Rick and Morty: 10 Facts About “M. Night Shaym-Aliens!” Even Diehard Fans Didn’t Know

With only a handful of seasons under its belt, the animated sci-fi comedy Rick and Morty has had a slew of memorable, laugh-out-loud episodes. Along with their zany brand of humor, creativity, and weird, mind-bending concepts, the show is also known for its layers of depth. This often comes in the form of subtle pop-culture references, fourth-wall humor, and various underlying messages. It’s even easier to appreciate these romps when the interesting behind-the-scenes details come to light – and many episodes have more than a few.

The fan-favorite known as “M. Night Shaym-Aliens!” from season one is particularly full of neat tidbits, Easter eggs, and behind-the-scenes factoids.

10 No Appearance From Summer – And Almost None From The Real Morty

While Summer’s become a prominent supporting character since then, “M. Night Shaym-Aliens!” marks a rare moment in which she makes no appearance. Between the current version of Summer and the “original” C-137, there are only two other episodes where she isn’t featured. The others are “Mortynight Run” and “The Ricklantis Mixup,” otherwise known as “Tales from the Citadel.”

Interestingly, Morty himself only shows up briefly in this one – at least the real, non-simulated version of Morty. This occurs in the post-credit scene, in which a drunken Rick stumbles into his bedroom and demands to know if he’s a simulation.

9 A Subtle Reference To A Young Adult Novel

R&M is chock-full of references to various bits of pop culture, arts, and entertainment – and this fun romp is no different. While some are fairly blatant, there’s at least one that’s likely to allude even most astute viewers.

When an amped-up Jerry is scampering home to be intimate with his wife, he pulls his car into the driveway and runs off. At this point, a glitchy, simulated girl can be seen bouncing a red rubber ball in a physics-defying manner.

This is a reference to a YA novel which features interstellar travel and ethereal themes called A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

8 Morty’s Class Almost Broke Into Lewdness

As is the case with many Adult Swim programs, R&M has its share of raunchy, random humor. Still, this episode was seemingly set to have even more of these qualities before its final cut.

According to the cheeky discussion in season one’s home-video commentary, the scene in Morty’s classroom was going to spontaneously break into an orgy. This was going to occur at the tail end of the scene. Presumably, it was meant to be one of the many weird bits of foreshadowing that this was, in fact, a wonky simulation.

7 Copyright Issues For The “Appley Awards”

A naïve Jerry’s goofy, uninspired apple campaign manages to win him an award inside the Zigerions’ shoddy simulation. It’s established that the award show for apple-related awards is fittingly known as the “Appley.”

Apparently, the original name was to simply be the “Appy;” another tidbit revealed in the episode’s DVD commentary. However, the showrunners quickly discovered that this coveted name had already been claimed.

6 A Glitchy Goldeneye Reference

R&M‘s showrunners show their admiration for geek culture by way of homages and references. Of course, this includes things like sci-fi, fantasy, and anime – though it also includes gaming. A particularly subtle reference to the latter is shown when Jerry’s approaching a glitchy simulation of his boss, Mr. Marklovitz.

The man can be seen awkwardly shuffling around the corner of the room, walking into the wall and backing up in contorted, stuttered fashion. Going back to the DVD commentary again, it’s mentioned that this is actually a nod to the occasional wonkiness of certain character models in the N64 game Goldeneye.

5 Several Winks To Morty Being A Simulation

Being the sharp mad scientist he is, Rick’s seemingly aware of being in a simulation from the get-go and lets Morty know about it early on. Still, there are various subtle, and not-so-subtle hints shown throughout the episode.

Instances of these go beyond the blatant glitching and weird, out-of-place appearances like anthropomorphized Pop-Tarts. An example includes Rick’s odd behavior towards Morty at times, as he’s seemingly sizing him up and testing the simulation. Others involve things like the gathered crystals and Jerry’s simulated tuxedo; which follows them even after supposedly breaking from the simulation.

4 The Origins Of The Zigerions

The alien beings that take center stage in “M. Night Shaym-Aliens!” seemingly make up at least a couple of references tossed in by the showrunners. The Zigerions are presumably a hybrid of pop culture and real-life references.

The first is a nod to a fictional race that Star Wars fans might be aware of – a slave-trading cat race known as the Zygerrians. The other likely is a cheeky reference to Nigerian online email scammers.

3 The Personal Inspiration Behind Mr. Marklovitz

It seems that Jerry’s boss is characterized by at least one more reference tossed in by the showrunners.

The glitchy, simulated version of Mr. Marklovitz is inspired by (and even named after) writer Tom Kauffman’s friend who apparently has a knack for snapping his finger while exclaiming “YES.”

2 The Seemingly Mysterious Silhouettes

When trying to flee from the third, zero-gravity simulation, an epic display can be seen in the background; which features a hive of alien silhouettes. These are largely references within the show itself, as beings like the Plutonians and Gromflomites can be identified. Many of these can also be seen scattered about the spaceport lobby in the pilot episode.

However, R&M also gives nods to other bits of pop culture. The lead character of the arcade game Q*Bert makes up one of the silhouettes, as does The Iron Giant‘s star character, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force‘s Mooninites.

The Zigerions are seemingly covering all their bases here with this “state-of-the-art simulation.”

1 Rick And Morty’s Random Rap That Never Was

Early on, Rick and Morty approach a stage and begin to hype an impromptu rap to draw a crowd, only to bark a series of commands in an attempt to break the system. Supposedly, though, there was an actual rap number conceived in the conceptual phase of this episode.

As mentioned by writer Ryan Ridley in the DVD commentary, the lyrics were to be as follows: “A chicken and a peanut, and a house with a raisin run around together in a tiny little station.”

About The Author

Stephen Lagioia
(250 Articles Published)

Stephen is an avid Nintendo, Indie, and retro gamer who dabbles in Xbox on occasion, mainly in the form of binge sessions of Overwatch. He’s a history buff, an aspiring writer of short fiction, and a devout metalhead who enjoys poorly drumming along to Black Sabbath on his cheap drum set. When his beloved Chicago Cubs or Bulls are not playing, he typically likes to watch random documentaries or campy horror films.

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