Warning! The Orville spoilers ahead!One glossed over detail from The Orville may have accidentally revealed a plothole regarding the automaton faction the Kaylon. A history lesson on the Union shows that the robotic individuals are much more influenced by emotion than previously thought.
There are a lot of hostile aliens the USS Orville comes across in its exploration of the universe. One of the most dangerous threats ever faced by the crew was cold, robotic species known as the Kaylon. Once the product of a race of 'Buidlers', the Kaylon rose up against the oppression of their masters and became one of The Orville's most dangerous factions. Believing that all biological species were just as prone to cruelty and violence as their creators, the Kaylon launched an assault to rid the universe of any non-Kaylon entities. Fortunately, their attack was called off after Ensign Charly Burke sacrificed herself to stop a genocide of the Kaylon.
While Burke's sacrifice helped end one of the most devastating wars in Orville history, one piece of information should have prevented the Kaylons attack before it even started. In The Orville: Launch Day by David A. Goodman and David Cabeza, the crew intercepts several ships containing the warlike species, the Krill. The Krill soldiers inform the Orville that they've gained knowledge that a former member of the Union, planet Alibar, has developed a weapon that poses a threat to the entire universe. Captain Ed Mercer and Commander Kelly Grayson the information on to iral Ozawa, who gives the Orville two days to investigate the situation. If the Krill's claim holds water, the Orville is ordered to the Krill in the preemptive strike. This shocks Ed, as the Union has never purposefully started a war with any planet.
Are The Orville's Kaylon Actually Ruled By Emotion?
This event brings up a possible oversight in the continuity of The Orville. If the Union, and the planets that are part of it, have never started a war, why was this evidence not good enough for the Kaylon to accept that other biological species weren’t like the Builders? Not to dismiss Burke’s sacrifice, but such a collaborative effort between a diverse coterie of multiple species seems to be a bit more of a logical reason. The only possible answer is that the Kaylon are more governed by emotion than they would like to it.
The Kaylon have a reputation for their perceived superiority over biological lifeforms. Even Isaac of The Orville has commented on how little sense it makes to him to be led by emotion. However, the Kaylon seemed to ignore the Union’s history of not starting wars due to their distaste for biological life. And the only reason they stop their war is because Ensign Burke sacrificed her life to save every Kaylon. They may see themselves as above other forms of life, but this moment shows that The Orville's Kaylon might actually think with their metaphorical heart instead of their mechanical brain.
