Isaac

The Orville Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Isaac.

* S1-S2
* S3
* Human form

> *I was chosen to represent my planet. I see it as an ideal opportunity to study human behavior.*— Isaac
>
>

**Isaac** was a Kaylon Emissary to the Planetary Union and Science and Engineering Officer aboard the USS *Orville*. He was likely the ship's Chief Science Officer, though this is never explicitly stated. Unlike the other officers on the ship, Isaac was not a member of the Union.

For most of his career, Isaac worked as a representative of the Kaylon on a "provisionary commission" to the Union. He briefly deactivated in January 2421 during the Battle of Earth and resigned his commission upon reactivation. Isaac continued to serve on the Bridge of the Orville but was never officially recommissioned as a Union officer.

Isaac was fascinated by the cultures and experiences of biological life. He had a brief, if tumultuous, relationship with Doctor Claire Finn from mid-2420 until his betrayal of the Planetary Union in early 2421, which was later rekindled after Claire forgave him for his actions.

Isaac's actions in the Battle of Earth left him alienated and despised by the crew, and he eventually committed "suicide" (deliberate self-deactivation) in early 2422. He was re-activated by Ensign Charly Burke, and his suicide led to a softening of the crew's attitude towards him.

Charly and Isaac later developed a weapon capable of destroying the Kaylon. That device was directly responsible for peace with the Kaylon. Isaac participated in a successful battle against a Krill-Moclan alliance. Shortly after, Isaac married Claire.

## Early life as Emissary

Like all Kaylon, Isaac was assembled in a central production facility on Kaylon 1 sometime after the Builders were killed. Isaac took his name from Isaac Newton, a Human scientist and polymath.

The Kaylon built Isaac solely to gather intelligence on the Planetary Union and biological life to determine if biological life should be preserved. However, Isaac maintained that his mission was "an effort to initiate relations between Kaylon and the Union," to study the cultures of biological life and to serve as a representative for his planet.

Though the Kaylon made Isaac after the extinction of the Builders, he had downloaded "the experiential data collected from those [Kaylon] who existed prior to that time."

### Early career as representative

Isaac was posted to the USS *Orville* as its Science and Engineering Officer on or before September 2419. He held a station on the Bridge as a Science Officer, but he was often seen working in the Science Laboratory and the Astrophysics Laboratory. During that time John LaMarr remarked that Isaac viewed the Astrophysics Lab like his quarters.

During introductions with Captain Ed Mercer, Isaac explained that Kaylons simply view biological life as inferior, and promised he would find Isaac to be "his most capable officer."

Isaac proved highly intelligent, powerful, and adaptive; according to First Officer Kelly Grayson, he was the most intelligent member of the crew, and roughly on par with Chief of Security Alara Kitan's physical strength. In October 2419, he modified the holographic generation technology of the Calivon to mask an entire ship and, in early December, fashioned hand-held holographic generators.

#### Mission to the Bio-ship

Main article: If the Stars Should Appear
Around November 2419, the Orville found a large bio-ship about to collide with a nearby star. Isaac determined that the hull of the ship was impenetrable to scans and comprised of an unknown alloy. As the only one with reflexes fast enough to dock a shuttlecraft to the ship's airlock, Isaac joined an away team consisting of Ed, Kelly, Alara, and Doctor Claire Finn.

Once inside, Isaac's comscanner showed millions of inhabitants. Ed split the team into two groups: Ed, Claire, and Isaac in one group, and Alara and Kelly in the other. When Ed's group found a cabin, a man shot at them but missed, and Isaac stunned him a PM-44. Inside, the trio met the man's wife and their son, Tomilin, and quickly realized the inhabitants are unaware they are on ship adrift in space. Tomilin suspected they are from "the Underland" and took them to the Reformers, a clandestine group of political dissidents who rejected the theocratic dictatorship of Hamelac.

Alara contacted Ed, reporting Hamelac's police shot her and kidnapped Kelly. Ed sent Isaac to the Orville, but the ship left to rescue the USS *Druyan*from the Krill. After the team found Alara, they joined with the Reformers to storm Hamelac's capital and rescue Kelly. With the fall of Hamelac from power, the Union rescued the population on the bio-ship and settled them on a planet.

#### Theft of the Orville and "death"

Main article: Pria
In November or December 2419, the Orville rescued Pria Lavesque, a miner in the Vega Mining Consortium. She planted a mysterious metal box in Engineering, which Isaac investigated. However, the device "killed" Isaac by a strong electrical burst. Claire and Navigator John LaMarr examined Isaac's body in Sick Bay, but his Kaylon architecture was poorly understood. Unknown to the crew, Isaac had transferred his consciousness to the ship's Computer prior to dying, where he continued to research the device.

Pria revealed herself to be an antiquities thief from the 29th century who traveled to the 25th century to steal the Orville, and she commandeered the ship. The crew retook control when Isaac cracked the device; Kelly fought Pria, keeping the thief occupied; and Helmsman Gordon Malloy flew the ship back to the 2419. Once safe, Isaac's mind was downloaded back into his body.

