2012-04-21
Explanation
This single-panel comic presents a fake historical fact: "The original version of 2001: A Space Odyssey was an advertisement for soup." It shows an astronaut in a space helmet, clearly referencing the iconic imagery from Stanley Kubrick'''s 1968 film, delivering a modified version of the famous line. Instead of the original "My God, it'''s full of stars," the astronaut says "My God... it'''s full of stars... and chicken!" The addition of "and chicken" transforms the awe-inspiring cosmic revelation into a soup commercial, as if the astronaut is peering into a bowl of chicken noodle soup rather than into the infinite universe.
The joke plays on the absurd premise of one of cinema'''s most ambitious and philosophical science fiction films having originated as a mundane commercial for soup. The humor works because of the extreme contrast between the profound, existential tone of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the banality of a soup advertisement.
The votey panel shows two figures in conversation, with one asking "What if we left out this last bit?" and the other responding indignantly, "How in the world would that sell soup?!" This imagines the moment the filmmakers decided to cut the soup reference, with the original commercial producer unable to understand why anyone would want to remove the product placement, not realizing they were about to create one of the greatest films ever made.