'The Orville' season 2: 'Star Trek' veteran joins the team

Popular “Star Trek” writer Joe Menosky will reportedly join the team of “The Orville” season 2. The producers are yet to make the announcement, but a costume designer inadvertently leaked the news in an online post, which has since been taken down.

Ivy Thaide, a costume designer for the show, posted a call sheet on social media, Cinema Blend reports. Among the names listed was Menosky, who is joining the show as a co-executive producer and writer.

Menosky is a veteran “Star Trek” writer who has worked on “Voyager,” “The Net Generation,” “Deep Space Nine” and the latest iteration “Discovery.” Some of the other shows he has written for include “Salem” and “The Dead Zone.”

“The Orville” is inspired by the “Star Trek” series, show creator and lead cast member Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer) said. What makes the new series different is that it has a lot of comedy, compared to the more serious tone of “Discovery.” With the addition of Menosky, MacFarlane may be trying to experiment with tone in some of the episodes this time around.

Readers should take note of one episode in season 1 that served as an experiment. It can be remembered that Dr Claire’s (Penny Johnson Jerald) fight to save her children was quite different from the regular fun-filled episodes. Will there be something more dramatic in season 2?

Filming for “The Orville” season 2 has already begun. All main cast members are back on the production set, and some behind-the-scenes pictures from the first day recently surfaced online. The producers are yet to announce an exact release date. MacFarlane had previously expressed hope of releasing the show this year, but he also admitted that there is a lot to do to meet that deadline.