The Orville: New Horizons is nearing the end of its third season, and things are getting wild. The Union lost the intriguing but complicated Moclans as critical allies in its fight against the Kaylons, and there’s a good deal of uncertainty regarding whether or not the Planetary Union can win the war without them. As Hulu subscribers wait to see what happens and wonder if Season 4 will happen, Isaac actor Mark Jackson teased a bit about what’s to come.
CinemaBlend got a chance to catch up with Mark Jackson at San Diego Comic-Con to talk about what’s come in the final weeks of The Orville: New Horizons and, while Jackson kept things spoiler-free, what he did say should get viewers excited. Based on the actor's sentiments, fans are in for a few major twists before the season closes out:
I think what you should know by now is to expect the unexpected. We have two episodes left in this season right now. You know, there’s some twists and turns coming. I’m telling you.
The final few episodes of a season of any show can be thrilling, and it’s certainly good to hear that The Orville: New Horizons has some surprises planned for the pair of installments. Unfortunately, Mark Jackson's comments don't provide any indication as to whether the season will leave door open for more stories in potential future seasons.
I don’t know what the actor is teasing for the upcoming episodes of New Horizons, but the star did speak to CinemaBlend on a separate occasion ahead of SDCC. During that chat, he discussed Isaac and the Kaylon War. I asked if there was a chance that the season would show provide a resolution between the Kaylon and Union forces, and Mark Jackson shared what he could on the storyline:
Maybe, Timmis was pretty nice wasn't he? Yeah, I think there's a lot of potential there. Who knows, you know? At the moment those Kaylon aren't being very friendly, and their ultimate objective has not changed. How The Orville and The Union will navigate that is going to play out in the next few episodes.
The star made mention of Timmis -- the Kaylon that Captain Ed Mercer and the crew discovered, who had the ability to process emotions to the point that he even softened the heart of Anne Winters' Kaylon-hating Ensign Charly Burke just a bit. Timmis agreed to be observed by the Union’s scientists, in order for them to see if his empathy could serve as a key to finally ending the conflict with the Kaylons. Given these teases of twists, it’s certainly possible the Union will be successful, and fans will see the end of the war.
Conversely, I’ve seen enough deceptively evil robots in science-fiction to wonder if Timmis is a Kaylon spy, one who will ultimately bring the Union to its knees with some kind of surprise attack. One outcome would give The Orville some kind of finality, while the other feels like a storyline that fans would need to see more of.
At the present, we still don’t know whether or not Hulu will renew the series for a fourth season. We’ve learned from the stars that it’ll likely come down to New Horizons' viewership numbers and buzz from social media. Hopefully, this new season is doing enough to move the needle, and the show will have a chance to give characters like J. Lee's LaMarr more stories and continue dive deeper into more serious storytelling. But before all of that, let's just hope for some kind of closure when it comes to this Kaylon war.
The Orville: New Horizons is currently streaming new episodes on Hulu on Thursdays, and Seasons 1-3 are slated to land on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 10th.
