The 25 Best Things About the Future According To "Futurama"

In a fitting ending for a show that delights in toying with sci-fi conventions, Futurama will defy the laws of physics and end for a second time this summer. The show's first swan song was 2003's brilliant episode, "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings," and the second ending will come at the conclusion of the current season. Though the show's second act hasn't been quite as excellent, a second finale feels appropriate for a show that's been so good at defying expectations ever since Fry fell into cryogenic pod while delivering that ill-fated pizza.

Science fiction is hard, and sci-fi comedy is even harder. You can count the great examples with just one hand; after Hitchiker's Guide, Spaceballs, and Men In Black, you quickly start grasping for obscure and incomplete examples. Of these works, only Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy had the task of building of a universe with a similar scope, and Futurama's first series belongs in same conversation with the Douglas Adams tomes. Like Hitchhiker's Guide, Futurama has used its quirky vision of the future alternately as a platform for savage social satire and a springboard for existential examination. At it's best, in episodes like "Luck of the Fryrish," "Jurassic Bark," and "The Why of Fry", the show has audiences laughing all the way through only to gut punch them with deeply philosophical punctuation at the end.

As the Planet Express Ship prepares for its last delivery, we want to take a look back at some of the most memorable aspects of Futurama's unique vision of the future. Whether it's because they were satirical, philosophical, or just plain funny, these are the parts of Futurama's universe that will stick with us long after the show's end date. Here are the 25 Best Things About the Future According to Futurama.

Episode(s): Throughout series

Workplace discrimination has been eradicated in the future. In Futurama's pilot, the aptly named "Space Pilot 3000," we learn that careers are assigned for you in the future according to your ability. The result is that the best candidate gets the job, even if that person has some unsavory aspects to his/her personality. For example, newscaster Marbo the Annihilator has stated that he would like to destroy the human race, but that doesn't disqualify him from delivering the news, landing celebrity interviews, and hosting a morning show. Some of you might think that a thirst for genocide should disqualify you from cherry media gigs, but we say that we'd be proud to live in a world where hiring practices were fair and square.

Episode(s): Throughout series

There are some subtle scientific jokes built into Futurama. One of our favorite recurring bits is how the writers play with the speed of light. In "A Clone of My Own" it's revealed that the speed of light was increased in the year 2208. This sets the stage for a number of speed-of-light gags throughout the series.

Two of our favorites: when Farnsworth drives 35 mph in a zone where he should be driving the speed of light, and the revelation that it's illegal to drive faster than the speed of light in Manhattan. One of the great things about Futurama is that they back up their jokes with details. Thanks to the meticulous notes provided by Futurama fan site, theinfosphere.org, we learned that while the speed of light was increased in 2208, light created before that time travels at "old light speed."

Episode(s): Throughout series

The war on poverty will never be won, but at least in the 31st century, the issue's been solved for almost everyone...except robots and orphans. In the universe of the future it seems that almost everyone has a way of gaining employment, even if you're always on the edge of Skid Row like Zoidberg and Fry. Due to the fact that most humans, aliens, and robots have a career, most of the worst jobs around fall to chipper street urchin robot Tinny Tim. Tim's duties include selling oil-ade, hawking newspapers, and of course, begging.

There are numerous occasions where you feel bad for robots on the bottom rung of society like Tim, droids who are used, abused, and left for scrap. Considering how far we let our fellow man fall before we step in here in the present, we feel that 31st century economics offer a marked improvement over our current system. Despite the tough lot for some robots like Tim, they always have hope, or as Tim puts it, "You raised my hopes and dashed them quite expertly, sir. Bravo!"

Episode(s): "Time Keeps On Slippin'" (Season 3, Episode 14)

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that the Harlem Globetrotters would make great astrophysicists. The stunt-loving basketball team has a flair for improvisation, but also an utter mastery of fundamentals. These skills would be welcome in the laboratory or on the court.

If our top scientists were also colorful athletes, the public would definitely care far more about scientific issues. Funding of space exploration would increase and emissions would plummet as an enraptured public took cues from free-wheeling scientist-athletes.

