Tripping the Rift

Lore & Background

The series is set in a universe modeled largely after Star Trek, with references to warp drive, transporter beams, time travel, the Federation, and the Vulcans, while also borrowing elements from Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Battlestar Galactica. Known space is politically divided between the Confederation, a parody of the Federation led by humans but dominated by mega-corporations and bureaucracies, and the Dark Clown Empire, a totalitarian police state parodying the Galactic Empire, led by Darph Bobo. Both superpowers exploit their inhabitants: the Confederation reduces sentient robots to slave status, while the Empire practices actual slavery and most Confederation inhabitants live in wage slavery. The only free region is the borderland called 'the Rift,' where outlaws are said to be 'Tripping the Rift.' The series follows a group of outlaws led by Chode aboard the spaceship Jupiter 42, taking odd jobs and pursuing get-rich-quick schemes.

The main characters include Chode McBlob, a purple, three-eyed alien captain; Six of One, a gynoid science officer designed as a sex robot but given a conscience; T'Nuk Layor, an ill-tempered centaur-like pilot and cook; Whip, Chode's green reptilian nephew; Gus, Chode's robot servant and engineer; Spaceship Bob, an agoraphobic AI; Darph Bobo, the Dark Clown Empire's leader and Chode's former high school classmate; and Captain Adam Francis Shatner, a Confederation ship captain. The series was developed from a 1997 pitch by Chris Moeller and Chuck Austen to Film Roman, with the first pilot 'Love and Darph' launched on the internet in 1998. CinéGroupe acquired the rights in 2002, with animation done by Shanghai Cartoon using Autodesk 3ds Max software.

Reader's Guide

Tripping the Rift is notable as an adult CGI science fiction comedy that parodies major space franchises, particularly Star Trek and Star Wars, while incorporating elements from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Battlestar Galactica. The series was produced by CinéGroupe in association with Sci Fi Channel, and after its cancellation by that cable network, CinéGroupe continued producing the series for other North American and international broadcasters. It aired on the Canadian specialty channel Space in 2004 and Teletoon in August 2006, with Teletoon participating in the production of the third season, which aired in 2007. A feature-length movie version was released on DVD in 2008. The series is known for its satirical take on political systems, depicting both the Confederation and the Dark Clown Empire as exploitative, and for its cast of voice actors including Stephen Root, Gina Gershon, Carmen Electra, Jenny McCarthy, and Maurice LaMarche. The show's development began with internet shorts in the late 1990s, and its production involved keyframe animation by a Malaysian studio. The series' legacy lies in its parody of iconic science fiction tropes and its exploration of themes such as commercialized life, slavery, and wage slavery within a comedic framework.

Did You Know?

• Six of One was voiced by different actresses across the pilot and seasons, including Patricia Beckmann, Terry Farrell, Gina Gershon, Carmen Electra, and Jenny McCarthy.
• The Dark Clown Empire is led by Darph Bobo, a parody of Darth Vader who attended high school with the protagonist Chode.