"Space Pilot 3000 (1ACV01)" Episode Capsule Part 2
Jordan Eisenberg
= Reviews =
Dale G. Abersold: A great start for a series with a lot of potential!
Of course pilots always suffer to a certain extent: it's not always
easy to introduce a whole slate of characters and situations AND make
it entertaining at the same time, but "Space Pilot 3000" was a very
funny episode, chock full of humor from the obvious to the obscure.
The artwork and animation are superb! The future has never looked so
stylishly retro. It's somewhat like "The Jetsons" with two major
differences. (A) "Futurama" is actually funny. (B) "Futurama" is
much better animated. Early reports seem to be correct: Bender does
seem to be the standout character (well, the kooky neighbor does tend
to get a lot of attention), but their is huge potential everywhere.
I've been eagerly awaiting this show for many months now and it did
not disappoint. Kudos to everyone involved: I'm so glad my
anticipation was rewarded! Here's hoping that Fox realizes what a
great show it's got. (A)
Sarah Culp: I thought the inaugural episode started out average (not
too good, not too bad), and got better. The 1999 part of it was very
Simpsons-ish, especially the "Don't tip the delivery boy!" on the
pizza box. The characters are good: Fry's so pathetic, he's lovable;
Leela's very cool, great hair; and Bender had some very funny
sarcasm, although his voice seems kinda off. The end and the preview
for the next show confused me, though, as it looks like the show will
be mainly set in space, and not in the cities, as I had thought.
Time will tell. (A-)
Yuri Dieujuste: Judging by this episode, I believe that Futurama has a
long time ahead of itself before it becomes stale and unprofitable
(but so does OFF). The storyline made sense and the humour was
placed in the correct places. The part where Fry sees his old
neighbourhood after 1000 years scared me a bit, but it made me think
a little. Hopefully Futurama will succeed with the general public.
(A+)
Chit Duree: Looks like the Simpsons writers are gonna have to start
working extra hard, cause as far as tonight went, Futurama blew away
The Simpsons (...Blasphemy!). Technically, it looks and sounds
incredible, with psuedo-3D animation, a cool techno/classical sound
track (in Surround Sound no less!), and great ambiant Sound FX. More
importantly though, it's got a cool and very original cast to back it
up, and the setting and premise provides a near infinite supply of
story lines. It'll be like a whole series of Simpson's Treehouse of
Horror episodes! I can't really comment on the writing, since I
doubt Matt and David (this ep's writers) will do the show regularly,
but as far as this episode, it was really clever and funny; best
line: "Wow! A million years!" Looks like I'll be watching a whole
hour of TV each week now! (A)
Jeremy Gallen: This show is funny! This isn't a rip-off of "The
Jetsons" or anything. It's a brand new, improved comedy that takes a
supposed peek at the future. It has some new jokes not seen anywhere
else. I recommend this show to anybody who likes bizzare humor or
anything similar. A definite 10/10. (A+)
Curtis Gibby: Futurama was great. I loved the "in Color" at the
beginning as a nod to some of the 50's sci-fi that Groening is
ripping off/drawing from. I agree with most of you that the
characterization was a little weak, but I loved Bender. The kitchen
timers on the cryo-units were a great gag. (A)
Haynes Lee: Superior drawn animation and Matt Groening wisely kept away
from the Jetsons format. More Bender! (A)
Jake Lennington: Can we say - WOW! Futurama was a blast. I hope next
week is just as good and it is great now that Mr. Groening has
another venture to express his satire upon. (A)
Ondre Lombard: No matter what Mr. Matt Groening says about the
exquisite talents of the current Simpsons writing staff, nothing
comes close to his own style. Futurama has gotten off to a non-mean-
spirited start, and it isn't obnoxious either. It's sharp, witty,
funny, very imaginative well animated and it's fun. Not much can be
said for Fry's character -- it will have to be developed more with
upcoming episodes, but Bender was quite a scene-stealer (at least
second to the futuristic environment), and Leela proves that Katey
Segal isn't as one dimensional as Married...with Children had her be
for 11 seasons. Cheers to Futurama. I hope it's very successful so
that people will forget about Simpsons and allow it to pass away with
dignity. (A-)
Paul Melnyk: I don't think words can describe the greatness of this
show. To me it's fun, it's feel-good, and the characters are great.
