document_title: The Last Man on Earth (TV series)

question_text: who plays tandy on last man on earth

question_tokens: who plays tandy on last man on earth

text: The Last Man on Earth (TV series)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Almost a year after a deadly virus sweeps Earth, Phil Miller (Will Forte) is seemingly the only human survivor in late 2020. As he searches for others and paints signs stating he is alive in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, he finds no one. Before attempting suicide, he discovers another survivor, Carol Pilbasian (Kristen Schaal).[10] Despite being annoyed by each other, Carol and Phil marry for re-population purposes. Over the next several months, more survivors join them. Though Phil's irritating attitude towards them leads to his banishment from Tucson, Carol leaves with him.

text: In season 2, Phil and Carol continue their road trip in the middle of 2023.[11] They discover the group has relocated to Malibu, California and travel there to reunite with the group and rebuild trust. Meanwhile, Phil's astronaut brother Mike Miller (Jason Sudeikis) crashes down to Earth and finds his way to Malibu, where he joins the survivors briefly before possibly being infected by the virus.

text: In season 3, following a potential threat by Pat Brown (Mark Boone Junior), the survivors move to a self-sustaining office building in San Jose, California, where Melissa (January Jones) struggles with mental instability and Carol discovers a young boy living in the woods whom they name Jasper. As time passes, Erica (Cleopatra Coleman) gives birth to a girl named Dawn, and the group decides to leave the United States when they believe nuclear power plants are melting down all over the country.

text: In season 4, after meeting and parting ways with Pamela Brinton (Kristen Wiig) and Glenn (Chris Elliott), the survivors move to Zihuatanejo, Mexico, to avoid any nuclear meltdowns that may be occurring in the United States. While there, Carol gives birth to twin daughters, naming the elder daughter Bezequille and the younger daughter Mike, after Phil's brother.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Will Forte as Philip Tandy[12] Miller (first called "Phil", then "Tandy"), an average, socially challenged man and seemingly the only human survivor after a virus wiped out nearly the entire population about a year earlier. He lives in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, having already searched North America for other living people. In his pre-virus life, he worked dead-end jobs and lived in a studio apartment for which his parents paid the rent. Out of loneliness, he has adopted various sports balls as "buddies" and drawn faces on them. He has painted "Alive in Tucson" on billboards and highway signs during his trip, hoping others might see the message. Forte describes him as "a selfish person who sometimes borders on being a flat-out sociopath".[13] Jacob Tremblay portrays young Phil,[14] who appears to his brother Mike in multiple visions in the episode "Pitch Black".[15]
Kristen Schaal as Carol Andrew Pilbasian Miller, a notary from Delaware who sees Phil's "Alive in Tucson" sign and travels to Tucson. She pressures Phil to marry her so they can work towards repopulating the Earth with "legitimate" children. Carol is shown to be compassionate and is good friends with Melissa and Todd but can hold grudges and be stridently moralistic.[16] Carol and Phil divorce in the middle of the first season, but Carol chooses to leave with Phil after he is banished from Tucson and they subsequently remarry. In the second season, she and Phil regain the survivors' trust, and she becomes pregnant with Phil's child after he finally tells her he loves her. In the fourth season, she gives birth to twin daughters Bezequille and Mike, the latter named for Phil's brother.
January Jones as Melissa Chartres,[17] a former real estate agent from Akron, Ohio who used to be married to the late Greg until he cheated on her with a police officer. She meets Phil and Carol after they crash their pickup truck into her limousine. She saw Phil's original "Alive in Tucson" sign and traveled to Tucson before Carol. Phil is initially very attracted to her and frequently vies for her affection despite having just married Carol, so Melissa does not like or trust him. She begins dating Todd after he joins the group.[18] In the second season, Melissa decides she does not want to have children and breaks up with Todd, but when she changes her mind, she and Gail eventually agree to simultaneously date Todd. In season 3, Melissa kills Darrell, one of paranoiac Pat Brown's crew, and consequently starts acting strangely, ultimately forcing Todd to lock her in a focus-group room to stop her from jumping off a building. The survivors help cure her condition using Clozapine, and Melissa marries Todd near the end of the season.
Mel Rodriguez as Todd Rodriguez, another surviving man who, while on his way to Mexico, finds Phil and company after he sees some fireworks set off by Phil. Kind and selfless, Todd's nature leads to him becoming the most likable member of the group, much to Phil's increasing annoyance. He and Melissa become very close and begin a romantic relationship shortly after they meet.[18] In season 2, Todd's love life becomes increasingly complicated: he finds himself torn among Melissa, who breaks up with him for a while; Gail, who starts dating him simultaneously with Melissa; Erica, who tells him that the late Phil II chose him as a surrogate father for her baby; and even Carol, who approaches him with a surprise request to impregnate her when she thinks Phil (Tandy) is sterile. In season 3, when Gail breaks up with him, Todd hopes to win back Melissa until he is frightened by her strange behavior resulting from killing Darrell. He is eventually able to cure her condition using Clozapine and they get married.
Cleopatra Coleman as Erica Dundee, an Australian woman and self-described "political nerd." After the outbreak of the virus, she met Gail at the White House and the two became traveling companions. They discover Phil upon spotting a fire he started, then move in with the rest of the survivors. In the second season, Erica becomes pregnant with Phil II's child but decides to not involve him in their child's life when he openly flirts with Carol. In "Smart and Stupid," she tells Mike, whom she is dating, that she was imprisoned for armed bank robbery before traveling to the United States and getting a job at the State Department under an assumed name. Toward the end of season 3, she gives birth to her daughter, whom she names Dawn.
Mary Steenburgen as Gail Klosterman (recurring season 1; starring season 2–present), a chef and former restaurant owner from Wilmington, North Carolina. After the outbreak of the virus, she met another woman named Erica, and the two became traveling companions. Gail mentions having had a husband but does not reveal what happened to him.[19] In the second season, she develops a relationship with another survivor named Gordon, but after Gordon dies of a heart attack, she has trouble finding closure and even dresses up a mannequin to look like Gordon, until she starts dating Todd. In the third season, she tells Carol, who wants Gail to adopt her so her child can have a grandmother, that she also had a child who died before the outbreak of the virus. To avoid being annoyed by Carol about their newly formed family, Gail finds solace in an elevator, but the elevator loses its power and traps her inside until Phil restores the power in "The Spirit of St. Lewis". She begins a romantic relationship with Erica during the six months after the episode "Name 20 Picnics...Now!", which continues into the fourth season and leads to them getting married.