The contributions of the Globetrotters don't stop at merely solving scientific mysteries. During the run of the series, the ballers have judged a cooking show, dated an omnipotent being, and fought in the battle to save Earth. It may seem like an unrealistic dream to have our stunt athletes and top scientists be one in the same, but you can't put a price tag on combining academic rigor with funky style.

Episode(s): "When Aliens Attack" (Season 1, Episode 12)

In the future, Earth endures constant invasion attempts. Most often, Earth's would-be conquerors come from Omicron Persei 8, a planet whose inhabitants can't make it much more than 247 days without invading Earth.

In addition to the Omicronian threat, Earth endures invasion attempts from floating brains and vaudevillian lobsters during the run of the series. Luckily for the people of Earth, it isn't too tough to convince aliens to call the whole thing off. Omicronians, for example, have a weakness for network television shows, so one of their invasion attempts is repelled when The Planet Express team recreates a lost episode of the 20th century TV hit, Single Female Lawyer.

This should be a lesson to all of us in the present: Before we freak out about an alien invasion, we should ask our conquerors what they want, and if it's new episodes of Ally McBeal, give it to them, damn it.

Episode(s): Throughout series

Corporations still control everything in the future, but at least they're up front about it. No longer do you have to endure multi-national corporations branding foods as though they're artisanal products. Corporate titans like Mom let it be known that they have their hands in everything from robotics to greeting cards.

While it's difficult to know what products Monsanto actually sells in real life without a flow chart, in Futurama, Monsanto has a animatronic gopher that lets the world know that it owns a theme park on the Moon. We can't hope for complete corporate transparency in the present or the future, and admittedly, Mom gets up to some underhanded business, but at least she carries herself with the dictatorial bearing worthy of her station.

Episode(s): "A Big Piece of Garbage" (Season 1, Episode 8)

In the year 3000, the efforts of environmentalists to make society green have finally paid off. Garbage is a thing of the past. As Leela points out, robots are made out of old beer cans, beer cans are made out of old robots, and sandwiches are made of discarded sandwiches. The only time they have garbage problems in the future is when waste management methods of the past come back to haunt them.

Just as previous generations have already warmed our globe, the sins of ancestors are visited upon the garbage-free future citizens of Earth. A ball of garbage shot into space from New York City in 2052 heads straight for Earth and Fry must teach the eco-friendly citizens how to litter again to stop it. Thanks to Fry's tutelage, Earthians create a giant ball of waste to deflect the old ball of waste and then return to their green ways. Everything is environmentally hunky-dory again...at least until the new giant ball of garbage comes back to Earth in a couple hundred years.

Episode(s): "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (Season 4, Episode 18), "Parasites Lost" (Season 3, Episode 4), "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" (Season 6, Episode 13)

Who hasn't dreamt of learning to play a musical instrument? Those of you who had strict parents and/or childhood determination are lucky, but the rest of us are doomed to pick up guitar for a couple months every few years for the rest of our lives.

One of the wonderful little things about the world of Futurama is that there are opportunities to learn a new musical instrument well into adulthood. The holophonor (combination oboe and holographic projector) is the most difficult musical instrument to play. Only a few people in the universe can play it and even they aren't very good at it. Despite the degree of difficulty associated with the holophonor, Fry learns to play it on numerous occasions.

Sure, his mastery of the instrument comes about through special circumstances, like being infested with worms or making a deal with the robot devil, but he's been able to taste musical greatness while the rest of us are left to look over at our guitars gathering dust in the corners of our bedrooms.

Episode(s): "Xmas Story" (Season 2, Episode 4), "A Tale of Two Santas" (Season 3, Episode 3), "Holiday Val-U Pak" (Season 5, Episode 13)

If you're anything like us, getting home for the holidays can often be more trouble than it's worth. Whatever winter holiday you celebrate, you're sure to contend with sluggish transportation from crowded terminals when trying to get back to your parents' place for the festivities. If you lived on the Earth of Futurama, there'd be a fix for those holiday stresses: You wouldn't be able to leave your house in the first place.