I was already liking Fry in the first few seconds of the show. He's
developed enough. Bender is also a very good character. Instead of
being completely cynical, he can be friendly and funny. Also, I was
blown away by the detail in the animation with the color and effects.
MG has done something which the Simpsons couldn't do. Make me watch
not because of humor, but because of the characters and the context
of the show. I'm obsessed with this show and waiting for S1-2/13.
(A+)
Mike Smith: First of all, I have to said that the Premiere of
"Futurama" is First-Rate! The computer animation on certain scenes
is First-Rate! So, does MG & David S. (Or, is it X.?) Cohen's
writing is well worth the promise!!! This might be the "King of the
Hill" followup we might needed!!! (A+)
Mr. Capsule Compiler Himself: Well, I liked it enough to write this
capsule, didn't I? In case that doesn't speak for itself, I thought
Futurama was awesome, with as literal a meaning I can give it. I
haven't met a Matt Groening creation I haven't liked. (A)
Average Grade: (A) [And I didn't even need any math!]
========================================================================
= Random Comments =
Jimbo Jones: And I am sooo glad that they stuck with their formula of
NOT having a laugh track. Never needed to be told when to think.
We allow Tyler McHenry to rant on the subject of cryonics: "Cryonics is
not to be confused with cryogenics or cryobiology. Cryogenics deals
with metals at supercold tempratures. Cryobiology deals with non-
setitent creatures at supercold tempratures. Cryonics is the term
for freezing humans to prolong life. Patients are freferred to as
"Suspension Patients," or (euphemistically) "Freezer Geezers." :)
Cryonic Suspention (that is, the process of suspending the biological
state of a human using supercold tempratures) is currently being
practiced and is legal everywhere but some places in Canada. (I
don't know why.) In the United States, it is legal to suspend
someone only after legal death. Mind you, legal death occurs after
clinical death. Companies have been sued for suspending people
before legal death.
I know that Futurama is just a cartoon, but there were some glaring
inacuracies regarding cryonic suspension. Firstly, you cannot freeze
a person 'as is', like Fry. You must first remove the person's
blood, and replace it with a biological anti-freeze solution. Then,
the body is placed in an enclosed tank filled with liquid nitrogen.
Liquid nitrogen stays cold on its own, so power faliures will not
harm the suspended. Of course, some of this liquid nitrogen will
evaporate, so more has to be added occasionally.
To revive a suspention patient, it is first necessary to find a cure
for whatever killed the person, otherwise there would be no point.
After the person is removed from the tank, the blood will be
restored, and the freezing damage repaired. Repairing the freezing
damage is the only part that we have not accomplished yet. This will
involve nanotechnology, or the design and fabrication of molecular-
level (e.g. *very* small) machines, which will repair damage to
individual cells. The person is then rewarmed gradually. Assuming
the person returns to life, they can now be cured of whatever killed
them before, and can continue with their lives. Nanotechnology is is
a very early research phase, and will not be perfected to the
necessary level for many years.
For more information:
<http://www.cryonet.org> - The Cryo-info archive
<http://www.alcor.com> - The world's largest Cryonics company
Hope my rant was interesting!"
Dave Sweatt: Many people that believe in the Book of Revelation in the
bible see hand and forehead chip implants as the prophecy of the 666
mark. They believe that the chip will replace all identity cards,
credit cards, etc. They believe that it will be a crime not to have
the implant, and thus you won't be able to work. (Not only would you
be a criminal, imprisoned or a fugitive, but without an income you
cannot afford a place to live, eat, etc.) If true, then Futurama
presents a dark future indeed. Tech companies are actually
developing these chips and have been for several years now. The
technology has been used with cattle and other farm animals, some new
organ implants in hospital transplant surgeries, and pets, saying its
better than branding or tags on farms and helps identify lost pets
[or lost organs too I guess :)]. The technology was used to help
identify refugees at the US military installation on the Cuban island
(name?), but instead of implants, the chips were place in plastic
wristbands and worn by the refugees at the camp. This is not the
first science fiction show to use implants for identification --
Babylon 5 used them and I believe Star Trek has referenced it as
well.