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Jason Sudeikis as Michael Shelby "Mike" Miller (guest season 1, recurring season 2),[20] the more successful younger brother of Phil (Tandy) and a scientist who survives in Earth's orbit aboard the International Space Station. Like Phil and his sports balls, he talks to pet worms out of loneliness.[21] He also appears in a still photograph in the premiere episode with his brother and parents.[22] In the season 2 mid-season finale, Mike begins his return to Earth with a newborn companion worm. After he lands in the sea, paranoid seaman Pat Brown abandons him on shore, but he finds his way to Malibu using an "Alive in Tucson" sign, his inference that Phil would have moved into the cul-de-sac following the apocalypse, and a letter from Melissa. Though his sibling rivalry with Phil resurfaces, the brothers eventually reconcile and explain to each other how their parents were proud of them both. In "Smart and Stupid", Mike starts coughing up blood, a sign of the virus, and departs to avoid having the group grieve his death. When Phil finds Mike at their childhood home in Tucson, they spend a day growing closer than ever before Mike begs Phil in his "dying wish" to leave. Phil returns in season 3 to see if Mike survived but chooses not to enter Mike's bedroom, leaving without confirming his brother's status. Mike's niece, the younger of Phil and Carol's twin daughters, is named Mike after him.
Boris Kodjoe as Philip Stacy "Phil" Miller (seasons 1–2), a former member of the Special Forces from High Point, North Carolina. He discovers the rest of the survivors after finding the original Phil sunburned and unconscious on a billboard. Also a former contractor, his skills with construction—as well as his good looks—soon make him a favorite among the women in the group. He and the original Phil, who must go by "Tandy" after losing a competition to him, become rivals shortly after meeting.[23] In the second season, he openly flirts with Carol, then tries to make amends with Erica when he learns she is pregnant with his child. Just as he mends his relationship with her, he suffers from appendicitis and requests that Erica not let Tandy help raise their child if he does not survive. He finally dies during a botched appendectomy performed by Gail and Todd, neither of whom has medical experience. After the group says goodbye to Phil, Tandy learns that, despite Phil's earlier claim that he had no middle name, his middle name was Stacy.
Mark Boone Junior as Patrick "Pat" Brown (seasons 2–4), the first person Mike encounters after returning to Earth. A former tennis champion and ice cream truck driver, he wanders the sea on a yacht, fearing that the virus has still contaminated the land and that anyone he meets could be carrying it. He also believes the U.S. government has gone into hiding in bunkers and plotted a conspiracy to trap survivors. He abandons Mike in Miami when he thinks he has accidentally killed him by exposing him to the virus. Between the events of "Pitch Black" and "30 Years of Science Down the Tubes", Pat meets two other survivors named Darrell and Lewis while sailing around North America via the Northwest Passage. Armed with rifles, the three men approach the Malibu mansion at the start of the third season.[24] Although Pat and Lewis convince the group of their peaceful intent, Pat suddenly turns on them when he realizes Phil and Mike are related, but he is hit with the A-Team van as everyone else escapes from him in it. He is presumed dead until his body and boat vanish. When he sees the group driving towards a marina at the end of season 3, Pat tries to kill them before Pamela shoots him in the head.
Kenneth Choi as Lewis (season 3), a gay arborist from Seattle whose partner Mark is presumed to have been killed by the virus. He first comes to Malibu as part of Pat's crew but defects and joins the main group when Pat refuses to make peace with Phil (Tandy). He greatly fears Pat, especially since Pat told him he previously killed someone (Mike).[25] After moving into a self-sustaining office building in San Jose with the rest of the group, he considers the possibility that Mark might still be alive in Tokyo and begins teaching himself aviation so he can fly there and investigate.[26] In the middle of season 3, Lewis is killed 10 seconds after takeoff when he attempts his first flight in a real plane.
Kristen Wiig as Pamela Brinton (seasons 3-4),[27] a wealthy socialite and philanthropist who hid from the virus in an underground bunker with her dog Jeremy. During her time in the bunker, she learned to pilot its surveillance drone, which Gail first saw near the end of the second season. She leaves upon discovering the others even though the connection is lost.[28] Pamela introduces herself to the group after shooting Pat in the head to save them. She then abducts Phil for herself upon hearing the other ladies' plans to abandon her, but she redeems herself as she realizes the errors of her actions and joins castaway Glenn on a search for his children.
Keith L. Williams as Jasper (season 3–present), an initially silent young boy who is discovered in the background of Carol and Gail's family photos wearing a Yoda costume. Phil names him "Jasper" after his JanSport backpack, and the child chooses Erica as his parental figure despite Phil's attempts to bond with him. Six months after his first exposure to every major holiday packed into one party by the adults, he starts speaking. Following the births of Dawn, Bezequille, and Mike, Carol and Erica begin competing for their children to start relationships with Jasper so they don’t end up alone with no one else on Earth to be with. Jasper becomes uncomfortable with Carol and Erica competing for him along with Todd’s repeated attempts to bond with him, so he runs away from the house. Two episodes after his disappearance, it is revealed that Melissa, who seems to be the only adult that Jasper is comfortable with, knows his location and has been dropping coolers of food off near him so he can eat.
Chris Elliott as Glenn (season 4), a castaway whom the group meets on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. He missed the apocalypse and thus knows nothing about the virus until Carol informs him about it, then joins the group in their return to the mainland, where he begins a relationship with Pamela and invites her on a search for his children.
Fred Armisen as Karl Cowperthwaite (season 4),[29] a cannibalistic serial killer whom Phil and Todd find confined in a prison near Zihuatanejo, Mexico while looking for Jasper. As an avid painter, his preferred method of killing his victims is by bringing them to his house, painting a portrait of them, and killing them, presumably with a knife. He is arrested and placed in a Mexican prison after his next victim discovers a decapitated head in his fridge and runs to the police. After the virus hits, the only survivors in the prison are him and a guard named Martinez (Geoffrey Rivas). The two develop a rapport but Karl ends up killing Martinez after he informed him that he was going to leave him to die alone in the prison. When Phil and Todd find him, he quickly changes into Martinez’s uniform and takes his identity. When introduced to the rest of the group, they all accept him, but Phil is suspicious.

