Star Wars

The Star Wars Logo

Futurama, being a comedy science fiction TV show, is bound to make references to other science fiction works. One of the most famous science fiction film sagas is the Star Wars series which is one the most referenced things in Futurama. Star Wars, too, has made references to Futurama several times. Following is a complete list of connections between Futurama and Star Wars.

(Image) : Indicates that it has a picture to the right.

Note: Most of the external links go to Wookieepedia, The Star Wars Wiki

Crew

There have been a number of people who work on both Star Wars (mostly Star Wars: Clone Wars) and Futurama:

Voices

Mark Hamill

• John DiMaggio: Provided voice for General Grievous and Sha'a Gi for Chapter 20 of the Star Wars: Clone Wars. He has done many (namely Bender) voices for Futurama.
• Phil LaMarr: Provided voices for Gadon Thek and Additional Voices in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Riiken and Additional Voices in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Kit Fisto in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He has done many (namely Hermes) voices for Futurama.
• Mark Hamill: Best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Original trilogy, though has done the character in other works. He voiced Chanukah Zombie in Bender's Big Score
  
  . (Image)

Other

Scott Vanzo

• Gabriel Calderón: 'Digital Camera & Composite' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars and Futurama.
• Mun Jeong Yu: 'Supervising Overseas Animation Director' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars. 'Assistant Director' and 'Overseas Supervisor' for Bender's Big Score.
• Chad Katona: 'Digital Camera & Composite Supervisor' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars and Futurama.
• Claudia Katz: 'Producer' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars and Futurama.
• Conan Low: '3D Animator' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars and Futurama.
• Paul Mahotz: 'Digital Camera & Composite' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars. 'Assistant Editor' for Futurama.
• Scott Vanzo: 'Director of Computer Graphics' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars. 'Director of Computer Graphics' and '3D Director' for all episodes and Bender's Game
  
  , 'Composite Supervisor' for Bender's Big Score and 'Camera Composite' for A Terrifying Message from Al Gore. (Image)
• Eric Whited: '3D Animator' for the Star Wars: Clone Wars and Futurama.

Star Wars in Futurama

Star Wars has appeared in Futurama on many occasions:

Season 1

Lightsaber?

Robot Hell

X-Wing Helmet

"Space Pilot 3000" (1ACV01)

• New New York is set out like Coruscant (mostly in the Opening sequence). The Planet Express Ship's entry, in the opening sequence, seems to be a parody of the Millennium Falcon's entrance into Cloud City in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
• The part where Fry gets hit in the head by the remote door is a possible reference to the scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, where one of the stormtroopers accidentally bumps his head into a similar gadget.
• A sign on the street says "AKBAR." Admiral Akbar is a character in Star Wars. Though it is more likely to be a reference to Akbar, a character in Matt Groening's "Life in Hell" comic strip, and it is the name of the Simpsons font.
• A guy on a jet bike is wearing a helmet like Leia wore in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi on the Speeder bike.
• The police use sticks that resemble the Lightsaber from Star Wars. Unlike their Star Wars counterparts, they are blunt weapons (like nightsticks/batons), rather than superheated blades. (Image)
• When the policemen are beating Fry with their lightsaber clubs Leela says: "There is no need to use force" as a reference to The Force in Star Wars.

"Hell Is Other Robots" (1ACV09)

• The Robot Hell is somehow reminiscent of the Robot holding area in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope when C-3PO and R2-D2 are captured by the Jawas and see several Droids/Robots being tortured. (Image)

"When Aliens Attack" (1ACV12)

• The shot of the Planet Express Ship flying by is based on an identical shot in the re-released Star Wars (time 11:47).
• Fry wears a Rebel Alliance X-wing starfighter Pilot's helmet while flying the Planet Express Ship. (Image)
• The battle planning session (and battle) is very reminiscent of the scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
• An un-spiky version of the Near Death Star from 2ACV10 is believed (by fans) to have appeared after Fry spills beer on the transmitter and "zooms" into space; right after the Asteroid Belt and before Jupiter, a white ball-like structure can be seen with streaks like the Near Death Star.

