This is going to be a slightly different Appearances ranking, mainly due to how the show utilises Orac as a character. He's clearly just there to be a convenient plot device, but I think the show gives him just enough personality and independence that I can actually make a list at all (whereas Zen and Slave are purely there to just explain what's going on around the ship). So rather than list each episode separately, I'll just cover different sets of episodes joined by a common theme. The only exceptions are episodes with a heavy focus on Orac, or episodes that just stand out a lot in how they use him.
I'm also not going to list episodes that only feature the prop and not the voice.
#13. Trial (2x06) / Killer (2x07) / Hostage (2x08) / Volcano (3x03) / City at the Edge of the World (3x06) / Animals (4x05) / Gold (4x10) / Warlord (4x12)
These are episodes in which Orac is used purely for expositional purposes, and doesn't play any larger role. He gets stolen during the events of Volcano, but it really doesn't matter much. It feels obligatory, like it only happens simply because the Federation would do that. It doesn't tie into anything else that's going on and they don't talk to him.
#12. Weapon (2x03) / Star One (2x13) / Aftermath (3x01) / Children of Auron (3x07) / Sarcophagus (3x09) / Rescue (4x01) / Stardrive (4x04) / Assassin (4x07)
Orac still doesn't have a major role, but these episodes feature some charming banter between him and the crew. I'm particularly fond of his casual dismissal of Dorian's arrogance ("insolence implies an emotional connection, which cannot exist between us"), and the way he forces the crew to spend a whole day sifting through video footage in Stardrive because he cannot be bothered. In Sarcophagus, I like his staunch refusal to commit to any kind of analysis without what he feels is adequate data. They're neat character touches.
#11. Rumours of Death (3x08) / Traitor (4x03) / Orbit (4x11)
In each of these episodes, we get a glimpse of how detached Orac is from the crew. I love how analytical he is about humans in Rumours, advising Avon to wait until a particular time when statistically people will be at their most vulnerable. The line is probably just there to justify the hour at which the location filming was done, but it's still subtly unsettling to me, as if a slight change in programming could turn him into a serial killer or something. Traitor has him be so careless as to allow the Federation computers to do his work for him. It's not like he's in any danger! And Orbit famously has him advise killing Vila, clearly implying that he even values his own survival above those he's technically designed to serve.
#10. Gambit (2x11)
Although the miniaturisation gag is complete nonsense (it honestly feels like something Douglas Adams wrote in), I love the use of Orac's computer hacking skill to defraud a casino. Holmes is being really inventive with the established lore here. The only reason it's not higher is that we don't get to see a lot of his personality, or why he agrees to go along with the idea in the first place. They could've done even more with this concept, maybe have Vila banter with him somehow through the communicator.
#9. Horizon (2x04)
This episode has the first proper Avon/Orac scene, so obviously it deserves a place all to its own. But it's also just a really great scene that gives Avon some real character development, and brings out Orac's more humorous side for the first time. He's also instrumental in saving the day, by providing Cally with the information she needs to sway Ro to the heroes' side.
#8. The Harvest of Kairos (3x05)
The fact that Orac being a machine made it impossible for him to decipher the sopron rock was a nice change of pace. He's usually so infallible or close to it, so I like to see that there are times when he can't work out something very simple. Aside from Orac being part of the sopron mystery, I just find it really funny that Avon forces him to swallow his ego in front of the crew.
#7. Redemption (2x01)
This is sort of the introduction to Orac as a proper crewmember, so he gets to shine and save the day. It only just occurs to me that the reason we never saw his prophetic abilities again is because they're bogus - he simply found out where the Liberator's sister ships are, and knew the System would become enemies of the crew if they made contact. By saving them and fulfilling the so-called prophecy, he gets to impress the crew sufficiently enough to sate his ego and ensure he won't get thrown out. Devious bastard, isn't he?
#6. Orac (1x13) / Blake (4x13)
I found it interesting that Orac's full potential (being able to suck information from any computer in the galaxy) is only ever exploited in his first and last appearances. In Orac, he of course predicts the Liberator's destruction. And in Blake, he figures out Blake's whereabouts purely by putting together a roadmap of where he's been and gone based on various information sources.
#5. Voice from the Past (2x10) / Moloch (3x11) / Death-Watch (3x12) / Power (4x02)
I like these episodes a lot because you get to see Orac banter and scheme with the crew. He comes off like a real person with moods and attitudes rather than just a snarky exposition box that insults everyone that tries to use it. A particular highlight is the "put it on the main screen" routine he does with Avon in Death-Watch. It's so brilliantly childish.
#4. Headhunter (4x06) / Sand (4x09)
Orac becoming possessed and flirty is always entertaining. In the case of the Sand episode, I love that it happens because the alien entity is composed of sand. Sand, of course, being the main component of silicon, which in turn is the main component in computer circuitry. Or something. I'm not a scientist. Silicon's in there somewhere. I'm just pretty sure it was clever. It's also really hilarious to see the crew's baffled reactions to Orac's change in attitude, and the melodramatic way Tuddenham delivers his romantic overtures. "We shall be lovers for a little while or even a long while, who knows?" "I do." "Peeeowowowow."
Interesting that Soolin's the one to reply in both cases... hmmm...
#3. Ultraworld (3x10) / Games (4x08)
Stories in which Orac goes up against another computer! Of course, in order for the viewers to follow what's going on, Orac has to explain things, which is why the writers of these two stories give him an extremely entertaining dynamic with one of the crew. Vila's obsession (and subsequent frustration) with teaching Orac riddles is arguably the highlight of Ultraworld. And of course Avon's banter with the computer was already legendary even before Games dialled it up 11. I also like that each of the computers Orac battles against have their own unique quirks. They're all so anthropomorphic in this universe, it's great and it gives the conflict between them and Orac more substance.
#2. Dawn of the Gods (3x04)
It's probably my love for the episode itself making me a little biased, but the way Orac tricks the crew into entering a situation that he probably knew wasn't quite as deadly as it seemed is terrific, especially since the audience has no way of telling how far he's willing to go for his research. Similarly to Ultraworld, there's the idea of games as a distraction, but I think Orac's interest in board games is a touch more plausible (and just more entertaining) than his interest in limericks. Both are faked, of course, because he's a cold manipulative bastard! "What about the game??" is such a classic Orac line, all thanks to Tuddenham's delightfully melodramatic delivery.
#1. Shadow (2x02)
I guess this technically shouldn't belong at the top because it's not Orac per se, but fuck it. It's the best performance Tuddenham gave on the entire show. The way Orac's mannerisms are twisted around into a full-on villain is amazing, doubly so because it's only his second appearance as a regular.
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