The devastating alternate timeline caused by Kelly's time travel in the idea of them getting back together, even as multiple incidents convinced them not to pursue it.
In The Orville season 2, episode 13's 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,' an incident involving a quantum accelerator brought forward a version of Kelly from seven years in the past, specifically after her first date with Ed. When it appeared that Kelly may be stuck in the present, she remained on the Orville where she learned about her future - events like her marriage to Ed, the divorce following her regrettable infidelity, and the Union's conflict with the Kaylon. When Kelly was eventually sent back in time, she was given a memory wipe to ensure she didn't bring knowledge with her that would jeopardize the future. Unfortunately, the memory wipe didn't work, and the informed Kelly made the decision to change her future by turning down a second date with Ed. This created a new timeline - one in which the Kaylon's attack on Earth is successful, and the robotic race spread across the galaxy.
The Orville: Digressions explores how the new timeline diverged from what fans know. Because Kelly never spoke up for Ed, he never became the Captain of the Orville, and the ship's crew ends up as a mix of new and familiar faces with completely different relationships. In Orville: Digressions #1 by David Goodman and David Cabeza, it's revealed that without Ed and the Orville in her life, Kelly is more professionally successful and has married Cassius, the teacher who she dated on the show.
Cassius & Kelly Had a Way Better Marriage
In the original timeline, the character (portrayed by Chris Johnson) was a Union schoolteacher who Kelly dated throughout season 2. Although Ed struggled to accept the relationship due to his lingering feelings for Kelly, both men managed to bond over their mutual affection for Kelly and remained professional with each other. In the Road Not Taken timeline, Cassius' path was interrupted due to Kelly's knowledge of the future, their new relationship causing him to find a job with the USS Jefferson instead of the Orville. Cassius and Kelly are a truly committed and loving couple with none of the sniping that characterizes her relationship with Ed, and Cassius is sadly lost to Kaylon fire during a mission to fix the timeline.
In the show, fans have generally treated Cassius as a hurdle to Kelly and Ed's reunion, rather than actual husband material. However, Digressions reveals their marriage would have lasted where Ed and Kelly's didn't, and shows the two in a ive relationship that allows both to be at their best, even as Kelly takes on more responsibility and prestige. In the main timeline, Kelly ended their relationship because she wasn't ready for the same life steps as Cassius, but Digressions shows that the two had true potential, and would have lasted in slightly different circumstances. As The Orville has moved away from the idea of Kelly and Ed getting back together, fans have reappraised the idea that they're "meant to be," and the concept of them being better as friends and colleagues is ed by seeing another world where Kelly found happiness with Cassius.