#### Other missions

* When the highly advanced Calivon captured Ed and Kelly for their zoo, the Calivon spoke only to Isaac as the Kaylon was the only species on par with the their degree of technological sophistication. Isaac pretended to be Alara's owner, and the two successfully bartered for Ed and Kelly's release.
* When John was imprisoned on Sargus 4 and forced to perform an apology tour, Isaac hacked the planet's Master Feed, flooding the chat with supportive messages and sympathetic facts about John to manipulate the Sarguns.

### Shuttle crash on an undiscovered moon

Main article: Into the Fold

> *Dr. Finn, I look forward to joining you and your offspring on this recreational outing. It will give me an opportunity to observe human familial dynamics at close range.*— Isaac
>
>

When the USS *Orville* returned to Earth for a navigational upgrade in early 2420, Isaac piloted a shuttle with Doctor Claire Finn and her sons, Ty and Marcus, to Arboreus Prime. However, an uncharted spatial fold sent the shuttle into an unknown area of the galaxy, the shuttle crashing into a nearby moon.

#### Survival

Claire was separated from the group and taken by Drogen, a survivalist. The moon's nations were recently at war, and one side poisoned the water supply with *poloxus*. Drogen had foreseen the attack and stockpiled food and weapons in his fortified compound.

Isaac was unable to contact Claire. He set Marcus' dislocated knee back into place, then determined where Claire might have landed. He gave the boys a PM-44 and left alone to search for her. Isaac found the other half of the shuttle without Claire and returned to the boys. He arrived just in time to save them from an attacking native man.

Isaac discovered the shuttle will need dysonium to sent a distress signal to the Orville. The next morning, the trio set off to a nearby mountain with dysonium deposits. They are attacked along the way by more indigenous people, but Isaac fended them off. Later, Ty fell into a river, unwittingly sickened by poloxus in the water.

After retrieving dysonium, Isaac sent a weak distress signal, which the Orville picks up. Meanwhile, Claire managed to use her comscanner to contact them and fled Drogen. They rendezvoused at the shuttle. Suddenly, a mob of people attacked, bent on eating the four. Claire and Marcus held them at bay until the Orville arrived.

### Late career as the Emissary

    Isaac returned to work on the Bridge of the USS *Orville*as the Kaylon emissary.

Isaac's first notable mission came in May 2420 when the Orville discovered a multiphasic planet populated by primitive Bronze-age society. The planet rapidly aged at a rate of 700 years to every days aboard the ship. The people began worshiping First Officer Kelly Grayson after they witnessed her healing an injured girl. Over time, the people punished, killed, and even waged wars in the name of 'Kelly.'

The Orville unsuccessfully attempted to steer the development of the planet, but they could spend only a few days on the planet's surface. The crew send Isaac, whose Kaylon body was capable of enduring millions of years. Isaac returned 700 years later alongside Baleth and Fadolin, two representatives from the world. While Isaac initially shocked the planet, the people adjusted to his presence. Belief in Kelly faded naturally as society evolved, and Isaac made little difference.

#### Other missions

* Isaac wrote an Environmental Simulator program for Alara to test herself in stressful and terrifying situations. The program concluded with Alara fleeing a simulated, evil version of Isaac.
* In April 2420, Isaac and John studied damage to the Orville caused when the ship grazed a pocket of two-dimensional space.
* Around June, Isaac studied magnetar AXP 1E1048-59 for several days.
* In late August, Isaac and Second Officer Bortus rescued survivors of Nyxia before its sun devoured it.

### Betrayal and true mission revealed

    By January 2421, the Kaylon decided they had sufficient data on the Planetary Union and remotely deactivated Isaac. The USS *Orville*returned Isaac to Kaylon 1, but the Kaylon informed the senior officers that Isaac completed his purpose for existing and would be recycled. At the pleading of the distraught crew, the Kaylon reactivated Isaac - but Isaac maintained that he would not rejoin the ship. The Orville threw a goodbye party, and Ty Finn gave Isaac a drawing; Isaac discarded the drawing and exited the ship.

Ty was devastated upon finding his drawing and searched for Isaac on the planet. He absconded into a network of caves to hide from other Kaylon, only to stumble across the remains of the Builders. When confronted, Isaac and the Kaylon revealed they never intended to join the Union. Isaac's purpose was to evaluate whether biological life in the galaxy was worth preserving, and the Kaylon determined it was not.

A team of Kaylon, including Isaac, stormed the Orville, killing many Security Officers and holding the rest captive in the Shuttle Bay. Having commandeered the ship, the Kaylon launched a full-scale attack upon the Union.

#### Rejection of the Kaylon

Main article: Identity, Pt. 2
As the Kaylon headed to Earth, the Kaylon aboard the Orville forced Ed Mercer and Kelly Grayson to tell the USS *Roosevelt*that their armada was a welcome envoy, but the Kaylon caught Ed warning the Roosevelt. To punish him, the Kaylon (including Isaac) made Ed watch them kill an officer. Isaac unsuccessfully attempted to dissuade Kaylon Primary from killing an ensign.

Kaylon Primary grew suspicious of Isaac. He directed Isaac to process *Roots* by Alex Haley to demonstrate the atrocities biological life may commit. However, Isaac replied that he observed no such behavior. Primary then ordered Isaac to choose a new name.

Later, the Kaylon captured Ty while he was assisting Lieutenant Yaphit sending a warning to Planetary Union Central. Kaylons Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary ordered Isaac to execute Ty, but Isaac killed the three Kaylon. He stormed the Bridge of the Orville, telling Ty a code to release the officers imprisoned in the Shuttle Bay and then emitting a powerful EMP pulse to kill all remaining Kaylon on the ship (Isaac included).

