If it was as smart as you seem to suggest it is, then why bother with a crew at all, just let the ship command, pilot, and operate the ship?
Because narratively speaking, that’s boring. Nobody wants to watch a TV show where a ship just goes places in space while a computer uses sensors and such to explore and chart planets.
In REALITY, the crew that we see in TV shows and movies on starships would most likely simply not exist.
Why do you need a navigator when the computer navigates? A real world example is this: I don’t need my passenger with a map in their hands for a road trip…I just use my GPS.
Why do you need a pilot when the computer can fly? A real world example is current generation drones that have obstacle avoidance built into them.
Why do you need a “gunner” when the computer can target and attack targets on its own? A real world example is an Apache Longbow which can track 100+ targets at once and engage up to 16 at once.
Why do you need someone adjusting power to shields/weapons/propulsion when the computer would be better at that than any human? A real world example are current building climate control systems that read and adjust HVAC systems automatically.
We have real world CURRENT examples of basically everything that someone on the bridge of a starship currently does being done autonomously. And that’s in 2022. The Orville takes place in like 2420.
So you are suggesting that in the next 400 years, we won’t be able to get computers to do all of the things they do today faster, better, and more efficiently? Keep in mind a Toronto based firm just tested a quantum computer that completed the tasks a classic computer system would take 9,000 years to do in 36 microseconds. MICROSECONDS.
Literally the ONLY reason for a crew on a show like The Orville, or Star Trek, is to drive narrative points. The ship’s computers would 100% be able to operate the ship in ALL facets completely autonomously.
For the record, I am speaking in terms of “real world.” I fully understand what you are saying regarding the narrative aspect of a show necessitating a crew. I’m just saying that from a realism standpoint there would more than likely be zero issues with having no stations “manned” for a while in an advanced interstellar spacecraft.