Deep Space Homer
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"Deep Space Homer" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of The Simpsons. The episode first aired on February 24, 1994.
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Episode details
Production Number: 1F13
Original Air Date: February 24, 1994
Writer: David Mirkin
Director: Carlos Baeza
Couch Gag: The family runs to the couch, only to find a fat man sitting on it. They squeeze in to the left of him.
Guest Voices: Buzz Aldrin and James Taylor
Synopsis
At work, Homer and all employees are ordered to participate in the Worker of the Week award festivities. Everyone who participates, except Homer, already has a medal, but Mr. Burns gives the next Worker of the Week award to an inanimate carbon rod. Homer is mad that the rod wins the award, feeling dejected that no one likes him. Unhappily watching a space shuttle launch, Homer is stopped by Bart. Indeed, NASA finds out that its Nielsen ratings have declined, and attempt to find out what personalities would be ideal for astronauts. They look to blue-collar TV show characters for inspiration, and make a search. Homer is found when he complains to NASA by phone. But when a NASA researcher arrives at Moe's, Homer thinks he is in trouble and blames Barney; both go to Cape Canaveral to train to become an astronaut.
The training goes well: Homer and Barney both do well in their exercises, but the future is grim for Homer when he learns that Barney has been chosen to go on board with Buzz Aldrin and the fictional astronaut Race Banyan. However, when Barney has a toast with the people at NASA, he drinks champagne, then goes berserk, and gets drunk on a jet pack. Ironically, the champagne Barney had was non-alcoholic. A scientist declares Homer the default winner of the competition, and he goes up into space with the two other astronauts.
In spite of Homer being chosen to go into space, he is very nervous about going. He runs from the space shuttle and talks with Marge on the phone, and she says that Homer ought to take advantage of going into space. He agrees, and gets into the Corvair space shuttle, with its name a reference to the car that was widely considered to be unsafe. The launch is also a Nielsen ratings smash. When on the shuttle, Homer smuggles potato chips (which appear to be ridged) on board. He opens the bag, but is unaware that they will clog the instruments. Nonetheless, he eats them, but is unaware that they will destroy an ant farm. He destroys the ant farm, frightening the astronauts.
Although James Taylor comes in to make a performance, the disaster continues on board, with Kent Brockman reporting that the space shuttle has been taken over by the ants. The ants destroy the navigation system. Luckily, James Taylor offers to help, by suggesting that they blow the debris out the front door. The astronauts do, but Homer breaks the shuttle's door's handle, and is confronted, until he uses the inanimate carbon rod from the power plant to seal the door shut. They try to reach the Earth, and it lands at a journalist convention. Although Buzz Aldrin declares Homer the hero, the press see the rod as being a hero. Back at home, Homer is disappointed that he did not get as much respect as the rod, but the family honors him for his achievement, saying that Homer is only one of a handful of people who get to go into space.
Trivia
- Homer opening a packet of potato chips in space has a possibly coincidental similarity to an incident on the Gemini 3 spaceflight when John Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich onboard - he and his crewmate Virgil Grissom each took a few bites, but were reprimanded for it after returing to Earth, as the crumbs could have damaged the electronics.
Quotes
- NASA worker #1: People, we're in danger of losing our funding. America isn't interested in space exploration any more.
NASA worker #2: Maybe we should finally tell them the big secret... that all the chimps we sent into space came back super-intelligent.
Super-intelligent Chimp: No, I don't think we'll be telling them that. (he leaves the room on roller skates) - Ant #1 (when the ants' on-shuttle environment is endangered): Protect the queen!
Ant #2: Which one's the queen?
Ant #3: I'm the queen!
Ant #1: No you're not!
Homer: Noooo!!
Ant #1 (after the environment is destroyed and the ants fly through the shuttle): Freedom! Horrible, horrible freedom!
(NOTE: The things the ants said were in subtitles)
