A Clone of My Own

"A Clone of My Own" is twenty-third episode of Futurama, the tenth of the second production season and the fifteenth of the second broadcast season. It aired on 9 April, 2000. Having lived for 150 years, Farnsworth is worried about his legacy and his work, and decides to create Cubert, his clone. Having failed again, he admits his actual age and is captured to the Near Death Star.

Act I: "Surprise!"
The Professor announces good news: the university is bringing him up on disciplinary charges, though those are not good news at all. When he and the Planet Express crew arrive to Mars University, he discovers it's a surprise 150th birthday party. At the party, they play a video made by Leela showing the Profesor's life, all his inventions like Fast Cars, Trendy Night Spots and Beautiful Women he created in his tiny room. Not only the video but all the comments of his friends make the Professor think he's wasted his life. Leela tries to console him by saying he still has 10 years left. Only 10 years, because when old people turn 160, Sunset Squad Robots take them to the Near Death Star and they never return. He decides to name a successor. After a few days in his lab, the Professor returns to announce his successor's identity. Neither Fry nor Leela, Bender, Hermes, Zoidberg or Amy (who is trusted the Professor's dentures) turn to be the successor despite they thought one of them was going to be. The Professor reveals his 12-years-old clone, Cubert.

Act II: "Is he dumb or just ugly?"
Cubert is released from the Clone-O-Mat. He comes from one of Farnsworth's growths on his back. He is similar to a young Professor Farnsworth, excluding his nose, which looks splated because Farnsworth left Cubert too long in his tube and his nose got squished up. Cubert is instantly critical of the staff. When the professor begins showing off his inventions like the Smell-O-Scope, the Universal Translator and the Dark Matter Engines of the Planet Express ship, he criticises them too. The Professor takes everyone to Elzar's for dinner to celebrate Cubert being named successor, but Cubert doesn't want to be an inventor. The Professor is very sad because his hopes were broken by Cubert so he records a message for his staff, he's actually 160 and he has alerted the sunset squad to take him away. One of the robots of the sunset squad comes for Farnsworth and takes him.

Act III: "Why do I have to be the hump?"
The crew and Cubert receive the message and use the Smell-O-Scope to track him down. They arrive at the Near Death Star and disguise themselves as sunset squad robots and the Professor (and the Professor's hump). They rescue the Professor, then escape. Cubert decides he does want to be an inventor.

Trivia

 * The speed of light was increased; it is impossible to go faster than this new speed of light. However, old light waves are still at the old speed.
 * This is one of several episodes written by Patric Verrone where the title rhymes with his last name.
 * The Near Death Star looks very similar to The Infosphere.

Continuity

 * Second reference to French being a dead language. Previously evident in the pilot.

Allusions

 * The Professor's time machine echoes the design from the 1960 film of H. G. Wells' book The Time Machine.
 * Hell's Laboratory, cited as the place of Professor Farnsworth's youth, is a joke on the neighborhood known as "Hell's Kitchen" in New York City, with 'laboratory' substituted to make it nerdier.
 * Doctor Zoidberg references Showtime at the Apollo while talking about Professor Farnsworth.
 * The concept of mandatory retirement based on age is taken from "Logan's Run", where 'Sandmen' similar to the Sunset Squad chase people older than 21 years of age.
 * Star Wars:
 * Near Death Star parodies the Death Star.
 * The Hologram is based on Princess Leia's hologram in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, including looking to the side and turning off the recorder.
 * The high-speed chase draws from each film of the Star Wars saga:
 * The start is based on the chase on the Moon of Endor in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
 * The central part echoes the dramatic sorties on the surface of the Death Star in the original Star Wars.
 * The end parallels the escape from Cloud City in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
 * Captain Musky is based on Star Trek's Captain Pike, and is also named for a fish. The distinctive wheelchair returns in a later episode.
 * The hookups of the elderly and their being kept in a fantasy world are reminiscent of the plight of humanity in The Matrix.
 * Also, the freeze-frame pan-around used just as the Planet Express Ship lifts off parodies the signature style of the Matrix.

Quotes
Zoidberg: [writing] Blood ... thicker ... water. Farnsworth: I left him in his first tube too long and he got squished up against the side. Fry: Uh ... I-I've got talking hump syndrome. Barrierbot: Ah, T.H.S. Bender: Your social security check is late! Stuff costs more than it used to! Young people use curse words!
 * Farnsworth: Everyone's always in favour of saving Hitler's brain but when you put it in the body of a great white shark, ooh, suddenly you've gone too far.
 * Fry: Sorry, everyone, but need I remind you? Blood is thicker than water.
 * Farnsworth: I have a very dramatic announcement. So anyone with a weak heart should leave now. Goodbye.
 * Leela: Wait. If he's your clone, why doesn't his nose look like yours?
 * Barrierbot: Did your hump just say something?
 * Fry:Bender, shock him!

Goofs

 * According to the birth dates of the Near Death Star residents, one of them is only about 149 years old. However they aren't supposed to take anyone under 160.

Characters

 * Amy
 * Debut: Barrier Bots
 * Bender
 * Debut: Captain Musky
 * Debut: Cubert
 * Debut: Dean Epsilon
 * Debut: Dean Streptococcus
 * Dean Vernon
 * Elzar
 * Fry
 * Hermes
 * Debut: Sunset Squad Chasers
 * Debut: Sunset Squad Robot
 * Leela
 * Prof. Farnsworth
 * Wernstrom
 * Zoidberg

Episode Credits

 * Writer
 * Patric M. Verrone
 * Director
 * Rich Moore
 * Voice Actors
 * Billy West
 * Katey Sagal
 * John DiMaggio
 * Tress MacNeille
 * Kath Soucie
 * David Herman
 * Phil LaMarr
 * Lauren Tom
 * DVD Commentary
 * Matt Groening
 * David X. Cohen
 * Rich Moore
 * Patric M. Verrone
 * Scott Vanzo
 * John DiMaggio