# Wall-E: Why did the humans look that way? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 14, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340 "2014-02-14T16:46:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/21 "2014-02-15T19:47:52Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It’s something of an aside here, but note that the pilot computer (ship’s wheel with HAL’s eye) looms more and more over each captain. Not only that, but each successive captain spends less and less\*\* time\*\* as captain (i.e. alive)… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/22 "2014-02-17T23:36:34Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Not only that, but each successive captain spends less and less\*\* time\*\* as captain (i.e. alive)… No, they don’t. In fact, the captains consistently have longer tours of duty than the current maximum human lifespan. From the photos: Captain Reardon 2105-2248 (143 years) Captain Fee 2248-2379 (131 years) Captain Thompson 2380-2520 (140 years) Captain Brace 2521-2645 (125 years) Captain O’Brien 2646-2774 (128 years) Captain B. McCrea 2775- ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/23 "2014-02-18T00:09:21Z")
Getting back to the OP, I think the importance information in the scene isn’t that the gravity is going to be low, but that the Axiom was equipped with extensive exercise equipment that was never used. This is an important point in the movie’s message about consumerism: it wasn’t the Evil Corporation that made humans into fat slugs. They did that to themselves. They could have spent the centuries in exile working out and keeping active, but they didn’t want to - they wanted to sit and watch vid screens and drink pizza out of a cup. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/24 "2014-02-18T00:13:07Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Mmmmmmmm. Soylent pizza. (SPOILER) “It’s made out of people!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/25 "2014-02-18T00:23:25Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > (SPOILER) “It’s made out of people!!!” “How does it taste?” “It varies from person to person.” ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/26 "2014-02-18T00:27:31Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “How does it taste?” > “It varies from person to person.” 😃 “Kind of like chicken.” ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/27 "2014-02-18T03:27:41Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > No, they don’t. In fact, the captains consistently have longer tours of duty than the current maximum human lifespan. From the photos: > > Captain Reardon 2105-2248 (143 years) > Captain Fee 2248-2379 (131 years) > Captain Thompson 2380-2520 (140 years) > Captain Brace 2521-2645 (125 years) > Captain O’Brien 2646-2774 (128 years) > Captain B. McCrea 2775- Huh - well eff me then, sorry - guess it’s been too long since I’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/28 "2014-02-18T10:42:54Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “How does it taste?” > “It varies from person to person.” Still less disgusting than Slurm. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/29 "2014-02-18T10:51:44Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > But the thing is that they weren’t happy. > > In the passing moments where we hear bits & pieces of the conversations that the ‘chair people’ have, it’s alll gossip, and gripes, and complaints and moanings about very minor things. Life has become so easy and unchallenging onboard the ship that every minor insignificant nuisance has become a major grievance. A very brief but important moment in the film is when the ship lurches, a woman and a man (John Ratzenberger in his obligatory Pixar voicover) fall out of their chairs and actually look at each other eye to eye rather than communicating via Skype (or viewscreens.) The act of just looking at another person, with no technological ‘aid’ is a revelation to them. Breeding and birthing babies becomes a mystery… ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/30 "2014-02-18T13:21:57Z")
Well at least they cut out the scene of the passengers “renewing” at the fiery ritual of Carousel… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340/31 "2014-02-18T13:33:59Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > they wanted to sit and watch vid screens and drink pizza out of a cup. \*Marie: You live here? Oh, it’s nice. Did you decorate it? Navin R. Johnson: Yeah, I got all this stuff from the old Cup 'o Pizza place before they tore it down. Marie: Good pizza. Navin R. Johnson: Oh, this is the best pizza in a cup ever. This guy is unbelievable. He ran the old Cup 'o Pizza guy out of business. People come from all over to eat this. \* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wall-e-why-did-the-humans-look-that-way/681340.md?page=1)