text: Guests[edit]

text:
Alexandra Daddario as Victoria (season 1), an attractive woman that Phil (Tandy) hallucinates before he meets Carol.[30]
Will Ferrell as Gordon Vanderkruik[11] (season 2), a survivor living in Malibu, who dies from a heart attack from the shock of Carol's sudden appearance. When Gordon first met the other survivors some time between the events of the first and second seasons, he developed a relationship with Gail. His grave indicates that he was born in 1978 and died in 2023.[11]
Jon Hamm as Darrell (season 3), a man who sails to Malibu with Pat and Lewis but is shot and killed by Melissa in the ensuing confusion on their intentions.[25]
Laura Dern as Catherine (season 3), Pamela's socialite friend, who purchases a bunker to hide from the virus, but ultimately succumbs to it before she can enter.[28]
Timothy V. Murphy as Benjamin Brinton (season 3), Pamela's husband, who dies from the virus.[28]
Jack Black as Rear Admiral Roy Billups (season 4), a United States Navy officer and Pamela's lover whom Pat shoots before she finally kills Pat outright.
Alma Martinez as "La Abuela" Gordillo (season 4), a Mexican drug cartel leader who, in a flashback to 2017, occupies the Zihuatanejo mansion wherein the main group settles in the present before she is slain by her henchman Panchito.
Jack Guzman as Hector (season 4), one of La Abuela's henchmen who, in a flashback to 2017, prepares a bomb to avoid being killed by her before hiding the bomb in an unspecified location.
Leighton Meester as Zoe (season 4), a woman with whom Karl goes on an unsuccessful date.
Martin Short as an unnamed SUV driver (season 4), whom Karl kills so can he can quickly escape to Mexico.

