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Author Topic: Fry equals Lister?  (Read 6371 times)
Pages: [1] 2 3 Print
Action Jacktion

Professor
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« on: 04-24-2003 01:42 »
« Last Edit on: 06-10-2003 00:00 »

    Similarities between Fry and Red Dwarf's Lister have been pointed out before, but I don't know if people realize how many similarities there are.  I'm sure it's all coincidence (with a slight chance of homage), but take a look:
    • Both are involuntarily put into suspended animation
    • By the time they're revived, it seems no one they knew is still alive
    • Both are almost exclusively referred to by their last names
    • Both are twenty-five when the show begins
    • Both are working low-paying, menial jobs in the first episode
    • Both are losers with bad luck
    • Both are slobby, lazy, and maybe not the smartest people in the universe
    • Both are basically good people but often do thoughtless, insensitive things
    • Both seem to improve a bit after the earlier episodes, and aren't as slobby or stupid in later episodes
    • Both suffer from an unrequited love that might work out in the future
    • Both have parallel universe doubles who are married to their object of desire.
    • Both hang out with a group of freaks and misfits who all have emotional or social problems
    • Both convince a robot to go beyond his intended purpose
    • Fry is his own grandfather, Lister is his own father
Spice Weasel

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #1 on: 04-24-2003 02:39 »

^ Holy Crap!!!1

I'd never have in a million years agreed with that comaprison.

Until the facts are so plainly and indisputably placed in front of me.

Lister is way more hip and streetwise than Fry will ever be, but having said that...Yup, Fry is Lister. From what Lister told Kryten in a memorable episode, "...and that's no bad thing"
Nixorbo

UberMod
DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #2 on: 04-24-2003 03:02 »

Rimmer - Hermes (stretch)
Chocanski - Leela
Kryten - Bender
Holly - Professor
Cat - Zoidberg

Think it through - it fits.
Chriswell

Bending Unit
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« Reply #3 on: 04-24-2003 05:31 »

Actually I think Rimmer's more like Zapp Brannigan. If Rimmer had ever made starship captain that is. They both think they're the pinnacle of command excellence, but underneath they're somewhat shallow and petty and willing to blame others for their failures. Ask Kif.  :D

Kochanski - Leela  that fits.

Kryten is more like Zoidberg

Holly - Professor that checks out, though the Prof's a bit more cruel.

Cat - little bit of Amy at times a bit like Bender at other times. Cat's more like Bender as in not being considerate of others and a bit self centered at times.

-cs
Clacker

Bending Unit
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« Reply #4 on: 04-24-2003 05:57 »
« Last Edit on: 04-24-2003 05:57 »

i got a comparison.

polymorph - alkazar

they both deceiptfully morph into different forms.  :p
Zed 85

Space Pope
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« Reply #5 on: 04-24-2003 06:26 »

The later Kryten may be a bit like Bender, but the "classic" Kryten is much more like Zoidberg. I think Chriswell pretty firmly nailed it.  :)

I would say that although Leela and Kochanski are a perfect match, sometimes Rimmer has many of Leela's characterists (seriousness, strife for order -mostly- etc), though is invinitely more of a coward. In some respects he's better than Zapp, but in others just as bad.  :p
Grim

Professor
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« Reply #6 on: 04-24-2003 07:47 »

If rimmer were starship captain wouldnt that make him Ace Rimmer, the rimmer from the parralel universe where he wasnt a complete gimboid?
Chriswell

Bending Unit
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« Reply #7 on: 04-24-2003 10:23 »

You know in many ways Ace is a lot like Zapp.

But...

The difference is Ace isn't all talk.

He'll make a claim and then back it up.

Zapp's all talk, nothing more.

-cs
sheep555

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #8 on: 04-24-2003 10:25 »

    Quote
    Originally posted by Action Jacktion:
    Similarities between Fry and Red Dwarf's Lister have been pointed out before, but I don't know if people realize how many similarities there are. 
    [/list]

    Also, Lister becomes rich due to compound interest much like Fry does in A Fishfull of Dollars.

     
    Quote
    Originally posted by Chriswell:
    Holly - Professor that checks out, though the Prof's a bit more cruel.


