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[[Image:|250px|thumb|The Star Trek Logo]] Futurama, being a comedy science fiction TV show, is bound to make references to other science fiction works. One of the most famous science fiction franchise is the Star Trek series which is one the most referenced things in Futurama. Following is a complete list of connections between Futurama and Star Trek.
(Image) : Indicates that it has a picture to the right.
Key:
- TOS : Star Trek: The Original Series
- TAS : Star Trek: The Animated Series
- TNG : Star Trek: The Next Generation
- DS9 : Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- VOY : Star Trek: Voyager
- ENT : Star Trek: Enterprise
- Film : Star Trek films
- Game : Games
Note: Most of the external links go to Memory Alpha, The Star Trek Wiki
Crew
There have been a number of people who work on both Star Trek and Futurama.
Voices
- Leonard Nimoy: He is best known for his role as Spock (Apperances, Director, Writer). He appeared as himself in "Space Pilot 3000", "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" and he cameos in Bender's Big Score (non-speaking).
- George Takei: He is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu (Apperances, Author). He has voiced himself in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" and Bender's Game.
- Nichelle Nichols: She is best known for her role as Uhura (Appearances, Author). She appeared as herself in "Anthology of Interest I" and "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".
- Walter Koenig: He is best known for his role as Pavel Chekov (Appearances, Author, Writer). He appeared as himself in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".
- William Shatner: He is best known for his role as James T. Kirk (Appearances, Other). He appeared as himself in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".
- Jonathan Frakes: He is best known for his role as William T. Riker (Appearances, Director). He appeared as himself in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".
- Bumper Robinson: Portrayed unamed Jem'Hadar teenager in "The Abandoned" (DS9). He voices Dwight Conrad in Futurama.
- Sarah Silverman: Portrayed Rain Robinson in episodes "Future's End" (VOY) and "Future's End, Part II" (VOY). She provided the voice of Michelle in Futurama.
- Stephen Hawking: He portrayed himself once and has been mentioned on Star Trek a few times. He voiced himself in "Anthology of Interest I" and The Beast with a Billion Backs.
- Frank Welker: Provided voice of a screaming child Spock in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Film), additional voices in the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Game) series, an "alien creature" in "Nothing Human" (VOY), voices in Star Trek: Starfleet Command - Orion Pirates (Game) and Star Trek: Starfleet Command II - Empires at War (Game). He has done many (namely Nibbler) voices for Futurama.
Other
- David A. Goodman: "Writer" for ENT. He got the job as a writer on ENT because of his writing for the Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".
- Tim Simonec: "Conductor" and "Principal Orchestrator" for 2009's Star Trek (Film). He has done some musical work on Futurama as well.
Star Trek in Futurama
Star Trek has appeared in Futurama on many occasions:
Season 1
- In addition to the setting, part of the original concept for the show was that there would be a lot of advanced technology similar to that seen in Star Trek, but it would be constantly malfunctioning. The automatic doors at Applied Cryogenics resemble those in TOS; however, they malfunction when Fry remarks on this similarity.
- The introduction is reminiscent of Star Trek intros in TOS and TNG. "Space: The Final Frontier..." becomes "Space: It seems to go on and on forever...". It also has similar music and voice-over.
- Leonard Nimoy says that he no longer does the Vulcan salute, "Live Long and Prosper".
- It is presumed in this episode it is simply because he has no hands, but the truth behind this statement is seen in the future episode, "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".
- The rows of jars containing heads, with the one jar containing Nimoy's head in front to greet people, is reminiscent of the episode "Return To Tomorrow" (TOS), where the alien minds were preserved in glowing spheres, with Sargon in the one sphere in front.
"The Series Has Landed" (1ACV02)
- We see that Cap'n Crunch is promoted to Admiral. In Star Trek (most noticably TNG) whenever we take a look into the "future", the Captains are always Admirals.
- A lady from the apartment next to Fry and Bender claims that Bender's thoughts are being transmitted to her cell phone. When she closes the phone, it beeps like the Communicator from Star Trek.
"Love's Labours Lost in Space" (1ACV04)
- TOS uniforms were made of velour.