text: Background and production[edit]

text: The show originated from the writing team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who had the idea initially for a feature film. They approached longtime collaborator and former Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte with the premise, who "took a spark to it and took it in his own direction", according to Miller.[31] He was partially inspired by the series Life After People. "I love comedy where there's a lot of tension and even though it's very far-fetched, it seems very relatable", said Forte of the premise.[32] Forte's treatment for the series, crafted over a weekend, was pitched around Hollywood to positive responses. They mainly pitched to cable and Internet services, as Forte believed a broadcast network would be stricter on content.[31] In their pitch, much of the outline of the series' first season was formulated.[33] Fox, the show's eventual distributor, was instead doing "something different" and specific to his vision, according to Miller.[31]

text: Forte spoke on the show's creative freedom in a 2015 interview:

text: I think we always saw this as more of a cable show, to be honest. They claimed from the get-go that they didn't want to change the tone of the show, and I think I went in with an eyebrow raised, thinking, okay, well when's it going to come out that we have to change it around? And they were great. They stuck by their pledge and let us make this different type of show. We're so happy to have had this experience. It was just a great, great experience with Fox.[33]

text: Filming the series was challenging. For example, maintaining silence and not picking up sounds of cars in the distance made it difficult.[32] In addition to Forte's fascination with Life After People, similar films bandied about while writing the show included The Omega Man, I Am Legend, and 28 Days Later.[33] Fox particularly appreciated the heart of the story, with its universal theme. According to Lord, "We always talked about that this is a person who is very flawed, and a person who maybe needed the entire world to end in order for him to become his best self. [...] That was our big thought, well here's a guy who maybe he wasn't the best guy in the regular world, but if you took the regular world away, could he eventually get back to being the person that all of us hope that we can be."[33]

text: The name of the main character, Phil Miller, is based on the names of the two executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[34] According to Miller, "there are no zombies" in the series.[35]

text: For the second season, Dan Sterling joined as executive producer and took over the role of showrunner from Forte, who was the showrunner for the first season.[36]

text: The main recording location for the series is a 20th Century Fox studio in Chatsworth, California.[37][38][39]

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
13
March 1, 2015 (2015-03-01)
May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)

2
18
September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)
May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)

3
18
September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)
May 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)

4
TBA
October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01)
TBA

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: For its one-hour premiere, The Last Man on Earth received 5.75 million viewers with an average 2.4 rating among adults 18–49, making it the highest-rated broadcast series of the evening in that demographic.[40] While ratings declined overall, the show did well enough with young men to justify renewal.[41]

text:
Season
Timeslot (ET)
Episodes
First aired
Last aired
TV season
Rank
Avg. viewers
(millions)

Date
Viewers
(millions)
Date
Viewers
(millions)

1
Sunday 9:30 pm
13
March 1, 2015
5.75[40]
May 3, 2015
3.51[42]
2014–15
93[43]
6.07[43]

2
18
September 27, 2015
3.14[44]
May 15, 2016
2.23[45]
2015–16
114[46]
4.23[46]

3
18
September 25, 2016
2.23[47]
May 7, 2017
1.8[48]
2016–17
122[49]
3.29[49]

4
TBA
October 1, 2017
2.28[50]
TBA
TBD
2017–18
TBD
TBD

text: Critical reception[edit]

text:
My recommendation comes with a caveat: there is no roadmap for this kind of show, and it could easily fall apart quickly. But I will say this for The Last Man on Earth: it does not seem like the sort of thing that would be a primetime network sitcom. And that's precisely why it should be one.
“
”

James Poniewozik of Time[51]

tag: div

text: The Last Man on Earth has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the first season has a score of 72, based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[52] On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an 85% approval rating with an average score of 7.74 out of 10 based on 46 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "It may run out of steam before the season's over, but The Last Man on Earth's ambitious concept and comedic undertone are enough to lure viewers in."[53] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the show "a genre-busting breakout that's creative, nuanced and inspired".[54] Robert Bianco of USA Today praised Forte's "audacity, inventiveness and achievement".[55] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post called it "a charming and intelligent sendup of pop culture's obsession with the end of everything".[56] Slate's Willa Paskin called the program "well-made, polished, odd, surprisingly funny".[57] "For a show that shouldn't really work at all, Last Man works pretty well", remarked Margaret Lyons of Vulture.[58]

text: Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen called it "profoundly funny", and sustainable if it continues the "ingenuity, surprises, and craftsmanship".[34] "I was impressed by The Last Man on Earth, and hope it can continue to spin stories and character development out of its somewhat narrow premise", wrote Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe.[59]

