Dr. John A. Zoidberg, often simply called Zoidberg, is the staff doctor at Planet Express in the animated series Futurama. Voiced by Billy West, this Decapodian alien is a central character, known for his medical ineptitude, poverty, and desperate need for acceptance. While he may be a terrible doctor, particularly when it comes to human anatomy, Zoidberg’s unique personality and hilarious misadventures have made him a fan favorite. This article delves into the many facets of Dr. Zoidberg, exploring why, despite his lack of medical skill, he remains a beloved and integral part of the Planet Express crew.
Personality and Quirks of Dr. Zoidberg
Zoidberg’s defining characteristic is his overwhelming desire to be liked and respected by his colleagues at Planet Express. He operates under the delusion that he is a valued member of the team, despite constant mockery and mistreatment, particularly from Hermes Conrad. Despite his perceived intelligence, Zoidberg’s medical skills are shockingly poor, especially concerning humans. Interestingly, Professor Farnsworth, his oldest friend, implies Zoidberg is much older than he appears, adding another layer to his enigmatic persona.
Despite the constant negativity he faces at Planet Express, Zoidberg displays a surprising affection for Earth, valuing the personal freedoms it offers. In a bizarre twist, Robot Santa Claus, known for his homicidal judgment of “naughty” individuals, inexplicably deems Zoidberg “nice,” possibly due to a glitch or Zoidberg’s genuinely innocent nature. Beyond the Professor and Robot Santa, Zoidberg finds friendship with the original Planet Express crew, Fry (intermittently), Mom, and his girlfriend Marianne, showcasing his capacity for forming meaningful connections despite his social awkwardness.
Dr. Zoidberg’s Biography: From Decapod 10 to Medical School Dropout
Giant Zoidberg from the episode “Anthology of Interest I”.
Born on Decapod 10, Zoidberg’s early life was marked by a desire for acceptance, much like his present. He harbored a childhood crush on Edna, a classmate, during a period when his face was covered in barnacles, leading to ridicule. Young Zoidberg initially aspired to be a comedian, inspired by his uncle Harold Zoid, but was discouraged by his guardian. This led him to pursue medicine, a career path also met with disapproval from his family who lamented his abandonment of comedy.
Despite these conflicting pressures, Zoidberg went to medical school, though it’s unclear if this was on Decapod 10 or Earth. Crucially, he never obtained a medical doctorate for human medicine. Instead, his doctorate is in art history. This explains his profound incompetence when treating humans, a fact regularly showcased in his Planet Express duties and even in his external practice, as seen with the “Australian man.” However, Professor Farnsworth acknowledges Zoidberg’s expertise in alien physiology, highlighting a niche where his medical knowledge might actually be valuable.
A pivotal moment in Zoidberg’s past was his encounter with Professor Farnsworth in 2927. During a mission to capture a Tritonian yeti for Mom, the Professor contracted hypermalaria, then considered incurable. Farnsworth saved Zoidberg’s life by killing the yeti and, in return, asked Zoidberg to promise to euthanize him when hypermalaria symptoms manifested to avoid suffering. This pact led to Zoidberg’s employment at Planet Express when it was established in 2961, based on this grim agreement.
Production image of Zoidberg’s poorly equipped and messy lab at Planet Express.
Zoidberg’s Tenure as Planet Express Doctor: A Comedy of Errors
Zoidberg’s career as the Planet Express doctor is a continuous source of comedic mishaps. His initial days at Planet Express included a short-lived romance with Candy, tragically cut short when she was eaten by a four-dimensional space whale. This sets the tone for Zoidberg’s often unfortunate and comical life.
During Xmas 3000, Zoidberg received a pogo stick from Robot Santa, being the only “nice” person on Earth according to the robotic judge of character. In 3001, he performed a head transplant, saving Fry’s life by attaching his head to Amy’s shoulder after a car accident on Europa, showcasing a rare, albeit bizarre, instance of successful medical intervention.
Mating Season Mayhem
The same year, Zoidberg’s Decapodian mating season triggered violent urges. He returned to Decapod 10 seeking a mate, focusing on his former classmate Edna. Edna, however, was more interested in Fry, leading Zoidberg to challenge Fry to Claw-Plach, a Decapodian duel. Despite intending to kill Fry, Zoidberg abandoned the fight when he realized the mating ritual had commenced without him, returning to Earth with Fry as a friend once more.
Later, when the Planet Express crew was trapped underwater, Zoidberg embraced a hermit-like existence in a shell, planning to stay permanently until Bender’s cigar accidentally burned it down. He also served as a military doctor during the conflict with Spheron 1 in 3001, presumably with questionable effectiveness.
