Recap / Mystery Science Theater 3000 S08 E16: Prince of Space

Hey, I'm in space already! Damn!

Film watched: Prince of Space

The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here.

"The movie was made bearable only by the fact that we ate sushi for lunch. Also, Krankor and company's droopy crotch areas made me have to close my eyes so I missed a good deal of the movie."

— Bridget Jones

The Segments:

Prologue

• Servo and Crow are playing "Dog and Bear", and Mike has to step in when Servo takes his role as a dog way too seriously, to the point Crow is mentally and physically scarred by his imagined death.

Segment 1

• The 'Bots have started playing a new game called "Sea Lion and Squirrel", which they claim is much safer and more fun. On the Widowmaker, Pearl and Brain Guy have made a pit stop so Bobo can do his "business". The ape gets paranoid about the other two watching him go, so he decides to use a nearby tunnel he finds for some privacy. The tunnel unfortunately happens to be a wormhole, and the force of its suction is enough to break the rope to which Bobo was tethered. Pearl and Brain Guy are forced to go into the wormhole and bring him back so he doesn't disrupt the timestream (namely by making it so slot machines are never invented), but since she doesn't want to have to give chase alone, Pearl also has Brain Guy lasso the Satellite of Love, dragging Mike and the 'Bots into the wormhole along with them.

Segment 2

• The effects of the wormhole cause the SOL crew's senses of timing to go out of wack by three seconds. As a result, they spend the segment moving at different temporal speeds, and they find it difficult to sync themselves up to solve the mystery of who took Crow's chicken puppet.

Segment 3

• The wormhole has replaced Mike with a version of himself from an alternate universe where he's an authoritative robot modeled after a ventriloquist's dummy. Be he flesh or metal, though, Mike gets no respect, as Crow and Servo crack up at his new appearance when he tries to give orders. Mike's robotic counterpart takes his place in the theater, but they switch back during the commercial break.

Segment 4

• Mike and the 'Bots step out of the theater to find that the wormhole has turned the SOL's bridge into a sylvan glen. Getting tired of the constant wormhole wackiness, Mike ditches the 'Bots and goes for a walk to get some fresh air. Also, Servo discovers that he has hay fever, which he declares to be a plus.

Segment 5

• The SOL finally exits the wormhole, and everything seems to be back to normal. That is, until Mike introduces Servo and Crow to his new wife, Krankor. Mercifully, he's just joking, and after Krankor is made to leave, he discovers that the SOL is now orbiting around what appears to be Earth. Pearl and Brain Guy land on the planet to search for Bobo, only to enter an ancient palace filled with marble columns and intricate frescos. A friendly man in robes welcomes the pair to the great city of Rome, just as a haughty robed woman summons the palace guards to seize them!

The topsy-turvy Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Prince of Space has examples of:

