Robots Have Feelings Too!

Entertainment culture (is that an oxymoron?) has richly developed the idea of robots, computers, and technology. There is an intersection between robots (and other machines) and the fear that humans will be supplanted by the robots/machines they've created. There's also a subtle play on stoicism, or lack of feeling, when it comes to robots, as movies and books search for, and question, the root of existence and what it really means to be human. Robots are either out to kill "us", become "us", or serve "us". It seems rare that robots are only trying to be themselves, whatever that may entail.

The list below outlines just a few of the recognizable robots/machines that we have seen in popular culture:

1. Frankenstein: First of all, Frankenstein is not the name of a robot. Frankenstein is the doctor that created the monster.  Second of all, Frankenstein's monster is a "monster", not a robot. Frankenstein is a character in Mary Shelley's novel, and he uses his scientific knowledge to create a human-like creature that's about 8 feet tall. Although Frankenstein's monster isn't a robot, the novel nevertheless explores issues that have become staples in robot lore and entertainment: namely, the idea that humans create machines, and then machines do unpredictable things, and the comedy or tragedy of the experience illuminates something important about life and humanity.

C-3PO

2. R2-D2 and C-3PO: These are droid characters from the Star Wars film. Both end up serving humans. R2-D2 is small, with a rounded top, and looks a little bit like a small trash can. It also reminds me of the actor Danny DeVito (I'm really sorry). R2-D2 doesn't use words to speak. It communicates through a series of sounds. The humanoids in the movie will be like, "R2-D2, what do you see?" and R2-D2 will be like, "Squiggle, bleep, bleep, squeak, honk, blit blit hum" and the humanoid will be like, "You're right. We should have made a left at that last galaxy."

C-3PO hangs out with R2-D2.  C-3PO is tall and thin, and looks like he was made out of a big stash of King Tut's gold. He has big bug eyes, though, which makes him look weird to me, like he's standing in the middle of the street and a bus is coming at him real fast.

Danny DeVito

R2-D2

 

 

 

 

3. The Terminator - In the original 1984 Terminator film, California, Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger (before he was Governor) plays a cyborg (part living organism, part machine) that has been sent back in time to kill a woman named Sarah Conner.  Apparently, in the first cycle of human history, machines end up attacking humans, leading to a world war between humans and machines. The machines are getting the upper hand, but the humans are resisting under the leadership of John Conner (yep, same initials as Jesus Christ). The machines decide they've had enough of John Conner and his crew, so the machines decide to cheat. They are going to send a cyborg (Schwartzenegger) back in time to kill John's mother Sarah before she ever gets pregnant with John. Kind of like King Herod in the Bible trying to kill all of the young boys in Bethlehem because he didn't want to be usurped by the "anointed one". Except here, when the Terminator is coming after her, Sarah doesn't even know what's going on or that she's ever going to have a child.

Then the story gets weird (spoiler alert). Future John Conner sends a soldier (Kyle) back to protect his mother. Kyle and Sarah manage to escape the Terminator's clutches, but Kyle dies in the process. Kyle and Sarah conceive a child (John), and Sarah makes a series of audio tapes telling John about what she's experienced. At some point in the future, he'll probably have to decide whether or not to send Kyle back, which is going to be kind of awkward if he knows he's sending back his own father. If he doesn't send his father back, of course, he won't exist, and therefore the machines will win. Ouch. Makes my head hurt. The other movies in the series add twists to the original idea, but the execution can get a little goofy (i.e. liquid metal cyborgs, female cyborgs, fallout shelters, odd jokes).

4. Johnny Five - This is a machine/robot from the movie Short Circuit. Originally designed as a military killing machine, the robot gets struck by lightning and suddenly becomes self-aware. Instead of trying to kill, it develops a Zen-like consciousness. The robot is affable and amazingly curious, reading everything it can get about every subject. The robot is supposed to be disassembled, but is befriended by an animal activist (played by Ally Sheedy) and wants to stay alive.

Singer-songwriter Janelle Monae explores these types of sci-fi topics in her music. Her 2007 music album Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) and her 2010 album The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) share this theme of robots being targeted for destruction because they have behaved outside of their initial programming parameters. In her albums, Monae plays the role of android Cindi Mayweather. When the android falls in love with a human named Anthony Greendown, Mayweather is hunted and marked for dis-assembly.

5. The Machines of the Matrix - In The Matrix trilogy, machines have taken over the world and are harvesting humans as a source of energy. Humans are grown in little pods (it's not clear how, or if, human reproduction is occurring). While the humans are growing, the machines feed their minds with data and imagery that makes humans believe they are living in a world that looks very much like our own. This world (which the humans refer to as "the matrix") is a fantasy world created by the machines.  The Matrix is about the human journey to unplug from this fantasy world, and join the resistance against the dominance of artificial intelligence.  There's a lot of the same savior symbolism that you find in The Terminator flicks: the chosen one, named "Neo" (an anagram of "one"), will liberate his people from involuntary servitude.  There's also a lot of computer programming talk and geek-speak in the Matrix films.

Superman fights against a Super Computer

Superman, after a tough day.

6. Gus Gorman's machine in Superman III: Gus Gorman (played by Richard Pryor) has trouble finding jobs but discovers he is something of a wiz when it comes to computer programming. His talents are then utilized by a ruthless rich fat cat Ross Webster and his sister Vera.  Through a series of schemes (GIGANTIC SPOILER ALERT), the Websters will use computers (via Gus's programming skills) to manipulate the economy and get even wealthier. Unfortunately, Superman (played by the most awesome Superman of all time, Christopher Reeve) keeps f@#king it up for them. They get Gus to tap into a satellite to try to kill Superman with some outer-space bootleg kryptonite (exposure to which is Superman's weakness), but it only turns him evil. While he's having a total identity crisis and acting like a diva (straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa, blowing out the Olympic Torch during the cherished ceremonies, going on alcoholic binges, having one-night stands, etc.), the Websters are building Gus Gorman a super-computer, one that will do anything you tell it to do. It will even analyze an oncoming threat and figure out its opponent's weaknesses. Predictably, Gus Gorman's version of Frankenstein's monster starts doing things on its own, and goes all out of control and haywire, eventually turning on its creators and really ticking Superman off.

A lot of people think this movie sucks, but I respectfully disagree. Richard Pryor is funny in it, and its theme of how "good" and "evil" can often look alike, overlap, and intertwine is better executed than it has any right to be. Is it even possible to make a "good" movie about an alien with superpowers who wears his underwear on top of his primary colored tights but believes in "truth, justice, and The American Way?" Saying such a movie is corny is like saying you don't like rock music because they play guitar all the time.  It kind of comes with the territory. But that's a topic for another list.

We'll have to do more on this at another time.

Peace & Robotics!!!!!!!!!!!!