text: Several critics, such as Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post[16] and David Hinckley of the New York Daily News, have questioned the show's future.[60] Mike Hale of The New York Times deemed the show "well made, meticulous in its comic details and pleasantly acted", though noting that part of the show's appeal "dissipates" past the pilot episode.[61] Brian Lowry of Variety opined that "the premise calls for a level of creativity from the producers that these episodes don't consistently deliver. That's not to say 'I wouldn't watch him if he were the last man on Earth.' But like the fate of humanity within the series, while the future certainly isn't hopeless, neither does it look particularly bright."[62]

text: Subsequent seasons have also received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an 83% approval rating with an average score of 7.76 out of 10 based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Season two of The Last Man on Earth brings a change of venue and renewed focus on the chemistry between Forte and Schaal, and may win back some viewers who were turned off in season one."[63] The third season has an 83% approval rating with an average score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 6 reviews.[64]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Recipients
Result
Ref.

2015
Critics' Choice Television Award
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Forte
Nominated
[65]

Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Forte
Nominated
[66]

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Will Forte for "Alive in Tucson"
Nominated

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for "Alive in Tucson"
Nominated

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
Stacey Schroeder
Nominated

EWwy Award
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Last Man on Earth
Nominated
[67]

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristen Schaal
Nominated
[68]

68th Writers Guild of America Awards
New Series
The Last Man on Earth
Nominated
[69]

Episodic Comedy
Will Forte ("Alive in Tucson")
Nominated

2016
6th Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Comedy Series
The Last Man on Earth
Nominated
[70]

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Forte
Nominated

68th Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Forte
Nominated
[71]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The first season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 22, 2015. The set contains audio commentaries for "The Elephant in the Room" and "Screw the Moon"; The Last Man on Earth Q&A Panel; "Survival of the Funniest: Creating The Last Man on Earth" featurette; deleted scenes; and a gag reel.[72]


document_title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

question_text: how many triangles are on the epcot ball

root

text: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: Structure[edit]

text: The structure is similar in texture to the United States pavilion from Expo 67 in Montreal, but unlike that structure, Spaceship Earth is a complete sphere, supported by three pairs of legs. The architectural design was conceived by Wallace Floyd Design Group.[3] [4]The structural designs of both Expo 67 and Spaceship Earth were completed by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts.

tag: p

text: Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is derived from the Class 2 geodesic polyhedron with frequency of division equal to 8. Each face of the polyhedron is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 silvered facets, with 954 partial or full flat triangular panels.[5]

text: The appearance of being a monolithic sphere is an architectural goal that was achieved through a structural trick. Spaceship Earth is in fact two structural domes. Six legs are supported on pile groups that are driven up to 160 feet into Central Florida's soft earth. Those legs support a steel box-shaped ring at the sphere's perimeter, at about 30 degrees south latitude in earth-terms.[6] The upper structural dome sits on this ring. A grid of trusses inside the ring supports two helical structures of the ride and show system. Below the ring, a second dome is hung from the bottom, completing the spherical shape. The ring and trusses form a table-like structure which separates the upper dome from the lower. Supported by and about three feet off the structural domes is a cladding sphere to which the shiny Alucobond panels and drainage system are mounted.

text: The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. All water is collected through one-inch gaps in the facets into a gutter system, and finally channeled into the World Showcase Lagoon.

text: History[edit]

text: Design and construction[edit]

text: The structure was designed with the help of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who also helped write the original storyline for the attraction.[7][8][9] The term "Spaceship Earth" was popularised by Buckminster Fuller,[10] who also popularized the geodesic dome.

text: Construction took 26 months. Extending upwards from the table are "quadropod" structures, which support smaller beams which form the shell of the steel skeleton. Pipes stand the aluminum skin panels away from the skeleton and provide space for utilities. A small service car is parked in the interstitial space between the structural and cladding surfaces, and can carry a prone technician down the sides to access repair locations. The shop fabrication of the steel (done in nearby Tampa, Florida) was an early instance of computer-aided drafting and materials processing. Spaceship Earth was originally sponsored by the Bell System from 1982 until 1984, when it was broken into smaller companies in 1984, and its parent company, AT&T, became an independent company. AT&T sponsored Spaceship Earth from 1984 until 2004. From 2005 onwards, the German company Siemens has been the sponsor of Spaceship Earth.

