama? great mix of scifi and comedy

[@professorbrainyspecs7366]

I would have suggested "Twice In a Lifetime" from season 3. Yes, it is a time travel story; but, it is well done with some surprisingly good science at the end of the episode.

[@Arkweathas]

Yep, the Orville travel's right up to the speed of light the light in front of the ship is blue shifted and the light behind is Red shifted

[@alexwright4930]

I loved that they used time dilation to return to the present. I hate it when a spaceship capable of travelling at near the speed of light gets "stranded" in the past.

[@skepticusmaximus184]

*Dr Becky:* "The way to my heart is a black hole." *Creationists quote miner:* "My heart is a black hole."

[@yahccs1]

So I'm not the only one who thought 'Orville' was a puppet in the 1980s - I just forgot which one! I've just been watching Star Trek IV for the umpteenth time while having dinner as there wasn't much worth watching live on TV. I don't know if you've commented on that, but maybe you only have time to watch episodes, not whole movies?! Missed your video last week (or the week before?), but The Sky at Night was on with some interesting questions, including a child's question about the accretion disc. I know you love the word 'spaghettification' it makes me think of a spaghetti factory keeping a miscroscopic black hole there to spaghettify the spaghetti much more efficiently(!) Or the crazy April Fools joke one TV programme had on many years ago about speghetti growing on trees and the people who believed it!

[@davidmacphee3549]

Humpback Whales and Transparent Aluminum? The Woman actress was a total delight and represented us.

[@robmarshallofficial]

I’m so grateful to meet someone who sees the show just like me. The science behind it is laughable if it wasn’t so sad. However Ovile The Duck outtake had me in stitches, thank you

[@barrettgarese2267]

If you do watch it, just understand that it starts off rough. The pitch was essentially "What if Family Guy, but in space?" And about halfway through the first season they sort of realized that they wanted to just do a spiritual continuation of ST:TNG. Seasons 2 and 3 are great, and worth getting through season one to see.

[@LSV_Misophist]

Aaw, this comments section is just the cutest thing ever! Honestly, I love it!! This IS why the internet exists... Dr Becky, you are the best for so many reasons, please don't ever change. I love everything about you. Everyone else...I cannot get over how seriously you all take The Orville, of all shows?!! I mean yeah, it's great, I love it too but come on!! It, and everyone involved in making it, don't take it as seriously as some of you are and that's LITERALLY the point...isn't it? Am I missing something?

[@anthonyx916]

Bear in mind that Orville is something of an homage to Star Trek without being part of the franchise or having to deal with copyright infringement. It is so much of an homage that some people see it as more "Star Trek" than recent series which are actually part of the franchise. Star Trek features warp drive as their means of FTL, Orville has to have their own, so it would seem the writers just called it "quantum" drive, and we just go with it. Odd that this episode was a recommendation because, from a story perspective, it does rely on plot points from earlier episodes. As to the "science" and technology in Orville, while drawing inspiration from real world science, it does lean heavily into fantasy, rather like Star Trek.

[@davidmacphee3549]

Same as my thoughts. It is a Fantasy! Screw dystopia. We want to be a happy race in Outer Space! Screw the Doom and Gloom. We don't need all the noise of everything getting blown apart every five minutes.

[@jimbass1664]

@@davidmacphee3549 Totally agree with both. I think it's the reason the new Star Trek is heading back more in that direction. I don't think we'd have got Lower Decks!

[@davidmacphee3549]

@@jimbass1664 'Lower Decks' might be on Disney+ or Netflix. I got both and it's on here somewhere. I only learned about Smart TV's recently. I pick up the remote, hold a button and say what I want and it finds it right away. Alexa. This thing is a flat 4K 34 inch and cost me less than my Window Air Conditioner delivered to my door. I had no idea what was coming. No Cable TV signal needed again, just Internet. Its all Blue tooth and Wi-Fi. No, I didn't hang it on a wall. I use the stand that came with it. It's less than 20 pounds can go anywhere on a table. Last TV I had was 10x that price and obsolete as hell. "Bye old friend, Your remote don't work no more"

[@Eztral777]

One of the reasons the quantum lable is being used as often as it does, is probably due to pop-science claiming quantum-particles can blink in and out of existence. This being populerised in science-fiction and explained either as FTL or teleportation. Also quantum entanglement helps further the myth that quanton theory will solve FTL travel and communication.

[@shawnfike2910]

The Orville is Seth McFarland's love-letter to classic Star Trek. Yes, there's some goofy comedy in the first season but there are really some hard-hitting social commentary plot lines that are amazing. Watch from the start and know the goofiness goes away.

[@davidmacphee3549]

The goofy comedy was forced on them by Fox and idiot lawyers afraid of being sued by Star Trek. It could only be a parody to have the needed loopholes to avoid infringement like Galaxy Quest. The Critic's were paid off. It was War. STD's anyone?

[@Chris-hx3om]

Being a devoted The Orville fan, I would suggest you can't just cherry-pick a single episode out and watch it. That episode in particular as it was the second part of a 2 parter. To fully appreciate The Orville, do as you did with Firefly, binge watch it.... You'll love it!

