Love's Labours Lost in Space
Encyclopedia
"Love's Labours Lost in Space" is the fourth episode in season one of Futurama
. It originally aired in North America
on April 13, 1999. The episode was written by Brian Kelley
and directed by Brian Sheesley
. This episode introduces the recurring character Zapp Brannigan
when he attempts to prevent the Planet Express crew from completing their mission. It also introduces the characters of Kif Kroker
, Brannigan's aide, and Nibbler
, whom Leela adopts as a pet.
and the others take her to The Hip Joint to meet eligible bachelors. While everyone else leaves with a date, Leela rejects several prospective companions and leaves alone.
The next day, Professor Farnsworth
sends the crew on a "tax-deductible mission of charity"; The uninhabited planet Vergon 6 has been mined hollow for its dark matter
, an incredibly dense substance that is valued as starship fuel
, and its imminent collapse will render all of the native animal species extinct. Farnsworth instructs the crew to recover two of each kind of animal native to the planet for breeding
purposes à la Noah's Ark
.
As the crew arrives in the Vergon system, they find a security cordon put in place around the planet by the starship Nimbus, which Leela recognizes as the flagship of famed space captain Zapp Brannigan
. Upon docking with the ship and coming aboard, the Planet Express crew meet Zapp and his long-suffering executive officer, Lieutenant Kif Kroker
. Though Leela is initially flattered to meet Zapp, relations later turn sour when Zapp rejects Leela's request for help in saving the animals of Vergon 6; the Democratic Order Of Planets (D.O.O.P.) has declared Vergon 6 restricted, as interfering with undeveloped worlds is forbidden (even though it was a D.O.O.P. mining crew that mined it hollow in the first place). When Leela defies Zapp's orders to stay away from Vergon 6, Zapp throws the Planet Express crew in prison.
At night, Zapp summons Leela to his chambers, where she rebuffs his poor attempts at seduction. When Leela declares that she would rather be in prison than "spend an evening with the Zapper", Zapp breaks down crying, saying that he feels lonely in his job and that he had hoped Leela, a fellow captain, would understand. Overcome with pity, Leela eventually has sex with Zapp, but wakes up the next morning in horror after she realizes what has happened. As Leela tries to sneak away, Zapp lets her go, releases the crew and allows them to travel to Vergon 6, believing that Leela will crawl back to him.
While collecting the animals on their checklist, the crew discovers a small black creature with a third eye on a stalk attached to its head. Even though it is not on the list, Leela decides to rescue it as well, names it Nibbler
, and places it in the cargo hold with the other animals. When Fry
, Leela, and Bender return with the last animal, they discover that the mystery creature has devoured all the other animals.
The planet begins to collapse, and when the crew tries to escape, they discover that the ship is out of fuel. After admitting what happened the previous night, Leela initially refuses to ask Zapp Brannigan for assistance, but finally relents in order to save her crew. Zapp says that he will only help them if they leave Nibbler behind, so Leela rejects his offer and tells him off. With no apparent hope of rescue, the crew resign themselves to death. Nibbler then excretes a small pellet of dark matter, enough to enable the ship to escape the planet. As Vergon 6 implodes, the crew returns to Earth, while some of the native animals find refuge on the nearby asteroids.
. When Hartman was murdered by his wife in 1998, however, the role was given to Billy West
(who was already cast as Phillip Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, and others). West has stated that he did imitate Hartman to a certain extent in his portrayal, along with modeling it after some "big, old-time dumb announcers" with whom Phil and himself had been fascinated. Billy West also did the voice of the entity of pure energy that Amy introduced to Leela. According to DVD commentary, during West's recording for that character, the studio was shut down because the producers and audio engineers thought there was a feedback problem (because of how high and cracking the voice was), not knowing until later that Billy West can produce that kind of vocal effect naturally. The painting in Zapp's "Lovenasium" is an imitation of John F. Kennedy's official presidential portrait. The character of Zapp Brannigan is a parody of the Star Trek
character James T. Kirk
and his portrayer, William Shatner
.
listed this episode as number two in their list of the top 25 Futurama episodes. They also named Zapp Brannigan as the best character of the series.
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 April 13, 1999. The episode was written by Brian Kelley
Brian Kelley
Brian Kelley is an American television writer. He has written for Conan O'Brien, SNL, Newsradio, Clerks, Futurama, Joey and The Simpsons.- The Simpsons episodes :He has written the following episodes:...
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...
. This episode introduces the recurring character 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...
when he attempts to prevent the Planet Express crew from completing their mission. It also introduces the characters of Kif Kroker
Kif Kroker
Lieutenant Kif Kroker is a character from the animated television series Futurama. He is the long suffering assistant to Captain Zapp Brannigan and Fourth Lieutenant on the Democratic Order of Planets starship Nimbus...
