Planet Express

Lore & Background

The crew of Planet Express is prone to constant infighting and accusations.

Reader's Guide

The episode "Murder on the Planet Express" is the twenty-fourth episode in the seventh season of Futurama, and the 138th episode overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 21, 2013. The episode was written by Lewis Morton and directed by Frank Marino. The episode's title derives from Murder on the Orient Express and parodies Alien and The Thing. The plot involves the crew getting trapped aboard the Planet Express ship with a horrific alien creature. The episode received a B+ from Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club and an 8.8/10 "Great" rating from Max Nicholson of IGN, who said the episode "featured consistent laughs and one of the best storylines in recent memory." Lewis Morton was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the 66th Writers Guild of America Awards for his script to this episode.

Did You Know?

• The episode originally aired on Comedy Central on August 14, 2013.
• The episode features a shape-shifting alien monster, simply referred to as a shape-shifting alien.
• The episode ends with a variant of the prisoner's dilemma, where Fry and Bender are offered $1,000,000 for information or total immunity and $2,000,000 for turning in the other.

The Core Trio's Dynamic

The narrative heart of Planet Express revolves around an unlikely trio forged in the chaotic streets of New New York. Philip J. Fry, a goofy and dim-witted pizza delivery boy from the late 20th century, finds himself cryogenically frozen for a millennium before waking up to join the company ironically as a delivery driver once again. He is paired with Turanga Leela, a competent one-eyed mutant who serves as the ship's captain and frequently saves the crew from disaster despite her deep-seated self-doubt stemming from an orphaned upbringing.

Completing this unit is Bender Bending Rodríguez, a humanoid industrial robot designated Bending Unit 22. Described by Leela as an alcoholic, chain-smoking gambler, Bender acts as Fry's best friend and roommate while taking on various odd jobs like head chef. Their relationship evolves from strangers meeting at a suicide booth to a tight-knit family unit that navigates the retro-futuristic 31st century together.

Professor Farnsworth's Eccentric Leadership

The proprietor of Planet Express is Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Fry's distant descendant and a mad scientist whose age exceeds 150 years. As the company owner, he oscillates between moments of brilliant scientific mastery and amoral senility, often falling asleep or sending his crew on what amount to suicide missions disguised as delivery jobs. Despite teaching a made-up course at Mars University regarding quantum neutrino fields, he demonstrates expertise in any field required by the plot, from linking disembodied heads to computers to creating atomic supermen.

His leadership style is punctuated by catchphrases like "Good news, everyone!" which often precedes catastrophic events, and exclamations of "Sweet zombie Jesus!" when things go wrong. Farnsworth's history includes a bitter rivalry with Wernstrom stemming from a pop quiz grade given over a century prior, highlighting his long-standing presence in the scientific community.

Character Evolution and Depth

Beyond the main cast, the universe of Planet Express features a vast array of supporting figures who often transcend their initial one-time gag origins. Many characters introduced merely for background scenes or specific functions eventually gain expanded roles, personifying new responsibilities as the series progresses. This evolution is most evident in Leela's journey from a career assignment officer to a beloved captain, and Fry's transition from a dead-end job holder to an integral part of future history.

The show utilizes these recurring and supporting characters to explore themes of identity and belonging, with figures like aliens, business owners, and extended relatives fleshing out the retro-futuristic setting. This dynamic casting approach allows for deep exploration of how individuals adapt to new roles, ensuring that even minor background elements can grow into significant narrative pillars over time.

Origins and Structural Framework

Created by Matt Groening and developed alongside David X. Cohen, this animated science fiction sitcom was produced for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The story is grounded in the premise of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy who is unwittingly frozen on December 31, 1999. Upon waking just before the year 3000, he discovers an interplanetary delivery company owned by his own distant descendant. The series strictly follows this protagonist's adventures as he navigates a world populated by mutants, robots, and aliens. While the show features numerous media personalities and villains, the narrative focus remains on the employees of Planet Express. This structural framework allows for a unique blend of time-travel comedy and futuristic satire, anchored by the specific historical moment of Fry's accidental cryogenic preservation.