- The Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.) has a military force composed of men in red uniforms, who are often utilized as cannon fodder.
- M5438 is based off various Non-corporeal species in Star Trek.
- Zapp confuses Poker with Chess (a Kirk analogy).
- Zapp Brannigan's character was inspired by Captain Kirk from Star Trek. To create the character, the writers imagined what it would be like if William Shatner himself, not James T. Kirk, were the captain of the Enterprise.
- In the DVD commentary to this episode, Zapp was described as being "40% Kirk, 60% Shatner."
- The idea for Zapp's first officer, Kif Kroker, was based on the idea of Spock hating his captain, yet being dependant on him and doing his every whim.
- There is the use of a Captain's log, complete with star date.
- Brannigan's Law is the equivalent to Starfleet's Prime Directive.
- At the The Hip Joint, Fry meets a woman from the 21st century who asks if he remembers "when those cyborgs enslaved Humanity?" This is a reference to Star Trek: First Contact (Film), when the Borg attempt to assimilate Earth.
- Trisolians live in a liquid state and refer to humanoids as "Solids". This is quite similar to Changelings from DS9.
"A Big Piece of Garbage" (1ACV08)
- Fry finds a "Mr Spock Collector's Plate" with a picture of Spock on it.
"Hell Is Other Robots" (1ACV09)
- Bender screaming at the universe is like a scene from Star Trek Generations (Film).
"A Flight to Remember" (1ACV10)
- Leela's bathing suit looks very like the one worn by Jadzia Dax in the Let He Who Is Without Sin... (DS9)
- The Klaxon alarm sounds when Zoidberg escapes from the lobster trap.
- A door opens with the hatch noise used in Star Trek.
- The mother ship is similar to old Star Trek ship models.
- Fry includes Captain Janeway and Uhura in a list of science fiction heroes.
- Omicron Persei 8 appears to be influenced heavily by Qo'noS, home planet of the Klingons on Star Trek.
"Fry and the Slurm Factory" (1ACV13)
- A variant of Three-dimensional chess, Three-dimensional Scrabble, is played by Lela and Farnsworth.
Season 2
"I Second that Emotion" (2ACV01)
- Bender gets an Emotion chip, similar to Data's in Star Trek.
"Brannigan, Begin Again" (2ACV02)
- DOOP is explicitly compared to the United Federation of Planets by Hermes in the quote "Or like the Federation from your Star Trek Program".
- The "Neutral Zone" in which DOOP's temporary headquarters are located may be a reference to the Neutral zone between the Romulans and the Federation.
- When the Planet Express Ship comes into the new station, a riff on the theme of DS9 can be heard.
- The laser Zapp uses to cut the ribbon has settings of "Stun", "Kill" and "Hyperdeath™", a reference to phasers from Star Trek.
"A Head in the Polls" (2ACV03)
- The Brain Slugs could be an indirect reference to the slug-like young Ceti eels that Khan uses on Chekov and Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Film).
- Although in that case, they enter through the ear, but still affect the brain.
"Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" (2ACV05)
- The entire episode, particularly the mating season and the ritual arena combat between Fry and Zoidberg, is based on "Amok Time" (TOS).
- When Zoidberg asks Amy to take the rubber bands off his claws (in a somewhat sexy manner), Amy's retort is "Fool me seven times, shame on you. Fool me eight or more times, shame on me." This line is a reference to a line in "Friday's Child" (TOS).
- The national anthem of Decapod 10 is the same music heard during the fight scene between Kirk and Spock from "Amok Time".
- The traditional Vulcan weapon used in the Kal-if-fee, the Ahn-woon, is shown as one of the weapons Fry can choose from.
- "Claw-Plach" also sounds a lot like "Qapla'", the Klingonese word for "Success."
- The Decapodian frenzy looks like the Great Link of the Changelings.
"The Lesser of Two Evils" (2ACV06)
- Flexo, Bender's "evil" twin, has a goatee like the mirror Spock.
"Put Your Head on My Shoulder" (2ACV07)
- The car Malfunctioning Eddie mentions in his television ad is a Plymouth V'ger, a reference to the major plot device in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Film). A sentient life form known as V'Ger that turns out to be NASA's Voyager 6 deep space probe and also a reference to the Plymouth Voyager minivan.