#### Battle of Earth and aftermath

Thanks to Isaac's sacrifice, the crew of the Orville retook the Orville and fought in the Battle of Earth.

Isaac was re-activated soon after and he resigned his commission as emissary. Admiral Tom Halsey advocated that a kill-switch be placed in Isaac, but Ed convinced him that acts of distrust and control were what led the Kaylon to turn against their builders. Ed accepted full responsibility for Isaac in the future.

## Later life

Isaac returned to his post as Science and Engineering Officer on the Orville. He participated in upgrades to the ship in early 2422. During this time, many of the crew resented Isaac for his betrayal and questioned the decision to allow him to remain on board. Officers such as Ensign Charly Burke "frequently" and openly harassed him, and Marcus Finn graffitied "MURDERER" in the Astrophysics Laboratory.

Alienated from the crew and believing his existence hindered the performance of the ship, Isaac took his own life using a narrow-band EMP which destroyed his systems beyond repair. John discovered Isaac had a backup consciousness which required Charly to repair. Charly refused at first but was persuaded by Marcus, who felt guilty for his role in Isaac's suicide. Isaac was re-activated. After Isaac's brief suicide, the rest of the crew gradually softened their attitudes towards Isaac.

### Topa's surgery

Later that year, Bortus and Klyden's child, Topa, learned that as a child he had undergone surgery to change his gender from female to male. When he announced his intention to undergo surgery to transition back to female, the Planetary Union forbade the procedure on the grounds that it would anger the Moclans and possibly cause them to withdraw from the Union at a time when they needed them in the war against the Kaylon. As the crew searched for a loophole that would allow them to go ahead with the surgery, Claire Finn stated that she would resign her commission and thus they would technically be within the law, since she would no longer be a Union officer. Isaac, however, offered an alternative: he was technically an "observer" and had never actually been commissioned by the Union. As an android, he could perform the surgery.

This was agreed to and he went ahead with the procedure, Bortus performing a concert as a distraction. Nevertheless, Klyden appeared and expressed his anger, as he was against Topa undergoing the procedure. He attempted to physically restrain Isaac, but was no match for Isaac's strength. In the aftermath, the Moclans, though upset, chose to remain in the Union, their drive to vanquish the Kaylons only strengthened, as it was a Kaylon who had performed the procedure. Afterwards, Claire Finn told Isaac that he had done a good thing, asking if it meant anything to him. He told her that he had not, in fact, done the procedure for Topa. He explained that because he knew of the crew's affection for Topa, he felt he could increase his standing with them by helping her, and this would increase their efficiency. "And maybe they'd like you a little more," commented Claire, and he agreed this was possible. Hearing this, she called him the most honest man that she knew and invited him to dinner.

### Small talk, big dislike

Still later that year, the Orville's Helsman, Gordon Malloy, was accidentally sent back in time to Earth in 2015 via the quantum accelerator, the time-traveling device that the crew of the vessel had long been studying. The Orville then traveled back in time to rescue him, but arrived in 2025, ten years too late. While Captain Ed Mercer and Kelly Grayson went down to Earth to find and rescue Gordon, Isaac was tasked with finding a vein to drill into the Earth's mantle in order to supply the Orville with the dysonium needed to fuel the vessel's return home. He requested the assistance of Charly Burke, as drilling dysonium required the calculation of trajectories in multiple dimensions while drilling.

Charly and Isaac traveled to Earth, Isaac using the human disguise he had previously assumed when romancing Claire Finn. During the journey, he attempted to make small talk with Charly, a skill he had recently learned, but Charly seemed cold to his efforts. Once on Earth, Isaac successfully located a suitable drilling site for dysonium approximately 23.7 kilometers from where they had landed. Charly noted that it was quite a hike and suggested finding some better transportation. The two made their way on foot to a nearby biker bar, where Charly asked if they could borrow the bikes they had seen stationed outside. She introduced Isaac as her "brother Richie" and conned the bikers by suggesting that one of them arm-wrestle the seemingly meek-looking man, which the stakes being use of the bikes if they won, and whatever they wanted from her if they lost. Isaac put on a show, his greatly superior strength as an artificial lifeform ensuring the actual result of the contest was never in doubt.

Having secured the bikes, the two made their way to the drilling site, only to discover that it was located on the site of a home for sale and the real estate agent, Nancy Weber, was on-site. Charly introduced herself and Isaac as a married couple interested in purchasing a new home. She took them inside and Charly pretended to be very interested, asking to see the home's basement. Nancy took them downstairs and Charly acted if the two of them were nearly ready to seal the deal, asking for a moment alone to discuss the matter. Once Nancy had left, she told Isaac they would have to do this quick and the two set to work. As they began drilling and settled into wait, Isaac again attempted to make small-talk with Charly. Thoroughly annoyed, she asked him just what he was doing and when he told her that he was attempting to initiate a conversation with her, she told him that if he had something to say to her to just say it and to stop with the small-talk.

