[soylentcola]

Maybe this is obvious, but are "Lightspeed Briefs" meant to be a pun on Fruit of the Loom (often abbreviated as FTL) and the scifi trope of FTL (faster than light) travel?

That was my thought when I first saw this episode many years ago and I can't tell if I'm reaching or it's one of those things that's obvious to everyone else.

[ilikepi]

I'd say it's highly likely that is an intentional pun. Several of the show's writing staff hold advanced STEM degrees. One of them wrote a mathematical proof specifically to include as a plot device in one episode[1].

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner_of_Benda