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

If this is the future, bring on the cryogenic pods.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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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.

25. They Hire the Best Man for the Job...Even If He Wants to Destroy Humanity

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24. The Speed of Light Increases

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23. Poverty's Been Mostly Eradicated...Except for Robots...And Orphans

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22. The Harlem Globetrotters? Elite Astrophysicists

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21. Invading Aliens Are Relatively Easy to Please

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20. Corporations Are Upfront About Controlling Everything

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19. There's No More Garbage

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18. It's Possible to Master a Musical Instrument Later in Life

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17. Christmas Is a Lot More Interesting

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16. Parasites Make You a Better Man

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15. There's an Amusement Park on the Moon

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14. Society Is (A Little Too) Organized

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13. The Benevolent Guardians of the Universe Are Incredibly Cute

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12. Humans Are (Semi)-Immortal

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11. U.S. Politics From the '70s and '80s Are Surprisingly Relevant

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10. Three Words: Celebrity Super Chefs

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9. Love Can Be Manufactured

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8. A Lack of Patriotism Is Punishable by Death

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7. Great (and Not So Great) Historical Figures Live On as Floating Heads

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6. Robots Don't Have to Be Practical

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5. Companies Have Perfected Marketing

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4. Stupidity Is a Virtue

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3. If You Lose a Loved One, You Can Clone Them

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2. If You Need Perspective, You Can Always Visit a Parallel Universe

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1. There's a Planet For Every Moral Framework

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