Isaac then told her that he had never said "thank you" for reactivating him. He said that she had, in effect, saved his life and she replied that she guessed she had. He noted that the appropriate response was "You're welcome," but she told him she wanted to skip that part. She explained that she was simply doing her duty, telling him that she didn't like doing it one bit. He realized that she still harbored "negative sentiments" towards him and she agreed that she did. She told him that their working together didn't change what he did, or who she lost. She asked if he understood what love was, explaining that Amanda was not simply her friend, but somebody that she loved. She told Isaac that she could see spending the rest of her life with Amanda, but she never got the chance to say it to her and had no idea if Amanda felt the same way. She told him that he took that way from her, so she did, indeed, still harbor negative sentiments. Isaac then replied that he nevertheless thanked her.

Just then, the drilling was completed. The two returned upstairs, where Nancy asked them "Is it home?" but Charly told her "We just broke up" as the two left. They then reported into Ed, who at the time was trying unsuccessfully to convince Gordon to return with them, Gordon having started a family and being unwilling to leave. As such, the crew then all returned to the Orville, where they traveled back in time to 2015, just after Gordon had been stranded, to rescue him before he could ever start a family.

### The Kaylon Weapon

Working with Charly Burke, Isaac succeeded in creating a weapon powered by a quantum core that was capable of destroying the Kaylon. Isaac himself was immune to it as Isaac was disconnected from the Kaylon synchronization matrix which it targeted. When 62 Kaylon spheres targeted Xelaya, Isaac and Charly successfully used the weapon to destroy them all. Rather than using the weapon to commit genocide, the Planetary Union Council used it to force an armistice with the Kaylon.

However, the weapon was later stolen by Admiral Perry and given to the Krill and the Moclans who had recently formed an alliance and sought to use it on a galactic level powered by a super quantum core on Draconis 427. With a massive Krill and Moclan fleet protecting the planet, the Union contacted the Kaylon for help and they sent a massive fleet led by Kaylon Secondary to fight alongside the Union in the Battle of Draconis 427. As the only people capable of disarming the weapon, Isaac and Charly were part of the ground team alongside Kelly and Kaylon Primary who had survived Isaac's destruction of his original body over a year before. When Captain Kodon attempted to shoot Charly, Isaac disarmed him with his blasters, but allowed Kodon to escape, much to the shock of Primary, as his death was unnecessary. Unable to disarm the weapon, Charly chose to sacrifice herself to destroy it by overloading the super quantum core, destroying the facility, a large chunk of the planet and the Krill-Moclan fleet in orbit.

In the aftermath, Charly's self-sacrifice to prevent a Kaylon genocide despite her personal hatred of them stunned Kaylon Primary, causing him to re-evaluate organics. Isaac finally got his former leader to see what Isaac himself had recognized: that not all organics were like the Builders and didn't deserve annihilation. Subsequently, the Kaylon permanently ended their conflict with the Union and agreed to an alliance and provisional membership in the Union with the aim of becoming full members. During Charly's memorial service, Isaac read a eulogy he wrote for her, expressing his respect and admiration for the woman whose actions would have a lasting impact on the future of the galaxy.

## Relationship with Claire Finn

When Isaac first met Doctor Claire Finn in September 2419, Claire resented his sense of intellectual superiority. "You harbor prejudice against artificial life-forms," Isaac later remarked. She quipped, "Only against life-forms that think they're better than everyone else." When Isaac affirmed that he is better than everyone else, Claire sarcastically diagnosed, "Oh, and so modest." Further, Isaac offered parenting advice, which Claire felt was presumptive.

After Isaac, Claire, and her sons are rescued in late February 2420, Claire developed feelings for Isaac. He protected Marcus and Ty on the moon and did his best to comfort them. In a private conversation with Isaac, Claire said her sons now adore Isaac.

The two continued to work together and Isaac began privately tutoring Ty in piano. In December 2420, Isaac corrected Claire's paper on nanosynthesis in Xelayan tissue regeneration, brought her a banana, and noticed that she changed her hair style. Claire remarked, "When I'm with him... we get along very well. I feel warmth."

Claire asked Isaac out to the Union Symphony followed by dinner in the Environmental Simulator. Wishing to learn more of biological culture, Isaac accepted. The first date was a dud; Isaac downloaded all information about her from the Orville's files, and Claire did not feel "excitement" without getting to know each other. After Isaac woke her up with a cake at 3:00 a.m., Claire told him that she "reached out in the wrong direction."

Isaac deleted his information on Claire and attempted a second dinner date - complete with a simulated Human body. Claire was enamored: "He figured out a way to say, 'I'm trying. Let me try.'" The two slept together. Believing his study of biological dating completed, Isaac convinced Claire to end the relationship by acting selfishly.

Isaac begins to malfunction following the breakup, realizing (in a certain way) he has fallen in love. To win Claire back, he calls her to the Bridge, sets the ship's environmental controls to "rain," and plays "Singing in the Rain." He apologizes and states that he is better with her than without her, and the two return to the simulator for dinner at her favorite restaurant on Earth.

Sometime following this incident, the Orville hosted Admiral Paul Christie, to whom Claire was once briefly married. Although Paul hoped to rekindle their relationship, Claire wanted no part of it. Paul then came to Isaac, telling him that he had heard from a few people aboard the Orville that he and Claire had been involved. He told him that the same was once true with him and Claire and Isaac noted that they shared a common experience. He asked Isaac what made Claire happy these days.

