"The Orville," is the newest Star Trek parody on Fox TV from creator Seth McFarlane.  Or is it?  This new series has defied expectations by attempting to be more than just a "Galaxy Quest" rip-off and instead creating a hybrid of humor and heart that actually feels like a spiritual successor to earlier sci-fi favorites like "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

In this episode, Adam Thomas, Aaron Zundel and Andy Farnsworth talk about how both humor and science fiction have traditionally been used to explore themes and ideas that may be too difficult to address directly.  We also discuss how this dynamic applies to "The Orville" and whether or not the type of humor used in the show accomplishes that goal.

"The Orville" stars Seth McFarlane as Capt. Ed Mercer; Adrianne Palicki as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson; Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn; Scott Grimes as Lt. Gordon Malloy; Peter Macon as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus; Halston Sage as Lt. Alara Kitan; J. Lee as Lt. John LaMarr; and Mark Jackson as Isaac.  It's Executive Produced by Jon Favreau, Seth McFarlane and Brannon Braga.