New Beginnings, Pt. 2

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## Chronological Order

***New Beginnings, Pt. 2*** is the second issue of Season 1.5 of *The Orville*. It is the second part of a special two-part episode known as ***New Beginnings***. Captain Ed Mercer and Helmsman Gordon Malloy try to solve the mystery of the BCV *Burton* and get home. Meanwhile, First Officer Kelly Grayson starts dating Cassius.

The episode was written by executive producer David A. Goodman and staffed by artist David Cabeza and colorist Michael Atiyeh.

Originally released on August 14, 2019, *New Beginnings, Pt. 2* was later released as part of *The Orville Season 1.5: New Beginnings* on February 18, 2020.

## Plot

Thoz, leader of a group of Chogs, ushers Captain Ed Mercer and Helmsman Gordon Malloy into the wreck of the BCV *Burton*: "Come, this is our food place." Ed and Gordon quietly speculate if the Chogs used the Burton's Particle Beam Cannon to fire on their shuttle.

Inside, the Chog use the ship's Food Synthesizer to synthesize a "mud"-like food. Ed and Gordon try to snoop around the ship while the Chog eat, but Thoz warns them it has always been forbidden to venture into other parts of the Burton. Everyone exits to an evening of food, song, and dance around a campfire.

First Officer Kelly Grayson enjoys a late-night drink alone in the Mess Hall of the USS *Orville*when she is approached by the schoolteacher Cassius. Kelly blurts out that she wants to put her personal life on hold because she recently broke up with their captain, Ed; then the two watch the stars together.

At night, the Chog sleep while Ed and Gordon abscond to the Burton... only to find two guards in front of the entrance. The two enter from the other side of the ship through a breach in its hull, and venture into Engineering. The ship's reactor powers only the Food Synthesizer and the cannon. Gordon discovers the cannon's targeting system was set to 'automatic,' shooting anything within 1,000 meters of the encampment, and the two realize the cannon was meant to protect the Chogs from debris in space.

Meanwhile, Isaac finishes his study of the magnetar a few hours early thanks to a simultaneous upgrade to the scanner array. Kelly, as acting captain, sets a course for Outpost 23. Once the Orville leaves the magnetar's field of interference, they receive word from Outpost 23 that Ed and Gordon never arrived. Kelly orders they retrace their shuttle's path exactly.

On the Bridge of the Burton, Ed recovers a message on the captain's panel from Ensign Hodges who recorded that the Burton won its battle against the Tzel, but it was a Pyrrhic victory and the Burton crash-landed on this planet. The crash leaked matter from the quantum reactor into the world's biosphere, killing off most plant and animal life. Surviving Chogs offered the crew help, not knowing that it was the Burton killing them. The twenty Burton crew members left decided to protect the Chog species by repairing the reactor and feeding power to the Food Synthesizer and cannon.

Ed and Gordon realize that if the Burton's cannon fires upon the Orville, a countershot would destroy everything and everyone within a one-kilometer radius. Ed says, "I'm going to set my Comscanner to send out a regular message to the Orville to raise their Deflector Screens and hold their fire." Suddenly, Thoz and a party of Chogs arrive. The Chogs are outraged they entered the forbidden place, seizing and beating them with spears and rocks.

The Orville flies through space following a distress signal from the Burton's old buoy. Kelly reasons that Ed and Gordon must have followed the distress call.

Daytime on the planet and the Chogs have tied Ed and Gordon up and hold them at spearpoint. Ed admits he was not able to send the comscanner message. Ed attempts to explain how the Burton ruined their planet, but Thoz does not understand. Instead, he takes the Humans to an elder Chog from the time when the Burton arrived.

In space, the debris field blocks the Orville's scans, but the Orville does pick up an ion trail possibly left by Ed and Gordon, which leads to the planet's surface.

Rop is a 107-year-old Chog who was a child when the Burton arrived but remembers people like Ed and Gordon from that time. Suddenly, the Burton's cannon fires at the Orville. Ed pleads with Rop to trust him, and tell Thoz to return their comscanners so Ed can send a message to the Orville.

Second Officer Bortus has targeted the Burton's cannon and Kelly orders him to return fire. Ed's voice interrupts: "Kelly, it's Ed! Whatever you do, don't fire!"

Two days later, the USS *Ulysses*joins the Orville in orbit over the planet's surface. Ed and Kelly chat in the Mess Hall, mentioning that the Ulysses' captain wants Ed to introduce her to Chogs. The Planetary Union will transplant them to another planet until their home world is terraformed. Ed feels convicted by Hodges' selfless, and apologizes to Kelly for being "a dick." Ed asks if there is anything to new to tell him and Kelly looks away.