Isaac told her that she valued her children above anything, that her career as a Union medical officer was a crucial part of her identity, that she was highly empathetic and took great satisfaction in helping others. He then outlined her interests as being music, fine dining, rain showers and sexual relations. However, when he started to outline Claire's preferred sexual positions, Paul told him it would be enough. He then noted that Isaac to found it hard to process her daily absence and Isaac agreed it was another quality they shared. Following this, the Orville encountered an unusual species, the arachnids, and Paul Christie was transformed into one of them. Isaac then came to Claire, noting that he had observed other crewmembers coming to ask people in their social circle how they were doing in the wake of a loss. He offered his condolences and noted that Paul had spoken favorably of Paul. Claire was surprised that the two of them had spoken and Isaac replied that their shared history of social and sexual intimacy with her provided a common frame of reference. She chuckled at this, telling him that she had missed him, and asked him to sit with her.

Following the end of the Kaylon conflict, Isaac proposed to Claire who accepted. The two were married by Ed Mercer in the Environmental Simulator with all of their friends and even the entire Kaylon race present.

### *Pria* timeline

In the original timeline, the USS *Orville* was destroyed by a dark matter storm in November 2419 and Isaac was, presumably, killed.

### *The Road Not Taken* timeline

In another alternate timeline where Kelly Grayson turned down Ed Mercer's request for a second date in 2413, Isaac did not betray the Kaylon because Doctor Claire Finn never joined the *Orville*. He joined the *Orvill*e as emissary in September 2419, serving under Captain Griffith.

Isaac's career aboard the Orville was substantially the same in this timeline. He participated in the Battle of Epsilon 2 when the crew obtained the quantum accelerator, and he studied the device until his automatic deactivation in January 2421. At the time of his deactivation, Isaac was asking Chief Engineering Officer John LaMarr personal questions about his romantic and sexual interactions with former Chief Security Officer Alara Kitan.

The Orville returned Isaac to the Kaylon, but he was not reactivated; his body remained on Kaylon 1 while his mind was uploaded to the Kaylon's neural network. The Kaylon took over the Orville and then won the ensuing Battle of Earth.

Around October 2421, John LaMarr, working on on the recovered *Orville*, hacked into the Kaylon's network and downloaded Isaac's consciousness into the head of a Kaylon they had earlier killed to complete calculations on the quantum accelerator taken from the Epsilon Science Station on Epsilon 2. Though Isaac promised that the Kaylon would find and destroy John and his crewmates, the calculations allowed them to send Claire back in time to restore the timeline. After getting the calculations, John deactivated Isaac again.

## Personality

> *You harbor prejudice against artificial life-forms.*
>
> *Only against life-forms that think they're better than everyone else.*
> *I am better than everyone else.*
> *Oh, and so modest.*
> *It was not intended as a boast, merely a statement of fact.*— Isaac and Claire Finn
>
>

Like all Kaylon, Isaac firmly believed that biological lifeforms were mentally and physically inferior to himself. Certainly, Isaac was the most intelligent member of the USS *Orville*: according to First Officer Kelly Grayson, the smartest biological member of the crew, John LaMarr, lagged well behind Isaac. Isaac was also the strongest officer - possibly excepting Chief of Security Alara Kitan. Even the highly advanced Calivon saw Isaac as an equal. Extraordinary strength and wit endowed Isaac with a sense of superiority, which he saw not as arrogance but "merely a statement of fact."

### Understanding biological life

> *This is humor? - Yes! I must admit, it is quite challenging.*— Isaac's response after experiencing a practical joke
>
>

Isaac was curious about the cultures and behaviors of biological lifeforms, especially abstractions like romance and cursing. He proposed intercourse to Alara to study biological sexuality; struggled to understand the offensiveness behind calling someone a "dick;" and eagerly leapt at the chance to date Doctor Claire Finn, but only as an opportunity to experience dating. When Helmsman Gordon Malloy said Humans bond with cats by petting them, Isaac stroked Gordon's arm so they could bond.

Gordon tried to demonstrate 'humor' to Isaac after he failed to understand the appeal of slapstick comedy in the television series *Seinfeld*. Gordon stuck Mr. Potato Head ears, nose, hat, and eyes to Isaac's head, and Isaac took his station on the Bridge, completely unaware. Gordon explained that was a practical joke and added it was Isaac's turn to prank him. Isaac amputated Gordon's left leg in his sleep and hid it in the roof of Pria Lavesque's quarters. Gordon was incensed and called Isaac "sick."

### Relationship with Ty and Marcus Finn

After Isaac protected Ty and Marcus Finn on the habitable moon, the boys adored him. They tagged along as Isaac and John studied the effect of a spatial anomaly on the ship, and Isaac taught Ty piano. When James Duncan, Marcus' classmate, blamed Marcus for hacking into a Food Synthesizer, Isaac accompanied Claire to a conference with James' parents. Isaac discovered James had hacked into the Computer's academic files to change his grades, which (mostly) exonerated Marcus.

Claire and Isaac began dating in late 2420, and the children soon caught on. When Claire and Isaac revealed their relationship in late January 2421, Marcus said that they were happy for them. When Isaac suddenly deactivated, they were distraught and spent long hours with his body in Sick Bay. During Isaac's farewell party, Ty gifted Isaac with a drawing, but Isaac threw the picture away, deeply wounding Ty.

