# Origin: "I, for one, welcome our new \ overlords/masters" ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130 "2005-02-09T03:42:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/1 "2005-02-09T03:42:40Z")
Posted here because I assume this is a reference from a movie or other pop culture. The title says it all: where does this line come from? I’ve repeatedly run into it in the last 6 or more months on message boards, magazine articles, blogs, and in many other places. Googling is hopeless, because I can only find instances of more people riffing on the gag, not the origin. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/2 "2005-02-09T03:45:21Z")
FYI, the first time I remember hearing that line was when playing GTA: Vice City, and on one of the “talk radio” stations one of the guests says “well, I for one welcome our new Russian masters!” Which I thought was pretty funny. But I can’t imagine that that was the original source. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/3 "2005-02-09T03:46:59Z")
It’s from the Simpsons’ episode [“Deep Space Homer”.](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/1F13.html) ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/4 "2005-02-09T03:47:58Z")
I associate this quote with “The Simpsons.” I think the pompous TV anchorman Kent Brockman once said something like “And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.” ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/5 "2005-02-09T03:49:01Z")
Auggh. Too late to be edifying again. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Survey1215](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Survey1215](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Survey1215)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/6 "2005-02-09T03:49:41Z")
Its from the Simpsons, an episode where Homer has become an astronaut. In the course of the shuttle mission, he breaks the glass on the Ant Farm Experiment, and when tv cameras turn on in the shuttle, earth folks see what appears to be giant ants in control of the shuttle. Eventually, Kent Brockmann goes on tv and says its obvious we’re all doomed and starts in with the ‘I for one welcome our new insect overlords…’ He has to recant said statement when the mistake is discovered. classic episode. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/7 "2005-02-09T03:56:28Z")
So that’s where **Hail Ants** gets his/her username from. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/8 "2005-02-09T04:00:02Z")
Here is the scene in question. Homer has shattered a glass cage in which the astronauts hoped to see if ants could be used to sort tiny screws in space. A camera picks up one of the ants in extreme close-up making it look huge and menacing. > [@Simpsons Archive](#): > > Kent: We’re just about to get our first pictures from inside the > spacecraft with “average-naut” Homer Simpson, and we’d like to > – aah! > [Camera shows a close-up of an ant floating in front of the > three astronauts] > Everyone: Aah! > Kent: Ladies and gentlemen, er, we’ve just lost the picture, but, > uh, what we’ve seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft > has been taken over – “conquered”, if you will – by a master > race of giant space ants. It’s difficult to tell from this > vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men > or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, there is no > stopping them; the ants will soon be here. > And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. I’d like to > remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful > in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar > caves. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/9 "2005-02-09T06:08:52Z")
Asked and answered, and darned quick, to boot. Thanks, all! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/10 "2005-02-09T06:16:11Z")
Reminds me of one of the funniest exchanges in the first Austin Powers movie: Basil Exposition: Austin, the Cold War is over! Austin Powers: Finally those capitalist pigs will pay for their crimes, eh? Eh comrades? Eh? Basil Exposition: Austin… we won. Austin Powers: Oh… smashing, groovy… yay capitalism! ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/11 "2005-02-09T07:54:03Z")
This is like the second thread about this in the last week or two and yet I almost _never_ hear this phrase said anywhere! I always thought it to be way too obscure. Oh, and Best. Episode. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/12 "2005-02-09T08:57:39Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > Oh, and Best. Episode. Ever. Nah. The episode where Lisa becomes a vegetarian is the “Best.Episode.Ever”. But it’s a good runner up. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/13 "2005-02-09T09:12:01Z")
Freedom! Horrible, Horrible Freedom! ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/14 "2005-02-09T12:03:09Z")
I, for one, welcome our new knowledgeable SDMB overlords. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/15 "2005-02-09T14:33:03Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > This is like the second thread about this in the last week or two and yet I almost _never_ hear this phrase said anywhere! I always thought it to be way too obscure. I’ve heard it quite a lot on the SDMB lately. Examples from just the last couple of months: [SteveG1: I for one welcome our new llama overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5808138&highlight=overlords#post5808138) [legion: I, for one, welcome our new Linux overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5798803&highlight=overlords#post5798803) [Eutychus: I, for one, welcome our new slimy overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5793573&highlight=overlords#post5793573) [John Mace: Personally, I welcome our new tomndebb overlords.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5773822&highlight=overlords#post5773822) [Dragwyr: I, for one, welcome our new cardiac-powered machine overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5772367&highlight=overlords#post5772367) [Knorf: I, for one, welcome our new comma overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5771178&highlight=overlords#post5771178) [CynicalGabe: I, for one, welcome our new Robitic Panda overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5770491&highlight=overlords#post5770491) [Tapioca Dextrin: I, for one, welcome our moderator overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5762889&highlight=overlords#post5762889) [Ludovic: I for one welcome our new goatse overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5747948&highlight=overlords#post5747948) [Merijeek: Well, I for one welcome our new Duchy of Grand Fenwickian overlords](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5747509&highlight=overlords#post5747509) It may be obscure in some circles, but not around here. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/16 "2005-02-09T14:52:58Z")
What I found odd was that I first heard this phrase within the last six months, and yet the episode aired twelve years ago. The DVD collection for season 5 (when it aired) wasn’t even out yet, at least not in the US. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/17 "2005-02-09T15:12:19Z")
> [@DeadlyAccurate](#): > > What I found odd was that I first heard this phrase within the last six months, and yet the episode aired twelve years ago. The DVD collection for season 5 (when it aired) wasn’t even out yet, at least not in the US. There’s probably material for a Ph.D. thesis in that – something about the speed-of-propagation of pop-cultural memes . . . ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/18 "2005-02-10T06:00:33Z")
> [@](#): > > What I found odd was that I first heard this phrase within the last six months, and yet the episode aired twelve years ago. The DVD collection for season 5 (when it aired) wasn’t even out yet, at least not in the US. Actually, it came out over a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/19 "2005-02-10T06:10:05Z")
In that Simpson’s episode there is also the bit with James Taylor that I find quite funny. They have invited him in to play for the astronauts, but the broken ant farm is causing problems and the NASA guys are trying to figure out how to fix the problem. James Taylor is like: “Oh, ant problems? When Art Garfunkel had ant problems we used a vacuum pump to pump all the air out of his house and sucked the ants right out!” They go with this plan and the day is saved by an inanimate carbon rod. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130/20 "2005-02-10T10:52:17Z")
> [@sjc](#): > > They go with this plan and the day is saved by an inanimate carbon rod. This is a day of coincidences alright (or maybe a week) I was putting my sister’s Simpsons cast poster back up on the wall the other day and had my face looking right at the ICR which I’d never noticed till then 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-whatever-overlords-masters/289130.md?page=2)