"Fry and the Slurm Factory" (1ACV13)

• The translation of the Alien Language is:
  • The following species are ineligible: space wasps, space beavers, any other animal with the word 'space' in front of it, space chickens, and the elusive yak-face.
    • Yak face is a rare Star Wars figure of Saelt-Marae not released in the USA. Mint figures have sold for thousands of dollars.

Season 2

Star Wars 9 -- Yoda's Bar Mitzvah

Galaxy Wars

Palpatine reminiscint hologram

Near Death Star

Fry with a lightsaber

"Brannigan, Begin Again" (2ACV02)

• At the start of the episode, Fry and Bender can be seen playing Dejarik, a game played by C-3PO and Chewbacca in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

"The Lesser of Two Evils" (2ACV06)

• Star Wars 9 -- Yoda's Bar Mitzvah appears in Past-O-Rama. (Image)

"Raging Bender" (2ACV08)

• When the crew goes to the movies, Fry suggests that they see "Galaxy Wars", an obvious reference to Star Wars (probably Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace). (Image)

"A Bicyclops Built for Two" (2ACV09)

• The Professor's head appearing as a giant blue hologram could be a reference to Palpatine's appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. (Image)

"A Clone of My Own" (2ACV10)

• Near Death Star parodies the Death Star. (Image)
• The hologram is based on Princess Leia's hologram in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, including looking to the side, turning off the recorder and Farnsworth's gesture at the end.
• The high-speed chase draws from each film of the Star Wars Original trilogy:
  • The start is based on the chase on the Moon of Endor in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
  • The central part echoes the dramatic stories on the surface of the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
  • The end parallels the escape from Cloud City in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

"The Deep South" (2ACV12)

• When the camera zooms in on Fry and Bender's bunks before Fry first talks to Umbriel, we see several things propped up against the wall. In the lower right corner, Fry's Rebel Alliance X-wing starfighter Pilot's helmet appears, it was previously seen in When Aliens Attack.

"War Is the H-Word" (2ACV17)

• The Piñata Lightsaber scene parodies the scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi trains Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. (Image)
  • This clip was also featured in "The Birth of the Lightsaber" featurette on the 25 anniversary trilogy DVD.

Season 3

Star Tours

Martian Bow and Arrows

Giant Space Slug

Bender with a lightsaber

"The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz" (3ACV05)

• After being thrown by the orca, Bender makes the same sound as R2-D2 from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes after being spit out of the water by a creature in a swamp on Dagobah. His subsequent landing in the ice references when R2 got stunned by Jawas.

"That's Lobstertainment!" (3ACV08)

• Some of the main characters are riding a tour bus in Hollywood with the name Star Tours (a travel agency in Star Wars). Under the bus logo, a disclaimer reads "Note: Bus Does Not Leave Earth." (Image)
• The head (in a jar) of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace character Jar-Jar Binks is in the audience of the Oscars.

"Where the Buggalo Roam" (3ACV10)

• When the Martians take out bow and arrows, the arrows look like Lightsaber blades (with similar sound effects). (Image)

"The Route of All Evil" (3ACV12)

• The dog chasing Dwight and Cubert (Awesome Express) as they fly through an asteroid field is eaten by a giant space slug extending from a asteroid, a parody of a scene in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, in which the Millennium Falcon flies out from inside a similar beast as it tries in vain to re-eat the ship. (Image)

"A Pharaoh to Remember" (3ACV17)

• Fry says, "At the risk of sounding clichéd, I have a bad feeling about this!". This is a well known line in Star Wars.

"The 30% Iron Chef" (3ACV22)

• Helmut Spargle teaching Bender to peel a hover-potato with an energy blade is a modeled after a scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, when Obi-Wan Kenobi was teaching Luke to feel The Force and use a Lightsaber using a training device. (Image)
• Spargel’s character and subsequent death are a parody of Yoda
• Spargel also mentions the "Dark side of cooking".

Season 4

C-3PO

The Infosphere

"Crimes of the Hot" (4ACV08)

• One of the first robots Farnsworth designed at Mom's Friendly Robot Company was based on the droid C-3PO from Star Wars. It offers to kiss the professor on the forehead, then the professor destroys it by crushing it. As it is being crushed, it says "Oh Dear" several times. (Image)
• Later in the episode, the professor says "Ooh, the Jedi's are going to feel this one..."
• The medal ceremony is very reminiscent of the scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

"Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" (4ACV09)

• The race was inspired by Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace's Podracers.

