Melmac (planet)
Encyclopedia
Melmac is a fictional planet
in the television series
ALF
. The name is a joke reference to the Melmac
brand of dinnerware made popular in the 1950s.
Melmac was discovered 23,000 years ago when Harold Twink accidentally took the wrong exit for Neptune. Although ALF described the planet's demise as having exploded in a freak boating accident one night while he was out in his Orbit Guard patrol ship, the real reason was a nuclear war
. Other explanation given during the show on the reason why Melmac exploded was that all Melmacians turned on their hair-dryers at the same time, thus causing the explosion of the planet. In yet another time when ALF was in a public service announcement
about environmentalism, he says that Melmac was destroyed due to environmental irresponsibility. Melmac was located six parsecs past the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster
. Melmac was very much like Earth but it had two moons, it was oddly shaped and made of Melmac, Melmac had green skies and blue grass, and has a purple sun.
is Barry. The planet's motto
is "Are you going to finish that sandwich?". Melmac's national anthem
was Dance till you drop, by Homer T. Swipe, and the national flower
was Roger
, the turnip. During the holiday season, Melmacians dress up as vegetable
s and dance with their neighbour
s. During Fappiano (Melmacian Thanksgiving), they eat a feast that lasts from sunrise to sunset, and exchange gifts. Melmacians' favorite food is cat
s. Melmac's one and only military was named the Orbit Guard and it took the duties of protecting Melmac from space, sea, land, and air. Melmac technology was very advanced; they had flying/hover cars, cyborgs, and light-speed space travel. The Melmacian education system accepts students into college for the standard 63-year enrollment period. Alf attended high school
for 122 years and was captain of a Bouillabaisseball team (which is played on ice using shellfish
as a ball).
The commonly-used currency is a Wernick, which is equal to ten American dollars, and the substance we call foam is as precious on Melmac as gold is on Earth. Most metal pipes in their spaceships are made of gold. Gravel, lint, and wax are also considered to be precious metals.
Every seventy-five years, Melmacians change their personality for a short period of time. They are aggressive for twelve hours and desire more than anything to eat a cat. To prevent them from destroying things a cage is built for them to pass the phase in. The final stage of the transformation is marked by quoting people, often incorrectly.
A hiccup from a Melmacian is very loud, very strong, and very disturbing. The hiccups can shatter glass and are hard to get rid of. The only cure for the hiccups is cat juice or raw spinach (Popeye being reviled in Melmac mythology).
Being born in wedlock was considered a great shame on Melmac, the opposite of Earth. A Melmacian wedding consisted of a priest saying "You're hitched. Go for it babe." The high priest on Melmac, was also a butcher.
Death is a festival on Melmac. All Melmacians die at the age of 650 years, so they have enough time to withdraw their accounts and give away their possessions.
Despite this eccentric slacker attitude, Melmacian culture appreciates education; to the point that burning books was regarded as a magnet for bad luck, since, by their logic, you would be stealing knowledge from future generations.
and an insurance
salesman. Melmacians have a lifespan of 650 years. By the inclusion of a plant called the Carl Shrub
in their diet, Melmacians are immune to infectious disease
. 90% of Melmacians are under the height of 3 foot (0.9144 m), but are over the weight of 400 pounds, since their fur is very dense.
A Melmacian's favorite dish is Cat, although they also eat a lot of seafood. Their blood is green-colored and they have ten major organs in their bodies: a heart (which is in their heads), liver and eight stomachs. Their mating call is a high-pitched, shrieking wail reminiscent of the giant ants in the classic 1950's film Them!, which Alf demonstrated in one episode.
of both his civilization
and his species
. Only six other surviving Melmacians are known: Skip and Rhonda, who invited Shumway to leave with them and colonize a new planet; ALF's cousin "Blinky" who was seen in a car traveling down the highway and Brian, a furniture salesman. On his first Day on Earth, Alf attempted to contact his friends in space: Skip, Larry, and Murphy.
, (Season 6, Episode 13, "Sight Unseen") Melmac is mentioned. Colonel O'Neill tells Vernon Sharpe, a civilian, that the 'aliens' he has been seeing came from the planet Melmac. Vernon is perplexed: "Isn't that where ALF is from?" Colonel O'Neill pretended that he had no idea what Vernon is talking about, and after Vernon's explanation about the TV show and puppet, O'Neill claims never to have seen it. (Richard Dean Anderson
, who portrayed Colonel O'Neill, also starred as MacGyver
in the eponymous series
that aired in a time slot opposite the show ALF, MacGyver itself was referenced in an episode of Alf, though the two characters were never shown watching any episodes of the other on either series.)
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
in the television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ALF
ALF (TV series)
ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF , who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.The series starred Max...
. The name is a joke reference to the Melmac
Melamine resin
Melamine resin or melamine formaldehyde is a hard, thermosetting plastic material made from melamine and formaldehyde by polymerization. In its butylated form, it is dissolved in n-butanol and xylene. It is then used to cross-link with alkyd, epoxy, acrylic and polyester resins, used in surface...
brand of dinnerware made popular in the 1950s.
Melmac was discovered 23,000 years ago when Harold Twink accidentally took the wrong exit for Neptune. Although ALF described the planet's demise as having exploded in a freak boating accident one night while he was out in his Orbit Guard patrol ship, the real reason was a nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
. Other explanation given during the show on the reason why Melmac exploded was that all Melmacians turned on their hair-dryers at the same time, thus causing the explosion of the planet. In yet another time when ALF was in a public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
about environmentalism, he says that Melmac was destroyed due to environmental irresponsibility. Melmac was located six parsecs past the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster
Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster
The Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster , or the Hydra and Centaurus superclusters, is a supercluster in two parts and the closest neighbour of Milky Way's Virgo Supercluster....
