Infosphere:Featured article for week 11 of 2006

Space Pilot 3000 was the first episode of Futurama, and introduced us to all our favourite characters. The show opens with Philip J. Fry being called to deliver a pizza to I. C. Wiener, and accidentally falling into a cryogenic freezer, only to be awakened one thousand years in the future, in the city of New New York.

This episode showcases the forethought and planning by the creators of the show, as many things in this episode are referenced outright in future episodes, or explained more subtly. The most famous example is the shadow of Nibbler being shown under the desk just before Fry falls into the freezer. Many one- or two-line characters show up in future episodes, like Mr. Panucci and Fry's Girlfriend, Michelle.