@CharlesTheBold said:

I thought they were going to hack into the planet's computer to create phony "yes" votes and block the "no" votes. But maybe that would have been too sour an ending.

I really liked the episode, but all I could think was "why don't they just hack the voting machines?" But then the episode would be over of course. Having them "influence" the voting kind of supports their real world commentary a little bit more.

I can imagine a world like that resulting in a lot of people retreating into seclusion unless there's a penalty for not getting upvotes over a certain period of time. Being in any kind of public profession would be a death sentence because any little thing you do wrong will be recorded and downvoted immediately.

On the bright side there would be far fewer politicians.

Well, if you have a certain kind of system using politicians, such as a house/senate/etc, the politicians must be there. So in a system like that, if nobody wanted to be in those positions, they would end up creating some kind of draft. Then when those drafted politicians did something wrong, they'd be sentenced to death. And have to be replaced by other draftee politicians, who would eventually become unpopular...

Maybe the population would end up disappearing completely?

Great episode, and a clear spoof to our own society today, where the social media are the judge, courtroom and jury in exactly same way as on this "earth two" - this is how our own earth could be in a very near future, the parliament of the street rules, and that's scary like hell.

Good episode. I enjoy this show every time.

Dare I say it? The helmsman was playing "Wesley Crusher lands on the mini greenhouse." I'm amazed that the "Anthropologists" didn't notice/comment on the vox populi functioning as a "justice system." (Did they even have Up/Down badges?) The UFP's "invisible and passive" cultural observation system gets around this problem. (The "Carbon Creek" experience does make for a great around-the-campfire tale, though.)

" that's scary like hell."

Not nearly as scary as handing the country over to the incompetent loser of the last election, because a 230-year-old law said so.

And I don't ever remember Wesley making a fool of himself like that.

Not bad and Seth was barely in it. I was expecting the usual "it reminded me of this or that other story" comments. It was very Star Treky with the old planet that is just like earth except for one small detail set up. This could have been filled out more for a longer episode. I also wondered what would happen to the one girl at the end who they brought onto the ship and choose not to go along with her society (another basic plot element). No matter how they don't want to interfere with whatever society they run into it is inevitable.

@CharlesTheBold said:

Not nearly as scary as handing the country over to the incompetent loser of the last election, because a 230-year-old law said so.

To quote a recent Big Bang Theory episode, "Do you see the irony in that statement?"

"How about now?

"How about now?"

"I'll wait."

@znexyish said:

I also wondered what would happen to the one girl at the end who they brought onto the ship and choose not to go along with her society (another basic plot element).

That happened in a few Trek episodes too, of course. Off the top of my head, I'd say "Alexander" from "Plato's Stepchildren" in TOS, and the lady scientist from the "First Contact" episode (not the movie) of TNG, for two examples.

The bit about Lysella changing things by telling the world they could do better? It's hard to imagine a bigger fail in a "mob rule" situation than telling the mob they shouldn't rule. If she did attempt to follow through, she'd very likely be the next "correction."

@Knixon said:

The bit about Lysella changing things by telling the world they could do better? It's hard to imagine a bigger fail in a "mob rule" situation than telling the mob they shouldn't rule. If she did attempt to follow through, she'd very likely be the next "correction."

I thought that too, if someone in the mob sees her not pressing her button they might not like it and her. Now f the Orville returns in a few years they might find that Lysella told another person not to vote and that person told another and so on she might start a slow revolution.

Unless Ceti Alpha 6 blows up and.... oh, never mind.

In a situation like that presented, I wouldn't be surprised if the fact that she switched off the "TV" was noted somewhere, and possibly reported too.

"I thought that too, if someone in the mob sees her not pressing her button they might not like it and her."

I doubt it. What happens to people in our society who don't vote? They are ignored and have to live by the choices of those who do vote. (and often act surprised that nobody cares what they think)

The only way they could undermine the system is if there were enough abstainers that it is making that 10Million score becomes difficult.

@CharlesTheBold said:

I doubt it. What happens to people in our society who don't vote? They are ignored and have to live by the choices of those who do vote. (and often act surprised that nobody cares what they think)

That's how things are now. You don't think it would be different if everything were "American Idol" or "Survivor" or the like? You think if people had the idea that if they "down-voted" enough people they might actually get to see them on TV and perhaps have them suffer electro-shock "therapy" it might make a difference?

But the real problem with this episode was that Lysella didn't meet Yaphit.

"That's how things are now. You don't think it would be different if everything were "American Idol" or "Survivor" or the like?"

I don't know, because I've never watched either show.