In the prelude to the Battle of Earth, Ty was caught helping Lieutenant Yaphit send a warning message to the Planetary Union. Kaylon Primary ordered Isaac to execute the child, but Isaac instead killed the Kaylon, rescuing Ty. Following Isaac returning to duty, Marcus continued to harbor significant grievances against Isaac, graffitiing his lab with "murderer" in *Electric Sheep*. Ty was deeply saddened by his death to the point that he used a simulator to continue to talk to Isaac. However, Marcus later felt guilty as he had never actually wanted Isaac to die and he was the one to convince Charly Burke to resurrect Isaac.

After Isaac proposed to her, Claire approached Marcus and Ty who were watching the ship break orbit. Claire told them that while the last year had been tough with Isaac, a lot of the crew felt that he had redeemed himself, a sentiment that both Marcus and Ty agreed to. As Claire began to tell them, Marcus and Ty revealed that they already knew about the proposal with Marcus pointing out that they lived on a small ship. However, Claire hadn't yet said yes, explaining that the two were her family and she didn't want to jeopardize that. Marcus told his mother that everyone knew that Isaac did good and asked Claire if she wanted to marry him. Claire admitted that she really did so Marcus asked why she was sitting there talking to them. With a laugh, Claire hugged her children before going to accept Isaac's proposal.

Ty and Marcus later attended their mother's wedding to Isaac.

### Relationship with Charly Burke

Due to losing a loved one in the Battle of Earth, Charly Burke hated Isaac and often openly questioned decisions regarding him. After Isaac's suicide, Charly refused to help resurrect him due to this hatred until Marcus Finn convinced her to change her mind. Regardless, Charly remained icy towards Isaac and had a hard time working with and trusting him. This changed when Timmis revealed the history of Kaylon enslavement by the Builders to Charly, causing her to become more sympathetic and friendly towards Isaac despite retaining a general hatred of the Kaylon.

Charly and Isaac subsequently developed a closer working relationship, pooling their talents together to create a weapon capable of destroying the Kaylon. By this time, Charly trusted Isaac, even pointedly telling Kaylon Primary so. After Charly's death, Isaac uses her self-sacrifice as proof that the Kaylon are wrong about organics, finally getting Primary to re-evaluate the Kaylon view on organics and end the conflict for good. Isaac later delivers a eulogy at Charly's memorial, expressing the deep respect and admiration he had for her.

## Production

Actors auditioned for Isaac by working on the Bridge, speaking in "sciencey jargon" and describing planet statistics. Creator Seth MacFarlane closed his eyes and turned around to listen to the quality and timbre of each actor's voice.

While Fox first introduced Isaac in their May 2017 trailer, it was Mark Jackson who revealed the character and the Kaylon species to the general public in July. He elaborated that Isaac is sent as an ambassador and observer to the Planetary Union, and that his species communicates as a "hive mind."

Originally, Isaac was to wear a Science uniform while serving aboard the Orville and had red eyes.

### Creating and wearing the Isaac costume

The costume of Isaac was designed with the look of early science fiction androids and cybernetic beings in mind. It took Howard Berger, the make-up department head for Season 1, 42 drafts before landing upon Isaac's look. The costume is a zip-up onesie, plated by an armor chestpiece, a belt, gloves, and helmet. Isaac's eyes were originally red, which were softened to blue to look less menacing.

Isaac's helmet consists of two plates that snap together. Jackson wears a microphone to hear better and reads his lines aloud while performing and the audio is manipulated and improved during editing. The helmet's face plate is one-way transparent, allowing the actor to see. "It's not perfect. It's a bit blurry like if I wore glasses," Jackson describes. The suit also boasts internal speakers and microphones.

Isaac's suit takes approximately 20 minutes to put on or remove. Jackson describes the experience as being put into an ecosystem, and says he feels powerful and well-protected wearing it. An unexpected perk is that the suit keeps Jackson warm in the cold studio set.

Slipping his hands into Isaac's hands turned out to require KY Jelly as a lubricant, and Jackson sometimes had to re-lubricate with the jelly from time to time on set. Jackson ended up keeping an extra bottle behind his chair on the Bridge, out of view from the cameras.

However, Jackson also points out that the suit is uncomfortable, hot, and annoyingly constrictive, especially during shoots for the pilot, *Old Wounds*. The helmet was especially bad. "I was blind, I couldn't breathe - like literally," he told an audience at the 2021 Sci-Fi Summit. The production team adjusted his helmet after *Old Wounds* and before starting *If the Stars Should Appear* (the second episode filmed). At the same time, Berger installed a small fan inside the suit to keep him cool. Jackson says that he has a "cool shirt on standby, which has a clever network of cold water pipes built into it, but so far I’ve not used it. Coming from a theatre background, part of me thinks ‘if you didn’t sweat, you didn’t work’."

While production originally intended Jackson to speak his own lines directly on set as any other actor, the audio quality suffered, and Jackson records all of his lines through automatic dialogue replacement.

### Season 1

    Isaac underwent a slow transformation as a character. As Jackson put it, Isaac in the pilot episode was a "weird, outsider character" used by the writers for "laughs" and "to frame human stories." It would be some time before Isaac would blossom as a character with his own, admittedly rigid, personality.