Even with the pneumatic tubes, some of New New York City's residents
still need to drive around in flying cars. I guess the tubes aren't
useful when you're transporting cargo, or traveling in groups. Also,
if you've travelled by vehicle to the city, and don't want to splurge
for a parking lot, you'll want to keep it with you. Notice that the
cars use a traffic system just like ours, even though it is
completely unnecessary without roads. Also notice that the pneumatic
tubes are 100% free.
Haynes Lee: Last Friday [March 26th] Dr. Jack Kervorkian got convicted
for double degree murder for aiding the suicide of a terminally ill
patient whose video was shown on 60 Minutes. Suicide Booths can't be
too far in the future.
Bender uses a coin on a string to fake out the Suicide Booth. Does this
mean that, despite promises of electronic-only commerce and despite
the forces of inflation, the United States (if that's what it's still
called) still mints coins? Maybe that particular suicide machine was
built way back in the year 2008.
Benjamin Robinson: FORTRAN is the name of the first high-level computer
language. My first job involved programming in FORTRAN-77, a
descendant of the original language.
Paul Gallagher, to prove that Fry and Bender picked the right day to
take advantage of the Head Museam's free Tuesday admittance, lays out
the entire month for us:
Dec 2999
S M Tu W Th F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
(I was hoping for a long weekend.)
One of the cars on the street before Fry and Bender enter the meuseam of
heads looks like a Volkswagon Beetle. It swerves past a Slurm truck
that was going too slow for the driver's liking, apparently.
Daniel Tropea: I am grateful that they didn't use Clinton's head
biting. I can just imagine the type of raunchy jokes that could have
been used.
We're living in the Stupid Ages? Whatever makes these ages stupid seems
to be just as alive and rampant in 2999.
The garbage cans on the city streets have tubes coming out of the sides
that curve into the sidewalk. I wonder if the world's solved its
waste problem yet...
Speaking of which, how come the decaying ruins of Old New York aren't
flooded to the top with garbage? How come the ceiling isn't
supported at all? How come I'm writing so much about a half-hour
cartoon show? Hmmm...
Yuri Dieujuste: French culture will never be eliminated. Face it!
========================================================================
= Fun Stuff =
>> Acronyms for the Stars
Every long-time internet fan knows that the shorthand term for the
Simpson family was "OFF" (Our Favorite Family). Some Futurama fans
tried to decide on a similar shorthand term for the Planet Express
trio. Nothing was decided on yet, but here's what was tossed around:
Chit Duree: OFHAAR (Our Favorite Humans, Alien, and Robot)
Todd Paul Emerson: OFFF (Our Favorite Futuristic Friends)
OFIG (Our Favorite Interplanetary Gang)
OOF (Our Outerspace Friends)
John Jenson: MFNM (My favorite non-martians)
Jake Lennington: CARP (Courier, Alien, Robot, and Professor)
Chris Simmons: OFFS (Our Favorite Fugitives in Space)
Sean Austin: OFF2 (Our Futurama Family)2
>> Alien Language #1 sightings
Slurm advertisement in O'Zorgnax's Pub: "DRINK"
Graffiti in alleyway: "VENUSIANS GO HOME"
Aliens counting down to 3000: "6" and "7"
>> Alien Language #2 sightings
I don't think we've seen it at all yet.
>> Heads in Jars
- At First
- Leonard Nimoy
- When Fry and Bender hide
- Johnny Carson (?)
- Lucille Ball {yd} (?)
- Ed Begley Jr. {yd} (?)
- David Duchovny
- Gillian Anderson
- Liz Talyor
- Dennis Rodman
- Matt Groening
- Barbara Streisand
- Hall of U.S. Presidents
- ?
