2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a narrative, based upon Arthur C. Clarke's 1948 short story The Sentinel, originally released in 1968 as both as a novel written by Clarke and as a film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The story of 2001 revolves around the discovery of a black monolith on the Moon, and a subsequent mission to Saturn (Jupiter in the film) to trace a signal sent by the monolith. 2001 has become highly influential in the science fiction genre and Kubrick's film, now called one of the greatest films of all time, became notable for its scientific realism, multiple thematic interpretations, and surreal imagery.

Futurama has made several references to both the book and the film, which will be noted here.

Season 2

• "Put Your Head on My Shoulders" (2ACV07)
  
  • As Fry, Amy and Zoidberg are heading to Europa, they pass by a monolith that's in orbit around Jupiter with an "Out of Order" sign. This refers to the monolith orbiting Jupiter that David Bowman passes through in Kubrick's 2001.

• "A Bicyclops Built for Two" (2ACV09)
  
  • When the Planet Express crew signs onto the internet, the "Sunrise" fanfare from Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra plays and Fry utters the words "My God...it's full of ads!". The music is popularly associated with 2001, and Fry's line is a reference to Bowman's final transmission before he enters the wormhole: "My God...it's full of stars...".

Season 3

• "Insane in the Mainframe" (3ACV11)
  
  • Bender and Fry are institutionalized at the "HAL Institute for Criminally Insane Robots", a reference to the the malfunctioning HAL 9000 from 2001.

• "Roswell that Ends Well" (3ACV19)
  
  • While the Planet Express ship is time traveling back to 1947, the colors of the wormhole are reflected in Professor Farnsworth's glasses, referring to the same way that the colors of the wormhole reflected in Bowman's helmet as he passes through it.

• "Godfellas" (3ACV20)
  
  • At different points Bender floats through space to the tune of both Also sprach Zarathustra and The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II, both of which are commonly associated with Kubrick's 2001.

• "Future Stock" (3ACV21)
  
  • The rotation of the Intergalactic Stock Exchange and the waltz music playing in the scene refers to the docking scene from Kubrick's 2001, where the rotation of the space station is accompanied by The Blue Danube.

Season 4

• "Love and Rocket" (4ACV03)
  
  • The Planet Express ship computer is represented by a glowing red camera eye, a clear reference to HAL 9000. In addition, the glowing red central core of the Planet Express computer is identical to HAL's central core from the film.

• "The Sting" (4ACV12)
  
  • As Leela opens the coffin she encounters a tunnel of light, similar to what Bowman sees as he passes through the monolith, with Also sprach Zarathustra playing over the scene.

Season 5

• Bender's Game
  
  • Bender is again locked away in the HAL Institute.

Season 6

• "Möbius Dick" (6ACV15)
  
  • The ship Discovery One, used for the mission to Saturn/Jupiter, and a black monolith are seen in the space ship graveyard.