Futurama Chronology

[on:]

Which episodes are set in which years? There is some confusion in the later seasons, as we seem to be in 3004 now (4ACV13 "Bend Her" ) but the description for 4ACV14 "Obsoletely Fabulous" mentions Roboticon 3003.

Of course there are some episodes which we know what year we are in.

2999:
Most of 1ACV01 "Space Pilot 3000"

3000:
1ACV01 "Space Pilot 3000" - 2ACV04 "Xmas Story"

3001:
2ACV05 "Why Just I..." - 3ACV02 "Parasites Lost"

Now here is where things get confusing. If we go by production order then 3ACV03 "Tale Of Two Santas" is Xmas 3001. So we have:

3002:
3ACV04 "Luck Of The Fryrish" - at least 3ACV19 "Roswell That Ends Well"

3ACV20 "Godfellas" through to 4ACV02 "Leela's Homeworld" can be in either 3002 or 3003, but

3003:
4ACV03 "Love And Rocket" is Valentine's Day 3003. We seem to be in 3003 through to 4ACV12 "The Sting".

3004:
4ACV13 "Bend Her" is in 3004.

Also adding to the confusion is that in 4ACV11 "Where No Fan..." (3003 according to above) it is TrekFest 3002.....

Now if we go by broadcast order

3002:
3ACV03 comes after 3ACV19, which suggests 3ACV03 is Xmas 3002, not Xmas 3001.

3003:
This would mean that episodes airing after 3ACV03 in Season 4 are all set in 3003, whereas they are in 3002 if in production order. Again the "mistake" of 4ACV11 adds to the confusion.....

Anyone got any ideas as to what year some of these episodes are set in?

[Reply #1 on:]

Welcome to PEEL Marty! 

If I were you, I'd just ignore the broadcast order and stick to the production order.

[Reply #2 on:]

Also remember they can go back and tweak a little bit of animation up to a couple weeks before airing. (Don't remember the article where they mention this) So since I dont remember anyone saying 2003/2004 it may be that it was retouched last minute to match up with the 1001 years ahead standard.

[Reply #3 on:]

I dont think they could change too much after the production team was split up

[Reply #4 on:]

 

Originally posted by mazaite:
Also remember they can go back and tweak a little bit of animation up to a couple weeks before airing. (Don't remember the article where they mention this) So since I dont remember anyone saying 2003/2004 it may be that it was retouched last minute to match up with the 1001 years ahead standard.

I think the production team mention somewhere that they can edit days or hours before it goes on the air if it's considered to be urgent enough, certainly with the earlier episodes when FOX were keeping up with the scheduling.  But it's been pre-empted so much that they've finished all the editing, even the 'last-minute' stuff months before it airs.

Welcome to PEEL, Marty - good job on the timeline!

[Reply #5 on:]

 

Originally posted by MartyMcFly:
2ACV05 "Why Just I..." - 3ACV02 "Parasites Lost"

I guess you mean "why must I be a crustation in love.
Also on the adverts for the futurama game it says a game one thousand years ahead of its time. so i guess that means its set in the year 3003.

[Reply #6 on:]

 

Originally posted by Sil:
  But it's been pre-empted so much that they've finished all the editing, even the 'last-minute' stuff months before it airs.

Months is still enough time to know it needs to be 2004.

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by Sil:
 I think the production team mention somewhere that they can edit days or hours before it goes on the air if it's considered to be urgent enough, certainly with the earlier episodes when FOX were keeping up with the scheduling.  But it's been pre-empted so much that they've finished all the editing, even the 'last-minute' stuff months before it airs.

Welcome to PEEL, Marty - good job on the timeline!

Thank you! 

However, if they can edit things at the lat minute, then surely they could have altered "Roboticon 3003" to "3004".

davids, yes, I meant "Must", not "Just". 

And maybe Melllvar in 4ACV11 had spent so much time in his mom's basement he forgot what year it was. 

[Reply #8 on:]

Having listened to the commentary for 4ACV14, the year was not mentioned at all, so the 3003/3004 thing is still a mystery. 

[Reply #9 on:]

Welcome to PEEL MartyMcFly.  Love the screen name by the way. 

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by davierocks:
Welcome to PEEL MartyMcFly.

Er davie, Marty joined three months before you did.

[Reply #11 on:]

^^^
Now that's confusing. Just try not to double post, McFly. There's an "edit" button below each post you make.

As to the time difference between Bend Her and Obsoletely Fabulous, maybe the Earth Olympics are really some sort of qualifier for the interplanetary olympics next year. It's also possible that the entire episode of "Obsoletely" could've been a dream.

[Reply #12 on:]

Here's a minor chronology thing for ya: in "300 Big Boys" the whale Mushu is introduced, whilst in "Leela's Homeworld" we see Mushu in a body bag being stamped down into the sewer by Bender.

[Reply #13 on:]

well know we know why the whale bioligist hates mushu, he stinks of sewers. and i guess mushu just pulled through even though he looked dead

[Reply #14 on:]

[Leela]That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.[/Leela] 

[Reply #15 on:]

Well, just like Shamu, there was more than one whale named Mushu.  When the old Mushu died, they paid Bender to get rid of the body.  Then they got a new whale and named him Mushu.

[Reply #16 on:]

 

Originally posted by David A:
Well, just like Shamu, there was more than one whale named Mushu.  When the old Mushu died, they paid Bender to get rid of the body.  Then they got a new whale and named him Mushu.

Point of order, Bender was asked to clean the set of Free Willie III. Since there was no whale named Mushu in that movie, we can safely assume, it's a 1000 something year old whale.

[Reply #17 on:]

Maybe the events of Time Keeps on Slipping screwed up history enough so that it's a different year in different places.

[Reply #18 on:]

 

Originally posted by PCC Fred:
 Er davie, Marty joined three months before you did.

Good point, well made. My apologies.

[Reply #19 on:]

 

Originally posted by Allen:
 Point of order, Bender was asked to clean the set of Free Willie III. Since there was no whale named Mushu in that movie, we can safely assume, it's a 1000 something year old whale.

Meh.  I never claimed that the dead whale in "Leela's Homeworld" was named Mushu.  Mouse On Venus said that the whale was Mushu, and I was working from the assumption that it was.  If that wasn't the case, then there's no need for my explanation.

[Reply #20 on:]

Does anyone find it odd that Marty McFly is arguing about Chronological continuity?

[Reply #21 on:]

Actually, I must confess that they didn't say it was Mushu in the episode. In the commentary they said it was, but looking back on it they were joking. Probably.