Politics in Futurama

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The animated science fiction show Futurama presents a satirical look at politics and current affairs in a number of its episodes. Series creator Matt Groening intended from the outset that Futurama would lampoon not only the conventions of science fiction, but elements of present-day life.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Earth government 1.1 Presidency 2 Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.) 3 Environmentalism 3.1 Global warming 3.2 Conservationism 4 References

[edit] Earth government

The most significant change in global politics presented in Futurama's view of the 31st century is that the whole of Earth is governed by a single united government. This united government has many similarities to the present-day United States' political system; its capital is Washington, D.C., it is a two-party system with a number of smaller third parties, the government is headed by a president, and there are references to a constitution and an expanded bill of rights. Citizens of Earth are referred to as "Earthicans". The Earth Government is composed of various member nations which maintain many of their own cultures and languages, but also show evidence of multiculturalism (France now speaks English, for example).

"Old Freebie" is the fictional flag of Earth in Futurama. It contains the thirteen stripes of the Flag of the United States but instead of the 50 stars at the side it has a picture of the planet Earth (the former American part). In the episode "A Taste of Freedom", Doctor Zoidberg eats the flag, causing an interplanetary incident.

[edit] Presidency

The president of Earth is introduced in the episode "When Aliens Attack"; in this episode alone he is President McNeal. In a case of mistaken identity, McNeal is vaporised by invading Omicronians. In a later episode, "A Head in the Polls", a presidential election is held. Initially two clones, John Jackson and Jack Johnson, stand for the presidency, representing the "Fingerlican" and "Tastycrat" parties respectively. Later in the episode, Richard Nixon enters the running, his living head preserved in a glass jar and mounted on Bender's previously pawned body.^[3] At first Nixon's head is presented in a positive light, an effort by the writers to point out laudable elements of the real Richard Nixon's political career.^[4][5] However, it is soon revealed that Nixon's head has evil intentions, planning to "sell children's organs to zoos for meat" and "go into people's houses at night and wreck up the place!". His campaign is almost undone after Fry, Leela and Bender record his confession and use it to blackmail him into giving back Bender's body, but he wins by a single vote after overwhelming support from Earth's robotic voters in response to his colossal new robot body. Nixon's head reappears as President of Earth in numerous subsequent episodes. Series creator Matt Groening has expressed pleasure at being able to continue poking fun at Nixon thirty or forty years after he was in office.^[6]

The Phoenix included the episode "A Head in the Polls" in a list of the best political satires in animation.^[7]

Nixon's head's subsequent appearances in Futurama are often used for satirical humour. An example is the episode "Three Hundred Big Boys", where Nixon gives a $300 tax rebate to every Earthican, spoofing the rebate that was part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.^[8]

[edit] Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.)

The Futurama universe has a cooperative interplanetary organization known as the Democratic Order of Planets or D.O.O.P.. First mentioned in the episode "Love's Labours Lost in Space", it is explored in more detail in "Brannigan Begin Again", where the professor explains to Fry that it is similar to the present-day United Nations (and when this is met with incomprehension, Hermes likens it to "The Federation from your Star Trek program").^[3] The D.O.O.P. flag is styled on the flag of the United Nations, replacing the globe image with an atom diagram with the word "doop" (in lowercase) in the center.^[9]

[edit] Environmentalism

Former Vice President of the United States and prominent environmentalist Al Gore is a recurring guest-star and character in Futurama, due in part to his daughter Kristin Gore's involvement in the show as a staff writer and story editor. Gore has appeared as himself in story segments set in the early 21st century ("Anthology of Interest I" and Bender's Big Score) and as his own head in a jar in the 31st century ("Crimes of the Hot" and Bender's Big Score). His appearances in the show are used to satirise and raise awareness of environmental issues.

[edit] Global warming

The episode "Crimes of the Hot" centers around the issue of global warming. The temporary solution of cooling the Earth with giant ice cubes dropped periodically into the ocean is no longer possible because Halley's Comet, the source of the ice, has been mined completely hollow. The head of Al Gore (introduced as the "inventor of the environment, and first Emperor of the Moon") opens an environmental summit in Kyoto.

The episode was nominated for the Environmental Media Award in 2003.^[10] Al Gore's appearance in the episode was also listed as one of the 20 best animated politicians by The Phoenix.^[7]

Al Gore's involvement with the show continued after it was cancelled in 2003. In promoting the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, the producers of Futurama were approached to make a short animated trailer, starring Al Gore and Bender. This trailer was released online,^[11] and is included as an extra on the DVD of Bender's Big Score, with a commentary track by Al Gore, David X. Cohen and Matt Groening.^[12] An Inconvenient Truth used a clip from the episode "Crimes of the Hot" to humorously explain how global warming works.^[13]

[edit] Conservationism

The episode "The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz" tackles the issues of pollution and its effect on wildlife. In a parody of the Exxon Valdez oil spill,^[14] a tanker spaceship spills its cargo of "dark matter oil" on a penguin colony on Pluto. However, rather than killing the penguin population, the pollution vastly increases the speed and rate of their breeding. This leads the conservationists, who originally set out to save the wildlife and clean up the oil spill, to resort to hunting the penguins to prevent them starving from overpopulation. The episode's stance on the issue of hunting was influenced by some of the writers on The Simpsons, which has also presented multiple viewpoints on controversial issues.^[15]

[edit] References

v • d • e Futurama Media Episodes · Comic books · Video game · DVD movies Main characters Fry · Leela · Bender · Professor Farnsworth · Zoidberg · Hermes · Amy Recurring characters Zapp Brannigan · Kif · Nibbler · Cubert · Calculon · Mom · Recurring human characters · Recurring robot characters · Recurring alien characters Themes Politics in Futurama · Religion in Futurama Technology Planet Express Ship · Suicide booth · Chroniton · Cryonics Cast Billy West · John DiMaggio · Katey Sagal · Maurice LaMarche · Tress MacNeille · Phil LaMarr · Lauren Tom · David Herman · Frank Welker  · List of guest stars on Futurama · List of Futurama crew