    I think Holly is much crueler than the professer, especially in his S1/S2 form. Look at Queeg for example (a RD episode based around Holly basically tortuting the crew for his own entertainment), the classic "Dog Milk" gag (Holly reveals he's been giving the crew dog's milk to drink without telling them), and the NorWeb sketch.
    Chriswell

    Bending Unit
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    « Reply #9 on: 04-24-2003 11:05 »

    Well those are more along the lines of practical jokes.
    I'm thinking about the Prof. especially in MU, first lamenting on not breaking Guenter's legs. Or when Guenter's rope broke and he fell down the waterfall and the Prof said let's get him, don't want him to go to waste. Then he licks his lips.   :nono:

    -cs
    aslate

    Space Pope
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    « Reply #10 on: 04-24-2003 11:45 »

    Lister is God though, Bender was God...

    (Lister was God of cat-people)
    Action Jacktion

    Professor
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    « Reply #11 on: 04-24-2003 11:59 »

     
    Quote
    Originally posted by sheep555:
    Also, Lister becomes rich due to compound interest much like Fry does in A Fishfull of Dollars.
    I thought about that, but it was really just part of Holly's NorWeb joke.
    sheep555

    Liquid Emperor
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    « Reply #12 on: 04-24-2003 12:02 »

    Yeah, but Lister doesn't seem to disagree with the statement - but then again, considering human civilisation has collapsed it's unlikely Lister's bank would still exist...  :)
    Toaster

    Crustacean
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    « Reply #13 on: 04-24-2003 16:18 »

      The compound interest joke was the first sketch on the original radio series from which Red Dwarf evolved (which is why it was Manchester's NorWEB and not Liverpool's MANWEB).  It wasn't a joke in the original though.

      More similarities:
      • Both Fry and Lister were dumped by their girlfriends just before ending up in the future.
      • Leela and Lister were both orphans.
      • Farnsworth is ancient, intelligent, amoral and senile like Holly.
      • Zoidberg and Cat both appear to be evolved from other Earth species.
      • Rimmer and Fry's fathers are both military crazed loonies.
      • Rimmer in "Meltdown" is just like Zapp.
      • Kryten without his guilt chip is just like Bender.
      • Both have robot religion and android soap operas.
      • Kif and Lister both became pregnant.
    transgender nerd under canada

    DOOP Ubersecretary
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    « Reply #14 on: 04-24-2003 16:27 »

    Bloody hell, I thought I was the only one to have noticed these things... and I considered it slightly too geeky to post at PEEL.


    Still, you people have my respect for such a bold statement of your nerdism.  :p

    Also, Lister eventually marries Kochanski, and Nibbler has hinted that Fry will eventually get together with Leela.
    Chriswell

    Bending Unit
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    « Reply #15 on: 04-24-2003 20:15 »

    More similarities between Bender and Cat.

    They both have derogatory nicknames for others around them. Cat refers to Lister as a stupid monkey in earlier episodes. Assorted names for Rimmer and Kryten include grease stain, alphabet head goalpost head and freakface Just like Bender's use of meatbag, meatsack, fleshwad etc..

    They both have rotten ways of consoling others.

    -cs
    Chanukah Zombie

    Bending Unit
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    « Reply #16 on: 04-25-2003 06:30 »

    I've never seen (or heard) an episode of this "Red Dwarf" but I sure will now!  Thanks!
    reverend

    Bending Unit
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    « Reply #17 on: 04-25-2003 09:38 »

    If you're going to watch Red Dwarf, and start with early episodes but don't like them, don't be put off. Although some say that early ones are the best, I believe they peak from series 3-6. Not that the early ones aren't good - they are. Apologies for putting purely Red Dwarf material in this crossover thread, let me see, what can I say about Fry/Lister? Well, I certainly agree that Kryten is more like Zoidberg, with his lack of knowledge about humans and quirky way of looking at the world.
    Chanukah Zombie

    Bending Unit
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    « Reply #18 on: 04-25-2003 15:41 »

    I've learned my lesson about judging these shows hastily.  I sat eagerly in front of the television on the day Futurama first aired and was profoundly disappointed.  I didn't look at it again seriously until this season and you see the results!  Now that I think of it, I might have seen one or two Red Dwarf eps when I was a kid but it didn't seem to make much of an impression on me back then.  I think it's now time for a second look.
    sheep555

    Liquid Emperor
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    « Reply #19 on: 04-26-2003 16:46 »

    Going off topic, but staying on the Red Dwarf theme...

