WARNING: This article contains spoilers for The Orville, season 3, episode 10, "Future Unknown"
The Orville season 3 has a happy ending that leaves viewers hopeful for season 4. Appropriately named "Future Unknown," The Orville season 3, episode 10 could potentially be the last-ever episode of Seth MacFarlane's sci-fi show. Despite the uncertainty over the show's future, The Orville season 3 has a happy and hopeful ending, solidifying the relationships of the show's two prominent couples and hinting at a reunion for another.
Following the devastating events of the previous action-packed episode, "Domino," The Orville's season 3 finale is a smaller, more character-driven piece. It opens with the marriage renewal of Bortus (Peter Macon) and Klyden (Chad L. Coleman) and ends with the wedding of long-term human/android couple Claire and Isaac. The focus on the personal and romantic relationships between the ship's crew affirms one of the key appeals of The Orville and also brings it back to its roots as a sci-fi comedy drama.
Following the tragedy of "Domino," the culture-clash comedy of a human and android wedding in "Future Unknown" comes as a relief. Claire and Isaac finally tie the knot after a series of mishaps involving misguided romantic advice from Lamarr and a truly terrible Elvis impersonation from Bortus. The union of human Claire and android Isaac beautifully resolves The Orville season 3's Kaylon war arc and leaves the ship's crew happy and hopeful about the future of both the Union and the Kaylon. While there are one or two plot threads left dangling, the biggest question arising from The Orville season 3 finale is whether the show will return for season 4.
Is This The End Of The Orville? Will Season 4 Happen?
The Orville season 4 is currently unconfirmed, with Seth MacFarlane telling an audience at Comic-Con 2022 that the show's future depends on its performance when all three seasons of The Orville arrive on Disney+ on August 10th, 2022. Seth MacFarlane has a history of shows being resurrected in the face of increasing popularity. Family Guy was canceled by Fox after only three seasons but was resurrected by the network thanks to the DVD sales and syndicated reruns that made it a cult hit. It remains to be seen whether The Orville will have similar success in avoiding cancelation, with its fate seemingly in the hands of Disney+ subscribers.
Given the positive reactions to more episodic sci-fi shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks, there's certainly an appetite for Seth MacFarlane's unique approach to Star Trek tropes. From political allegories that have been more successful than Star Trek: Picard season 2, high-concept sci-fi comedy, and Dolly Parton cameos, there's a lot about The Orville that appeals to audiences. If, however, this is truly the end for The Orville, the season 3 finale leaves all the characters in a good place and wraps up their arcs. Aside from peace with the Kaylon and the apparent happy ending for Claire and Isaac, there is also Bortus and Klyden's vow renewal.
The Moclan couple's relationship broke down earlier in season 3 when Klyden refused to support their daughter Topa's gender reassignment procedure. Klyden returned later in the season when Topa was kidnapped and tortured by bigoted Moclan agents and vowed to be a better father and husband. The renewal of his marriage to Bortus in the season 3 finale solidifies their romantic reunion and provides a happy ending to the other major storyline from The Orville season 3. Finally, Halston Sage returns to The Orville to bring the show full circle in its final episode, but despite this, loose ends are left for a potential Orville season 4 to pick up.
Will Ed And Kelly Get Back Together?
Ed and Kelly's romantic relationship has been primarily set aside during The Orville season 3, following the aftermath of their failed reunion in the season 2 finale. However, the preparations for Claire and Isaac's wedding causes Maid of Honor Kelly to reassess her marriage to Ed. In a telling moment, as she advises Claire on whether or not to accept Isaac's proposal, she concedes she and Ed may have been too young to marry and says that "the man you marry and the man you make a life with are two different people."
This statement is particularly true of Adrianne Palicki and Seth MacFarlane's Orville characters Kelly and Ed, who are more in sync as Commander and Captain than they ever were as husband and wife. In The Orville's season 3 finale, the couple share a small, intimate moment when they hold hands during Gordon's song in the closing wedding night scene. This moment hints that if the show is recommissioned, then their relationship could be revisited in The Orville season 4.
Where's Ed's Daughter In The Orville's Ending?!
Of the many story arcs in The Orville season 3, the only one that isn't resolved in "Future Unknown" is Ed's half-human/half-Krill daughter Anaya. Her mother, Teleya, was captured by the Union and is awaiting trial for her role in creating The Orville's Star Wars-inspired Death Star. Despite the increased danger to the child in Teleya's absence from Krill politics, she refuses to hand her daughter over to Ed.
Given the lighter romantic comedy tone of The Orville's season 3 finale, this dangling plot thread isn't revisited, and Teleya doesn't feature. With the Krill/Moclan alliance replacing the Kaylons as The Orville's big bad, it's likely that the story of Ed and Teleya's daughter will play a more significant part in any future season of The Orville. Like the marriage of Claire and Isaac, Anaya symbolizes the union of two warring species and could provide hope for The Orville's future.
Isaac And Claire's Wedding Is The Real End Of The Kaylon War
The war between the Union and the Kaylons allowed The Orville, like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine before it, to explore the political and societal implications of military conflict in a supposedly utopian future. While the war between organic and artificial life ended in The Orville season 3, episode 9, "Domino," Claire and Isaac's wedding provides a touching epilogue. The Orville season 3 opened with former Kaylon emissary Isaac ostracized from his fellow crew mates. The bullying got so bad that Isaac calculated it would benefit crew efficiency if he deactivated himself.
The Orville season 3 ends with Isaac fully accepted by his crew mates, who offer him cheerful waves as he walks the ship's corridors and gives him advice on his impending nuptials. Gordon even makes a moving best man's speech that shows how much his cynical view of Isaac has changed since The Orville's dark android story. Isaac and Claire's wedding symbolizes the union between organic and artificial life forged by the Union and Kaylon peace process and provides the finale's best joke.
In a well-meaning attempt to honor the traditions of human weddings, Isaac invites his family to attend his happy day. The only problem is that, as an artificial lifeform, he's part of a hive mind and so inadvertently invites the whole planet. In an earlier episode of The Orville season 3, the appearance of thousands of Kaylon ships provided a dramatic and deadly moment, but it now represents a well-meaning attempt at mutual understanding, emphasizing that the war is over.
The Real Meaning Of The Orville's Ending And Gordon's Song
The final scene of "Future Uncertain" sees Gordon sing a song for the assembled wedding guests. Gordon's musical abilities are a nod to actor Scott Grimes' own talents as a singer-songwriter and played a big part in his character's relationship with Laura. The Orville improved a controversial Geordi story earlier in season 3 when Gordon used his future knowledge and a shared love of music to court Laura when he was stranded in the past. That alternate version of Gordon was an angry and bitter man, but the Gordon in the season 3 finale is once more the life and soul of the wedding party and closes The Orville season 3 with an appropriate song. "The secret of life," he begins, "is enjoying the passage of time," which clearly refers to Claire and Isaac's new life together. As an android, Isaac will outlive Claire but has promised to continue to look after her family and future generations.
As the song continues, however, the lyrics better reflect the uncertain fate of The Orville season 4. "Since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride," sings Gordon to the guests at The Orville's holodeck wedding, which may as well be a wrap party for the show's cast and crew. It's hard not to feel a twinge of melancholy when Gordon sings that "It's just a lovely ride" as the scene crossfades from the wedding to the Orville flying off toward new adventures. As the song fades and the camera flies past the ship, viewers of The Orville can only hope they'll see those new adventures soon. For now, they can only enjoy the passage of time until Hulu or Disney+ makes an announcement about the show's future.
All episodes of The Orville season 3 are now streaming on Hulu.