At sundown on "X-Mas," Robot Santa goes on a killing spree, eliminating everyone on the naughty list, which turns out to be every resident of Earth (except Zoidberg). This means that you get to spend the holiday locked in your house trembling in fear rather than forcing small talk with family. We aren't saying this would be a permanent fix, we're just saying we wouldn't mind taking a few years off from holiday travel.

Episode(s): "Parasites Lost" (Season 3, Episode 4)

We've all dealt with a bug or two in our day, and we've never seen one make us into a better human being. In Futurama, a parasite might be just the thing you need to get your life back on track. After eating an expired egg sandwich, Fry finds himself stronger, smarter, and a better lover thanks to some worms that have taken up residence in his digestive tract. He even develops musical talents he never had before.

Of course, one problem with the worms is that they remove traces of your old personality, replacing your charming flaws with stale perfection, but we feel that our personalities would be a small price to pay for washboard abs and an active sex life.

Episode(s): "The Series Has Landed" (Season 1, Episode 2)

Futurama's universe observes one principal that many sci-fi world-builders ignore: If humans can commodify something, they will. One of the show's best expressions of this is Luna Park, an amusement park on the Moon that combines all of the best aspects of Disneyland and historical tourist traps. Just like any profitable historic theme park, there's a ride that completely fabricates history for the sake of merchandising.

In Luna Park's version of the Lunar Landing, it's claimed that the moon was first explored by whimsical whalers. Just like the amusements that crop up around national parks and historical landmarks, Luna Park strives to sell you the moon without allowing you to actually experience it. Sound familiar?

Episode(s): "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back" (Season 2, Episode 11)

The future is a libertarian's nightmare. In the 31st century, government is an expansive, slow moving machine with over 135 levels of bureaucrats stamping and filing paperwork. Which means that bureaucracy moves so slowly that next to nothing gets done, ultimately meaning less government interference.

The paper pushers' hive mind is the Central Bureaucracy, a gargantuan maze of a building where public paperwork is stored. Inside the Central Bureaucracy is the Master In-box through which all government business must pass. This may not seem ideal, even if you're a supporter of big government. Those of you out there who, like Hermes, are only anal 78.36% of the time, might need more convincing. If you still aren't sold on the virtues of bureaucracy, then give a listen to Hermes's song in praise of monolithic superstructures.

Episode(s): "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" (Season 3, Episode 12)

Fantastic stories of all kinds often introduce god-like guardians who watch over mere mortals. They're typically imposing, cloaked figures who strike fear into the hearts of all who happen across them. The protectors of Futurama's universe strike a decidedly different pose. Though they possess incredible intelligence gathered over millenia guarding the universe from destruction, they're also incredibly cute.

The Nibblonians aren't above using their cuteness as a weapon; they resent their irrepressible adorableness. Their frustrations are understandable, as people tend to rub their bellies and dote on them when they are trying to give them instructions for apocalypse prevention. The Nibblonians express their cuteness in all aspects of their existence, down to the vehicles they use, including the Scooty-Puff Jr. and Kitten-Class Attack Ships.

Episode(s): "A Clone of My Own" (Season 2, Episode 10

The good news is that the people of 31st century Earth live longer and longer as medical advances increase life spans. The bad news is that there are still retirement facilities, and they're a bit less comfortable than your standard present day golden-age community.

In order to keep the population under control, humans who reach their 160th birthday are ferried away by Sunset Squad Robots (robotic Grim Reapers) to live out their days on the planet-sized "Near Death Star," plugged into a tiny water-logged pod.

On second thought, we might actually prefer mortality to a life inside a pod, but we'll take a life expectancy of 150 over hoping to barely make 80 with jogging and granola.

Episode(s): Throughout series

This might be more appealing to your hippie parents than to you, but a Matt Groening show means jabs at politicians that you only know from history books. Of course, Richard Nixon takes his fair share of jabs in the series, but Futurama also takes shots at Spiro Agnew, Michael Dukakis, and Bob Dole as well.

