Charlie Foxtrot and the Galaxy of Tomorrow

Charlie Foxtrot screen shot

Charlie Foxtrot and the Galaxy of Tomorrow is a full-length sci-fi parody adventure game. It was made with AGS version 2.72 and released in July 2007 by Baron. It has been well received by a cult-following, but its nerdy humour has not found a wider audience.

Plot Summary

The game begins on the Mother Station, where the introductory cut scene introduces the Clone Lord and a segment of his clone army. One of the clones (Charlie) flips out, revealing that he can no longer conform to the clone ideal of mindless similitude. A patrol droid pursues Charlie through the base, but he ducks into a washroom and temporarily escapes. As he explores the back passages of the station, Charlie encounters Quatra, the leader of the Rebellion Against Conformity. Charlie sympathizes with the cause and decides to join the rebellion. He is sent on a zany quest through the galaxy to try to link up with the rebellion.

Charlie travels between planets in a stolen space ship called the Millenium Bug. His first destination is Aridis, a desert planet. Here he meets a crazy war veteran, an irritable junk monger, a crippled beggar and a host of other alien creatures. After partying at the local canteen he must dodge Sand Sharks out in the dunes to discover the rebel base.

Clues lead Charlie to the next planet, Marf, which is a post-appocalyptic puppet world. After an encounter with an Elvis impersonator, a ninja gremlin and a giant monkey (among many others), Charlie links up with the Friggles, rebel sympathizers who send him on to another planet.

The last planet in the quest is Primordia. It is a pre-historic preserve, where unevolved apes and dinosaurs roam. Charlie must find a secret base, infiltrate it, and steal The Source, the original genetic material from which the clone army was made.

Charlie returns to the Mother Station. With The Source in his hands, Charlie cannot be vaporized by the Clone Lord and can face him. This final battle, fought in front of an army of impressionable clones, proves once and for all whether conformity or originality is the supreme force in the galaxy.

Popular Culture References

Charlie Foxtrot and the Galaxy of Tomorrow parodies dozens of science-fiction and popular culture elements from the 1970s to the 1990s. Specific examples are:

• Star Wars -the opening credits, the cripple on Aridis (a thinly disguised Darth Maul post Episode 1), the Clone Lord (half Darth Vader, half Napoleon), the Millenium Bug space ship, the Burger Bar on Aridis (much like the canteen on Tatooine), and the clone army are all reminiscent of Star Wars.
• Futurama -Bonder the robot is very similar to Futurama's Bender, the Junk Monger on Aridis is reminiscent of Futurama's Morbo the Newscaster, and the mad scientist in charge of the clone laboratory has similar mannerisms to Professor Farnsworth.
• Doctor Who -the Copper Box is a thinly disguised Tardis, including the capacity for time travel and its infinite interior. Also the character PhD Quis (which is kind of Latin for Dr. Who) resembles the forth regeneration of that character.
• Sesame Street -Oxar the Grunge is a parody of Oscar the Grouch, and the giant Canary on Marf is clearly a big Big Bird. One of the background scenes on planet Marf is the Sesame Street backdrop, except that 123 Sesame Street is in ruins and the jungle has grown up around it. The Eating Monster looks suspiciously like a very fat Cookie Monster.
• The Muppet Show -The Frog and Pig puppets on Marf are obvious parodies, as is the drummer in the band.
• Fraggle Rock -The Friggles in the game are obviously Fraggles, only they swear more (kinda). The Undoozers are somewhat like the Doozers, only opposite.
• Alf -The Alvis character is half Alf, half Elvis.
• Gremlins -Master Yogo somewhat resembles Stripe, the lead Gremlin.
• Space Quest series -the cockpit and traveling mechanism of the Millenium Bug are reminiscent of Space Quest 4. Also the Energetic Bunny, while clearly a parody of the Energizer Bunny, is a blatantly plagiarized puzzle from that game. The jello-encasement of the princess and a background character in the canteen are reminiscent of Space Quest 3. Also the name Charlie Foxtrot is reminiscent of Roger Wilco, the main protagonist in the Space Quest series.
• American Dad -An alien from the bar is very similar in character to the alien from that show.
• Mr. Rogers -One of the backdrops on Marf is a destroyed version of the Fairy Tale Land in that show. The Lady Cat and the owl are parodies of puppets from that show.
• Child's Play -a puppet resembling Chucky is tied up on Marf, much as is the zombie in the movie Twenty Eight Days Later.
• McDonald's 1980s Commercials -The deadly Fry Goons on Marf are Fry-Guy spin offs.
• 2001 Space Odyssey -The Black Monolith and the unevolved Apes on Marf are right out of this movie.
• The Simpsons -The crazy Viet Centauri veteran behaves much like Principal Skinner for one segment. There is also an inanimate carbon rod.
• Excel Gum Commercial -The giant ape Pong only eats the pig when she's had the gum, much like in the commercials.
• Coca Cola -New CAC and CAC Classic are obvious parodies.
• The Matrix -A character resembling Morpheus is in the Aridis canteen, and the secret base is shrowded in Matrix style green coding.
• Dune -The Warning Woman has the intense blue eyes of a similar character in the original 1980s movie. The Sand Sharks also somewhat resemble the worms on the spice planet.
• Star Trek -The cyborg in the clone lab and the endless life-pods in the storage area resemble the Borg. There is also a log with "Scotchy" bugging what appears to be Captain Kirk and Dr. Spock.
• Total Recall -Quatra, the rebel leader, is a knock-off of Quarto. Also a picture shows a character that looks like Benny with the rebel leader's host, the implication being that he betrayed them later on.
• Space Balls -The soldier clones look like the soldiers in that movie.
• Demolition Man -The climactic conclusion is very similar to that of the movie.
• Saturday Night Fever -Charlie's dance moves and attire are strongly influenced by this movie
• Peter Camani -The artist's well known Screaming Heads serve as a model for the mouth of the cave on planet Marf, a homage to the game author's childhood home.