Commentary:Space Pilot 3000

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Commentary for
Space Pilot 3000
Production number	1ACV01
On DVD	Season 1 Disc 1
Additional
Transcript
Participants
Matt Groening Writer, creator David X. Cohen Writer, executive producer Rich Moore Co-director, supervising director Gregg Vanzo Co-director, supervising director John DiMaggio Actor (Bender, etc.)

Commentary

Topics of Discussion

• They attempted to insert secrets into the episode to set up the future episodes and plan to point them out in the commentary.
  • Secrets included the Nibbler shadow; at several other points the group randomly said "Secret!" despite nothing important being on screen.
• Simultaneous countdown is a stretch.
• The sequence while Fry is frozen was inspired by The Time Machine.
• Script changed many times, but it was seen as important to end the cold opening in the future.
  • An early version of the script featured Fry being sold at an auction to the professor for spare organs.
  • Another early version had Fry as a night watchman at the (1999) cryogenics lab.
  • Fry was to be the captain of the ship.
  • He may also have been an army man.
  • A removed scene featured flashbacks of important parts of Fry's life; Birth, College, etc.
    • Such long scenes caused them to have two hours worth of material.
• The first shot of New New York was also the first 3D sequence in the show, and an experiment of sorts.
• It was decided all technology was to malfunction, much like it does in the present.
• Character design
  • Difficulties animating a cyclops, origins of the Leela character.
  • Designers didn't want Leela's nose as big as it is, Matt had to push for it, the belief was that female leads had to have tiny noses.
  • Bender used to have ear antennas.
  • Fry's outfit is based on James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.
  • All designs in Matt Groening's style are intended to be recognisable from silhouette.
• Fox was shocked at the high ratings the pilot received and didn't understand most of the concepts, particularly the suicide booths.
• Bender's voice was what John DiMaggio thought the Professor should sound like.
• The Statue of Liberty was going to be robotic.
• Suicide booths are based on a Donald Duck cartoon, in which Donald went to a museum of the future and used coin-op devices that injured him.
• Career chips were going to be much more important.
• Cohen points out a sign with alien language one on it and discusses the languages.
• The group was thrilled to have "approval" from Leonard Nimoy, and to be able to still make fun of Nixon.
• Notes that the French language is gone.

Highlights / Quotes

• David X. Cohen: That's my parent's home address "405". It's a different street, but that's where the number came from.
  [laughter]
  Matt Groening: Wow! Everything is of significance.
• Rich Moore: I think this is the first time we see Leela?
• Fox (a production note made on the script): Standard caution on the probulator.

Goofs

• They note that they are aware Leela's armband is on the wrong arm.

Related DVD Features

• Season 1, Disc 1
  • Animatics
  • Script
    The script contains an early version of the episode, which includes a mild profanity; divided by the introduction (A, B)
  • Storyboard

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