"Plan Brain from Outer Space" is the third episode of the second season of Pinky and the Brain.
Brain goes to Area 5.1 (a parody of Area 51), and makes contact with the alien Zalgar in hopes that he will help him take over the world, but Zalgar has other plans in mind: specifically, devouring Brain's brain.
Tropes:
- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: Brain sets a Bigfoot on Zalgar.
- Body Horror: Played for Laughs - Synapse has a large chunk bitten out of the back of his head.
- Brain Food: Zalgar eats brains.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Zalgar originally appeared in the Animaniacs episode "Potty Emergency" in a sci-fi movie the Warners were watching.
- Little Green Men: Synapse and Neuron, Zalgar's minions.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The Area 51 guard is a caricature of Jim Nabors - better known as Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: The episode actually began as a spin-off of the Animaniacs episode "Potty Emergency". Zalgar was to be the main character.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Zalgar's eyes turn red when he finally loses his temper.
- Rushmore Refacement: Zalgar accidentally blows up Mount Rushmore, and creates a giant sculpture of the Warner Siblings.
- Shout-Out:
- The title references Plan 9 from Outer Space.
- Pinky is watching The Z-Files.
- "Lard Copy" is a parody of tabloid news TV show Hard Copy.
- At one point, Brain mentions Rand Mc Nally, an American publisher of maps, atlases, and other travel-related reference material.
- Pinky quotes the famous line from The Little Engine That Could.
- The guard mistakes Pinky and Brain for General Maltese and General Jones, a reference to Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.
- The action in Area 51 takes place in Hangar 18, referencing a 1980 sci-fi movie about the government capturing and concealing an alien craft.
- One of the things stowed away in Hangar 18 is the Ark of the Covenant.
- When the Brain assumes command of the alien vessel, the opening bars of the Star Trek theme are played in the background.
- Brain references Don Herbert, who created and hosted three different educational TV shows between 1951 and 1990 under the persona of “Mr. Wizard”.
- In Area 51, a cryonic tube with the name Walt can be seen, a reference to the Urban Legend that Walt Disney had his body cryogenically frozen following his death.
- Zalgar riffs on the famous Oscar Meyer jingle and the slogan for Hair Club for Men.
- Who Even Needs a Brain?: Zalgar has already eaten Synapse's brain. Synapse doesn't seem bothered by it at the least.
- Your Brain Won't Be Much of a Meal: Zalgar's brain-sucking machine malfunctions when it tries to remove Pinky's brain, warning that "Intelligence of entree is dangerously low".