Groening struggled with odd jobs in Los Angeles for several years before his comic strip, Life in Hell took off. After Life in Hell gained popularity, it was still a few more years before he got the attention of James L. Brooks and was asked to join the staff of The Tracey Ullman Show. Despite all of his success, it seems that Groening is still bitter toward the politicians from those days, as he tends to mock them more often than he does politicos of today. For those of us who came of age politically during or after the Clinton administration, The Simpsons and Futurama have served as a zany primer on the political climate of the late 20th century.

Episode(s): Throughout series

Some of the best things about the future according to Futurama are the things that don't change. Elzar, clearly modeled after Emeril Lagasse, is Earth's resident celebrity chef in the 31st century. He hosts Iron Cook and owns the notoriously over-priced restaurant, Elzar's.

The inclusions of Elzar is one occasion in which Futurama seemed to predict the future. As the Food Network and copycat programmers have gravitated towards more aggressive, chef-worshipping shows, celebrity chefs have multiplied. It seems like every couple of months a new Bobby Flay or Guy Fieri breaks onto the national stage. While this has been a big negative for culture, this has been a boon for Futurama's satirical potential. Elzar has appeared to skewer food culture dozens of times during Futurama's run.

Episode(s): "Love and Rocket" (Season 4, Episode 3)

It's been said that you can't buy love. Futurama respectfully disagrees. Beautiful Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the most romantic city in the world, is home to a romance factory. Romanticorp has used its romance factory to perfect Valentine's Day merchandise to the point that you can pay to make yourself irresistible to the object of your affections. What weapons are in the corporations love arsenal? From genetically engineered cute bears to lab tested pick-up lines to infinite varieties of candy hearts, there are enough products at Romanticorp to make anyone fall for you.

A little bonus tip from Romanticorp for those gentlemen out there looking for love: the most romantic thing you can say to a woman is: "My two favorite things are commitment and changing myself."

Episode(s): "Less Than Hero" (Season 5, Episode 4)

Many of you likely got your patriotism on over the recent 4th of July weekend, but despite the nationalistic fervor dredged up in most of our countrymen with fireworks and BBQ, there are still some dissenters out there. The Earth of the future has a surefire cure for those pesky nonconformists: death. It seems like a flag burning ban is debated every year or so (or at least when hard-line right wingers are in power), and while many of you hippies might find this abhorrent, Earthlings of the future would tell you that it doesn't go far enough.

Zoidberg is sentenced to death after eating the American flag on Freedom Day in "Less Than Hero," just like any great nation would do. Sure, his death sentence leads to an invasion of Earth by lobster people, but if patriotic Americans have taught us anything, it's that symbols are worth fighting for, even if the fight causes your fellow countrymen bodily harm.

Episode(s): Entire series

One of the most ingenious aspects of Futurama's construction is the choice to bring characters into the present as floating heads. From the very first episode, this device is employed to bring historical figures and present day celebrities into the year 3000.

Though there are a number of great floating head moments (from Al Gore to Beck), the most memorable preserved head has to be Richard Nixon's. The ambitious decapitated former conservative POTUS becomes President of Earth and rules with an iron first throughout the series with a few brief interruptions.

The floating heads proved to be a handy satirical device for the show's duration. Frankly, we're a bit envious of the denizens of the future for having access to these floating heads. We could do without Nixon's head whispering in our ears, we would gladly have the wisdom of the ages dispensed to us from the liquid-preserved horse's mouth.

Episode(s): Throughout series

In science fiction, robots are often defined by the way they serve their human masters. Though we empathize with them, C-3PO and R2-D2 are first and foremost a protocol droid and an astromech droid, respectively. In Futurama, robots don't merely exist to serve their human masters, and often, they have no clear function at all. For every robot who has a clear purpose, like Bender, you have a robot like Hedonism Bot, who has no clear function at all. Hedomism Bot doesn't serve humans—they serve him, rubbing chocolate on his golden belly and feeding him grapes as he patronizes the arts and makes creepy historical references.

The zany "uses" of the robots make viewing Futurama all the more pleasurable. In an episode set on robot planet Chapek 9 or in the HAL Institute for Criminally Insane Robots, great comedic moments are derived from each new robot introduced. Futurama's approach to robots feels far more realistic in some ways that the traditional, functional approach to robot creation. Based on what humans have done before, wouldn't we spend just as much time creating useless robots as we would building bots that would contribute to the betterment of humanity?