[@crgkevin6542]

It is a relatively minor series, but The Sojourn Audio Drama has some interesting space phenomena featured in it. Some examples include a variation of Krasnikov Tubes is featured and described in Episode 2, and exploring a planet orbiting a pulsar that had been vitrified by said pulsar's supernova.

[@jackieking1522]

We know we should never say "Never"... but exceeding the speed of light is perhaps the only "thing" we can with complete certainty declare "This will never happen." Because it simply cannot happen.

[@jayandthem291]

I enjoy your explanations and reactions ...my 12yr daughter basically wants to be you 😁

[@davidmacphee3549]

Turning 12 years old is an amazing transformation . . . of self awareness and growth. Baby no more! Metamorphosis! That is the real beginning of Intelligence, prior to Wisdom. Massive changes all over. Wonderful ! You wouldn't like her when she's angry ! Ha Ha !

[@NinjaBearFilms]

To maintain pressure in space you’re protecting the inside from pushing out. To maintain pressure in water you’re protecting the outside from pushing in. So a submarine in space would lose all air to space and the space shuttle in water would flood.

[@whiskeytangofortysix8433]

A Twinkie is an American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was "invented" in 1930 Main ingredients: Wheat flour, sugar, corn syrup, niacin, water, high fructose corn syrup, eggs, shortening, and others. If buried it will not decompose

[@stevepardis3244]

A little girl accompanied her father to the barber shop. She was eating a Hostess Twinkie. As her father sat in the barber's chair, the little girl stood very close to her father. "Sweetie, you're going to get hair on your Twinkie" said the barber. "I know!" the little girl replied. "And I'm going to get BOOBS, TOO!"

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

The problem with "what's inside the event horizon" view is that - you'd still see nothing. Deeper in is just *even stronger gravity that stops any light (or matter) that is deeper in from getting even as far out as 'just inside the event horizon'.* Even if you had a "quantum drive" that let you hold position just inside the event horizon, and protected your ship from the gravitational and relativistic effects, the light of everything "further in" than you would still be invisible to you.

[@Gafferman]

Amazing show - The Orville only gets better each season! Really hope it lives a long life

[@rhowell1978]

Seth Mcfarlane has left the show, he’s moved on to other projects and Hulu only want to make it with him in it.

[@davidmacphee3549]

@@rhowell1978 Frightful Rumor's

[@Gafferman]

@@rhowell1978 not heard this, would surprise me if he had and honestly... I don't think his character is *that integral*

[@rhowell1978]

@@Gafferman He signed a $200 million five year deal with NBC Universal to make content for them, along with Family Guy and American Dad, so time was an issue. Although hopefully Hulu carry on making it without him, I agree his character can be replaced and it’s improved greatly over the seasons, fingers crossed 🤞

[@Acorn0005]

@@rhowell1978 Incorrect. He and everyone in the show have stated they want to do whatever it takes to make more episodes, but they are at the mercy of Hulu/Disney+ to greenlight a 4th season. This "Seth has left" thing was debunked months ago by Seth himself. The only way to get more episodes is to make sure people watch the show, so they see it as a worthwhile investment.

[@damionpreston1723]

@12:10 probably the deflector shields and inertial dampeners softened the blow.

[@Ken-wn9md]

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[@RodrigoSJ.81]

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[@stephniejames]

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[@Heavensrun]

She said no to a second date *with him.* she's his ex-wife. Changing that severely altered their personal histories, and at this point they've done some important things. It's not a social moral, just a plot point.

[@davidmacphee3549]

Right!

[@carlosvergara4132]

Oh I hope you come back to this series at some point! I know this is not a reaction channel but it would be awesome to see some more of this series, especially that episode you put 2nd (Twice in a lifetime).

[@davidmacphee3549]

It's too bad Dr. Becky is so pressed for time. The Orville is one of the very best shows ever, to Binge watch, just never enough episodes yet and no guarantee there will be anymore. YIKES! People think that Disney will screw it up. No. The show NEEDS more exposure to survive. That's where Disney comes in. A good sound system and screen makes it absolutely delightful !

[@ericthompson3982]

You had me at "physics," and "astronomy," then you drove the nail with The Orville. Well played, doctor. Well played. Edit: be prepared to receive a whole bunch of Twinkies.

[@Valdagast]

If someone asked you to be a science consultant for a sci fi movie involving black hole's, would you accept?

[@ericpmoss]

Rick & Morty had the best line about made-up technologies: Rick : Quantum carburetor? Jesus Morty, you can't just add a sci-fi word to a car word and hope it means something... Looks like something's wrong with the micro-verse battery.

[@mistysdad91]

A Twinkie is a yellow sponge cake with cream filling that is about 3-inches in length and is packaged in pairs. Usually, it's eaten in 2 - 3 bites.

[@thecraigster8888]

They were a popular lunch box item in the 50s & 60s. Their sales dropped off after that due in part to the perceived amount of chemicals they contained. It became a comic trope that a pack of Twinkies had a shelf-life of several decades or more due to all the preservatives.

