The episode parodies several war films and shows, including Starship Troopers, Star Wars and M*A*S*H.[1] Fry and Bender enlist in the Earth Army to take advantage of the 5% military discount to buy Big Pink ham-flavored chewing gum, planning to leave the army after purchasing the gum.
However, within seconds of their enlistment, Earth declares war on Spheron I, a planet that commanding general Zapp Brannigan describes as devoid of any natural resources and possessing no strategic value.
Concerned for her friends' safety, Leela attempts to enlist, but she is unable to do so with the Army's men-only policy (owing to Brannigan's advances).
During a battle, a bomb is thrown, Bender opens his chest plate and throws himself on it, absorbing the explosion yet leaving him in critical condition.
After the battle, Brannigan sentences Fry to become Kif's assistant for being a war coward, while Bender, now a hero, is treated at a field hospital.
In the process Leela reveals her identity while Fry is amazed, Brannigan is merely pleased that his attraction to "Lee Lemon" was in fact heterosexual.