Summary

• Halston Sage's character, Lieutenant Alara, left The Orville due to her Xelayan biological complications, which caused her to become weaker in lower gravity.
• The show's producers never intended to permanently write off Alara and left the door open for her return.
• Halston Sage did make a comeback in season 2 and season 3 of The Orville, and there is a possibility she may return again in the future.

Why did Halston Sage leave The Orville? Halston Sage’s Orville crewmember Lieutenant Alara — Orville's resident tank and chief of security — was responsible for the safety of everybody aboard the starship, starting out inexperienced but evolving into a more than capable lieutenant throughout the first season. Alara Kitan also possessed superhuman strength, which was a product of her home planet of Xelaya having a higher gravitational pull compared to most. This proved against nefarious aliens like Dorahlian zealot Hamelac (Robert Knepper) or Krill spy Derek Ashton (Sean Cook). Unfortunately, it was Alara’s unique Xelayan super-strength that led to her departure from the USS Orville crew.

In The Orville's season 2 episode “Home,” Alara discovered she was gradually becoming weaker as her body adjusted to lower gravity, which required her to return to Xelaya to re-acclimatize and regain her strength. Alara then reconnected with her family who had previously disapproved of her choice to join the military. Though the Orville’s chief medical officer Dr. Claire Finn developed a treatment that would allow Alara to recover while remaining aboard the ship, she decided to stay on Xelaya, resulting in Halston Sage's Orville exit. Alara's last appearance was in the ending of The Orville: New Horizons — but why did Halston Sage leave The Orville in the first place?

Why Did Halston Sage Leave The Orville?

She Kept It Simple

Xelayan biological complications explain Alara's Orville exit in-universe, but why did Halston Sage leave The Orville in real life? Truth be told, neither Fox nor show creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane have given a clear reason as to why she was written out, and Sage herself seemed largely in the dark too. When asked if she chose to leave The Orville in a 2019 Television Critics Association panel, the actress simply stated,

“It wasn’t about a choice. It was what was best for the show at the time.”

The Orville Producers Never Planned To Write Alara Off Permanently

They Wanted To Leave The Door open

While the specific real-world reason for Alara's Orville departure is unlikely to be revealed anytime soon, what's clear is that the show actually never planned to write off Lieutenant Alara Kitan. Shortly after the first of Alara's Orville returns — when she briefly appeared in The Orville season 2 finale — producer David Goodman explained in an interview (via Trek Movie) that "Halston (Sage) is a friend of the show." With the second season having just wrapped up then, Goodman also said,

"We love that character and we love her and so if there is an opportunity to bring her back story-wise, I think she would be open to it, and we would love to have her back."

Although neither Halston Sage nor anyone from the show has given a straightforward answer, it's clear that the producers never had any plans of writing off Alara permanently. This is especially true considering how Alara eventually rejoined the Orville crew in the series finale. Moreover, there seems to be no animosity attached to Alara's Orville exit and return.

How Sage's Alara Kitan Returned In Season 3

She Came Back At Least Once

After her exit, the door was left wide open for Halston Sage to return to The Orville — and return she did, in the show’s season 2 finale, “The Road Not Taken,” in which an alternate timeline plot allowed Alara Kitan to reappear. Not only that, but Halston Sage made another reappearance on the show during The Orville season 3. In The Orville season 3, episode 10, "Future Unknown," Isaac proposes to Claire, and she accepts.

Outside of Lysella's potential exit (which she thankfully decided against, opting to stay), The Orville's season 3 finale mainly focused on the wedding at hand: Claire and Isaac's happy day. While Ed and Kelly chat at the wedding, he admits that he has a surprise in store for the group, which is when Alara enters the scene. She has a brief bit of dialogue with Claire and Isaac before providing some updates about how her life is going on Xelaya, and she seems to be thriving.

Reportedly, apart from David Goodman, Orville star and creator Seth MacFarlane also really wanted Halston Sage back on the show, and luckily for both him and the fans, Alana's Orville return came to fruition. However, now that Jessica Szohr’s character Talla Keyali has taken over as the USS Orville’s new Xelayan security chief, coordinating another return might be a little difficult. This is especially true since the renewal of The Orville: New Horizons itself is currently uncertain.

What Has Halston Sage Done Outside The Orville?

Sage Had A Big Role On A Short-Lived Fox Show

For crime drama viewers, Halston Sage's Alara, Orville's former security chief, is only the actor's second most memorable character. The first is the unforgettable Ainsley Whitly, the daughter of a serial killer in Prodigal Son. Audiences may also remember Halston Sage as the Dazzler in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Sage also appears in the romantic comedy The Last Summer, the Mindy Kaling-penned comedic drama Late Night, and the first movie in the popular comedic horror fantasy franchise Goosebumps. Halston Sage's earlier prominent roles include being in the main cast of the espionage drama Crisis, and the Nickelodeon comedic musical series How to Rock.

The future of Halston Sage's Orville character, like the show itself, is unclear. However, since she returned to the main Orville timeline, audiences could see more of Alara Kitan, as the Xelayan's presence clearly opens up a new story arc for the show to explore. Hopefully, The Orville: New Horizon's 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, and the audience clamor for a fourth season, won't fall on deaf ears at Hulu and Disney, who have nothing to lose and everything to gain if they green-light The Orville season 4.

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  The Orville

  Summary:

  Follows the crew of the not-so-functional exploratory ship in the Earth's interstellar fleet, 400 years in the future.

  Cast:

  Halston Sage, Adrianne Palicki, J. Lee, Seth MacFarlane, Chad L. Coleman, Peter Macon, Penny Johnson Jerald, Larry Joe Campbell, Scott Grimes, Mark Jackson

  Release Date:

  2017-09-10

  Genres:

  Drama, Adventure, Comedy

  Seasons:

  3

  Story By:

  Seth Macfarlane

  Writers:

  Seth MacFarlane

  Network:

  FOX

  Streaming Service(s):

  Hulu, Disney+

  Directors:

  Jon Cassar

  Showrunner:

  Seth MacFarlane

  Season List:

  The Orville - Season 1, The Orville - Season 2, The Orville - Season 3