• Actually Pretty Funny: At one point late in the film, Phantom tells his underlings, "Give everyone four hours off.” Mike and the bots chuckle at this uncharacteristically funny line of dialogue.
• All Anime Is Naughty Tentacles: Crow ponders if the film is an ultra-violent porn cartoon. Later, he suggests characters had to stop for some ultra-violent porn comics.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Pearl Forrester's explanation as to why she's chasing Professor Bobo into the wormhole: if Bobo goes back in time, he might step on a butterfly, humans won't evolve and eventually invent slot machines.
• Artistic License – Sports: A mild case - the crew responds to the line "It's the Commissioner!" with "Pete Rozelle?" At the time the film was released (1959), the NFL commissioner would've been Rozelle's predecessor, Bert Bell (Rozelle took over in 1960). At the time of the MST3K episode's airing (1997), Rozelle had long since been succeeded as commissioner by Paul Tagliabue (He'd also been dead for a year).
• Bizarro Episode, both In-Universe and out: The SOL spends the episode traveling through a Negative Space Wedgie, resulting in such weirdness as Mike being retconned into a ventriloquist puppet robot, the characters being knocked into separate timeframes while trying to have a conversation, and the Satellite's bridge spontaneously morphing into a "sylvan glen".
  • The "sylvan glen" sketch is notable as being the only outdoor shot in the show's entire ten-year run. And for those curious, it was the corporate park behind the studio.
• Becoming the Mask: Deconstructed when Servo and Crow play "Dog and Bear", and get too involved in their roles.
  Crow: We were playing "Dog and Bear", you know, and Servo was chasing me and I ran panicked over logs and through streams, you know, maddened with primal terror, you know, and I turned and raked my deadly claws against his howling snout, you know, and I rose to my hind feet, towering, and still bellowing he came, and I mewled and spewed gore from my wounds and snot from my flaring wild maw and... and... and we were locked like lovers and, and, and, and I was encircled by spotted hound bodies and my entrails were hanging out and I tried a savage feral roar but, alas, my force was spent and I died. Then Servo took it too far!
  Mike: I understand. Is that what happened, Servo?
  Servo: Well, I guess that's about right. I mean, what's too far when your entrails are spilling out? I mean, where's the line?
  • After the commercial break, Servo and Crow frolic on either sides of the set.
    Bots: (singing) La la la la la...!
    Mike: What's so funny guys? 'Cause you're not playing "Dog and Bear" again, are you? 'Cause you know how that can get out of hand.
    Crow: Oh, no, now we're playing sea lion and squirrel and we have nothing at all to do with each other!
    Servo: And it's fun!
    Bots: (singing) La la la la la...!
• Brain Bleach: Mike and the 'bots don't react well to penises perfectly outlined in costumes that apparently the actors had to go commando in.
  Mike: (disgusted) What gets into some civilizations?!
  • Undies were apparently not a huge thing for the Japanese back then, so it's less "had to" and more "why bother?"
    Mike: Chafe! Chafe! Chafe! Chafe! Chafe! Chafe! Chafe! Chafe! Chafe!
• Butterfly of Doom: Pearl refers to this when she explains to Observer why they're following Bobo into the wormhole. (To make sure he doesn't un-invent slot machines, for one thing.)
• Cliffhanger: "Welcome... to Roman Times!" "Guards, seize them!" (dramatic sting)
• Continuity Nod:
  • Servo gets revenge on Crow for eating half of him and burying the rest dressed as a bear by being a dog and biting Bear-Crow back.
  • "We are Ken!"
• Diabolus ex Nihilo: The crew treat the giant monster outside of Krankor's base as one, til it actually takes part in the plot.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Bot-Mike whines that Servo and Crow normally respect him as the leader. Crow's response?
  "Sorry, Mike, I only take orders from Willie Tyler and Lester!"
• Ending Fatigue: Mocked: invoked After Phantom orders his minions to shoot at the Prince for the hundredth time...
  Crow: Come on, the movie's over. Let's just... let's just get out of here.
• Gasp!: Servo gives a loud, startled one when Mike turns back into a human during the commercial break.
• Just Shoot Him: The aliens plan to kill the scientists near the end of the film, by putting them in capsules one at a time and launching them into space.
  Crow: Wouldn't it be cheaper and quicker to just bludgeon them right there?
• It Will Never Catch On:
  Mike (as Japanese man): Okay, two Italian guys dodge mushrooms thrown by a monkey.
  Servo (as Japanese children): I dunno.
• Large Ham: Bill Corbett obviously has a ball playing Krankor in the last host segment.
• Mondegreen Gag: Crow mishears Krankor's name.
  Crow: Crank-whore?!
• Musical Gag: Two of them: When the camera zooms in on a house, Mike hums the theme to Leave It to Beaver, and later when the camera pans up an office building, Crow hums The Bob Newhart Show theme.
• Oh, the Humanity!:
  Mike: "Oh, the inanity!"
  Crow: "Oh the Japanity!"
• The Oner: One of the skits has Mike and the Bots doing one long take with their personal clocks set about three seconds apart. That they held it together and kept to the time dilation is a thing of wonder.
• Pan and Scan: The movie was shot in widescreen, but the MST presentation was in the usual 4:3. As a result, certain scenes have characters completely off-screen, resulting in Crow asking, "Who's talking??"
  • Another side effect is the maid who works for Dr. Macken and his wife, as she is cut out of numerous shots. In fact, for a long time, MST3K fans weren't sure if she was an actual character, or a crew member who accidentally ended up in some shots.
• Parrot Expo What: After Bobo gets too close to the wormhole.
  Observer: (to Bobo) Wait, wait, don't go in there! Don't, don't, I wouldn't do that, that's a... (Bobo gets sucked in) ...wormhole.
  Pearl: A worm-what?
  Observer: A wormhole.
  Pearl: A what-hole?
  Observer: A wormhole. Wormhole!
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "Oh, for crying out — EACH! OF! YOU! WILL! ENTER! A! SPACE! CAPSULE!!!"
• Race-Name Basis: When the Dictator of Krankor appears on the Satellite at the end, Mike introduces him as "my wife, Krankor?" Aside from the obvious joke (Krankor is not Mike's wife in this or any other universe), Krankor is the name of the planet the invaders are from. (He's also not the Phantom of Krankor or the Phantom Dictator of Krankor, cool as either might sound, but rather Phantom, Dictator of Krankor — as in his name is Phantom, and he is the Dictator of Krankor.)
• Running Gag:
  • "We like it very much!"
  • Many jokes about Prince.
  Mike: (as Prince) Just call me 'The Artist'!
  • Clucking whenever the villains are on-screen, and chicken jokes about the villains in general.
  • Constantly noting the incompetence of the villains.
    Crow: We've filled our pants, SIR!
    Servo: Ready, aaaaaand.... mince! Mince! Mince! Mince! Mince! Mince!
  • Variations on The Prince's declaration of "Your weapons have no effect on me!"
  • Exclamations of "Oh!"/"Prince of Space!" from the kidnapped world leaders in the climax.
• Shout-Out:
  • At the beginning, the camera zooms in on a house. Mike hums the Leave It to Beaver theme.
  • Similarly, a few scenes later the camera pans up a building, prompting Crow to hum The Bob Newhart Show theme.
• Shown Their Work: During the time dilation sketch, the writers did a good job of having Servo early and Crow late - paying close attention to the dialog, viewers can see how the conversation would have gone in real time. (Gypsy blurts out all her lines at once.)
• Special Effects Failure: Invoked as needed. Of a Forced Perspective shot which is meant to be Krankor jumping up to the rooftop next to Prince of Space:
  Mike: [as Krankor] I'll throw my doll at you!
• Special Guest: Phantom visits the ship as part of a prank by Mike.
• Story Arc: The beginning of the "Roman Times" arc. The rest of the season will be spent time-traveling in one form or another.
• Take That!
  Prince of Space: Leave the children alone!
  Crow: You hear that, Jerry Seinfeld?
• Time Travel: The wormhole eventually deposits everyone above Earth in the heyday of ancient Rome.
• Time Crash:

Tom Servo: (holding a chicken puppet) Yeah, Mike, I was just wondering that myself. Weird, isn't it?
Mike Nelson: (arriving) Oh hey, Tom... how'd you get here so fast?
Servo: Oh, he'll be along, I have his chicken puppet.
Mike: Hey, where's Crow?
Servo: Talking like what?
Mike: Why you talking like that?
Servo: No I'm not, I'm just way ahead of you, Mike.
Mike: Well like that, you're answering my questions before I ask them. (aside) I dunno, I'm just asking him the same thing.
Servo: No, you dope, I mean I'm moving faster than you temporally speaking.
Mike: Hey, whaddya mean you're way ahead of me?
Servo: Well I asked you for it, Crow, you were right here.
Crow: (arriving) Hi, guys! Hey, how'd you get here so fast?
Servo: That's what I've been trying to tell you, Mike, I'm ahead of you by about three seconds.
Mike: You know what, guys? I think there might be something wrong with the space-time continuum...
Crow: Servo, how'd you get my chicken puppet?
Gypsy: (arriving) Nope, sorry, everything's on the fritz. My burrito was done before I put it in the oven. (leaves)
Servo: Alright, alright, take your damn chicken puppet! I'll have it back before you even know it anyway, heehee.
Mike: (giving Crow the chicken puppet) Hey Tom, why don't you just give him back his chicken puppet, alright?
Servo: Say, why don't we ask Gypsy to mess with the warp engine?
Crow: Well all I know is I want my chicken puppet back! (looks at it in his hand) Hey, how'd that happen?
Mike: (to Servo) That's a good idea. (aside) Gypsy, there's something wrong with the spacetime thingy, isn't there anything we can do?
Servo: Okay, Gypsy, I guess all we can do is ride it out. I'm out of here. (leaves)
Mike: Okay, Gypsy, I guess all we can do is ride it out. I'm... wow, some weird déjà vu.
Servo: (walks past the foreground, giggling, Crow's chicken puppet in hand)
Mike: Yeah, that's a good idea, Crow, you do that. (to camera) We'll be right back. (leaves)
Crow: Well, I'm just gonna play with my chicken puppet 'til this blows over. I'll see you Mike, Tom. (leaves with his puppet, whistling)
(beat)
Crow: (arriving) Hey. Anybody seen my chicken puppet?

• "Teeny Weenie Away!"
• Unexplained Recovery: After a commercial break, Robot Mike suddenly becomes human again and Servo yells out in surprise. His explanation?
  Mike: I got better.
• Worth It: Mike is at one point turned into a small robot puppet with an antennae sticking out of his head. Despite Mike trying to save the day with Applied Phlebotinum (which is cribbed word for word from a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode), the robots can't help but laugh.
  Mike!Robot: Come on, you guys are going to get annihilated and stuff!
  Crow: Oh, I don't care! It's Worth It just to see you like this!

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"HA. HA. HA. HA. HA. HA. HA."

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