First, I want to apologize for the lack of videos over the last couple of years. Soon after I started the review series for The Orville, a significant housing event occurred that derailed my motivation and the time I had to work on the series. My current accommodations are simply not suited for audio recording. A new mini-split system was installed incorrectly, forcing me to rely on a noisy portable AC unit placed only a few feet from my desk. This makes recording impossible whenever it is running, and during the summer, it almost never stops. Later that year, an incident at work pushed me to return to school for my degree, which I have been working on ever since.
I share this not to seek pity, but to give you a clear picture of why I disappeared and why my presence will remain sparse for a while longer. I absolutely still have a desire to continue the reviews for The Orville. It is a series I truly came to enjoy after the middle of season one, especially when compared to the only new Star Trek offering at the time, which was season one of Discovery.
Changing the Format
Looking back on my earlier work, I realized I was copying the format of my USS Pedant inspiration too closely. While I enjoy his videos (I am still a Patron after a couple of years), I awkwardly copied a running joke of his involving Voyager‘s Tom Paris for Gordon Malloy. It just does not work. The creator, UnlimitedLives, uses a format that relies on granular breakdowns of episodes as a pedant. This allows him to nitpick tiny plot holes and inaccuracies that I would never personally notice. He started with Star Trek: Voyager (my favorite series), recently finished Deep Space Nine, and just transitioned to Enterprise. Although I intended to use his channel as inspiration, I ended up becoming a bad imitation instead. I cannot replicate that humor and observational style, nor should I try.
To refocus, I will be changing the format of my videos. Instead of a scene-by-scene breakdown, I am shifting to a high-level recap of the major plot points as needed. This frees up the rest of the video to dive into my specific thoughts, opinions, and analysis. This approach will likely make the videos shorter, but they will focus entirely on my own voice rather than just retelling the story.
This struggle to find the right approach is actually why I have re-written the script for the next episode, “About a Girl,” a few times now. It is a project I still think about constantly, but I kept getting stuck trying to force a style that did not fit. I am not committing to a release date for that video just yet, but I want you to know the work is happening in the background. I also have a couple of other one-off video ideas, such as a review of the recent Voyager game, Across the Unknown, and a companion video to someone else’s discussion of The Orville.
Transparency in My Writing Process
I also feel it is important to disclose that I have decided to incorporate some generative AI into my writing process. I will always write the first draft myself. Depending on the video, this might be a full narrative or a mix of bullet points, sentences, and paragraphs. This ensures that my personal opinions and voice are present from the start. You are getting my true opinions, just refined.
Since I do not have a writing team and often struggle with drafting, I treat the AI as an editing partner. I send the draft through and then make any necessary revisions to the output. This process repeats as many times as necessary until I am happy with the result. I am a much better editor than a writer, and being able to see the edited output makes the process easier and more natural for me. I hope this transparency is acceptable. While I hope you will give me a chance, I understand if those with a strict anti-AI stance decide to pass on these videos. I have no intention of using AI-generated art or fully AI-generated scripts, and I will maintain this transparency in the video descriptions for those who miss this update.
Looking Ahead
The journey ahead looks rough simply because of several personal changes. I want to continue this project, but it will take time to balance it among my other commitments. I have a regular full-time job, and my associate’s degree will likely take until 2028 to complete. I also volunteer for a city advisory board and maintain time for a D&D group and a Star Trek Adventures group. Unfortunately, with the housing crisis in the US not slowing down, my noisy AC setup is not going away anytime soon either.
Because of these constraints, uploads will be sporadic. Videos will come out when they are ready rather than on a strict schedule. I want to find my own voice in this community, and I am committed to finishing what I started. Thanks for reading, and I will see you in the next review or whatever video I end up making.