Tripping the Rift

Lore & Background

The series follows a group of outlaws led by Chode McBlob aboard the spaceship Jupiter 42, taking odd jobs and pursuing get-rich-quick schemes. The universe is modeled after Star Trek, with warp drive, transporters, the Federation, and Vulcans, while also borrowing from Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Battlestar Galactica. Known space is divided between the Confederation (a parody of the Federation) and the Dark Clown Empire (a parody of the Galactic Empire), with the border region called 'the Rift' being the only place of true freedom.

Key characters include Chode (a purple, three-eyed alien captain), Six of One (a gynoid science officer voiced by multiple actresses across seasons), T'Nuk Layor (a centaur-like pilot and cook), Whip (a green reptilian teenager), Gus (a robot servant parodying C-3PO), Spaceship Bob (an agoraphobic AI parodying HAL 9000), Darph Bobo (supreme leader of the Dark Clown Empire), and Captain Adam Francis Shatner (a parody of William Shatner's James T. Kirk).

Reader's Guide

Tripping the Rift is significant as an early example of adult-oriented CGI animation that directly parodies major science fiction franchises, particularly Star Trek and Star Wars. Its production history illustrates the shift from internet shorts to television series, with CinéGroupe acquiring rights to the five-minute short Love and Darph in 2002 and producing the series in association with Sci Fi US. The show's cancellation by Sci Fi Channel did not end its run; CinéGroupe continued production for other North American and international broadcasters, with Teletoon joining for the third season. The series' legacy includes its DVD movie release in 2008 and its place as a cult adult cartoon that satirizes both the utopian and dystopian aspects of classic sci-fi societies, depicting both superpowers as exploitative in different ways.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on two short animations published on the internet by Chris Moeller and Chuck Austen.
• Six of One was voiced by different actresses in each season: Gina Gershon (season 1), Jenny McCarthy (season 2), and a different actress (season 3).
• The character Darph Bobo is a parody of Darth Vader and the Death Star is parodied as the 'Death Orb'.
• The series was produced using keyframe animation with Autodesk 3ds Max software, with preproduction in Montreal and animation in Malaysia.