Is Halston Sage leaving The Orville, role of Alara after ‘Home’ episode?
Of course, there are spoilers ahead, so read forward with that in mind. (We also have a new video with more thoughts on this episode at the bottom — be sure to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for more.)
It’s interesting how for much of the initial promotion for The Orville back in season 1, Fox tried its hardest to sell the show as something a little bit more lighthearted and comedic. Yet, tonight they brought you one of the most emotional stories of 2019 as Alara realized that she had another calling that wasn’t aboard the ship anymore. She went back to her home planet, spent time with her family, and discovered a sort of truth and validation that she never quite had beforehand — albeit after quite a calamity broke out and lives were in danger. The feelings she gained there were feelings that, previously, she had only found aboard the ship, spending so much time with the crew there who embraced and accepted her.
So why go home now? She feels like it is now her true calling and she has a deeper purpose there after watching some of what unfolded with her family. This was a scary episode for her at times, especially when one wrong move could’ve led to certain death. (there was also that bit with the boiling soup, which was surprisingly difficult to watch). It was fitting for this episode to be entitled “Home” given that she’s finally found one on her own planet, even though she’s long had one with Ed, Kelly, and the rest of the gang.
Seeing Alara leave The Orville, both the ship and the show, feels like an enormous loss because for us as viewers, that ship is also our home.
Is she really gone for good?
That’s something that we will have to wait and see on, given that Sage is credited for all of season 2 on her IMDb page. That may just be a clever way to disguise her exit, but we do think that it’s still worth noting for the time being. Just because it is her intention to leave the ship right now doesn’t necessarily mean that she will be forever. We would love to see her back just because she offered so much to the show in between heart, humor, and of course strength — there’s a reason that she had the position that she did aboard the ship, and a reason why Kelly, Ed, and the rest of the crew was willing to do whatever they could in order to convince her to stay put.
In the end, though, we have to treat the exit seriously for the time being — and if this is the end, it was a rather nice way for her to go with the entirety of the ship’s crew sending her off and also us getting that emotional final scene with her and Ed. (Also, these farewell moments were the best reminder we’ve had that The Orville has quite possibly the greatest orchestral team out there.)
One thing that we will say — maybe the pickles at the end are a sign that if the crew ever is in the midst of a massive pickle, Alara could come back to help…
Related – Check out more information on the next new episode of The Orville
What do you think about tonight’s The Orville and the big departure that happened at the end of it? Be sure to share in the comments! (Photo: Fox.)