I wanted to like this show, but so far it's not doing it for me. It's in this odd middle ground between comedy and straight up Star Trek, and it isn't doing either well enough. The first two episodes are stealing too much from ST:TNG in the visuals, storylines, and characters. I understand parody and homage, but this isn't what's they're doing with this show. It comes off more as a cheap rip off.
The costumes are too cheap looking and uninspired in design, the while design of the ship's interior, from the bridge to the ready room to the medical bay to the console touchscreens is Star Trek: The Next Generation but not as well done. The cgi effects are not on par even with episodes of ST:TNG that aired nearly 30 years ago.
The storylines are blatent ripoffs; the second episode's storyline of the 22 year old security officer's first time commanding the bridge was done in several ST:TNG episodes (to better effect) with the characters of Counselor Troi, Data and Dr. Crusher. They even stole a line almost exactly that Data said in the season 2 episode (The Measure of a Man) - "Is it not customary to request permission before entering an individual's quarters?" - the 2nd officer alien guy sitting in his egg said the same thing, just worded slightly differently. I will admit, I could see that line being an inside homage to TNG, but since virtually everything else is copying TNG, it's hard to let it go.
Maybe I've seen too much of TNG to be objective. But one of the things about Star Trek that I enjoyed and routinely gets mentioned is it's innovation, it's ability to build on the past but move forward (not that all iterations of the Star Trek franchise always did that, but I'm referring more to TOS and TNG). They stories often tried to have a message, a deeper meaning, whether it was a reflection of political tensions of the time or dealing with racism and prejudice.
I'm really not trying to hate in The Orville. I think there's still time for it to gain it's footing and figure out what it wants to be. But right now, it's in a limbo of being an extremely derivative Star Trek ripoff without any originality or innovation, with paper thin characters, that also won't commit to be a full-on comedic parody.