Orville Creator Seth MacFarlane Disagrees With One Star Trek Writer’s Opinion

Replicators are perhaps the most miraculous piece of technology in “Star Trek.” Officially codified in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” replicators are alcoves built into the walls of a spaceship that can convert energy directly into edible, nutritious food. Replicators are programmed with a wide variety of recipes, so Starfleet officers have access to their favorite foods and drinks at any time. Replicators are one of the key technologies in “Star Trek” that dictate the overall utopian themes of the series. In a world where food can literally appear out of thin air, no one will ever starve.

Replicators can also be used for other small, portable items, and officers are sometimes seen replicating gifts, books, hand tools, or other items. However, to ensure that “Star Trek” isn’t completely drama-free, the Replicators also have their limitations. They can’t reproduce alcoholfor one. They also cannot reproduce weapons. They certainly cannot reproduce anything living, which would be a whole box of ethical Pandora. And they can’t reproduce large-scale objects like furniture. Spaceships still need to be built piece by piece and powered independently. The idea of ​​replicating an entire spaceship would rob “Star Trek” of any traditional tension.

Still, many “Star Trek” writers hated replicators for their convenience. Ira Steven Behr, the showrunner of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” called them a sign of a “doomed and finished society.” Ronald D. Moore hated them too; There’s no drama, he thought, if a character can manifest all the tools he needs.

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the “Star Trek”-adjacent series “The Orville,” was recently interviewed by TrekMovieand he openly disagreed with Behr and Moore. He believed that replicators were a necessary part of Trek’s glorious and optimistic future.

It should be noted that “The Orville” borrows heavily from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Not only the uniforms, technology and setting of the spaceship, but also the general philosophy of hope. “The Orville” also appears to be set in a future where prejudice is actively fought, needs are met, and peace is achievable. MacFarlane even borrowed the concept of replicators for “The Orville,” calling them “synthesizers.”

The interviewer brought up Ron Moore’s problems with writing stories about replicators, and MacFarlane was quick to disagree. He loves replicators and countered Moore’s objections by saying:

“I think the replicator was one of the greatest inventions because the replicator, more than any other device, allowed the philosophy of this series to exist. How come there was no money? Of course, you wouldn’t need money because you have fucking replicators. More than any other device in the series – more than the warp engine – it was the replicators that defined the social reality of this series. I respectfully disagree with Ron Moore, who happens to be one of my favorite writers.

Indeed, thanks to replicators and faster-than-light travel, not to mention miraculous advances in medicine, everyone should be able to live comfortably in the “Star Trek” universe. This hopeful reassurance is one of the series’ most endearing traits. Moore, as the show’s writer, would most certainly be frustrated by the lack of drama in a world of abundance, but MacFarlane was 100% correct that it was one of the most essential pieces of technology in the show. Replicators could never be written or deleted.