The Orville: Taking an Old Familiar Stab at Science Fiction

The Orville, a spaceship 400 years in the future, was created by several designers, including show creator Seth MacFarlane, who plays the ship's captain. The Fox series premieres 7 p.m. Sept. 10

LOS ANGELES – At 11, Seth MacFarlane dreamed of creating his own spaceship. At 43, his dream came true.

his fall, the "Family Guy" creator introduces “The Orville,” a look at space exploration 400 years in the future.

Sprawling over two stories on a stage at the 20th Century Fox lot, the starship Orville recalls a post-“Star Trek” era, when space travel was optimistic and exciting.

The set is so realistic actor Scott Grimes said he got motion sickness when he sat on the bridge for the first time.

A screen showing three times the resolution of an IMAX theater surrounds the bridge, giving the impression the ship is actually moving through space.

VFX producer Natasha Francis says it can “travel” at a number of speeds. “When the actors are sitting in these chairs and they want to say, ‘What is my motivation? What am I looking at? Where are we in the world?’ This is the world.”

Technology, according to editor Tom Costantino, gives the actors not only something to look at but “something to sort of act against.”

Interactive lighting adds to the effect.

When creating “The Orville,” MacFarlane wanted to make it as realistic as possible, with limited use of green-screen technology.

As a result, the set is as impressive as any environment at Walt Disney World. Brightly lit hallways lead to officers’ quarters, dining facilities and other multi-purpose rooms. Because there are several halls, they can be shot to look like any number of places on the massive ship.

Some 300 souls are aboard The Orville, according to MacFarlane’s plan, and there are futuristic elements that enable residents to press buttons and automatically get any number of food options.

To separate the Union (as The Orville’s folks are known) from enemies like the Krill, there are various gadgets, guns and tools designed to mimic its optimistic outlook.

Propmaster Bryan Rodgers says Union objects have smooth curves and lines. Additionally, weapons actually light up when fired and have a heft that makes them seem real.

Scanners, which look like iPads, enable the ship’s doctor (played by Penny Johnson Jerald) to size up problems while the team is on field trips.

The Krill, meanwhile, “are a militaristic, intimidating race,” according to Rodgers. “So they use scary-looking things.” Created to complement the costume design by Joseph Porro, the items have sharp edges and an old-world feel. A Krill dagger, for example, has a blade inside a blade. Angles are key.

“For me, it’s a space that’s kind of waiting to be filled in this day and age when we’re getting a lot of dystopian science fiction…but it can’t all be ‘The Hunger Games.’ It can’t all be the nightmare scenario. I think there’s some space for the aspirational blueprint of what we could do if we get our (act) together. This is sort of an attempt to fill that void in the genre.”

"The Orville" blasts off Sept. 10 on Fox.