Fermat's Last Theorem - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• An episode in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, titled "The Royale", refers to the theorem in the first act. Riker visits Captain Jean-Luc Picard in his ready room to report only to find Picard puzzling over Fermat's last theorem. Picard's interest in this theorem goes beyond the difficulty of the puzzle; he also feels humbled that despite their advanced technology, they are still unable to solve a problem set forth by a man who had no computer. An episode in Star Trek: Deep Space 9, titled "Facets", refers to the theorem as well. In a scene involving O'Brien, Tobin Dax mentions continuing work on his own attempt to solve Fermat's last theorem.
• "The Proof" – Nova (PBS) documentary about Andrew Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.
• On August 17, 2011, a Google doodle was shown on the Google homepage, showing a blackboard with the theorem on it. When hovered over, it displays the text "I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this theorem, which this doodle is too small to contain." This is a reference to the note made by Fermat in the margins of Arithmetica. It commemorated the 410th birth anniversary of de Fermat.
• In the book The Girl Who Played with Fire, main character Lisbeth Salander becomes obsessed with the theorem in the opening chapters of the book. Her continuing effort to come up with a proof on her own is a running sub-plot throughout the story, and is used as a way to demonstrate her exceptional intelligence. In the end she comes up with a proof (the actual proof is not featured in the book). But after being shot in the head and surviving, she has lost the proof.
• In the Harold Ramis re-make of the movie Bedazzled, starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, Fermat's Last Theorem appears written on the chalkboard in the classroom that the protagonist Elliot finds himself teleported to after he aborts his failed fourth wish. In the director's commentary for the DVD release, director Ramis comments that nobody has seemed to notice that the equation on the board is Fermat's Last Theorem.
• The funk super-group Cameo often references the theorem by adding the line: "A'n n B'n being C'n" to the song "Word Up" when performing live.
• In Doctor Who, Season 5 Episode 1 "The Eleventh Hour", the Doctor transmits a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem by typing it in just a few seconds on Jeff's laptop to prove his genius to a collection of world leaders discussing the latest threat to the human race. This implies that the Doctor knew a proof which was quite short and easy for others to comprehend.
• In The IT Crowd, Series 3 Episode 6 "Calendar Geeks" Fermat's Last Theorem is referenced during a photo shoot for a calendar about geeks and achievements in Science and Mathematics.
• The song "Bizarro Genius Baby" by MC Frontalot contains the lyrics "And no dust had settled when she’d disproved Fermat by finding A^3 + B^3 that = C^3".