, Brannigan's aide, and Nibbler
Nibbler (Futurama)
Lord Nibbler is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Frank Welker, who provides not only his speaking lines but also the various noises he makes when not speaking English....
, whom Leela adopts as a pet.
Plot
Leela has had a series of unsuccessful dates (her latest being the one from the cold opening where the date is initially going well until she discovers her date's "vile lizard tongue"), so AmyAmy Wong
Amy Wong, voiced by Lauren Tom, is a fictional character, one of the main characters from the Fox and Comedy Central television animated series Futurama. She works as an intern at Planet Express...
and the others take her to The Hip Joint to meet eligible bachelors. While everyone else leaves with a date, Leela rejects several prospective companions and leaves alone.
The next day, 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...
sends the crew on a "tax-deductible mission of charity"; The uninhabited planet Vergon 6 has been mined hollow for its dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
, an incredibly dense substance that is valued as starship fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
, and its imminent collapse will render all of the native animal species extinct. Farnsworth instructs the crew to recover two of each kind of animal native to the planet for breeding
Breeding in the wild
Breeding in the wild is the natural process of animal reproduction occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity...
purposes à la Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
.
As the crew arrives in the Vergon system, they find a security cordon put in place around the planet by the starship Nimbus, which Leela recognizes as the flagship of famed space captain 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...
. Upon docking with the ship and coming aboard, the Planet Express crew meet Zapp and his long-suffering executive officer, Lieutenant Kif Kroker
Kif Kroker
Lieutenant Kif Kroker is a character from the animated television series Futurama. He is the long suffering assistant to Captain Zapp Brannigan and Fourth Lieutenant on the Democratic Order of Planets starship Nimbus...
. Though Leela is initially flattered to meet Zapp, relations later turn sour when Zapp rejects Leela's request for help in saving the animals of Vergon 6; the Democratic Order Of Planets (D.O.O.P.) has declared Vergon 6 restricted, as interfering with undeveloped worlds is forbidden (even though it was a D.O.O.P. mining crew that mined it hollow in the first place). When Leela defies Zapp's orders to stay away from Vergon 6, Zapp throws the Planet Express crew in prison.
At night, Zapp summons Leela to his chambers, where she rebuffs his poor attempts at seduction. When Leela declares that she would rather be in prison than "spend an evening with the Zapper", Zapp breaks down crying, saying that he feels lonely in his job and that he had hoped Leela, a fellow captain, would understand. Overcome with pity, Leela eventually has sex with Zapp, but wakes up the next morning in horror after she realizes what has happened. As Leela tries to sneak away, Zapp lets her go, releases the crew and allows them to travel to Vergon 6, believing that Leela will crawl back to him.
Nibbler (Futurama)
Lord Nibbler is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Frank Welker, who provides not only his speaking lines but also the various noises he makes when not speaking English....
, and places it in the cargo hold with the other animals. When Fry
Philip J. Fry
Philip J. Fry, known simply as Fry, is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25.-Character overview:...
, Leela, and Bender return with the last animal, they discover that the mystery creature has devoured all the other animals.
The planet begins to collapse, and when the crew tries to escape, they discover that the ship is out of fuel. After admitting what happened the previous night, Leela initially refuses to ask Zapp Brannigan for assistance, but finally relents in order to save her crew. Zapp says that he will only help them if they leave Nibbler behind, so Leela rejects his offer and tells him off. With no apparent hope of rescue, the crew resign themselves to death. Nibbler then excretes a small pellet of dark matter, enough to enable the ship to escape the planet. As Vergon 6 implodes, the crew returns to Earth, while some of the native animals find refuge on the nearby asteroids.
Production
When the Zapp Brannigan role was originally cast, the creators chose Saturday Night Live alumnus and semi-frequent Simpsons voice actor Phil HartmanPhil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
. When Hartman was murdered by his wife in 1998, however, the role was given to Billy West
Billy West
William Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...
(who was already cast as Phillip Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, and others). West has stated that he did imitate Hartman to a certain extent in his portrayal, along with modeling it after some "big, old-time dumb announcers" with whom Phil and himself had been fascinated. Billy West also did the voice of the entity of pure energy that Amy introduced to Leela. According to DVD commentary, during West's recording for that character, the studio was shut down because the producers and audio engineers thought there was a feedback problem (because of how high and cracking the voice was), not knowing until later that Billy West can produce that kind of vocal effect naturally. The painting in Zapp's "Lovenasium" is an imitation of John F. Kennedy's official presidential portrait. The character of Zapp Brannigan is a parody of the Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
character James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
and his portrayer, William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
.
Broadcast and reception
In 2006, IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed this episode as number two in their list of the top 25 Futurama episodes. They also named Zapp Brannigan as the best character of the series.
External links
- Love's Labours Lost in Space 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....