Futurama Season 12 Black Hole 'Prank' Is Surprisingly Accurate For Real Science Research

Futurama season 12, episode 9, “The Futurama Mystery Liberry” features an interesting moment involving a black hole that may seem like it was just included for comedic purposes, but it's also surprisingly informative. It is definitely the most different of them all Futurama so far have season 12 episodes, but the detective story/sci-fi crossover stories aren't entirely out of character in the show's historical context. The Futurama the cast is required to voice different versions of their characters, set up under different names in seemingly non-canonical stories.

Matt Groening's cartoon incorporates several overused sci-fi tropes and has done so since its inception in 1999. Although it uses sci-fi tendencies in a particularly silly way at certain points, the writers don't always cover up the scenes in question with too much humor. . As it can be seen Futurama always uses scientific freedoms is in the interest of comedy, but that's not always the case – as evidenced by a few lines of dialogue in “Futurama Secret Liberry”.

Lila Heard Through a Black Hole in Futurama 12. Season 9 Based on Real Science

Some sounds can actually escape a black hole

The episode consists of three spoofs that reimagine popular detective franchises. The first short story is a spin on the Nancy Drew tales, with Leela in the “title role” as Lancy Trew. As the lens enters the black hole, Tom Snift/Professor Farnsworth explains that “Whatever falls into it can never escape. It does not even illuminate itself.” When Amy Wong's new character Lancey hears a cry for help, Farnsworth immediately backs offadding, “There may be some noise. But that's it!“The professor's hasty correction is certainly in keeping with his usual character, but both of his statements are actually true.

Now the scene is not quite clear. Although black holes have been recorded to make noise, the noise is too low to be heard by the human ear. According to NASA, the waves from the black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy can be turned into a musical note “57 octaves below middle C.” So while Lancey's scream is inaudible to his friends outside the black hole, this moment is based on a very real scientific discovery. Interestingly, a version of it. NASA's finalization of the black hole can also be heard as Lancy falls into the trap.

Neil deGrasse Tyson's new cameo makes Futurama season 12's astrophysics joke even better

Tyson's Big Bang joke is comedically simple

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the world authorities on astrophysics. It's a vast area of ​​scientific research, but it involves black holes. Tyson's scene in “The Futurama Mystery Liberry” comes near the end of the episode and is a completely different story than the one featuring the black hole. All of his actions during the comedic sequences are a simplified suggestion of the Big Bang as an explanation for Bender's unrelated mystery. It's very funny and quite poetic to have an expert like Neil deGrasse Tyson in the same episode as the black hole moment.

Tyson has appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in several movies and television shows. In addition to animated projects, he voiced himself in live broadcasts. A recent guest spot on a sci-fi sitcom adds him to the list of real-scientist cameos. Futurama. It appeared in A Futurama-adjacent animation beforebut never on a proper show until now. Tyson's other appearances include cameos Stargate: Atlantis, Gravity Fallsand Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Futurama has a reputation for adhering to True Scientific Principles

The Futurama writing staff is incredibly skilled at writing compelling sci-fi stories.

The black hole gags in “The Futurama Mystery Liberry” aren't the first time in the show's history that it has only mildly tweaked science fact to turn it into science fiction. Of course, the show isn't afraid to just make things up either, but it doesn't always do it. Speaking with Slate, Futurama writer and producer Patric M. Verrone discussed the impressive qualities screenwriters boast.. It might seem like too much for a sitcom, but the gathering of academics writing the stories has resulted in some really compelling adventures and concepts.

“[The writing staff] which included three Ph.D.s., seven master's degrees, and more than half a century of Harvard education. We were easily the most educated cartoon writers in history, won critical acclaim, multiple Emmys and a worldwide fan base, but we weren't smart enough to figure out how to avoid cancellation.”

A black hole joke wouldn't be the first joke from a show based on real science, and it would be incredibly surprising if it were the last. In fact, Futurama It certainly couldn't be done if he didn't always have one eye on the laws of physics. those that exist in reality, while the other focuses on the cartoon's absurd approach to storytelling. so that Futurama will continue to silently fold in these complex formulas for simple moments of hidden comedy.

Sources: NASA, Slate