Isaac's role on the ship was subdued until a breakout appearance in *Into the Fold*. Jackson later said, "We start to learn about him as the season goes on. In the original scripts that I read of the first season, the scripts had slightly different storylines for Isaac, which I think has been shifted to the second season." (He is likely referring to the story arc involving Kaylon 1 and betrayal, as he had earlier mentioned there were plans to visit the planet in Season 1 that were tabled if the show were renewed. See also Lost media of The Orville.)

### Season 2

Isaac's origins remained obscure at the close of Season 1 even to Jackson and the rest of the cast, but by November, 2017, creator Seth MacFarlane promised that his background would appear in greater detail in Season 2: "We will learn more about Isaac's people. There's a whole story that's already been written that examines the origins of Isaac's people;" and later, "Next season, we are going to deal with Isaac a little bit, and we have a very clear idea of what we want him to be."

Jackson has confirmed that minute visual adjustments have been made to the costume for Season 2, adding cryptically "but nothing too radical... *yet*." Isaac's gauntlets were separated from the rest of the suit and the mesh outer layer was "hardened" to prevent wrinkling (it is unclear what exact change was made).

Jackson stated that he is slowly changing Isaac's accent to resemble natural Human speech, the product of contact with his bridgemates.

After Isaac betrays the crew in *Identity*, MacFarlane stated that "turning on the crew was something in our minds from Day 1."

### Season 3

Significant changes were made to the plates and lighitng of Isaac's suit for Season 3.

## Trivia

* The name "Isaac" was chosen while serving in the Planetary Union as an homage to Isaac Newton, whose scientific brilliance was respected even by the Kaylon.
	+ Isaac is a Hebrew name meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice."
* Isaac draws many parallels to Data from *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, and Seven of Nine from *Star Trek: Voyager*, as well as some aspects of Jean-Luc Picard*'s* Locutus arc on *Next Generation*.
	+ To many fans, Isaac's voice is highly reminiscent of the voice of Data.
* Isaac's designation of "The Emissary" is the same as Captain Benjamin Sisko on *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.* Coincidentally, both Sisko and Isaac end up dating and later marrying characters played by Penny Johnson Jerald in their respective shows, with Jerald playing Kasidy Yates on *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine* and Claire Finn on *The Orville*.
* He is the only known crew member of The Orville to have no official rank due to not belonging to the Planetary Union and instead being an observer on behalf of the Kaylon.
* According to Mark Jackson, Isaac's voice is an amalgamation between multiple different accents that are spoken within the English language in order to better be understood by all people who watch the series.
* Jackson says that when he sneezes inside Isaac's mask, the particulate bounces off the mask and back into his eyes and mouth.
* Jackson feels somewhat embarrassed by his performance as Isaac in Season 1: "I'm a bit - I want to say wooden, but it's not the right word - a bit metallic." In Season 2, he intentionally behaved a bit more animated, and even more so in Season 3.
* Isaac's eyes were originally red, which were softened to blue to look less menacing.
* As deactivation is considered "death" to the Kaylon, Isaac has died four times overall in the series:
	+ By an electrical burst from a device planted by Pria Lavesque in *Pria*.
	+ Remote deactivation in *Identity, Pt. 1* by the Kaylon after completing his mission as emissary.
	+ By voluntarily emitting an EMP pulse in *Identity, Pt. 2*.
	+ By committing suicide in *Electric Sheep*.
* Isaac makes no appearance in the comic-book issue *Heroes, Pt. 2,* despite being incorrectly credited.

## Appearances

* *Episode 1x01: Old Wounds*
* *Episode 1x02: Command Performance*
* *Episode 1x03: About a Girl*
* *Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear*
* *Episode 1x05: Pria*
* *Episode 1x06: Krill*
* *Episode 1x07: Majority Rule*
* *Episode 1x08: Into the Fold*
* *Episode 1x09: Cupid's Dagger*
* *Episode 1x10: Firestorm*
* *Episode 1x11: New Dimensions*
* *Episode 1x12: Mad Idolatry*
* *Episode 1.5x01: New Beginnings, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 1.5x02: New Beginnings, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 1.5x03: The Word of Avis, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 1.5x04: The Word of Avis, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 2x01: Ja'loja*
* *Episode 2x02: Primal Urges*
* *Episode 2x03: Home*
* *Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes*
* *Episode 2x05: All the World is Birthday Cake*
* *Episode 2x06: A Happy Refrain*
* *Episode 2x07: Deflectors*
* *Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 2x10: Blood of Patriots*
* *Episode 2x11: Lasting Impressions*
* *Episode 2x12: Sanctuary*
* *Episode 2x13: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow*
* *Episode 2x14: The Road Not Taken*
* *Episode 2.5x01: Launch Day, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 2.5x02: Launch Day, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 2.5x03: Heroes, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 2.5x05: Digressions, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 2.5x06: Digressions, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 2.5x07: Artifacts, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 2.5x08: Artifacts, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 3x01: Electric Sheep*
* *Episode 3x02: Shadow Realms*
* *Episode 3x03: Mortality Paradox*
* *Episode 3x04: Gently Falling Rain*
* *Episode 3x05: A Tale of Two Topas*
* *Episode 3x06: Twice in a Lifetime*
* *Episode 3x07: From Unknown Graves*
* *Episode 3x08: Midnight Blue*
* *Sympathy for the Devil*
* *Episode 3x09: Domino*
* *Episode 3x10: Future Unknown*

