[Commlist] CFA: Exploring The Orville

*Call for Abstracts *

*/Exploring The Orville /*

*Edited by David Kyle Johnson and Michael Berry *

*McFarland Publishing *

**

Kindly submit by e-mail (preferably with a Word attachment) to: 
_davidjohnson@kings.edu_

**

/Please circulate and post widely./

/Apologies for cross posting./

//

Kindly submit by e-mail (preferably with a Word attachment) to: 
_davidjohnson@kings.edu_

Although it was first expected to just be “Spaceballs for Star Trek,” 
Seth MacFarlane’s science fiction series /The Orville/ has proved to be 
much more. In a way, /The Orville/ is a cross between /M*A*S*H/ and 
/Star Trek/; it intermixes serious social commentary and philosophical 
arguments with one liners and comedy bits brought to you by well 
developed characters that you come to know and love.

This new edited volume, /Exploring The Orville, /will aim to explore 
/The Orville/ both philosophically and critically. The first (primary) 
section will include chapters that treat the series as a philosophical 
work—a piece of art that is making philosophical arguments and providing 
social commentary. Each chapter will be topical/ themed and could 
potentially (but not exclusively) include chapters on the arguments that 
/The Orville/ seems to be making on the following subjects (using the 
mentioned episodes):

  *

    Gender and Transsexuality (“About a Girl”)

  *

    Feminism (“Sanctuary,” “Home,” “Firestorm,”)

  *

    Sexual Preference and Religious and Social Restrictions of It
    (“Deflectors”)

  *

    The Dangers of Religion (“Krill,” “Mad Idolatry,” “When The Stars
    Should Appear”)

  *

    Environmentalism and Climate Change (“When The Stars Should Appear”)

  *

    Technology/Human Relationships and Sexuality (“A Happy Refrain,”
    “Lasting Impressions”)

  *

    The Possibility/Dangers of AI (“Identity, Part I,” “Identity, Part
    II”).

  *

    Is Technology and/or Rationality the Solution to Society’s Problems?
    (“Mad Idolatry,” “Identity, Part I,” “Identity, Part II”)

  *

    The Logic of Time Travel (“Old Wounds,” “Pria,” “Tomorrow, Tomorrow,
    and Tomorrow” and “The Road Not Taken”)

  *

    Philosophical Skepticism/Epistemology (“Firestorm,” “Nothing Left on
    Earth Excepting Fishes,” “All the World is a Birthday Cake”)

  *

    Personal Identity (“Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” “Nothing Left
    on Earth Excepting Fishes”)

  *

    Pseudoscience and Astrology (“All the World is a Birthday Cake”)

  *

    Cultural Moral Relativism (“About a Girl,” “Deflectors,”
    “Sanctuary,” “Krill”)

  *

    Morality and the Ethics of Care (“Into the Fold,” Blood of Patriots”)

  *

    Moral Compromise, Just War, and Peaceful Relations (“Krill,”
    “Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes,” “Blood of Patriots,”
    “Sanctuary”)

  *

    Terrorism and Patriotism (“Krill,” “Blood of Patriots”)

  *

    Pornography Addiction (“Primal Urges”)

  *

    Reality TV, Social Media, and Online Shaming (“Command Performance,”
    “Majority Rule”)

  *

    The Dangers of a Pure Democracy (“Majority Rule”)

  *

    Parenting (“Into the Fold,” “Ja’loja,” “A Happy Refrain”)

  *

    Marriage, Divorce, and Romantic Relationships (“Old Wounds,”
    Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” “Cupid’s Dagger,” “A Happy
    Refrain,” and “The Road Not Taken.”)

The second section of the book will critically explore The Orville from 
a media studies perspective, and could potentially (but not exclusively) 
include chapters on the following topics:

  *

    Special Effects & Set Design in /The Orville/

  *

    The Comedy Stylings of /The Orville/

  *

    The Accuracy of the Science and Technology in /The Orville/

  *

    Comparing /The Orville/ to /Star Trek/. (It is parody? Does it copy
    too many ideas?)

  *

    Comparison of /The Orville/’s Social Commentary to that in other
    Science Fiction Over the Years

Abstracts and subsequent essays should be substantial but clear and 
accessible, written to engage the intelligent lay reader. Contributors 
will receive a free copy of the book, once it’s published.

  *

    Submission deadline for abstracts (300-500 words) and CVs: September
    1^st , 2019.

  *

    Submission deadline for drafts of accepted papers: December 1^st , 
2019.

  *

    Submission deadline for final drafts: April 1^st , 2020.

    The schedule for final drafts is likely to adjust to allow authors
    to incorporate elements from the upcoming third season into their
    chapters.

    Kindly submit by e-mail (preferably with a Word attachment) to:
    _davidjohnson@kings.edu_

    **

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