Another great science fiction phenomenon which has featured the talents of Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner is about to get a new life. 20th Century Fox has announced it will produce 26 new episodes of the animated comedy Futurama, to air on Comedy Central (or possibly FOX). Details below, plus a look at some Trek/Futurama connections.
Good News Everybody! – Futurama returns 2010
Futurama went off the air in 2003 with only 72 episodes, but it has found a new life in repeats (sound familiar), and later with four DVD movies. Comedy Central (owned by Viacom who also own Paramount) has found success running the repeats and DVD movies and they wanted more original content. Variety has confirmed the story from Collider, and added new details.
All of the original voice cast will be returning and the new episodes will begin airing on Comedy Central in mid-2010. The deal calls for 26 new episodes. 20th Century Fox also has the right to sell the episodes to a broadcast network (probably FOX), but they would still run on Comedy Central in repeats.
Star Trek and Futurama
Futurama has looked to Trek for jokes since its pilot episode (dozens are cataloged at Memory Alpha and The Infosphere). The Trek references go from the subtle (like using the ‘door swoosh’ and red alert sounds from TOS), to the overt like voice cameos from Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner and Jonathan Frakes (many appearing in multiple episodes). References have covered every Trek show, including Enterprise.
The most overt Star Trek reference was the season four episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" which was about how Star Trek was banned in the 31st century, and included all of the above voice cameos. Here is a clip from that episode (with more at comedycentral.com)
| Futurama | Weeknights, 9p/8c | |||
| Star Trek Wars | ||||
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The Trek refs started from the beginning, here is Nimoy’s first cameo, from the Futurama pilot episode:
| Futurama | Weeknights, 9p/8c | |||
| Spock’s Brain (in a Jar) | ||||
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And more recently, in this clip from the 2008 Futurama DVD "Bender’s Game", you can see a transporter accident joke and a cameo from George Takei (with Enterprise/Bakula reference).
| Futurama | Weeknights, 9p/8c | |||
| Space Demolition Derby | ||||
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So we should expect that the Trek jokes to keep coming in 2010. What will the writers of Futurama have to say about the new Star Trek movie?
This is the best news I’ve heard all week
Great news. I love this show. Looking forward to it. Oh. Im not first!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha! Ha!
Futurama:
It just won’t stay dead!
I love this Show. it was a funny and cleaver way to spin off the Simpsons. The Trek jokes were always funny and now we finaly get to see some new episodes. Why does it take sindication for shows like this and of corse trek to get more looks. Just amazes me how that happens.
[Farnsworth]
Great news everybody!
[/Farnsworth]
I can already hear the theme in my head!
I cant believe it’s been off for 6 years!!!
Here’s To The Furture!!
Can’t wait to tell my brother!
Yessss! I also loved Futurama-Billy West and Katy Segal have jobs again! I bought every dvd and all 4 dvd only releases and watched the reruns religiously on adult swim, less so on the comedy channel,I liked it when it was on at 11pm nightly on adult swim-Hope there are many more trek jokes and the robot devil better come bsck too! Now hurry up and re-open the experience!
Please! Don’t let the Box Network, whoops, I mean the Fox Network anywhere near Futurama. They treated the show like last week’s garbage throughout its run.
Awesome news! Can’t wait for new episodes especially with Trek references.
The only thing that makes me sad about “Where No Fan Has Gone Before” is that they made just too late to feature DeForest Kelley in it. Otherwise, classic crossover episode.
And Jim Nightshade- those two have other jobs! The only one that matters to me is Futurama though.
Wonderful news! Love Futurama. It’s a shame it was canceled instead of The Simpsons, which stopped being funny ages ago.
YAHOO!!!!! This isn’t good news everyone, this IS **AWESOME** NEWS!!!!
God knows I certainly did my part buying the Blu-Ray movies as soon as they were released. This really makes my day!!
Did they purposefully put Takei and Bakula in the wrong Enterprises?
Agreed that this is AWESOME news!
Oh, and looking forward very much to your ‘Doomsday Machine’ project Scott. That is shaping up to be AWESOME too!
Best news I’ve heard all week. Thank you to Comedy Central for being smarter than Fox.
I’ve seen a few episodes, and I AM SO HAPPY to hear that i can love my trek without looking like a geek-out…
Because I’m a teenage girl, and thats wat we do…
I’m serious! Spock could learna few tricks on how some of us hide our hate so that we can back stab later.
:D
Bender: “Oh yeah, we’re back baby!!!” AGAIN!!! GLEE!!!!
This news just made my week. I love Futurama!!!
YES YES YES YES YES! YESSSSSS!!!
That is all.
Great news everybody!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! XD!!!!!
Futurama: Phase II?
I’ll definitely raise a glass to that!
– 24thCRS!
didi-bite my shiny metal ass! heheheh
and what about poor Welshie!
So… in the first new episode, the hypno toad will go back in time and create an entire new timeline?
That would be a fine New Trek reference.
‘Way to kill the franchise, Bakula’ LOL xD
YES! YES!! YES!!!
The best news for quite a while. God, how I missed this show! And I just LOVED all the ST and other pop culture references in it, more please! :))
Futurama is one of my favorite shows!
Woo hoo!!!
It’s time to celebrate by gobbling down a great big bowl of Bachelor Chow, then eat some Admiral Crunch and Arch Duke Chocula off the top of my own head and polish it all off by guzzling a 40 ouncer of Olde Fortran Malt Liquor!!!!
Morbo is pleased that the puny humans will return Futurama to the airwaves!
Scotchy!!!!!
D’oh! No… it’s WELCHY!!!
Welshy?
Gad, not only can’t I remember things, but I can’t spell either.
Anyway — Love Futurama Trek stuff.
Yabba-dabba-do! This is great news! Now I wish I had TV!
This is fantastic. I have to admit that when it was first on the air, I was in my Trek-denial phase. I was in high school and it was tremendously uncool to be a Trek fan. Also it came on right in the middle of the Simpsons’ high period, so it really couldn’t compete. I therefore lost interest quickly and shame on me. I’ve been watching it again on Teletoon and I laugh out loud at it regularly. The classic comedy bits that make the Simpsons great are present but with a greater air of Pythonesque silliness, which is so welcome to my post-graduate mind. And the Trek satire is not vicious in any way. The creators clearly love Trek and delight in giving the show a healthy ribbing. There’s just nothing worse than the old jock Trek hatred. “Yeah, I never watched Star Trek, I was too busy chasing pu#$y.” Yeah, and the venereal disease has eaten what little brains you had.
oh well im taking the next pimpmobile outta this dump…
They’re Back Baby!
Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All Trekkies are pathetic virgin losers. Oh how original.
Those Trek “jokes” are about as lazy and tired as they come. No different than the recent mean spirited MSM commentary on Trekkers.
Those sentiments do NOT come from a place of respect and admiration.
Futurama – the stone that just keeps on bleeding…
I dunno-Futurama pretty much made fun of everything from Nixon to freedom and yes trek too-no more mean spirited than many other comedy/parody type shows- after all Melvarr was in reality a cosmic child-oh wait nevrrmind he was 34-
Great news! Love Futurama!
CHR(77) is for the million ways you love me!
WOHOO! Can’t wait for it! I’m a huge fan :D
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
now only if Michael Jackson returns, then i will be off my head with happieness and excitement!!!!!!!!!! :D
fans for fox producers= 0
fans of futurama= ~
I can’t wait anymore. It’s been too long. I NEED TO KNOW THE EXACT DATE THAT THIS SHOW IS COMING BACK ON.