text: Opening[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: In October 1982, the attraction experience began as the ride vehicles moved up into the structure through a lighted tunnel enhanced by a fog machine, and then ascended on a spiraling track up through dark spaces featuring a series of lighted historic vignettes. The attraction featured actor Lawrence Dobkin as the narrator along with a very simple and quiet orchestral composition throughout the attraction. The theme of communication through the ages is presented in chronological order in settings peopled with Audio-Animatronics figures. Actors are seen (and heard quietly) declaiming in a Greek theater. Charioteers carry messages from a Roman court, and Jewish and Islamic scholars discuss texts. With typical Disney whimsy, a monk is seen having fallen asleep on a manuscript he was inscribing. Michelangelo, overhead, paints the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, and Gutenberg mans his printing press. Suggesting the rush of 20th-century technology, subsequent scenes meld together, overlapping each other as the circumference of the ride track narrows. A newsboy hawks papers, a movie marquee and film clips represent motion pictures, and radio and television are represented. As the vehicles reach the large space at the apex of the ride system, guests see, on the planetarium ceiling of the sphere, projections of stars, planets, the Milky Way, and, closest and largest, "spaceship earth." The Omnimover vehicles then revolve 180 degrees, so that the passengers lie backward facing the "sky" as they begin their descent on a relatively straight track. The ride stops intermittently as wheelchairs are loaded or unloaded.

text: In May 1986, the attraction was given a slight remodel. This second version of the attraction started off with the lighted tunnel enhanced by twinkling lights, meant to depict stars, with the fog machine removed. News journalist Walter Cronkite was the new narrator, reading from an updated script. A theme song called Tomorrow's Child was composed for the ending of the attraction, which was redesigned with projected images of children on screens to help fit with the theme of "Tomorrow's Child".

text: On August 15, 1994, the attraction was closed to receive a major remodel. This third version of the attraction kept the lighted tunnel as it was in 1986, and maintained the majority of the scenes depicted in the beginning and middle of the attraction. Three scenes toward the end of the attraction that showed a computer in a boy's bedroom of the 1980s, a woman's office of the 1980s, and a network operations center of the 1990s, were all removed and replaced with one scene depicting a boy and girl using the Internet to communicate between America and Asia. Actor Jeremy Irons was the new narrator, reading from an updated script. A new orchestral composition was composed for the beginning, middle, and end of the attraction. This score was based upon Bach's Sinfonia No. 2 in C Minor. The ending itself was completely redone, with the removal of the Space Station scene located in the attraction's planetarium (the astronauts from the scene subsequently turned up in Space Mountain's post-show, where they were used until 2009), replacement of an old projected image of Earth in the planetarium with a new image, and replacement of the 1982 and 1986 ending scenes of the ride with miniature architectural settings connected by color-changing fiber optic cables and arrays of blinking lights representing electronic communication pathways. The attraction re-opened on November 23, 1994.

text: Wand and update[edit]

text: In celebration of the year 2000, a large 25-story "magic wand" held by a representation of Mickey Mouse's hand was built next to the sphere. Inspiration for it came from the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence of Fantasia (although Mickey did not actually use a magic wand in that sequence). At the top of the structure was a large cut-out of the number 2000. While the structure wasn't intended to be permanent, it was constructed to have a lifetime of about 10 years. After the Millennium Celebration ended, the structure was left standing. In 2001, the number 2000 was replaced with the word "Epcot" in a script font that differs from the park's logotype.

text: On July 5, 2007, Epcot Vice President Jim MacPhee announced that Spaceship Earth would be restored to its original appearance, and that the "magic wand" structure would be removed in time for the park's 25th anniversary on October 1, 2007. Siemens AG, the new sponsor of Spaceship Earth, was rumored to have requested the wand removed as it did not fit their corporate image. The attraction was closed on July 9, 2007, and by October 1 the wand structure, the stars and the star supports were gone, replaced by palm trees and other plants. Components of the structure were later auctioned on eBay.[citation needed]

text: The closure also saw the ride's fourth update, which included new scenes and modifications to existing scenes, some new costumes, lighting, and props, a new musical score by Bruce Broughton, new narration by Judi Dench,[11] and a new interactive ending. New scenes showed a Greek classroom, mainframe computers and the creation of the personal computer.[12] The attraction opened for "soft launch" previews starting in December 2007. After some last-minute adjustments in January, the ride had its official re-opening on February 15, 2008.

text: The "time machine" vehicles now have an interactive screen where riders can choose their vision of the future.[13] This resembles a similar idea to the now-defunct Horizons attraction. At the beginning of the ride, a camera takes riders' pictures (using facial recognition technology) which are used at the end of the ride to conduct an interactive experience about the future of technology, featuring the riders' faces on animated characters with narration by Cam Clarke. Visitors are now also asked where in our Spaceship Earth they live; this is used in the post-show area where a map of the world is displayed with the riders' faces shown where they live.

