Leela's middle name?

[on:]

(If there's been a thread about this, I apologise in advance. Having said that, on we go!)

I was flipping through a reprint of a Futurama comic (the one where they deliver Barry Bonds in liquid diamond to a collector), and there was a character profile on Leela. Most of it was well-known stuff (basic history, stuff about her personality, etc.), but there was a twist; according to this profile, her full name is 'Turanga A. Leela'. Now this is the first I've heard of this. Leela's name being written family name first is well-established, but since when has she had a middle name? (i.e., is this something that's come out during an interview with Matt Groening or someone else) Or is this something made up for the comics, and isn't that important?

[Reply #1 on:]

I remember hearing the name "Aiden" tossed around in that context but I don't know if it's correct or just something somebody made up.

[Reply #2 on:]

i think that was from Venus' fanfiction

[Reply #3 on:]

Given that she's named after a symphony, I'm going with "Allegro".

[Reply #4 on:]

Yeah Aiden is something i came up with cause i thought it sounded pretty.

[Reply #5 on:]

Turanga A. Leela? Sounds like a candidate for  the most obscure reference on Futurama.

[Reply #6 on:]

"A. Leela" being a reference to "allele" isn't so obscure... Just very obtuse. I would never have made the link.

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
Turanga A. Leela? Sounds like a candidate for  the most obscure reference on Futurama.

Given that she's a mutant (and thus, part of who she is is based on a difference in genes) that makes an elegant sort of sense. Neat!

But yeah; I read that in the comic, and my first thought (after 'What'?) was 'Has somebody borrowed Venus' idea?' 

[Reply #8 on:]

 

Originally posted by Cleansingfire:
"A. Leela" being a reference to "allele" isn't so obscure... Just very obtuse. I would never have made the link.

Could be, could very well be. Then again, it might simply be that they picked the initial "A" because it doesn't interfere with the inspiration for her name, the Turangalîla Symphony.

[Reply #9 on:]

 

Originally posted by Venus:
Yeah Aiden is something i came up with cause i thought it sounded pretty.

I knew I saw it somewhere. Well at least it's actually from something and I'm not going crazy.

[Reply #10 on:]

I never thought Leela had a middle name.  Since it begins with an "A", maybe the name "Allison" would be a good middle name for her. 

[Reply #11 on:]

Speaking of middle names did anybody ever figure out what the J stands for.

[Reply #12 on:]

I like to pretend it's "Joseph" for reasons I'm not even sure of.

But seriously, no.  For all we know it's just an initial with no name behind it. 

[Reply #13 on:]

 

Originally posted by Frisco17:
Speaking of middle names did anybody ever figure out what the J stands for.

Let's not start that again.   

[Reply #14 on:]

 

Originally posted by HipNoJoe:
 Could be, could very well be. Then again, it might simply be that they picked the initial "A" because it doesn't interfere with the inspiration for her name, the Turangalîla Symphony.

I did not know that. (By which I mean about where Leela got her name from.)

Thanks!   

[Reply #15 on:]

 

Originally posted by Frisco17:
Speaking of middle names did anybody ever figure out what the J stands for.

Speaking of which (off on a tangent):

Why is it that major characters in both The Simpsons and Futurama have 'J' as an initial? I wonder if that's because Matt Groening has that initial, or he just likes that letter. 

[Reply #16 on:]

I think of simple middle names... nothing complicated like "Maddox" or "Elisapeth"...

I'd say that Fry's middle name would be something simple like "Jack". His parents probably wouldn't use something as connected to religion as "Joseph", "Jake" is too modern, and "Jay" has been taken by Homer. In the series, I believe (tell me if I'm wrong) there's only been one other person named Jack, and that was a clone running for president.

I like Leela's middle initial being "a". It's one of the few initials that goes with the melody of her name. As far as middle names goes that begin with the letter "a", "Ann" (or a variation of it) seems to be the most popular. Yeah- "Turanga Ann Leela". I know there's been some dispute over Leela's name if she got married to Fry. "Leela Ann Fry" wouldn't be as bad as just "Leela Fry". The "Ann" would transition smoothly from a "round" name like Leela to a hard name like "Fry".

Yes, I'm not exactly a supporter of Leela's name being "Turanga Leela A. Fry", "Turanga-Fry Leela", or the nonsensical "Turanga Fry". I'd imagine the Futurama crew would want to keep with tradition and she'd adapt with the surface ways for names.

[Reply #17 on:]

 

Originally posted by Frisco17:
Speaking of middle names did anybody ever figure out what the J stands for.

Wouldnt it be great if it stood for "Jay", then we would have another simpsons similarity in the show.  im going to believe that it is Jay.    Phillip Jay Fry, fits perfectly too. 

[Reply #18 on:]

James seems to fit pretty well too, I think.

Sorry if I started us off on a totally different thing.

[Reply #19 on:]

Turanga Artimesia Leela

Philip Jericho Fry

My guesses. Because they sound cool.

[Reply #20 on:]

 

Originally posted by The Mullet:
 Wouldnt it be great if it stood for "Jay", then we would have another simpsons similarity in the show.  im going to believe that it is Jay.    Phillip Jay Fry, fits perfectly too. 

 

Originally posted by me:
Let's not start that again.

 

[Reply #21 on:]

 

Originally posted by KurtPikachu2001:
maybe the name "Allison" would be a good middle name for her. 

 

Originally posted by Frida Waterfall:
Yeah- "Turanga Ann Leela".

Not sure it fits with the rest of her name, which has an alien ring to it.

 

By coldangel:
Turanga Artimesia Leela

Much better.