[@miles4711]

And just pure sugar. Visiting Canada from Germany a few years back I accidentally found them in a supermarket. Curious from having watched Zombieland, I gave it a try. I couldn't finish it. Way too sweet. 🙂

[@danielshaver4517]

I can't believe that people picked this as your first episode to watch. When jumping into a series, this is about the worst way to do it.

[@David-de6ui]

Great to see you back Dr Becky, I've missed your videos.

[@TwoMenandaCanoe]

So glad you had your book in the background. I just purchased the audio version. Will start listening tomorrow!

[@ElectoneGuy]

Becky, check out the episode called: "Black Sun" from the first season of Space: 1999. It deals with the moonbase travelling through a black sun (black hole?). Would love to hear your take on it.

[@cerealport2726]

The premise of Space 1999 was a nuclear waste (or weapons?) dump on the moon blowing up and sending the moon out of the solar system...which is also worth a reaction video. I used to have a toy Eagle Lander... oh god I'm old.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

@@cerealport2726 At least one episode where they contacted Earth showed just how royally f*cked the Earth was from that event. But in general, that show was delicious nonsensical trash. My family mocked me for loving it. lol

[@stever285]

@@cerealport2726 One of my great regrets, I never did get a Eagle. The episode with the graveyard of ships was about the only episode of a TV show to ever give me nightmares. I miss the good old days of Sci-fi.

[@cerealport2726]

@@stever285 Space 1999, Buck Rogers, Dr Who, and Blakes 7, just a few shows that enthralled me as a young child!

[@stever285]

@@cerealport2726 3 out of 4, your right the Brits had a definite knack for sci-fi.

[@JubeiKibagamiFez]

So, this was a two part episode, the previous episode was the cause, this was the effect.

[@JustOneAsbesto]

I hope you find the time to check it out. I think it's pretty good. Mostly for the characters and writing, not the science, obviously. I think they jumped the gun somewhat on some major plot shifts, but for the most part it's pretty well written. It does get pretty serious about gender politics and stuff at times (and I think they do it well), but mostly it's a fun-time show. Relax and enjoy. As others have said: it has a lot of heart.

[@davidmacphee3549]

At times, people watching Orville feel very emotional with tears

[@Eo_Tunun]

Face it, folks: There has never been a better concept for an interstellar drive than Douglas Adam's Infinite improbability Drive. Bubba. And the best Oville is the Jalo Jah one. More bubba.

[@Emjayel23]

Also they got the black hole right because Seth McFarlane helped work on the graphics in Interstellar and the Neil deGrasse Tyson version of the show Cosmos

[@cliveklg7739]

So they get the appearance right but proceed to completely ignore the physics of the event horizon. I don't think getting how it look right redeems them.

[@davidmacphee3549]

@@cliveklg7739 It's a fantasy not a Documentary

[@cliveklg7739]

@@davidmacphee3549 she's a physicist commenting on the realism you absolute gob. OMG seriously you think you have gotcha thinking I don't know it is a sci-fi show, while you gloss over what youtube channel you are commenting on. #facepalm What a loon.

[@davidmacphee3549]

@@cliveklg7739 Dr. Becky is awesome but you are a snowflake. Cool it, Hotshot!

[@Emjayel23]

@@cliveklg7739 hahaha yep!😅

[@ganapatikamesh]

Great video! Although now I’m very curious about the Orville bird puppet. I don’t think I know it. A Twinkie is a type of sponge-cake snack that has cream inside it. I don’t think even as a kid that I ever chose a Twinkie as my first choice for a snack, but if offered one I will eat them. I think most adults of a certain age view them as a comfort snack via nostalgia from childhood. For me that snack is a Rice Krispies treat. One of the moms in the neighborhood used to make them as an afternoon snack during the summer and would serve them to all of us along with various flavors of Koolaid. Growing up in the 1980s in the neighborhood I did here in the US, we’d usually ride bicycles or go to the playground at the center of the neighborhood. The kid with the swimming pool in the backyard was popular as was the kid with the trampoline. My house was the one with the Slip N Slide. The kids whose mom made the treats they had a fort their dad built in the backyard. It was usually easy to figure out where everyone was at because it’d be house with all the bicycles parked in the front yard. I can’t remember if the show ever explains much about the quantum drive with how it works. I think it’s kept intentionally vague, but I do know that im some interviews that scientists are consulted regarding different things for the show and the quantum drive is one that has some kind of science to it. I just don’t remember if any of that’s actually been explained in any greater detail than what you watched. I agree, it does make one wonder about the engineering of that craft to be so versatile! I can’t remember the channel’s name off the top of my head at the moment, but the person is an engineer who covers tv shows and movies. I don’t know if he’s done anything related to the Orville, but he’s done Star Wars, Star Trek, and Babylon 5. And I remember him mentioning SeaQuest DSV, but last I had checked he still hadn’t done a video about it. When you mentioned the unreliability of the quantum drive it reminded me of an episode of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks where the writers sometimes put in dialogue via the characters that poke fun at such tropes within sci-fi and Star Trek. I really need to buy your book the next time I have the money to spare so I can read it. It sounds really interesting! Great video! Thanks for making it!!!

[@maliktanveer6722]

Orville makes so much sense it doesn't even feel sci fi