Failed Comedy Dreams and Accidental Time Travel
Despite his medical career diverting him from his comedic aspirations, Zoidberg occasionally attempts stand-up, consistently failing due to a lack of humor. He even had a small role in his Uncle Harold Zoid’s film The Magnificent Three in 3002, another venture into comedy that likely fell flat.
In a moment of unexpected usefulness, Zoidberg guided the crew through Fry’s body in 3002, leveraging his limited knowledge of human anatomy gleaned from questionable sources. Also that year, he started producing valuable pearls from coughing fits, briefly contributing to the crew’s finances while they followed Bender on tour.
A bizarre accident involving a supernova sent Zoidberg back to 1947 Roswell. Captured by the US Army, he met President Harry Truman in a comical encounter of mutual bewilderment and underwent a partial vivisection. Fry rescued him, and Zoidberg returned to the future, reassembling himself with duct tape and replacing most organs, minus a non-essential one, highlighting his resilient Decapodian biology.
When Steve Castle took over Planet Express, Zoidberg famously sold his company shares for a sandwich, illustrating his extreme poverty and lack of financial acumen.
From Death Sentence to Mercy Killing (Attempt)
In 3003, Zoidberg’s act of eating an Earthican flag on Freedom Day led to a death sentence. Seeking refuge in his planet’s embassy, he inadvertently triggered a Decapodian invasion and conquest of Earth. Ultimately, Zoidberg opposed the takeover and helped liberate Earth, ironically using a burning flag to defeat the invaders.
An accident at a health spa in 3004 caused Zoidberg to regress through his childhood stages, only to return to his normal age via the Fountain of Aging. When Professor Farnsworth created a box containing a parallel universe, Zoidberg befriended his parallel counterpart. Both Zoidbergs, feeling unappreciated, attempted to steal the box containing their universes but were stopped by Farnsworth.
During a government refund in 3004, Zoidberg briefly attempted to live lavishly, only to be ridiculed by Mom and ultimately spend his money feeding homeless individuals, showcasing a rare moment of altruism.
In 3011, the Planet Express crew, exasperated by Zoidberg’s medical incompetence as a doctor, demanded his firing. Simultaneously, Professor Farnsworth began exhibiting hypermalaria symptoms. Farnsworth approached Zoidberg to enact their mercy killing pact. However, the crew intervened, misinterpreting Zoidberg’s actions as an attack on the Professor. Imprisoned in his office, Zoidberg discovered a yeti hair on the Professor’s lab coat, realizing Farnsworth had yetiism, not hypermalaria. He obtained a yeti head from Mom in exchange for a tanning coupon and synthesized an antidote from the yeti’s pineal gland. Zoidberg dramatically revealed the truth and administered the cure just as the Professor’s yeti transformation began, saving his friend and earning a rare apology from the crew for their usual poor treatment.
By 3013, Zoidberg briefly worked as a busboy at Elzar’s. Remarkably, he began dating a flower girl named Marianne in 3013, suggesting a potential for romance despite his generally unfortunate circumstances.
Production and Voice of Dr. Zoidberg
Dr. Zoidberg’s creation is attributed to David X. Cohen, who developed the initial concept and traits, with Matt Groening designing the character’s look. The character’s development was further refined by Futurama’s writers. Cohen named Zoidberg after a video game he created in the 1980s called “Zoid,” inspired by the arcade game Qix, a game that was unfortunately never published. The name “Zoidberg” became a tribute to Cohen’s “wasted” college years.
The inspiration for Zoidberg’s doctor role came from Dr. McCoy (“Bones”) of Star Trek. Cohen’s twist was to create an alien doctor treating humans, inverting the Star Trek dynamic, and establishing Zoidberg’s medical incompetence as a core comedic element. Traits like Zoidberg’s love for seafood emerged later, and his poverty and loneliness were further emphasized as the series progressed.
Billy West based Zoidberg’s distinctive voice on Yiddish theater actors like Lou Jacobi and George Jessel, possibly also drawing influence from reggae singer Shaggy, contributing to the character’s unique and recognizable sound.
Dr. Zoidberg: Trivia, Quotes, and Catchphrases
Zoidberg in a monster costume from the episode “Saturday Morning Fun Pit”.
Trivia:
- Zoidberg is prominently featured in Futurama merchandise, including DVD covers and collections.
- His email address is humorously listed as [email protected].
- Zoidberg’s usefulness at Planet Express diminishes as the series progresses, and he becomes increasingly ostracized.
- The Planet Express crew frequently abuses Zoidberg, both verbally and physically.
- Zoidberg’s mannerisms and speech are rooted in dry East Coast, Jewish humor.
- He jokingly claims to have lost his medical degree in a volcano.
