Watching Simpsons

One of the wonderful things about Futurama is how it’s not like The Simpsons. Sure, Groening’s art is the same in the two shows, although there’s more digital enhancement in Futurama. Yet, as has been noted before, the style of satirical writing is fundamentally different, and using science fiction is definite way to provide distinction. Yet, it’s the little things, both in Sci-Fi and pop culture, that always make the show interesting. David X. Cohen is an ardent genre fan, and it shows. So is Groening. But sometimes, the little things in prior careers do make for interesting trivia.

Take Cohen for example. He used to code for computer games. He did this back in the time before cable modems, internet chat rooms and online gaming. For today’s younger generation, it may come as a shock of what computers were actually like in the 1980’s — back during the era of green screen monitors, dot matrix printers, and large square “floppy disks” that literally were floppy. Computer gaming was a lot different back then. The characters looked vary blocky, and the games themselves were very simple; there were no 3-D environments, no polygon textured faces or landscapes.

At that point in time, David X. Cohen worked for Broderbund, a leading software company and game developer that has long since faded. Back then, Cohen coded for a game called “Zoid.” It never came out. However, that game, years later, when Cohen persued a highly different career, would become an interesting subtle influence. In developing Futurama, Cohen decided to name the doctor after that game. The story’s kind of interesting. Chris Baker, over at Wired, writes:

But the game Zoid achieved a sort of immortality when Cohen and Matt Groening were shaping the concept for the show that would be Futurama. Cohen, an ardent Trekkie, believed that their show should have some sort of doctor character like “Bones” McCoy on Star Trek. But whereas McCoy is continually forced to treat weird aliens, the doctor on Futurama would himself be a weird alien with no understanding of human anatomy.

While he and Groening were in Florida watching a space shuttle launch, Cohen decided to name the doctor character after his old video game. Doctor John A. Zoidberg became a fan favorite on Futurama.

Futurama, Zoidberg, David X. Cohen, Matt Groening