Pria Lavesque (Charlize Theron) is the titular main villainess from "Pria," episode 1.05 of The Orville (airdate October 5, 2017).
Introduction[]
Pria Lavesque was introduced as the captain of a wrecked ship, and she sent a distress signal to the crew of The Orville. Captain Ed Mercer, along with Alara Kitan and Gordon Malooy, rescued Pria and brought her back to their ship, and following the rescue, Pria makes an impression on the Orville's crew, especially Ed, who bonds with her due to their similarities. Admiral Kelly Grayson (Ed's superior and ex-wife) becomes suspicious of Pria, and checks Pria's claim that she was part of a mining expedition and was performing duties for them during the crash, only to find that there was no record of her--despite Pria's claim that she had been there for a year.
Kelly's concerns about Pria fall on deaf ears when she informs Ed, who later reprimanded Alara when she and Kelly looked around in Pria's room--where they found an unknown rectangular-shaped substance, that could not be scanned or identified. Later on, Pria saved the ship and the crew from a dark matter storm, and after this, Ed took her to another planet, where their feelings for each other increased. Despite Ed's request to take things slow, he and Pria ended up having sex; after which Ed told Pria about Kelly's infidelity (the reason for their split).
Villainous Reveal[]
Pria's heel persona in the episode's climax
After the same mysterious substance was found jammed on the ship, Ed, Kelly, and Alara, confronted Pria in her quarters regarding the object. Pria turned heel and revealed her true identity as an unscrupulous artifacts seller from the 29th century; stating that she set up her own crash to get on the Orville, which she planned to sell. Regarding the dark matter situation, Pria also revealed that she changed the timeline by saving them; as the Orville originally crashed in the dark matter storm and killed the crew. However, saving the ship was part of Pria's plan to sell it at mint condition for a higher price, all while using her powers to control the ship.
The crew later spotted a wormhole, and at that moment, Pria appeared via teleportation and sent the ship towards it. The villainess made contact with her alien buyer, but her deal was thwarted once Isaac (who was badly destroyed attempting to remove Pria's device) sent a message to the ship revealing that he had been fixed, allowing Ed to regain control of the ship. After engaging in a fight with Kelly, the evil Pria ended up being taken into custody, and after her arrest, she made one last attempt to coerce Ed into going with her, reminding him of the Orville's existence changing the timeline. Ed reminded Pria that she changed things due to her saving the ship, and he ordered the wormhole destroyed, sending Pria to her own time.
Trivia[]
- Charlize Theron is best known for playing the evil Queen Ravenna in the 2012 film, Snow White and the Huntsman, and the 2016 sequel, The Huntsman: Winter's War. She also played main villainess Cipher in 2017's The Fate of the Furious.
- Pria Lavesque was The Orville's very first villainess, and the only one from Season One.
Quotes[]
- "It's a good rule in life never to apologize. The right kind of people never want apologies and the wrong kind take advantage of them." (Pria's response to Ed's anger over being used by her)
Gallery[]
