When Aliens Attack
Encyclopedia
"When Aliens Attack" is episode twelve in season one of Futurama
. It originally aired in North America
on November 7, 1999. This episode was written by Ken Keeler
and directed by Brian Sheesley
. The episode features an attack by aliens from Omicron Persei 8 who are outraged when the final episode of Earth show Single Female Lawyer is interrupted by technical difficulties. Much of the episode, particularly the method in which the aliens attack, is a spoof of the 1996 film
Independence Day
.
to the control booth of WNYW
, New York's real Fox
flagship station. While there, Fry spills beer on the console (Later in the episode, Amy did some research, saying it was a coke), interrupting the broadcast of Single Female Lawyer (a spoof of Ally McBeal
). As the technician panics, Fry ominously states, "Like anyone on Earth cares." The camera pulls back from the broadcast tower, away from Earth, and through the depths of space, settling on Omicron Persei 8, a thousand light-year
s away and a thousand years later. Incensed that they do not get to see the end of the episode, the Omicronians launch an invasion fleet.
Back on Earth during the year 3000, the off-duty Planet Express crew decides to take a trip to Monument Beach for Labor Day
, where most of the world's monuments have stood since the 27th century (thanks to the activities of New New York's super villain governor), when the Omicronians begin to invade, destroying them all at once. Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8, demands that the Earth produce "the one called McNeal". President McNeal, fearing for his own safety, orders Zapp Brannigan
to lead an assault against the alien invaders, enlisting the Planet Express crew and thousands of other ships, and turning on the Robot's patrioism circuits, to Bender's annoyance. However, they only succeed in blowing up the Hubble Space Telescope
while suffering heavy casualties: the fleet stands no chance against the actual alien mother ship.
After the attack predictably ends in disaster, Earth's government hands over President McNeal. Lrrr announces that he is the wrong McNeal, and vaporizes the President. Lrrr shows the world a photo of the McNeal they want, and Fry recognizes her as Jenny McNeal, the title character of Single Female Lawyer. The Omicronians demand the broadcast of the television show, or they will destroy the Earth. Unfortunately, most videotapes were destroyed in 2443, during the second coming
of Jesus
. The Planet Express crew decides to fake the show in order to save the world.
Fry's script comes up short, and Leela (as Jenny), is forced to improvise. She proposes marriage to the judge (played by Professor Farnsworth
). During a commercial break, an aggravated Fry tells Leela that people do not watch TV
for clever and unexpected situations because they scare them. Lrrr makes a public statement backing up Fry's assertion.
Fry quickly writes an ending where the judge (Farnsworth
) dies (even though the judge did not know what was going on and tests his pulse), leaving Jenny McNeal as a single female lawyer again. The Omicronians, satisfied with the ending, leave Earth to watch a one thousand year old Jay Leno
monologue
, saying the show was good enough for them to spare the planet, though not good enough for them to give humans their secret to immortality
(Fry blamed it on Zoidberg's overacting).
The episode ends with Fry stating that the secret to a successful television show is that everything ends up back to normal at the end of each episode
. Ironically, the camera pans out to a view of New New York burning in ruins (though, surely enough, it is restored in subsequent episodes).
would be increased in the future and that massive particles would still not be able to travel faster than light, but that electromagnetic waves from the past would still travel at their regular, lower speed.
Though his coworker Linda appears, Morbo is absent from this episode. According to the DVD commentary, the writers try to avoid putting Morbo into episodes that have a large focus on aliens. They also discuss the similarities of Morbo's voice to that of Lrrr's.
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. It originally aired in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on November 7, 1999. This episode was written by Ken Keeler
Ken Keeler
Kenneth "Ken" Keeler is an American television producer and writer. He has written for numerous television series, most notably The Simpsons and Futurama. According to an interview with David X. Cohen, he proved a theorem which appears in the Futurama episode "The Prisoner of Benda".-Career:After...
and directed by Brian Sheesley
Brian Sheesley
Brian Sheesley is an animation director who has worked on several comedy shows, including directing duties on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, two episodes of The Critic, nine episodes of Futurama and two episodes of King of the Hill...
. The episode features an attack by aliens from Omicron Persei 8 who are outraged when the final episode of Earth show Single Female Lawyer is interrupted by technical difficulties. Much of the episode, particularly the method in which the aliens attack, is a spoof of the 1996 film
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
.
