Omicron Persei VIII

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Animation Rendering of Omicron Persei VIII
Animation Rendering of Omicron Persei VIII

Omicron Persei VIII is the fictional home world of a race of aliens, known as the Omicronians, ruled by emperor Lrrr and his wife Ndnd, on the animated television series Futurama, set in the early 31st century. In the Futurama universe it is a habitable planet orbiting the star Omicron Persei, which is about 1000 light years from Earth; this convenient coincidence allows the Omicronians in the 31st century to view 21st century television broadcasts. As seen in "Spanish Fry", the planet's design appears to be influenced heavily by Qo'noS, home planet of the Klingons on Star Trek.

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[edit] Omicronians

Lrrr, Emperor of Omicron Persei VIII, with Ndnd at far right
Lrrr, Emperor of Omicron Persei VIII, with Ndnd at far right

In their first appearance ("When Aliens Attack") the Omicronians are angrily attacking Earth, demanding a satisfactory resolution to a broadcast of Single Female Lawyer (a parody of the then-popular TV series Ally McBeal), which had been interrupted in 1999 by Fry clumsily spilling beer on a control panel in the New York studios of 20th Century Fox Television (home of both Ally McBeal and Futurama). Lrrr and Ndnd are also shown to be fans of Jay Leno and the series Friends, though Lrrr finds it "foolish" and is not very fond of the character Joey, he also wonders why the bigger human( Ross Geller)simply don't eat the smaller ones. The Omicrons are also extremely temperamental and have tough skin.

[edit] Abilities

Lrrr, the emperor of the Omicronians, implies in "When Aliens Attack" that they possess the ability to heat the Earth by a billion degrees a day (which he threatens), and that they possess "a recipe for immortality", which they refuse to give to Earth. This is backed up by the enormous power they wield against Earth (in the form of lasers referred to as "anti-monument lasers"). In "The Problem with Popplers" he suggests that he believes it to be possible to produce billions of children in a few days, suggesting that they have a prodigious reproduction rate. Earth is clearly afraid of the Omicronians, since 247 days after the brief war against Earth, the Earth government, through Romanticorp, hires Planet Express to deliver 20 billion conversation hearts as a diplomatic gesture that "Earth loves you *this* much" (Leela in "Love and Rocket"). The effort backfires when Lrrr finds the hearts "chalky and unpleasant" and he and Ndnd discover one heart that says "I WUV U". Though they are familiar with "love", the concept of "wuv" confuses and infuriates them, prompting them to attack the Planet Express crew, who barely escape.

[edit] Neighboring planets

Omicron Persei VIII has two neighboring planets, aptly named Omicron Persei VII and Omicron Persei IX, as revealed by the popular saying "Women are from Omicron Persei VII, men are from Omicron Persei IX" (an obvious spoof on Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus).

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details about The Problem with Popplers follow.

[edit] "Popplers"

Jrrr, an infant Omicronian.
Jrrr, an infant Omicronian.

The edible early developmental stage of an Omicronian is known as a "Poppler" ("The Problem with Popplers"). The name was chosen by Fry from a list of the two remaining words on Earth that were not trademarked -- the second was Zitsles -- after rejecting the unsuitable name "tasticles" as too similar to the existing product "You know, those frozen Rocky Mountain Oysters on a stick, testsicles?".

Popplers were discovered by the Planet Express crew in huge numbers in pits on an alien planet. In their earliest stage, the popplers resemble fried shrimp and are extremely delicious. The Planet Express crew began harvesting them in large numbers, eventually selling them through the Fishy Joe's chain of seafood restaurants, where they proved extremely popular.

Popplers were only discovered to be sentient when Leela examined one that had been left uneaten for several days (through the slovenly habits of Fry) and it began talking to her. It was soon revealed that popplers were the infant stage of the Omicronian race, who deposit their young on "nursery planets". The elders demanded retribution for their 198 billion eaten infants but were eventually satisfied when Lrrr ate one human (Free Waterfall Jr.).

Upon reaching maturity, it is normal for Omicronian young to eat their mothers.

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