The pilot episode of Futurama entitled “Space Pilot 3000,”
aired in March 1999. Despite being over 15 years old, the episode still
presents several relevant issues related to the sudden spike in the
technological growth of this age.
Through 20 minutes of cleverly plotted slapstick humor, subtly mixed
with the insights of the writers, this episode of Futurama is enjoyable as much
as it is thought-provoking.
There are several advanced
technologies that are featured in the episode. Some are wild, funny and amusing
to look at on the surface. Yet, these features are not far from invention. Plastic
tubes that serve as transport systems, integrated alien life forms, flying
cars, robots, even suicide booths are all possibilities based on the
development of modern science.
In my point of view, the show
tackles time travel in a way that makes us reflect whether or not a future
leading to technological singularity, or mastery of all technologies, is really
desirable. Time travel, in this case, is the means by which we get a glimpse of
a future which some might consider utopic, and others dystopic.
Philipp Fry wakes up after being
cryogenically frozen for over a thousand years. At first, he is awestruck by
what he sees, in that future society functions so much differently compared to
current society. He finally thinks he’s found a place where he’s happy; the
problems of his past life are nowhere to be found. The turning point in the
story would have to be when the one-eyed alien officer tries to implant a
“career chip” into Philipp. People in that society would have to either accept
their permanent work, or avail of the suicide booths. This was the first
downside of advanced technology that had presented itself to me. With artificial
intelligence and better machinery doing our work for us, how much value will be
left in human work? Consequently, this might lead to a common struggle for
humans in future societies to attain individuality, as society will often
dictate who we are for us.
As he goes
through the ruins of his old village, Philipp lets out a sigh of grief as he
finally realizes that although the future may have given him a clean slate, he
has never felt more alone in his life. Perhaps this is the biggest hazard with
the development of technology, particularly, with social media: the loss of
actual connection with others. These networking sites, devices, and machines
may be giving us more convenient ways to communicate, but in using them in lieu
of actual physical contact and conversation, we find that our relationships
grow in quantity, but degrade in quality. Despite how “connected” society is
getting, we might actually be growing much lonelier.
This
episode of Futurama was a treat, as it gave me a good laugh, and provided much
food for thought. Personally, however, I don’t think I would like to travel to
such a future.
Redentor E. Claudio
2013-59776
Redentor E. Claudio
2013-59776
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