- Richard Nixon (falls off)
- Gerald Ford
- Jimmy Carter
- Ronald Reagan
- Geroge Bush
- Bill Clinton
- Warren Harding
- Andrew Jackson {gw}
- Grover Cleveland
- Benjamin Harrison
- Grover Cleveland (again)
- Elsewhere in the Museam
- Rodney Dangerfild (drawn like Larry Burns) {gw}
- A Hindu guy (not Apu) {gw}
- Later on
- Richard Nixon (again)
- Dick Clark
>> Fan-made Alternate Titles for this Episode
"Time's Fry's (And He's Having Fun)"
========================================================================
= Voice Credits =
>> Starring
Billy West ......................... Fry, Terri, human peace officer,
Professor Farnsworth
Katey Sagal ................................................... Leela
Joe DiMaggio ................. Fry's boss, "Tourist," Bender, Richard
Nixon's head, robot peace officer
>> Special Appearances
Dick Clark .................................... His own head in a jar
Leonard Nimoy ................................. His own head in a jar
>> Guest Starring
Tress MacNeille ............... Stop-N-Drop voice, Head Museam feeder
Dave Herman ....................... Bicycle theif, Terri's assistant,
"JFK Jr. Airport," Leela's boss
Kath Soucie ........................ Kid in Pannuci's Pizza, Michelle
= Quotes and Scene Summaries {ds} =
% December 31, 1999. We see a video game screen similar to "Defender"
% with a small spaceship flying through space, as Fry's voice speaks
% from off-screen.
Fry: Space, it seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the
end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you.
% Fry loses and his game ends.
Fry: And thats how you play the game.
Boy: You stink, loser.
Fry's boss: Hey Fry, pizza going out. Come onnnnn!
% Fry sighs to himself, then walks outside to see his girlfriend in a
% taxi with another guy.
Fry: Michelle! Baby! Where you goin'?
Michelle: Its not working out, Fry. [yelling, as the taxi pulls away]
I put your stuff out on the sidewalk!
% Fry continues riding his bike to the delivery destination, muttering
% that he hates his life. He locks his bike to a newspaper kiosk, but
% it's stolen instantly as he walks into an apartment building. He
% enters a room labelled "Applied Cryogenics." The room is full of
% ominious blinking lights with cryogenic tanks lined along one wall.
Fry: Hello? Pizza delivary for [looks at the card] I. C. Wiener!
Oh, crud. I always thought by this point in life, I'd be the
one making the crank calls.
% He sits down and opens a can of LoBrau. As gives a toast to "another
% lousy millennium," a building outside the window lights up with the
% number 10. We see all the civilizations around the world counting
% down, and as they reach 1, Fry blows a noisemaker, which hits him in
% the face and sends him backwards into an open tank. The tank sets
% itself to "1000 YEARS." A few seconds later, he's frozen, and the
% view out the window shows the passing of days and nights, which begins
% to accelerate. Two alien attacks and one medieval civilization later,
% Fry is unfrozen.
% He steps out, yawns, stretches, and hesitantly looks out the window
% again. The gloomy New York cityscape is replaced by bright colors,
% flying cars and flashy billboards galore.
Fry: Oh, God. Its the future. My parents ... my co-workers ... my
girlfriend ... I'll never see any of them again. [long pause]
Yahoo!
% End of Act One. (3:05)
% After the intro sequence plays, we return to Fry staring out the
% window. He's melodramatically welcomed to "the world of tomorrow" by
% a man in a white coat, and taken to the "FATE ASSIGNMENT OFFICER."
% The automatic door slides open into the ceiling.
Fry: Cool, just like in Star Trek!
% The door comes back down and hits Fry on the head. He wanders further
% into the office, rubbing his forehead, until he enters a large room
% with a woman standing in the center, facing the other way. As she
% greets him, Fry looks her up and down happily, until she turns around
% and reveals her one large eye.
Fry: [disgusted] Eeee!
Woman: Name?
Fry: Uh, Fry.
Woman: I'm Leela. Now, its New Year's Eve, so I'd like to decide your
fate quickly, and get out of here.
Fry: Can I ask you a question?
Leela: As long as its not about my eye.
Fry: Uh ...
Leela: Is it about my eye?
Fry: Sort of.
Leela: [sigh] Just ask the question.
Fry: Whats with the eye?
Leela: I'm an alien, alright? Lets drop the subject.
Fry: Cool. An alien. Has your race taking over the earth?
Leela: No, I just work here.
% A blimp outside the window displays the message "Happy New Year 3000."
Fry: Wait a minute. Is that blimp accurate?
Leela: Yep, its December 31st, 2999.
Fry: [slowly] My God! A million years.
Leela: I'm sure this must be very upsetting for you.
Fry: [sadly] You know, I guess it should be, but actually I'm glad.
I had nothing to live for in my old life. I was broke, I had a
humiliating job, and I was beginning to suspect my girlfriend
might be cheating on me.
