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Author Topic: Star Trek in Futurama?  (Read 1164 times)
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foolip

Poppler
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« on: 10-21-2004 09:33 »

Hello!

As part of an attempt to hunt down Star Trek references in pop culture on Wikipedia I've created  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/References_to_Star_Trek_in_Futurama . I'm writing to ask if someone knows why there are so many Trek references in Futurama -- is someone on the staff a trekkie, was it a joke thing or something else? I'd really like an introduction to the page, so if you have some information about this I'd appreciate if you edited the page and write a short paragraph about it. Any contributions to the list is welcome too, of course.
Col. Klink

Professor
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« Reply #1 on: 10-21-2004 09:38 »

Because its an important part of science fiction culture.
SlackJawedMoron

Urban Legend
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« Reply #2 on: 10-21-2004 09:45 »

It's true that many of the staff were trekkies (as evidenced by the audio commentaries), but a big part of the reason that so many Star Trek references show up is the fact the Star Trek has become such an important part of sci-fi. And, in a show that takes oppurtunities to reference and parody sci-fi at every oppurtunity, the fact that it references one of the most famous and influencial series of all should come as no surprise.
Teral

Helpy McHelphelp
DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #3 on: 10-21-2004 10:01 »

The two major mainstream shows in todays sci-fi culture are Star Trek and Star Wars. Practically everybody in Futurama's main target group (adults 15-30, I believe) knows about them. If not exactly fans, they'll know the basic premise and recognise some names. Both shows have been vital parts of the sci-fi scene for almost 3 decades by now, and have expanded their popularity from hardcore fans to casual pop culture.

And yeah, several of the shows creators are trekkers, Cohen for one sounds like a Trek fan.
Yuki_in_space

Bending Unit
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« Reply #4 on: 10-21-2004 19:01 »

I was thinking about the Sci-Fi shows they reference on Futurama today, and I was wondering why they never bothered to make Trek jokes about any of the shows other than TOS. I mean, outside of "Commander Riker's Island" and Jonathan Frakes' head. Maybe they thought ST:TNG,DS9 or Voyager just wouldn't be recognizable enough?
DogDoo8

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #5 on: 10-21-2004 21:59 »
« Last Edit on: 10-21-2004 21:59 »

Hey Yuki_in_space,
They Blew up DS9 in Teenage Mutent Leela Hurdles.
And Cpt Janeway was mentioned in When Aliens Attack.

and welcome to peel.
Yuki_in_space

Bending Unit
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« Reply #6 on: 10-22-2004 17:09 »
« Last Edit on: 10-25-2004 00:00 »

D'oh! You got me DogDoo8. I just watched TMLH a few days ago, too.
Thanks for the welcome.

Good news, everyone. I think I spotted another ST:TNG reference. In "Roswell That Ends Well" Leela says she can have the cup-holder operational within 10 hours, and Farnsworth reponds "You've got eight!". This may be a bit of a reach, but this happened so often in Trek that my friend & I came to the conclusion that padding time estimates must be a large part of your Starfleet engineer's course of training. I know it's reaching, but there.
Chug a Bug

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #7 on: 01-11-2005 15:51 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by foolip:
Hello!

As part of an attempt to hunt down Star Trek references in pop culture on Wikipedia I've created  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/References_to_Star_Trek_in_Futurama . I'm writing to ask if someone knows why there are so many Trek references in Futurama -- is someone on the staff a trekkie, was it a joke thing or something else? I'd really like an introduction to the page, so if you have some information about this I'd appreciate if you edited the page and write a short paragraph about it. Any contributions to the list is welcome too, of course.

Well David X Cohen is a big Trek fan judging by the commentaries, I can't remember which one it was but he says that he was a big fan when he was young or college, I can't remember what. Probably Matt G is too. And they're of that generation that was primarily influenced by ST:TOS rather than TNG or DS9/V. Like me.

ST:TOS is by far the biggest reference, it's not just the obvious parodies of TOS episodes like WMIBACIL but it's influence is almost ambient: every beep, whistle, alarm, equipment noise etc is lifted straight from it. Which is great if you happen to be a TOS fan like me because it shows just how much these guys loved it, but if you're younger then I guess most of it is going to go woooooosh straight over the top of your head. There is the occasional reference to TNG  like the "Times Arrow" episode and Jonathon Frakes' head but these are the exception rather than the rule. Theres probably more Star Wars references than TNG, and almost none to later Trek shows DS9 or Voyager.

ST:TOS really became a huuuuuuuge "cult" show after it was cancelled and went into syndication. People tend to forget in these days of almost continous exposure, most recently in Enterprise, but between when TOS was cancelled in the late 60's and the mid-70's there was no new Trek on TV unless you count the animated series. It was, basically, a dead show that achieved a Lazarus-like life after death resurrection starting with ST: The Motion Picture. Originally Gene Roddenberry was going to make a new series of Trek with the original actors but then decided they were to old and created a new show : TNG and had the TOS actors making a series of films instead. And the rest, as they say, is history. It has become one of the most succesful franchises in TV history with only the most recent shows letting the standard drop.
Chug a Bug

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #8 on: 01-11-2005 16:05 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Yuki_in_space:
D'oh! You got me DogDoo8. I just watched TMLH a few days ago, too.
Thanks for the welcome.

Good news, everyone. I think I spotted another ST:TNG reference. In "Roswell That Ends Well" Leela says she can have the cup-holder operational within 10 hours, and Farnsworth reponds "You've got eight!". This may be a bit of a reach, but this happened so often in Trek that my friend & I came to the conclusion that padding time estimates must be a large part of your Starfleet engineer's course of training. I know it's reaching, but there.

Actually to be honest I think it's more of a TOS reference again, one of ST:TOS's cliche's was that "Scotty" the engineer was forever having to repair the the engines, he would say "it'll take 10 hours captain!" and Kirk would say "you've got 8" or whatever. In ST: The Search for Spock theres actually a gag about that, Scotty first makes an estimate and then revises it, and Kirk says "do you always multiply your repair estimates by a factor of 10?" and Scotty replies "how else would I gain my reputation as a miracle worker!" which was kind of and in-joke for those who knew the original series.

There were occasional situations like this in TNG but it's primarily a TOS reference I believe.

Nasty Pasty

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #9 on: 01-11-2005 17:52 »

My favorite Trek-reference was the "Commander Riker's Island" Prison. Classic.
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