Episode(s): Entire series

Most serious science fiction spends far more time explaining how governments will operate in the future than they do exploring how business works. The clearly left-leaning staff of Futurama set out to mock the power of corporations in America by consistently placing them in the seat of power in the year 3000. In Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek we're wowed by how weaponry has progressed over the centuries, but in Futurama we're dazzled by the advancement of marketing techniques.

Corporations do anything and everything to make an extra dollar on 31st century Earth. Some of our favorite methods include canning the irresistible secretion of a giant worm, marketing a dog food-like product specifically to bachelors, and running advertisements in citizens' dreams. It's nice to see corporations being honest about their greedy drive for dominance. We'd take that approach over the greenwashing posing practiced by today's most powerful companies any day.

Episode(s): "The Why of Fry" (Season 4, Episode 8), "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" (Season 3, Episode 12)

There are many brilliant beings in the future. Species of genius aliens, sentient planets, and societies of mad scientists are regular sights. With all of this brain power floating around (sometimes literally), sometimes the best thing you can be is stupid. On several occasions, Fry has been called upon to use his lack of smarts to save the universe from the threat of Brain Spawn.

In "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid," Fry authors a book that forces the brains to leave Earth and in "The Why of Fry" he destroys the Brain Spawn's home Infosphere. Sure, Fry does it with the help of a few of his smart friends, but at least he gets to be more than a mere delivery boy from time to time.

Episode(s): "Jurassic Bark" (Season 4, Episode 7), "A Clone of My Own" (Season 2, Episode 10)

Your loved ones are never totally lost in the future. All you have to do to get your beloved dog back, or to ensure that you live on forever, is to do a little cloning. As of 3002 there's only one Clone-O-Mat machine in existence, but we're sure that Professor Farnsworth would let you get in on the action for the right price. If you're going through with the process, you'll be better off with the questionable morals of Professor Farnsworth rather than the heart-on-your-sleeve morality of Fry.

Just when Fry is about to get his beloved dog Seymour back from the pet cemetery, he has a change of heart, choosing not to tempt fate. Farnsworth goes through with cloning himself, and other than struggling to answer some tricky questions about when his clone Cubert's birthday actually falls, he seems pretty happy with the outcome.

Episode(s): "The Farnsworth Parabox" (Season 4, Episode 15)

When we're in need of some perspective, our choices are limited. You can take a mountain vacation, check into a spa, or read a book. Though these things can be effective, they have nothing on visiting a parallel universe. When Planet Express team gets to meet their evil twins (or are they the evil twins of their parallel selves?), they each learn a fair amount about themselves

Some parallel universes offer hippie, pirate, or robotic versions of the characters, but the universe that teaches them the most offers only one subtle difference from their home universe. The only difference between our heroes and their counterparts in "Universe B" is that the "B" characters live in a world where every coin they've ever flipped has landed on the other side. Very quickly, the characters learn how much of their life has been the result of chance and luck, that they have taken far less control of their destinies than perhaps they could have. Ultimately, the characters don't change as a result of this revelation, but at least it saved them a lot of money on secluded cabin retreats.

Episode(s): Throughout series

People flock to certain cities and particular neighborhoods just to live around like-minded people. Even if you find a community that has similar cultural demographic or political make-up to your own, you never quite feel like you're among your own kind. Futurama has a fix for this: with thousands of planets in the universe, you're bound to find somewhere that feels like home. For Zoidberg, this was Earth, but for you it might be the Neutral Planet. If you're the kind of person that doesn't have feelings one way or the other on most issues, wouldn't it be nice to live on a planet where the motto is "Live Free or Don't"? After a life in a society filled with brash, headstrong leaders, wouldn't it be nice to hear your president say, "All I know is, my gut says maybe"? If you're more the aggressive type, we would recommend you check out Omicron Persei 8, where planet invasion is as much a part of daily life as network television.

The point is that whatever kind of person you are, there is a planet out there for you. Thanks, Futurama. It's been beautiful to think so.