Leela: Well, at least here, you'll be treated with dignity. [sternly]
Now strip naked and get on the probulator.
% Fry lies naked on a cold, metal table, surrounded by gadgets and
% wires. Leela lowers her eye goggle, presses a button, and we hear Fry
% yell from off-screen. Later, as Fry is getting dressed ...
Leela: Interesting, your DNA test shows one living relative. He's
your great great great great great great great ...
[time passes; Fry is now fully dressed] ... great great great
great great nephew.
Fry: That's great! Whats the little guy's name?
Leela: [showing a picture of an old man] Professor Hubert Farnsworth.
% As Fry watches Leela type at her desk, he comments "You know, I'm the
% luckiest guy in the whole future. I've been given a second chance,
% and this time I'm not gonna be a total loser." But then a buzzer
% sounds, and a sullen Fry is given his permanent career assignment:
% Delivery Boy.
Fry: Delivery boy? Nooo, not again! Please, anything else.
[grabs Leela's wrist]
Leela: Take your hands off me. [slaps his hand] You've been assigned
the job you're best at just like everyone else.
Fry: What if I refuse?
Leela: Then you'll be fired.
Fry: Fine.
Leela: Out of a cannon, into the sun.
Fry: But I don't _like_ being a delivery boy.
Leela: Well, thats tough. Lots of people don't like their jobs, but
we do them anyway. You gotta do what you gotta do.
[points at a poster with said phrase written on it] Now hold
out your hand. I'm going to implant your career chip. It'll
permanently label you as a delivery boy.
[holds out a clamp-like device with a sharp claw at the end]
Fry: Keep that thing away from me!
% Fry runs away, and Leela chases him through the building until they
% return to the cryogenics room. Leela yells at Fry to hold still,
% because she doesn't have good depth perception, but instead Fry fakes
% her out and sends her tumbling into an open tank. It once again locks
% and sets itself for "1000 YEARS."
Leela: [pounding on the glass] You've got to the count of five to let
me out of here! One ... [a flash of light, and she's frozen]
Fry: See you in a thousand years.
% Fry chuckles to himself and begins to leave, but has a pang of guilt.
% He sighs, then returns and sets Leela's destination to "5 MINUTES."
% He says "You owe me one," and runs out to see his first real glimpse
% of the future. After wandering a bit, he spots a man going to "JFK
% Jr. Airport" via a large pneumatic tube. Once the man is whisked
% away, Fry asks the tube to take him to Crosstown Express, and he
% screams as the tube carries him across the cityscape.
% After a number of pedestrians make graceful landings, Fry shoots out
% of the tube and hits his forehead on a brick wall. A man nearby
% mutters "Pfft ... tourist." Around the corner, Fry sees a line of
% people outside a large booth.
Fry: Hey, a phone booth. I can call my nephew.
Fry: [seeing a robot in line behind him] Whoa! A real live robot!
Or is that some kind of cheesy New Year's costume?
Robot: Bite my shiny, metal ass.
Fry: It doesn't look so shiny to me.
Robot: Shinier than yours, meatbag.
% As the man in front of Fry gets his turn, we see the side of the booth
% reads "SUICIDE BOOTH 25C." A flash of red light comes from inside,
% and the door opens for Fry. Not seeing the coin slot, he presses the
% red "START" button repeatedly, which annoys the robot.
Robot: Listen buddy, I'm in a hurry here. Let's try for a twofer.
% The robot keeps his $.25 token by pulling it back with a string. A
% woman's voice speaks.
Voice: Please select mode of death: quick and painless, or slow and
horrible.
Fry: Yeah, I'd like to place a collect call.
Voice: You have selected slow and horrible.
Robot: Good choice.
% A compartment opens revealing various implements of death.
Robot: [yelling] Bring it on, baby!
Fry: Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!
% End of Act Two. (5:36)
- Jordan Eisenberg -- <http://members.aol.com/JEdraw/Simpsons/>
- <JEd...@aol.com> -- ( S1.2 OFF+++ APU# MAU! OTT@ f+++ )
- ( n++/+++ Ilpswo $+++ 7G12, 9F09, 9F15, 1F06, 2F16 M1983 )
- "And then I sped away without anyone seeing my license plate."
[Part 3 coming next...]
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