Every Sci-Fi Reference Ever in Futurama

Future-Reference: It Came From Planet X, Others

Appearance: "Fear of a Bot Planet"

If there's one thing we like about planet Chapek 9 more than its subversive parodies of popular vampire slayer lore, it's the kitchy sci-fi references.

"It Came From Planet Earth" references countless nostalgic sci-fi pieces, in everything from its teenagers falling victim to monsters at makeout point, to the simple yet unexpected key to defeating the monsters.

I WILL DIGEST YOU WITH MY SYSTEM OF MIGHTY ORGANS!  BEHOLD!!!

Future-Reference: The Twilight Zone

Appearances: "My Three Suns," "Mother's Day"

"To Serve Man" references the famous yarn about the cookbook being misinterpreted as being recipes for preparing humans, rather than recipes to prepare for humans.  Get it? 

The sentiment would recieve another parody on Mom's universal robot controller in "Mother's Day," with the settings "Serve Man (Literal)," and "Serve Man (Ironic)."

Future-Reference: Armageddon

Appearance: "A Big Piece of Garbage"

Gee, a bunch of astronauts landing on a giant foreign body headed for Earth with the intention of planting a bomb to obliterate the threat...

Would you guess that complications ensue?

Future-Reference: Independence Day

Appearance: "When Aliens Attack"

We get that aliens have to symbollically break out spirits by destroying architectural embodiments of our culture's providence, but did they have to destroy the sandcastle too?

Too bad they couldn't resolve the Omicronian threat with a Macintosh laptop.

Future-Reference: Star Wars: A New Hope's Death Star Assault

Appearance: "When Aliens Attack"

Something feel familiar about this sequence?  Well, it should!  Not only do the Earthican ships bank around the planet in the exact manner as the Rebels in A New Hope, but Fry's outfit smacks of Rebel pilots as well. 

Several ships even get shot down by turbolasers!

So why did they make the Hubble telescope in the image of an Omicronian ship?

Future-Reference: 3-D Chess (Star Trek)

Appearance: "Fry and the Slurm Factory"

Obviously, the fastest way to make something futuristic is to take an existing concept and jazz it up with multiple levels or unnecessary technology, like the 3-D chess of Star Trek!

That being said, a 3D version of "Connect 4" would probably be amazing.

Future-Reference: Soylent Green

Appearance: "Fry and the Slurm Factory," "Roswell That Ends Well"

Take it easy, Fry.  There's no need to worry about people being the secret ingredient of Slurm.  People are already the secret ingredient of Soylent Cola. 

The taste?  It varies, from person to person. 

Thank god Charlton Heston never lived to see this day, or the numerous other Soylent references throughout Futurama.

Future-Reference: Beneath The Planet Of The Apes

Appearance: "I Second That Emotion"

Worshipping an unexploded nuclear bomb would make for a pretty cool story to tell people, especially if it's mainly a Christmas and Easter thing.

The bomb, of course references the underground dwellers of Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, who held a similary deity.

Future-Reference: Dejarik (Star Wars: A New Hope)

Appearance:  "Brannigan, Begin Again"

Much like the 3D chess of Star Trek, Star Wars felt that an easy way to show off future technology would be to have a circular chess board, with holographic monsters attacking each other rather than crappy little marble tokens.

You're supposed to let the Wookiee win, so I don't want to think about how Chewbacca might react to the pieces getting up and attacking him.