- Early episodes depict Zoidberg with teeth, which are absent in later episodes.
- His mouth frills are prehensile and mobile.
- Zoidberg’s office door identifies him as his own medical corporation.
- Emotional distress causes a crest to appear on Zoidberg’s head, linked to aggression, arousal, and memory recall.
- His greatest fantasy is to be a grandmother.
- Hermes’ unexplained animosity towards Zoidberg is a running gag from early episodes.
- Zoidberg’s birthday is the day after Amy’s.
- His claws and exoskeleton are incredibly strong.
- Zoidberg’s poverty is first explicitly mentioned in “Put Your Head on My Shoulders”.
- Conflicting accounts exist regarding his Planet Express start date.
- Fear can cause Zoidberg to grow brown hair that immediately turns white.
- Professor Farnsworth identifies Zoidberg as a “doctor for aliens,” and Zoidberg demonstrates knowledge of alien physiology, suggesting possible medical qualifications on Decapod 10.
- Zoidberg’s medical expertise seems limited to limb reattachment.
- He occasionally shows romantic interest in human males, but struggles to differentiate genders.
- Zoidberg was briefly crowned Prince of Bageria by scammers.
- He has numerous misconceptions about human anatomy, believing they have multiple mouths and digest food in their hearts.
- Zoidberg has redundant or vestigial internal organs.
- He may be a Scooby-Doo fan.
- The Contrabulous Choosematron suggests Zoidberg is “delicious with butter and lemon.”
- He can harmonize with himself.
- Zoidberg is one of three Planet Express crew members who have worked for Mom.
- He is a poor swimmer.
- Zoidberg frequently claims crew members are his “best friend” despite no reciprocation.
- He may be Space Catholic, as he has made the sign of the cross and prayed to God.
Quotes:
Zoidberg is known for a plethora of humorous and often pathetic quotes, including:
- “Young lady, I am an expert on humans. Now pick a mouth, open it, and say BR BR BR BR BRRRRRRRR.”
- “In my experience, boxes are usually empty, sometimes with a little cheese stuck to the top, and one time pepperoni, what a day that was!”
- “Alright, I’m coming.” (In response to “I got a busted ass here, I don’t see anyone kissing it!”)
- “The female Leela’s problem is purely medical, soon she will lay her eggs and they will hatch and all will be well.”
- “Oh, the hypochondriac’s back! So what is it this time?”
- “Fry, it’s been years since medical school, so remind me. Disemboweling in your species: fatal, or non-fatal?”
- “Friends, help! A guinea pig tricked me!”
- “Order the cake, dammit!!” (Describing a frilly cake he desires)
- “Yes.” (In response to “Have you smelt his loincloth lately?”)
- “Wait. Not dead, the other thing.” (After initially declaring Fry dead)
- “Damn right!” (In response to being called a monster who smells and eats garbage)
- “Aw!” (In response to being called hideous)
- “Ah, the years! So many memories, so many strange fluids gushing out of patients’ bodies.”
- “Switch bodies? I don’t see why not. I also don’t see why.”
- “My name is not Slick. It’s Zoidberg. JOHN [bleep] []I] [NG ZOIDBERG!!!.]“
- “You do and I’ll [bleep] []i] [Ng gut you like a fish!.]“
- “Hooray! People are paying attention to me!”
- “Oh, Zoidberg, at last you’re becoming a crafty consumer!”
- “I learned it from a decongestant commercial. Soothing action, action, action, action…”
- “If only it’d worked, you could go back and not waste your time on it.” (About a time machine)
Catchphrases and Running Jokes:
- “Hello.” (Often at inappropriate times)
- “What an honor!” (Said with a grin, often sarcastically)
- “Excellent, excellent!”
- “(Famous person)? I love that guy!”
- “Woop woop woop woop!” (Stooges-inspired sound effect)
- “Hooray!”
- “Dibs on…!” (Usually for undesirable items)
- “Awwww…” (Depressed response to insults or rejection)
Zoidberg’s consistent medical incompetence, including misdiagnoses, anatomical misunderstandings, and reliance on commercials for medical knowledge, is a central running joke. His inability to understand human biology, often mistaking body parts and functions, further fuels the humor surrounding his character as the resident, and utterly unqualified, Planet Express doctor.
Dr. John A. Zoidberg: A Lasting Legacy
Despite his flaws and failures as a doctor, Dr. Zoidberg’s enduring appeal lies in his vulnerability, his unwavering optimism in the face of constant rejection, and his capacity for unexpected moments of heroism and kindness. As the perpetually struggling and inept “Zoidberg Doctor” of Planet Express, he remains one of Futurama’s most memorable and hilarious characters, proving that even the worst doctor can win our hearts.