Though keeping with the sanskrit origin of her given name maybe Asha (meaning Hope), Anila (Of the Wind) or Aruna (The Dawn).

Hmmm, Anila Leela (=playful wind) is neat, though Asha Leela sounds better.

[Reply #22 on:]

Good ideas all 'round; but who says Leela has a middle name?
The only hint in that direction, IIRC, is a panel from the comic.

Entertaining as it may be, the comic is NOT canon.

Still it's a fun topic.

Mark me down for a "Jericho," and an "Asha" ...   

[Reply #23 on:]

Given Yancy Sr's fear-and-loathing of everything un-American, I'd guess Jericho would be too far out for him.

Now Asha on the other hand... almost perfect! As far as Sanskrit names go, Anjali sounds better.

Has nothing to do with the fact that I once had a huge crush on a girl named Anjali... *sigh*

*Hums Brimful of Asha*

[Reply #24 on:]

"James" is a possible middle name for Fry. I don't think there's been a "James" on a show, so its available. It makes him sound like a spy, too.

I don't like the newest trend with "creative" naming. It's hard enough to have your last name mispronounced, but it's even more humiliating when they can't barely pronounce your first name! Most of the names on Futurama are either simple or unique for a reason. The only unique names in Futurama are ones like "Zapp", "Kif", and "Lrr". "Zapp" is just a show boy-ish name, and "Kif" and "Lrr" are aliens, so they were expect to have alien names. Catch my drift?

[Reply #25 on:]

Yeah I thought James worked because Phillip James Fry flows kinda the same way as Phillip J. Fry. Plus like you guys were saying its a normal American name that his dad would approve of.

[Reply #26 on:]

 

Originally posted by bend_her:
Given Yancy Sr's fear-and-loathing of everything un-American, I'd guess Jericho would be too far out for him.

New York State Route 25 is called the 'Jericho Turnpike' in Nassau and Western Suffolk counties. Which would almost be as silly as naming a kid after a kind of screwdriver.

[Reply #27 on:]

"Jericho" is too creative for somebody like the Frys. Like Cold said, they were dumb enough to name their kid after a screwdriver. At least the screwdrivers had a name that humans share.

To be honest, I don't think Fry looks like a Phil. I think of Phils as having brown hair.

[Reply #28 on:]

I am bothered by the fact Fry's name is always spelled ‘Philip’.

If he were named after the screwdrivers, his name would be ‘Phillip’.

[Reply #29 on:]

 

Originally posted by coldangel_1:
New York State Route 25 is called the 'Jericho Turnpike' in Nassau and Western Suffolk counties. Which would almost be as silly as naming a kid after a kind of screwdriver.

 

Originally posted by Frida Waterfall:
"Jericho" is too creative for somebody like the Frys.

One needs the same degree of creativity to name one’s child after a screwdriver, as state highway:

Exactly none!

[Reply #30 on:]

Frida, given Munda's PhD in exo-linguistics, I'm sure coming up with a creative name would've been quite natural for her.

 

New York State Route 25 is called the 'Jericho Turnpike' in Nassau and Western Suffolk counties.

[executive gamma]Yes, but will it play in Peoria?[/executive gamma] 

[Reply #31 on:]

 

Originally posted by THM:
 Speaking of which (off on a tangent):

Why is it that major characters in both The Simpsons and Futurama have 'J' as an initial? I wonder if that's because Matt Groening has that initial, or he just likes that letter.   

It's because of Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel.

 

Originally posted by Xanfor:
I am bothered by the fact Fry's name is always spelled ‘Philip’.

If he were named after the screwdrivers, his name would be ‘Phillip’.

His name would be spelled however his parents spelled it on the birth certificate.  No one ever said that his parents knew how to spell the name of the screwdrivers.

[Reply #32 on:]

I agree with Xanfor's rants on Fry's name's spelling. I don't like it with only one "l".

     

Originally posted by bend_her:
Frida, given Munda's PhD in exo-linguistics, I'm sure coming up with a creative name would've been quite natural for her.

Munda knew from her birth that she would be raised on the surface, solo. Surface culture is different from sewer culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, when you live on the surface, be as the surface-dwellers are. It would be in best interest for her to fit better into the society by giving her a name fitting to the surface culture.

     

Originally posted by SpaceCase:
"Jericho" is too creative for somebody like the Frys. One needs the same degree of creativity to name one’s child after a screwdriver, as state highway:

Exactly none!

The name that they came up with for him came upon on the top of Yancy Sr.'s head. He didn't really think of it much. What are the chances that he'd think of "Jericho" out of the thin air? "Jerry", maybe, or even the likelier "James" and "Jack" may come in a snap of the fingers, but "Jericho" takes some thought.

If Yancy Sr. has a thing against intelligent life, then "Jericho" might be too "alien".

[Reply #33 on:]

Somebody should make a poll or something.

[Reply #34 on:]

good idea

[Reply #35 on:]

 

Originally posted by bend_her:
[executive gamma]Yes, but will it play in Peoria?[/executive gamma]   

I don't get it. Is that an American thing? I'm from Australia.

[Reply #36 on:]

As usual, Wikipedia has the answer. BTW, I'm not American either 

[Reply #37 on:]

I am an American and had no idea what it meant either.

[Reply #38 on:]

I see... 'Will it play in Peoria' = Will it appeal to the masses. And paradoxically the phrase itself doesn't.

[Reply #39 on:]

Yeah most people around here haven't ever even heard of Peoria. Granted I'm from Pennsylvania but still.

I also noticed that we somehow wandered seriously off topic again.