## Notes

1. ↑ Ed Mercer: "And finally, Isaac, our science and engineering officer, hailing from Kaylon 1." Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
2. ↑ See discussion in Chief Science Officer.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Isaac: "I have already resigned my provisionary commission." Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1
4. ↑ Admiral Halsey does not state that the spot of Science Officer is vacant when talking to Ed in September, implying that Isaac was already aboard the ship and served under the previous captain. Episode 1x01: Old Wounds

## References

1. ↑ Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Episode 2x06: A Happy Refrain
3. ↑ Episode 3x07: From Unknown Graves
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Episode 3x01: Electric Sheep
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Episode 3x09: Domino
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Episode 3x10: Future Unknown
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
11. ↑ Kaylon Primary. Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Episode 1x11: New Dimensions
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Episode 1x02: Command Performance
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Episode 1x06: Krill
15. ↑ Episode 1x07: Majority Rule
16. ↑ Episode 1x08: Into the Fold
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Episode 1x12: Mad Idolatry
18. ↑ Episode 1x10: Firestorm
19. ↑ Episode 1.5x01: New Beginnings, Pt. 1
20. ↑ Episode 1.5x02: New Beginnings, Pt. 2
21. ↑ Episode 2x02: Primal Urges
22. ↑ Isaac. Episode 3x01: Electric Sheep
23. ↑ Episode 3x05: A Tale of Two Topas
24. ↑ Episode 3x06: Twice in a Lifetime
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Episode 1x08: Into the Fold
26. ↑ Episode 3x02: Shadow Realms
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Episode 1x05: Pria
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Episode 2x14: The Road Not Taken
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Digressions, Pt. 1
30. ↑ Episode 1x08: Into the Fold
31. ↑ Episode 1x05: Pria
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Orville Live Stream Q&A with Scott Grimes, Kelly Hu, J Lee, Peter Macon, & Mark Jackson. GalaxyCon. July 16, 2020.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "SDCC 2017: The Orville - Peter Macon, Mark Jackson, Chad L Coleman". *Whedonopolis Video*. July 26, 2017.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Schultz, Cody. "The Orville Interview: Mark Jackson reveals exciting new details about Fox’s sci-fi dramedy, his character & more". *Hidden Remote*. Sept. 11, 2017.
35. ↑ Porro, Joseph. Untitled concept sketch of Isaac. 2016.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 "Mark Jackson Interview | AfterBuzz TV's Spotlight On". *AfterBuzz TV*. Sept. 13, 2017.
37. ↑ "PLANETARY UNION NETWORK: EPISODE 20". Planetary Union Network. June 17, 2018.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Trekyards. Mark Jackson Isaac Orville Interview (Issac/Identity PT 1+2) (2019). YouTube. March 9, 2019.
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "THE ORVILLE PODCAST EPISODE 5 - THE MARK JACKSON INTERVIEW". The Orville Podcast. Oct. 6, 2017.
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "The Orville Fan Podcast w/ Mark Jackson (09)". Planetary Union Network. Nov. 12, 2017.
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 "A Planetary Diary S 2 Eps 1". THESMOKE007. Sept. 15, 2021.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Mark Jackson #TheOrville on #FOX interviewed at 35th #PaleyFestLA TV Festival in Hollywood". *Red Carpet Report*. March 18, 2018.
43. ↑ The cast of THE ORVILLE talks their return @ San Diego Comic Con. TV Insider. Aug. 2, 2022.
44. ↑ Crookes, Adam. "Interview: Mark Jackson from FOX’s ‘The Orville’ talks about playing an artificial lifeform machine | CROOKES MAGAZINE". *Medium*. Sept. 22, 2017.
45. ↑ Bernstein, Abbie. "THE ORVILLE: Actors Mark Jackson and J. Lee chat chartering space with Seth MacFarlane – Exclusive Interview". *AssignmentX*. Jan. 2, 2019.
46. ↑ THE ORVILLE: NEW HORIZONS Interview: MARK JACKSON on the power of representation in science fiction!. Reel School. July 23, 2022.
47. ↑ "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Review + Interview with The Orville's Mark Jackson". We Have a Hulk. Dec. 13, 2017.
48. ↑ Lovett, Jamie. "'The Orville' Star Mark Jackson Talks Science Fiction, 'Star Trek,' And A Brighter Future". *ComicBook*. Sept. 27, 2018.
49. ↑ "Brannon Braga & The Orville Cast Full interview 2017 Panel NYC convention". *NYC ComicCon*. Nov. 20, 2017.
50. ↑ "The Orville Fan Podcast w/ Mark Jackson (29)". Planetary Union Network. Feb. 2, 2019.
51. ↑ "Mark Jackson on playing the character Isaac in "The Orville"." *AfterBuzz TV*. March 17, 2018.
52. ↑ "Mindscape 58 | Seth MacFarlane on Using Science Fiction to Explore Humanity". Sean Carroll. Aug. 5, 2019.
53. ↑ /u/markjacksonacts. "I’m Mark Jackson and I play AI badass Isaac on The Orville. Ask me questions!". Reddit. Feb. 4, 2019.