"The Why of Fry" (4ACV10)

• The Infosphere resembles the Death Star from Star Wars. (Image)
• Nibbler states maybe she is the other in reference to Leela, however nothing more about this statement is explained. It is likely it is a reference to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi where Yoda mentions that there is another which too is never explained. While never explained, it is likely to assume he is referring to Princess Leia, however, it is doubtful that the writers of Futurama are trying to suggest that Fry and Leela are siblings.

"Where No Fan Has Gone Before" (4ACV11)

• When discussing the "Star Trek Wars," Zapp asks, "You mean the vast migration of Star Wars fans?" and then Nichelle Nichols answers, "No, that was the Star Wars Trek."

"The Sting" (4ACV12)

• When Hermes sees that Leela is awake, he exclaims, "Sweet Three-toed Sloth of Ice Planet Hoth! She's awake!", referring to the ice planet from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
• As Leela and Fry escape the Bee Hive a bee hits a wall, then explodes; the ensuing scene is similar to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi when the Millennium Falcon escapes from the second Death Star.

"Spanish Fry" (4ACV17)

• A vehicle resembling a Sandcrawler from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope can be found in the parking lot.

Films

Remote-controlled solid gold Death Star

TIE Fighter

Bender's Big Score

• The magnifier Farnsworth uses to zoom in on Fry's butt has the sound of a Lightsaber.
• The Scammer Aliens have bought several Remote-controlled solid gold Death Stars. (Image)
• Nixon says, "The Force is with us, but that is about it."
• Chanukah Zombie's ship is a TIE/ln starfighter. (Image)

Bender's Game

• The fight between The Great Wizard Greyfarn and Ignus is a reversed parody of the fight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Futurama (video game)

Adoy

Elzar

• In the end of Act I, the Chicken Walker is a reference to Star Wars.
• The initial meeting with Adoy (Image) on Bogad is a reference to a similar scene in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back when Luke Skywalker meets Yoda on Dagobah.
  • Additionally, the character and planet names in the game are the Star Wars names backwards.

Comics

"Slaves of New New York!" (US#X03)

• Comic Book Guy mentions wanting a "metal slave bikini like Princess Leia's from Return of the Jedi."
• The first delivery the Simpsons tag along on is to "an ice planet in the Lucas galaxy", which turns out to be a parody of the Hoth sequence in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

"Robot Robin Hood" (US#025)

• Yoda is parodied as a crane operator.

"Attack of the 50-ft Amy" (US#033)

• Bender took on the personality of Yoda when he ate the pirated movie collection.

Other

• The character of Elzar is a reference to Gormaanda from The Star Wars Holiday Special. (Image)
• Star Wars is mentioned in the commentaries of Fry and the Slurm Factory, Futurama (video game), Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles, The Beast with a Billion Backs, The Lesser of Two Evils and When Aliens Attack.

Futurama in Star Wars

The 'Bender Droid' in Junkheap Hero.

File:Xamar.JPG

A Jedi Decapodian?

Futurama has appeared in Star Wars (though no where near as much as Star Wars in Futurama) on several occasions:

• The droid HK-47 and other droids from the Star Wars Expanded Universe have been known to use Bender's phrase of 'Meatbag'.
• In the comic Skippy the Jedi Droid, Bender is seen making fun of Skippy.
• Bender is also seen in the comic Junkheap Hero as a scrapped droid. (Image)
  • The 'Bender Droid' also appeared in the novel Death Star. It is unknown if they are related.
• Bender was seen in the Star Wars parody Family Guy: Blue Harvest in the Chalmun's Cantina scene.
• Bendu Fry's name was probably derived from Bender and Fry.
• There are a few characters in the Star Wars Universe with names shared in Futurama:
  • Bender
  • Doctor Farnsworth
  • Fry
  • Leela
• Jedi Master Xamar's species, Khil, has been jokingly referred to as being the same species of Zoidberg, Decapodian. (Image)

See also

• In popular culture for connections to Futurama other than in Star Wars.
  • Simpsons connections for connections to Futurama and The Simpsons.