"Nothing that can't wait."

## Production

Dark Horse Comics announced *New Beginnings, Pt. 2* in a press release on March 7, 2019.

## Reception

Critics and fans warmly welcomed *New Beginnings, Pt. 2* as the exciting conclusion to *The Orville*'s first episode in comic-book form. *Talking Pulp* praised the artwork, the "simple" yet engrossing story, and rated it 7 out of 10. *Beyond the Panel* rated the issue 8 out of 10 and surmised,

*Who would have ever thought we would be able to experience The Orville in comic form? This was a book worth investing time in when it captured everything you love about the series in a couple of issues. It was the same kind of missions, new kind of troubles, creative solutions, and at the end of the day still carrying the same endearing tone. Overall, it makes you really wish that new season was here already.*
## Trivia

* When the Chogs capture Ed and Gordon and bind them, two Chogs in the background can be seen holding a PM-44 in its holster, clearly befuddled by the advanced technology.
* When Ed asks if anything new happened while he was gone and Kelly decides not to tell him about her budding relationship with Cassius, Cassius can be spied sitting directly behind Ed at another table.
* John LaMarr and Claire Finn are absent in this issue.
* Curiously, the old uniform worn by the relief navigator, Ensign Hodges, is colored blue, the color associated with Command in the modern Union Fleet. In the 25th century, navigators wear Engineering orange.
* While you only see his backside, Lieutenant Dann may be at the helm on the Orville in Gordon's place.
* This issue gives special thanks to creator Seth MacFarlane, science adviser André Bormanis, executive producers Brannon Braga and Jason Clark, writer Gerry Duggan of Marvel Comics, digital effects supervisor Brandon Fayette, assistant to executive producer Julia Nichols Hodges, assistant to David Goodman, Rahne Keith, Mayumi Yokomizo, Joy Fehily (who manages MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door Productions), publicist Cassy Brewer (who works with Fehily), Sheri Conn of The Consultancy Project, and executive director Carol Roeder of 20th Century Fox.
* Artist David Cabeza made a clay figurine of a Chog guard to help visualize them while drawing.
* Writer David A. Goodman has stated that some characters in the comics have been based on actual actors.
	+ Fans believe Hodges to be visually based on a young Tom Cruise.

### Timeline

* The issue takes place over about four days in June 2420.
* Rop is born in 2313.
* The BCV *Burton*and its surviving crew of 20 crash-land on the Chog homeworld in 2320.
* The first day of this issue continues the second day of *New Beginnings, Pt. 1*.
	+ On that day,
		- Cassius meets Kelly in the Mess Hall late at night.
		- Isaac announces he finished his analysis a few hours early.
		- The Orville learns Ed and Gordon never arrived at Outpost 23.
	+ Around the next day or so,
		- The Orville rescues Ed and Gordon.
		- Kelly begins dating Cassius.
	+ Two days later, Ed says the USS *Ulysses* will remove the Chogs from their homeworld to a new planet.

### References

* Gordon asks the Food Synthesizer for a "Big Mac", a sandwich from McDonald's.

## Mistakes

* While looking for Ed and Gordon, Isaac refers to "the distress signal Lt. Kitan received." However, Alara had said she did *not* receive any distress call.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Capt. Ed Mercer
* Cmdr. Kelly Grayson
* Lt. Cmdr. Bortus
* Lt. Alara Kitan
* Lt. Gordon Malloy
* Isaac

### Special Guest Cast

* Ensign Hodges
* Rop

### Recurring Cast

* Cassius
* Thoz
* Klyden (mentioned only)
* Topa (mentioned only)

## References

1. ↑ The Orville Season 1.5: New Beginnings. Penguin Random House. Last accessed July 3, 2019.
2. ↑ "ECCC 2019: DARK HORSE AND 20TH CENTURY FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS INVITE YOU TO EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE WITH". *Dark Horse.* March 7, 2019.
3. ↑ Comic Review: The Orville: New Beginnings. *Talking Pulp*. Sept. 3, 2019.
4. ↑ Review: The Orville #2: New Beginnings Part 2 of 2. *Beyond the Panel*. August 14, 2019.
5. ↑ @kashinorei. "This plasticine friend, with his strange color scheme and shabby finish (done in 5 min.), was very useful for drawing some chogs. Everything goes to do the job!😅 #TheOrville #comics@DarkHorseComics
@DavidAGoodman

#SethMacFarlane". Twitter. Aug. 23, 2019.
6. ↑ Mainframe Comic Con | Sunday | Part 2. Chuck Load of Comics. April 26, 2020.