text: In October 2017, Siemens, a long time sponsor, ended their sponsorship of the attraction, as well as the Illuminations firework show.[14]

text: Attraction experience[edit]

text: As the ride is built on an omnimover system, there are no triggered ride events. Rather, a narration plays as the show scenes and music run on loop. The script, originally penned by Ray Bradbury, has since been updated to meet contemporary technological trends. The current host is Judi Dench, who narrates along an orchestral score by Bruce Broughton.

text: Show scenes[edit]

text: The ride begins with the time-machine vehicles ascending into a dark tunnel with twinkling stars all around. An adventurous orchestral theme starts to play. As the score shifts to the theme ostinato, a leitmotif that comes to represent digital interference, guests have their picture taken which, unknown to the riders, will be used later in the ride and in the post-show.

text: As the vehicle arrives at the first story of the structure, it begins a slow curve. A large film screen is stretched along the inside of the sphere, depicting early humans fighting for survival without a form of communication and language. As the screen dims behind them, guests enter a cavern populated by audio animatronic early humans, who represent the development of early language through cave paintings. The drawings on the walls come to life and begin to dance as the car continues onward.

text: The score modulates, presenting the theme in a phrygian mode, implying a middle eastern atmosphere. Guests are brought through a heated diorama of the Egyptians, who invented a system of portable communication using hieroglyphs recorded on papyrus, as opposed to cave paintings that were unable to be transported as humans migrated.

text: Phoenician merchants are seen carrying goods to faraway lands. The narration explains how each civilization is trying to communicate, but cannot understand each other due to the language barrier. But the Phoenicians, who trade with all of them create a simple common alphabet, so that trade and communication becomes easier. Turning a corner, riders see a lesson in mathematics being taught in a piazza in an ancient Greek city, in a sequence that attempts to show how math helped invent the 'birth of a high tech life we enjoy today.' Shifting to ancient Rome, a night scene including a traveler in a chariot delivering news depicts how language is portrayed as a tool for cultural unification with the vast network of roads that stretched across Europe, ultimately all leading to Rome.

text: Suddenly, the scene takes a dark turn as crashes are heard and the smell of burnt wood fills the air. The fall of Rome by invading mercenary armies also brought the destruction of the bulk of the world's recorded knowledge, including the loss of scrolls at the Library of Alexandria. But the narration gives hope as the vehicle reaches the next level, where Jewish and Islamic scholars of the Middle Ages are seen preserving recorded information, and continuing to progress in science.

text: Winding through exotic fabrics and drapery, guests arrive at a monastery where biblical manuscripts are being painstakingly copied. The composition shifts to a rousing hallelujah chorus, sung to the melody of the piece's exposition. Gutenberg is seen working the first movable-type printing press, allowing information to travel freely across the globe. The European Renaissance is portrayed, with animatronics of ensembles playing rich, polyphonic secular motets, sculpting a woman, and the painting of a portrait of fruit. The scene ends as the car passes under a scaffold, where Michelangelo is seen painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

text: The time machines transition to a post-Civil War North. Guests witness syndicated news reports illuminating the planet of current events with amazing efficiency. Loud, industrial-sized printing presses show the incredible influence of the machine as an advancement in mass communication. As guests pass the clanging sounds of the press, the score's theme is presented again, this time with an uptempo ragtime piano. Seen next is a romanticized version of the 20th century communications revolution—after passing telegraphs, radio, telephones, and movies, riders see the 1969 television broadcast of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, featuring Walter Cronkite. Language had progressed to such an extent that it no longer was spoken solely by humans, but by machines as well.

text: Guests turn a corner and find themselves in a large mainframe computer as they ascend up the final hill. At the top, a slow descent starts, progressing through a garage in California, where a man[12] is seen building one of the first home computers. The score becomes suddenly percussive and dramatic as guests fly through a tunnel with computer code projected onto the walls. At a crescendo, the car makes its final turn into the cupola of Spaceship Earth. The top of the structure is, in fact, a planetarium studded with stars and a large projection of a rotating Earth. Before the omnimover vehicles start to move down the long descent to the unloading area, they rotate 180 degrees clockwise and guests ride the end of the attraction backwards.

text: The remainder of the ride moves past a seemingly infinite number of stars and into a realm of glowing triangles. The guests can then use the touch-screens in their Omnimover vehicle to fill out a questionnaire to create a possible depiction of their future, which uses the pictures taken at the beginning of the ride.

text: Siemens then invites guests to visit Project Tomorrow as they exit the ride cars.

text: Post-show[edit]

text: Earth Station[edit]

text: The original post show for Spaceship Earth was called Earth Station. It lasted from 1982 until 1994. It was a wide open exhibit space that included:

text:
EPCOT Center Guest Relations
Seven large rear projector screens mounted on the walls of the exhibit space toward the ceiling that displayed visual previews of various EPCOT Center attractions.
WorldKey Information: Interactive kiosks that offered previews of various EPCOT Center attractions. Guests could also talk to a live cast member via two-way closed-circuit video, or make a restaurant reservation while in the park.