    I just went back to watch some Red Dwarf S2, and noticed that there are striking similarities between certain jokes. For example, in an episode of Red Dwarf, a soap opera starring robots ends with all the credits being robots (example: "Written by Android 412234" ).
    The almost exact same joke is later on used in Futurama (in 'All My Circuits - The Movie').

    Not that I'm accusing Futurama of 'ripping off' Red Dwarf - the situation probably arises from the situations of the two programmes being so similar...
    CyberKnight

    Urban Legend
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    « Reply #20 on: 04-26-2003 18:21 »

    There are quite a few little similarities between the two - for example, the original version of "A Big Ball of Garbage" called for a pool player to come in and "pot" the ball into the Sun (sound at all familiar?  :p).

    Interesting side-note : Matt Groening has said that he's a fan of "British" comedy. No doubt he may have seen "Red Dwarf" and picked up a few ideas  :D. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

    [Doc Brown]Or it could just all be an amazing coincidence[/DB]  ;)
    Chanukah Zombie

    Bending Unit
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    « Reply #21 on: 04-26-2003 22:01 »

    Err... I love MG as much as anyone else does but doesn't there come a point where we drop such niceties as "sincere flattery" and "inspiration" and start hurling pejoratives like "theft" and "plagiary"?
    Action Jacktion

    Professor
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    « Reply #22 on: 04-26-2003 22:35 »

    Despite all the similarities, I still think it's mostly, if not completely, coincidence.  Both shows use comedic applications of science fiction concepts and also parody those concepts, so the creators of both probably had a lot of similar ideas.  Watch Red Dwarf and you'll see it's usually a lot different from Futurama.
    Chump

    Urban Legend
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    « Reply #23 on: 04-26-2003 23:03 »

      Quote
      Originally posted by Action Jacktion:
      • By the time they're revived, it seems no one they knew is still alive

      Get out, what were the odds of that!?
      Action Jacktion

      Professor
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      « Reply #24 on: 04-26-2003 23:07 »
      « Last Edit on: 04-26-2003 23:07 »

         
      Quote
      what were the odds of that!?
      Pretty low if they were only in suspended animation for a year or even ten years.  It doesn't have to be such a long time.

      I phrased it like that because Fry is frozen for "only" 1000 years, while Lister is in stasis for three million years.
      Chump

      Urban Legend
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      « Reply #25 on: 04-26-2003 23:09 »

      But they weren't. So my point stands. Seriously though, I realized while I was posting it that I've never seen this other show and I had no clue how long he was frozen. I was hoping it wasn't 50 years or less, or I would have looked really dumb. More so that I do now.
      Action Jacktion

      Professor
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      « Reply #26 on: 04-26-2003 23:14 »
      « Last Edit on: 04-26-2003 23:14 »

      Usually when someone is put into suspended animation in science fiction, they stay for hundreds of years, but not always.  One of the Red Dwarf novels mentions explorers who spend a relatively short time in stasis but still end up being fifty years younger than their own children, a fact the greeting card industry takes advantage of.
      Chriswell

      Bending Unit
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      « Reply #27 on: 04-27-2003 00:38 »
      « Last Edit on: 04-27-2003 00:38 »

      There are a few major differences between the 2 shows.
      Originally on Red Dwarf it at first appeared that the entire human race was extinct except for Lister.
      Not so on Futurama, actually Fry still has a link with his own bloodline thanx to the Professor his great nephew many times removed.
      In Futurama there are extraterrestrials, in the Red Dwarf universe Earth based life appears to be the only intelligent life in the universe, if any other different race was encountered it was descended from Earth. As in the Cat race, the Gelfs (aka Genetically engineered life forms)etc.

