Who voices Isaac on The Orville?
By WiC Staff
The Orville may have gotten its start as something close to a Star Trek spoof, but these days it’s grown into a much grander and more ambitious show. Combining creator Seth MacFarlane’s trademark humor with the type of thought-provoking storytelling that made Star Trek so beloved, The Orville is carving out a place for itself among the best sci-fi shows of the moment. Its latest season, subtitled New Horizons, is bringing things to a whole new level with sweeping special effects and episode run times over an hour long.
But at the core of it all is the crew of the USS Orville. One of the show’s most recognizable crew mates is Isaac, a member of the robotic Kaylon alien race that has been a part of The Orville since its very first episode and is reminiscent of AI characters like Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Unlike many of The Orville’s other characters, the actor who plays Isaac is hidden under a full bodysuit and helmet.
Let’s talk about who plays Isaac, and where you’ll see him in the show!
Isaac actor The Orville
English actor Mark Jackson plays Isaac on The Orville. Jackson doesn’t just voice Isaac, he also wears the suit to actually portray the character’s movements. Per The Orville wiki, Isaac’s costume is essentially an elaborate zip-up onesie, with extra armor plating over top. Jackson actually reads his lines out loud while filming scenes, before they’re later altered in editing to give his voice a more robotic resonance. The helmet is one-way transparent, allowing Jackson to see where he’s going and interact with other cast members.
Despite the fact that Jackson is covered from head to toe to play Isaac, there are a few times that he does appear without the costume. The first was during the season 2 episode “A Happy Refrain,” where Isaac used the simulator to appear human for a date with Doctor Claire Finn. We again see Isaac take on this visage in the New Horizons episode “Twice in a Lifetime,” where he disguises himself as a human in order to go on a mission to 21st Century Earth.
The Orville: New Horizons is airing now on Hulu. New episodes drop every Thursday.
Next. The Orville: New Horizons continues its hot streak with “Twice in a Lifetime”. dark
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