Schrödinger's Cat

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Lore & Background

In "Law and Oracle," the light cycle chase scene features Fry and URL pursuing a man who is Erwin Schrödinger, the physicist famous for the Schrödinger's cat paradox. The episode's production involved discussion about whether the sequence should be inspired by "old Tron" (the original 1982 film) or "new Tron" (the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy). The chase is part of the Future Crimes division storyline, where Fry and URL work to prevent crimes using Pickles, an oracle hybrid who can calculate the future.

In Their Own Story

During the light cycle chase sequence in "Law and Oracle," Fry and URL pursue Erwin Schrödinger through a digital landscape. The chase references both the Tron films and Schrödinger's famous thought experiment about a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead. The scene occurs after Fry is promoted to the Future Crimes division, where he receives visions of future crimes from Pickles, the oracle hybrid.

Reader's Guide

The reference to Schrödinger's Cat appears in the "Law and Oracle" episode of Futurama's sixth season. The episode was originally broadcast on July 7, 2011, on Comedy Central. It was viewed by an estimated 1.548 million viewers in its original American broadcast. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, with Matt Fowler of IGN giving it an 8/10 rating and Sean Gandert of Paste giving it an 8.1/10 rating. The episode's cultural references include Tron (1982), Minority Report (2002), and Avatar (2009).

Did You Know?

• The man being chased in the light cycle scene is Erwin Schrödinger, the physicist known for the Schrödinger's cat paradox.
• The light cycle chase sequence was inspired by the 1982 film Tron, with production debating between referencing 'old Tron' or 'new Tron' (Tron: Legacy).
• "Law and Oracle" was originally entitled "Frynority Report" before the concept was scrapped.
• The episode was written by Josh Weinstein and directed by Stephen Sandoval.
• The episode was originally broadcast on July 7, 2011, on Comedy Central.