. Melmac was very much like Earth but it had two moons, it was oddly shaped and made of Melmac, Melmac had green skies and blue grass, and has a purple sun.
Melmacian culture
The Melmacian GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is Barry. The planet's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is "Are you going to finish that sandwich?". Melmac's national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
was Dance till you drop, by Homer T. Swipe, and the national flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
was Roger
Roger
Roger is primarily a common first name of English, French and Catalan usage, from the Germanic elements hrod and ger meaning "famous with the spear." The Latin form of the name is Rogerius, as used by a few medieval figures.The name Roger was transmitted to England by the Normans after the...
, the turnip. During the holiday season, Melmacians dress up as vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s and dance with their neighbour
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
s. During Fappiano (Melmacian Thanksgiving), they eat a feast that lasts from sunrise to sunset, and exchange gifts. Melmacians' favorite food is cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s. Melmac's one and only military was named the Orbit Guard and it took the duties of protecting Melmac from space, sea, land, and air. Melmac technology was very advanced; they had flying/hover cars, cyborgs, and light-speed space travel. The Melmacian education system accepts students into college for the standard 63-year enrollment period. Alf attended high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
for 122 years and was captain of a Bouillabaisseball team (which is played on ice using shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
as a ball).
The commonly-used currency is a Wernick, which is equal to ten American dollars, and the substance we call foam is as precious on Melmac as gold is on Earth. Most metal pipes in their spaceships are made of gold. Gravel, lint, and wax are also considered to be precious metals.
Every seventy-five years, Melmacians change their personality for a short period of time. They are aggressive for twelve hours and desire more than anything to eat a cat. To prevent them from destroying things a cage is built for them to pass the phase in. The final stage of the transformation is marked by quoting people, often incorrectly.
A hiccup from a Melmacian is very loud, very strong, and very disturbing. The hiccups can shatter glass and are hard to get rid of. The only cure for the hiccups is cat juice or raw spinach (Popeye being reviled in Melmac mythology).
Being born in wedlock was considered a great shame on Melmac, the opposite of Earth. A Melmacian wedding consisted of a priest saying "You're hitched. Go for it babe." The high priest on Melmac, was also a butcher.
Death is a festival on Melmac. All Melmacians die at the age of 650 years, so they have enough time to withdraw their accounts and give away their possessions.
Despite this eccentric slacker attitude, Melmacian culture appreciates education; to the point that burning books was regarded as a magnet for bad luck, since, by their logic, you would be stealing knowledge from future generations.
Melmacian time
A year on Melmac consists of 364 days, 386 days if you include Sundays. These days seem to be similar to the length of a day on Earth. The Melmac months are: Harble, Tarble, Gorruf, Kilmerl, Gagg, Orring, Barp, Twangle, Fanfan, Nathinganger, Anerva, and Fibble. It's not explained how a month is defined on a planet with two moons.Biology
Before the Melmacian race existed, huge creatures used to roam Melmac; they looked like a cross between a dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
and an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
salesman. Melmacians have a lifespan of 650 years. By the inclusion of a plant called the Carl Shrub
Ragweed
Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus Ambrosia in the sunflower family Asteraceae. Common names include bitterweeds and bloodweeds....
in their diet, Melmacians are immune to infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
. 90% of Melmacians are under the height of 3 foot (0.9144 m), but are over the weight of 400 pounds, since their fur is very dense.
A Melmacian's favorite dish is Cat, although they also eat a lot of seafood. Their blood is green-colored and they have ten major organs in their bodies: a heart (which is in their heads), liver and eight stomachs. Their mating call is a high-pitched, shrieking wail reminiscent of the giant ants in the classic 1950's film Them!, which Alf demonstrated in one episode.
History
Following the destruction of the planet, Gordon Shumway, from the Lower East side of the planet, believed he was the last survivorExtinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
of both his civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
and his species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Only six other surviving Melmacians are known: Skip and Rhonda, who invited Shumway to leave with them and colonize a new planet; ALF's cousin "Blinky" who was seen in a car traveling down the highway and Brian, a furniture salesman. On his first Day on Earth, Alf attempted to contact his friends in space: Skip, Larry, and Murphy.
Melmac in culture
In the science fiction series, Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
, (Season 6, Episode 13, "Sight Unseen") Melmac is mentioned. Colonel O'Neill tells Vernon Sharpe, a civilian, that the 'aliens' he has been seeing came from the planet Melmac. Vernon is perplexed: "Isn't that where ALF is from?" Colonel O'Neill pretended that he had no idea what Vernon is talking about, and after Vernon's explanation about the TV show and puppet, O'Neill claims never to have seen it. (Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
, who portrayed Colonel O'Neill, also starred as MacGyver
Angus MacGyver
Angus MacGyver, known as just MacGyver or Mac until the final season of the American spy television series MacGyver, is the highly intelligent, optimistic action hero played by Richard Dean Anderson. He prefers non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible and refuses to carry or use a gun...
in the eponymous series
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
that aired in a time slot opposite the show ALF, MacGyver itself was referenced in an episode of Alf, though the two characters were never shown watching any episodes of the other on either series.)