      -cs
      Britz

      Starship Captain
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      « Reply #28 on: 04-29-2003 21:18 »

       
      Quote
      Originally posted by sheep555:
       I think Holly is much crueler than the professer, especially in his S1/S2 form. Look at Queeg for example (a RD episode based around Holly basically tortuting the crew for his own entertainment), the classic "Dog Milk" gag (Holly reveals he's been giving the crew dog's milk to drink without telling them), and the NorWeb sketch.

      Ooh, this made my blood boil, 1. In Queeg he was doing it to teach the crew a lesson and make them respect him, it was pretty fair after the way they treated him.
      2. The dog milk wasn't a joke from Holly, it was necessary to give them dog milk, he just didn't tell them what it was because they were better off not knowing.
      And 3. The NORWEB sketch was an april fools joke, very funny, and not really cruel.

      And finally, as sad as it makes me to do this to another Red Dwarf fan, you have it coming
        :finger:
      Chriswell

      Bending Unit
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      « Reply #29 on: 04-30-2003 00:20 »

      I'm surprised there hasn't been a Red Dwarf/Futurama crossover fan fic yet.
      Or has there?     :confused:

      -cs checks around
      Kryten

      Space Pope
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      « Reply #30 on: 04-30-2003 00:36 »

      I wrote one, but it sucked.
      Chriswell

      Bending Unit
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      « Reply #31 on: 04-30-2003 00:42 »

        :laff:
      I just read it a few minutes ago, pretty good.
      Thank God for Google.  :D

      -cs
      K5

      Bending Unit
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      « Reply #32 on: 04-30-2003 01:39 »

       
      Quote
      Originally posted by Nixorbo:
      Rimmer - Hermes (stretch)
      Chocanski - Leela
      Kryten - Bender
      Holly - Professor
      Cat - Zoidberg

      Think it through - it fits.

      I'm not convinced of these conjuctions. I know Red Dwarf very well (and Futurama too, of course  :) ).
      Ace

      Poppler
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      « Reply #33 on: 04-30-2003 03:34 »

      I am a Red Dwarf veteran and the similarities are mainly in series 6 when they are mainly on starbug (transport capsule) and are taking the piss on Star Trek etc. sort of comparibleto "Roswell that ends well" supernova...
      Chriswell

      Bending Unit
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      « Reply #34 on: 06-01-2003 23:56 »

      I recently watched the season or series for the Brits 8 episode Only The Good... and Rimmer pulls a Bender.
       http://www.mimashigh.co.uk/scripts/only_the_good.shtml

       
      Quote
      From the script
      [RIMMER pauses by a food dispenser, and begins fishing in his pocket]
      [RIMMER takes out a token from his pocket and carefully extends a length of
       thread that is attached to it. He inserts the token into the dispenser's
       credit slot]

      [RIMMER taps in a few numbers on a control panel, and a chocolate bar drops
       into the vending compartment. RIMMER takes it]
      [In one smooth motion, RIMMER carefully tugs on the string and pulls his
       coin back out of the dispenser.]
      VRRR

      Crustacean
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      « Reply #35 on: 06-08-2003 20:19 »

      Starbug and Planet Express ship, both green.
      Kryten

      Space Pope
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      « Reply #36 on: 06-08-2003 20:47 »

      Parallel Bender was gold, like Parallel Kryten...
      winna

      Avatar Czar
      DOOP Ubersecretary
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      « Reply #37 on: 06-08-2003 20:54 »

      Hey Chriswell, that's not a bender (although he did do it), we used to do that all the time when we went to the video arcades.
      VRRR

      Crustacean
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      « Reply #38 on: 06-08-2003 21:28 »
      « Last Edit on: 06-08-2003 21:28 »

      Amy = Cat. both image concious
      Zoidberg = Rimmer. Both pathetic failiures
      Zapp = Ace. both Arrogant Blowhards

      OYG Zapp IS Ace. the more i think of it the more obvious it is.

      Britz

      Starship Captain
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      « Reply #39 on: 06-09-2003 02:36 »

      WHAT?! Zapp is not Ace, I should rip out your insolent tongue!!
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