A Clockwork Origin/References

TriviaEdit

• We learn that Zoidberg is Cubert's godfather.
• The talking orangatan is voiced by Tom Kenny.
• This episode is the origin of the popular internet meme "I don't want to live on this planet anymore."
• The robot humans are apparently living in the 1930s, judging from the cars and clothes (even though achieving Cellular phone tecnology prematurely).
• The litigation is a parody of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial.
• The trial takes place in Superior Gort; Gort is the name of the peacekeeper robot in the classic 1951 science fiction film The Day The Earth Stood Still.

AllusionsEdit

Jurassic ParkEdit

During the scene where a water monster attacks Fry, you can hear his roar is the signature Godzilla's roar.

Hermes finds a fossilized dog and says "Oh no, it's another one of Fry's dogs", referencing Seymour from episode Jurassic Bark.

One Million Years B.C.Edit

Amy's torn clothing is similar to that of the character Loana's (played by Raquel Welch) in the 1966 British adventure/fantasy film One Million Years B.C.

A Clockwork OriginEdit

A Clockwork Origin is a play on Anthony Burgess's 1962 dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange and the 1971 film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick with the same name. Like the novel and film, A Clockwork Origin spins a drama out of rival ideological claims about the nature of nature. In the novel and film human nature is at issue. Is human nature fixed or plastic? In the television episode all of nature is at issue. Is life the product of design or accident? The 'fixed' and 'design' positions are fundamentally conservative or rightist while the 'plastic' and 'accident' positions are fundamentally liberal or leftist.

The word "origin" in the title refers to Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, the famous book in which his theory of natural selection was outlined.

South ParkEdit

The talking flying Spaghetti Being is a reference to the South Park episode "Go God Go", which also delved into the controversy of teaching evolution, which in itself is a reference to Bobby Henderson and his parody religion "The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster".

The Wozniak Nerd AcademyEdit

The Wozniak Nerd Academy is most likely a reference to Steve Wozniak.

The SimpsonsEdit

There is also a statue of Springy The Springfield Spring from The Simpsons episode "The Old Man and the "C" Student". It is seen at the far left of the robots' "evolution chain",

In the jury, one of the robots looks similar to Ms. Hoover from The Simpsons.

Star WarsEdit

In the Robo-History Museum there is a statue of R2-D2 from Star Wars.

NotesEdit

• There is a reference to the iPad on the robot world called the iFad.
• The drink, Diet Dr. Pepper is mentioned in the episode when Fry asks the Professor if the toxic mineral black water is his only water source.