tag: ul

text: Global Neighborhood[edit]

text: When AT&T renewed their sponsorship in 1994, they redesigned the exhibit space for Earth Station into the Global Neighborhood. The original Global Neighborhood lasted from 1994 until 1999. In 1999, the exhibit space was updated to become the New Global Neighborhood for the Millennium Celebration. The exhibit space closed in 2004 after AT&T left as sponsor.

text: Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future[edit]

text: AT&T's departure as sponsor in 2004 caused the exhibit to close. Siemens AG, the new sponsor of Spaceship Earth, having signed on in 2005, created a new exhibit space called Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future. The new exhibit space once again uses the entire exhibit space that only Earth Station had once used. The new exhibit space houses interactive exhibits featuring various Siemens AG technology. These interactive displays and games allow guests to see the future of medicine, transportation and energy management. The space opened with two games, with two new games added in December 2007 and January 2008.

text: Project Tomorrow current attractions are:

text:
An illuminated globe that shows the hometown of all Spaceship Earth visitors for the day.
Body Builder – a 3-D game that challenges guests to reconstruct a human body. Features the voice of Wallace Shawn as Dr. Bones.
Super Driver – a driving simulation video game featuring vehicle accident and avoidance systems. It simulates what is supposed to be the future of driving. You drive a "smart-car" and try to stop the city from being destroyed.
Power City – a large, digital "shuffleboard-style" game that has guest racing around the board to power their city.
InnerVision – a coordination and reaction-time game with elements similar to Simon and Dance Dance Revolution[13]

text: VIP Lounge[edit]

text: A VIP lounge, operated by the pavilion sponsor, exists above the post-show area of Spaceship Earth. Employees of the current sponsoring company and their guests can relax in the lounge while visiting Epcot. The sponsor can also hold receptions in the space as well as conduct workshops and business presentations. When Spaceship Earth was without sponsorship from 2004–2005, the room was utilized for private events such as weddings and conventions.[citation needed] The layout is small and curved in shape, with one wall consisting of large windows where visitors can look out onto the park.

text: When Siemens AG took over as sponsor, the lounge was given the name "Base21."[15] In 2012, the name was dropped and it is now simply known as the "Siemens VIP Center."

text: Timeline[edit]

text:
October 1, 1982: Spaceship Earth opens with the opening of EPCOT Center, sponsored by the Bell System.[16][17] The narrator is Lawrence Dobkin.
May 26, 1986: Attraction reopens from first major renovation. AT&T is now the sponsor, having signed on in 1984. New narration by Walter Cronkite. Finale music changed to Tomorrow's Child.
August 15, 1994: Closes for second major renovation. "Home computer", "Office Computer", "Network Operations Center", and "Space Station" scenes removed. New final scenes installed and replace old final scenes. Earth Station closes. Tomorrow's Child ending removed.
November 23, 1994: Attraction reopens. New ride narration by Jeremy Irons.[18][19] New ride score by Edo Guidotti.[20] The Global Neighborhood replaces Earth Station.
September 29, 1999: The Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is dedicated with "2000" over Spaceship Earth.
November 24, 1999: The Global Neighborhood is replaced with The New Global Neighborhood, a new exhibit space serving as a hands-on playground for Spaceship Earth's post show.
May 2001: The Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is changed to say "Epcot" over Spaceship Earth.
January 1, 2004: AT&T Corporation sponsorship ends.
April 2004: The New Global Neighborhood is removed and the area is boarded up. AT&T references removed.
November 2005: It is announced that Siemens AG[21] will sponsor Spaceship Earth for twelve years.
April 11, 2007: Major changes coming to Spaceship Earth are announced.[13]
April 25, 2007: The new exhibit space in Spaceship Earth's post show called Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future opens.
July 5, 2007: Epcot Vice President Jim Macphee announces the removal of the wand structure in time for the park's 25th anniversary on October 1, 2007.
July 9, 2007: Closes for a fourth renovation. Removal of the wand structure begins.
August 24, 2007: Removal of the wand structure completed.
December 2007: Guest previews of fourth edition begin.
February 15, 2008: Fourth edition opens to the general public. New narration by Dame Judi Dench.
March 4, 2008: Spaceship Earth is rededicated.
October 1, 2012: Spaceship Earth and Epcot celebrate their 30th anniversary.
October 1, 2017: Spaceship Earth and Epcot celebrate their 35th anniversary.

text: Narrators[edit]

text:
Lawrence Dobkin:[1] October 1, 1982 – May 25, 1986
Walter Cronkite: May 29, 1986 – August 15, 1994
Jeremy Irons: November 23, 1994 – July 9, 2007
Judi Dench: February 15, 2008–present