Plot
The episode opens in the year 1999, with Fry making a pizza deliveryPizza delivery
Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria delivers a pizza to a customer. Delivery is normally made with an automobile, motor scooter, or bicycle.- Ordering :...
to the control booth of WNYW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
, New York's real Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
flagship station. While there, Fry spills beer on the console (Later in the episode, Amy did some research, saying it was a coke), interrupting the broadcast of Single Female Lawyer (a spoof of Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
). As the technician panics, Fry ominously states, "Like anyone on Earth cares." The camera pulls back from the broadcast tower, away from Earth, and through the depths of space, settling on Omicron Persei 8, a thousand light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away and a thousand years later. Incensed that they do not get to see the end of the episode, the Omicronians launch an invasion fleet.
Back on Earth during the year 3000, the off-duty Planet Express crew decides to take a trip to Monument Beach for Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, where most of the world's monuments have stood since the 27th century (thanks to the activities of New New York's super villain governor), when the Omicronians begin to invade, destroying them all at once. Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8, demands that the Earth produce "the one called McNeal". President McNeal, fearing for his own safety, orders Zapp Brannigan
Zapp Brannigan
Captain Zapp Brannigan is a fictional character in the animated sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West, but was originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman, with West taking over the role after Hartman's death. Brannigan is a 25-Star General in the Democratic Order of Planets, and captain...
to lead an assault against the alien invaders, enlisting the Planet Express crew and thousands of other ships, and turning on the Robot's patrioism circuits, to Bender's annoyance. However, they only succeed in blowing up the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
while suffering heavy casualties: the fleet stands no chance against the actual alien mother ship.
After the attack predictably ends in disaster, Earth's government hands over President McNeal. Lrrr announces that he is the wrong McNeal, and vaporizes the President. Lrrr shows the world a photo of the McNeal they want, and Fry recognizes her as Jenny McNeal, the title character of Single Female Lawyer. The Omicronians demand the broadcast of the television show, or they will destroy the Earth. Unfortunately, most videotapes were destroyed in 2443, during the second coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. The Planet Express crew decides to fake the show in order to save the world.
Fry's script comes up short, and Leela (as Jenny), is forced to improvise. She proposes marriage to the judge (played by Professor Farnsworth
Hubert J. Farnsworth
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, or simply The Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a combination of impressions of Burgess Meredith and Frank Morgan. Farnsworth is the proprietor of the Planet Express delivery...
). During a commercial break, an aggravated Fry tells Leela that people do not watch TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
for clever and unexpected situations because they scare them. Lrrr makes a public statement backing up Fry's assertion.
Fry quickly writes an ending where the judge (Farnsworth
Hubert J. Farnsworth
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, or simply The Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a combination of impressions of Burgess Meredith and Frank Morgan. Farnsworth is the proprietor of the Planet Express delivery...
) dies (even though the judge did not know what was going on and tests his pulse), leaving Jenny McNeal as a single female lawyer again. The Omicronians, satisfied with the ending, leave Earth to watch a one thousand year old Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
, saying the show was good enough for them to spare the planet, though not good enough for them to give humans their secret to immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
(Fry blamed it on Zoidberg's overacting).
The episode ends with Fry stating that the secret to a successful television show is that everything ends up back to normal at the end of each episode
Reset button technique
The reset button technique is a plot device that interrupts continuity in works of fiction. Simply put, use of a reset button device returns all characters and situations to the status quo they held before a major change of some sort was introduced...
. Ironically, the camera pans out to a view of New New York burning in ruins (though, surely enough, it is restored in subsequent episodes).
Production
The broadcast of "Single Female Lawyer" takes 1000 years to reach Omicron Persei 8, but the Omicronians are able to travel to Earth in much less time. In the DVD commentary for this episode, executive producer David X. Cohen explains that the writers had decided that the speed of lightSpeed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
would be increased in the future and that massive particles would still not be able to travel faster than light, but that electromagnetic waves from the past would still travel at their regular, lower speed.
Though his coworker Linda appears, Morbo is absent from this episode. According to the DVD commentary, the writers try to avoid putting Morbo into episodes that have a large focus on aliens. They also discuss the similarities of Morbo's voice to that of Lrrr's.
External links
- When Aliens Attack at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- When Aliens Attack at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- When Aliens Attack at About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
- When Aliens Attack at TVSquad.com
- When Aliens Attack at The Infosphere.