Futurama and France

Subtle humor..

Saw the first episode of Futurama again today. My wife noticed something very interesting that snuck passed me but given the attention to detail this show has, I wonder what it could mean..

During the show, they do two New Years Eve countdowns (10...9...8...etc.). The first one, taking place in 1999, goes to various parts of the World. They show the Eiffel tower and the people say 9 in French. Similarly, every other part of the world says their number in their native language.

However, in 2999 during the count down when they bring up the Eiffel tower they say their number in English. Every other part says their number in their native language again.

An interesting implication - in Futurama, the French speak English in 2999. ;)
30,352 views 5 replies
Reply #2 Top
It's because Patrick Stewart invaded France.
Reply #3 Top
They don't give a reason, but French is a dead language in the future.

Of course, that's probably what's going to happen in real life.

Your wife is very astute.
Reply #4 Top
You would be amazed if you listened to French radio: more than half the songs are in English. It would surprise me if French died altogether (it is spoken in many places ... such as the neighbourhood I live in in Philly where many people are from Senegal). And it bodes well for a country to have its inhabitants speak several languages ;-)
Reply #5 Top
They mention "some incomprehensible dead language" in "A Clone of My Own." When Q-Bert says hello, the machine translates it as bonjour.