The Best ‘Star Trek’ References on ‘South Park’
Trey Parker and Matt Stone have cited comedies like The Simpsons and Monty Python’s Flying Circus as major influences on South Park, but the beloved animated series may owe a greater debt to Captain Kirk.
During the DVD commentary for Season One’s “Damien,” Parker noted that Stan’s pep talk to Jesus (during the boxing match with Satan) was lifted from Star Trek: First Contact, making it the show’s “first big Star Trek reference.”
“There’s definitely lots of Star Trek in South Park,” Parker admitted. “I completely grew up with Star Trek. That was my religion in a lot of ways. That was the mythology that I followed.”
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While the “Damien” joke may have been the show’s first reference to Star Trek, it certainly wasn’t the last. Some of South Park’s most memorable shout-outs to Gene Roddenberry’s outer space franchise include…
‘Something You Can Do with Your Finger’ Samples Captain Picard
Speaking of First Contact, in Season Four’s “Something You Can Do with Your Finger,” Randy freaks out in a manner distinctly similar to Captain Picard’s outburst from the Borg-centric sequel. The show even uses the movie’s audio, meaning that Sir Patrick Stewart of the Royal Shakespeare Company briefly played Randy Marsh.
‘Pre-School’ Includes a Callback to the Sad Fate of Captain Pike
When poor Miss Claridge the preschool teacher is horribly burned by a kid, she’s only kept alive thanks to a futuristic motorized wheelchair, which allows her to speak only using beeps — once for “yes” and twice for “no.” We can think of no better system for communication.
This is the same fate that befell Captain Christopher Pike on Star Trek, as seen in “The Cage,” the episode that allowed thrifty producers to recycle footage from the show’s original, Shatner-less pilot.
Michael Dorn Shows Up in ‘Fun With Veal’
In Season Six’s “Fun With Veal,” one of Cartman’s demands to the FBI is for a cattle truck driven by Star Trek: The Next Generation star Michael Dorn, who must address also him as “Captain.” The actor arrives on the scene in full Worf make-up, naturally.
‘Spookyfish’ Reveals An Evil Goatee Universe
Season Two’s Halloween episode introduced the concept of a mirror universe, and all the kids’ evil doppelgangers sport goatees as a nod to evil Spock’s facial hair in “Mirror Mirror.”
The janky split screen whenever two versions of one character share one shot is a nice touch.
‘Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods’ Is Basically a Remake of ‘Dagger of the Mind’
Unfortunate title aside, “Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods” is essentially a remake of Star Trek’s “Dagger of the Mind.” Except for the fact that the early Trek episode was about a space-prison doctor wiping out inmates minds, not a planetarium manager with a speech impediment.
‘City on the Edge of Forever (Flashbacks)’ Features a Literal ‘Redshirt’
Named after the classic Harlan Ellison-scripted time travel episode from the original series, South Park’s “City on the Edge of Forever (Flashbacks)” further paid homage to Star Trek by featuring a kid wearing a red Starfleet uniform.
In keeping with Star Trek’s famous (but inaccurate) lore, the redshirt-clad kid is promptly killed off by a monster. Thankfully, the whole ugly ordeal turns out to be a dream.