- Amy's compact makes the Star Trek communicator sound effect when it opens.
- Captain Musky is a tribute to Christopher Pike.
- His introduction music is from TOS.
- The Planet Express Ship moves in a manner similar to Star Trek's Warp drives.
- The Professor shows Cubert a Universal Translator device, which is similar in manner to Star Trek's Universal translator.
- Bender's announcement that "in the event of an emergency, my ass can be used as a floatation device" is a reference to the movie Star Trek: Insurrection (Film), in which Data says "in the event of a water landing, I have been designed to serve as a flotation device" upon resurfacing in a lake.
- The noise that is heard when The Colonel switches the tourist information screen on is one of the many sound effects used from TOS.
- The console above the bed Leela is on when she is being examined looks like the vital signs monitor used in TOS. In Star Trek, they are also placed above the beds.
"The Problem with Popplers" (2ACV15)
"Anthology of Interest I" (2ACV16)
- Frys story is a reference to logical paradoxes often expressed in TOS lore.
- TOS cast member Nichelle Nichols appears in this episode.
- She wears her Star Trek outfit
- The interior of the school bus used by the Vice Presidential Action Rangers is based on various Star Trek ships.
Season 3
"Amazon Women in the Mood" (3ACV01)
"A Tale of Two Santas" (3ACV03)
"The Luck of the Fryrish" (3ACV04)
"The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz" (3ACV05)
"The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" (3ACV07)
"That's Lobstertainment!" (3ACV08)
- A movie at Oscars called "Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation", a parody of TNG.
"The Cyber House Rules" (3ACV09)
- Phasers are used in "Phaser Eye Surgery".
"Where the Buggalo Roam" (3ACV10)
"Insane in the Mainframe" (3ACV11)
"The Route of All Evil" (3ACV12)
"Bendin' in the Wind" (3ACV13)
"Time Keeps on Slippin'" (3ACV14)
"A Pharaoh to Remember" (3ACV17)
"Anthology of Interest II" (3ACV18)
"Roswell that Ends Well" (3ACV19)
Season 4
"Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" (4ACV01)
"Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television" (4ACV06)
"Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" (4ACV09)
"Obsoletely Fabulous" (4ACV14)
"The Farnsworth Parabox" (4ACV15)
- Universe 1 is similar to the Mirror universe in Star Trek.
- Star Trek also has other Alternate timelines and Parallel universes.
"Three Hundred Big Boys" (4ACV16)
"The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (4ACV18)
"Where No Fan Has Gone Before" (4ACV11)
This episode is almost entirely based on Star Trek which is why, due to amount of references, this section is dedicated to the one episode:
- A character created to replace James Doohan as Montgomery Scott in the cast was named Welshie. He (or more specifically, the actor who played him) was killed, dismembered, and vaporized by three separate blasts from a cloud creature named Melllvar. This is reference to the Redshirt.
- Melllvar, like M5438, is based on various Non-corporeal species.
Films
The Beast with a Billion Backs
Video Game
Comics
Other
- Star Trek sound effects are often used in the show. See individual episodes for more info.
- In the second commentary of "Hell is Other Robots", it is revealed that Bender was originally going to be based on "super-nerds" Spock and Data.
- In the commentary of "My Three Suns", it is revealed that Matt Groening has never seen Star Trek. It is also joked that David X. Cohen is never not watching it.
- Stories about "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" appear in Star Trek Monthly issue 93 and Star Trek Monthly issue 105.
- "Whispers" (DS9) is the favourite Star Trek episode of David X. Cohen, who says he finds it has "a slightly Futurama-esque storyline."
- The Futurama exhibit, which Futurama was named after, was visited by Benny Russell while at the New York World's Fair in July 1940 in the novelization of the episode "Far Beyond the Stars" (DS9).
See also
- In popular culture for connections to Futurama other than in Star Trek.
- Star Wars connections for connections to Futurama and Star Wars
- Simpsons connections for connections to Futurama and The Simpsons.