Science Fiction in South Park
Technology
Episode 211: Robert Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods
Original Air Date: 9.2.98
Main Characters
Cartman, Mr. Mackey, Dr. Adams
Plot Summary
In this episode, Mr. Garrison forces the South Park third grade class to go on a field trip to a planetarium. When they arrive, Dr. Adams, the owner of the planetarium, greets the students and leads them inside. Once inside, the kids are less than impressed when they gaze up into the ceiling of stars. However, they become more interested when Dr. Adams suddenly turns up the intensity and speed of the stars, creating a giant kaleidoscope. The whole 3rd grade class is hypnotized and subjected to his will. After the ride, the kids don't know why they want to return to the planetarium so badly. Soon, Dr. Adams has the whole town hypnotized. Many townspeople willingly work in his planetarium for free. After Mr. Mackey uses a mind melding technique on a student is the evil plot discovered. However, Cartman turns out to be the hero when he unknowingly destroys the brainwashing machine when he throws a fit because no one saw his new Cheesy Poofs commercial.
Analysis
This episode is a spoof of a Star Trek episode titled, "Dagger of the Mind." In that episode, a similar Dr. Adams boards the ship and introduces a new "neural neutralizer" to subdue inmates. However, Spock discovers the true intentions of Dr. Adams by mind melding with him and finding the evil and lunacy inside of him. Dr. Adams wanted to brainwash the entire crew with his new device!
Episode 311: Starvin' Marvin in Space
Original Air Date: 11.17.99
Main Characters
Marklars, Starvin' Marvin, Struthers the Hutt
Plot Summary
The story begins as an alien spaceship lands in Ethiopia. He introduces himself as Marklar to a group of lions, who proceeds to eat him. The next day Starvin' Marvin, a short, rail-thin Ethiopian child discovers the abandoned ship. Starvin' Marvin, like the rest of Ethiopia, suffer from the lack of food and wealth in their country and from the oppression of Christian missionaries who try to impose their faith on then. Starvin' Marvin then flies the trip around the world, eventually arriving in South Park, Colorado to pick up his friends Eric, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. As they fly to discover a new home for Marvin's starving people, Cartman pushes a button that sends the ship through a wormhole to another planet. There they discover the planet Marklar. The Marklars agree to let the Ethiopians live on their planet. However, when they return to Earth the boys receive opposition from the CIA as well as the 600 club. Pat Robertson begins raising money for an "intergalactic cruiser" to spread the Word of God to this new planet. With the help of Sally Struthers, the missionaries are able to reach Marklar. Fortunately, Kyle is able to convince the Marklars to banish the missionaries for good.
Analysis
This episode mocks Christian missionaries and spoofs Star Wars at the same time. The missionaries are portrayed as people who believe their faith is supreme to all others. Even when they go to the planet Marklar, they still have the audacity to try and convert the aliens. They have no problem imposing their morals and beliefs on others. The show also questioned the intentions of religious fund raising when it had Pat Robertson go on the 600 club and ask for money for technology that did not exist. On a lighter note, Sally Struthers was comically portrayed as Jabba the Hutt. She spoke the language of the Hutt and ate constantly. Her intergalactic spacecraft was even typical of the huts. In another tribute to Star Wars and Han Solo, Sally Struthers has Kenny frozen in carbonate.
Episode 413: Trapper Keeper
Original Air Date: 11.15.00
Main Characters
Trapper Keeper, Bill Cosby, Rosie O'Donnell
Plot
A time-traveling cyborg who calls himself "Bill Cosby" has come to South Park from the future to stop the creation of an omnipotent super-being that takes over every computer in the world. The origin of this all powerful creature lies inside of Eric Cartman's new Dawson's Creek Trapper Keeper, a loose-leaf binder. Cartman's Trapper Keeper is special in that it can "hybrid," or absorb other nearby objects (including people!). Before Bill Cosby can save the day, the Trapper Keeper hybrids with Cartman and havoc ensues in South Park.
Analysis
Cyborgs, time travel, hybridization, oh my! This episode is riddled with science fiction. The creators of South Park pay homage to famous science fiction works by spoofing movies such as "Terminator", "Akira", and "2001: A Space Odyssey." The apocalyptic future brought about by an all-powerful self-aware being and the time traveling hero are similar to those found in "Terminator." The monster created by the fusion of Cartman and Trapper Keeper resembles the one found in "Akira." Kyle goes inside Cartman and talks to Cartman inside of a zero-gravity chamber, much like the astronauts talk to Hal while inside him in "2001."