V’Ger was found by an alien race of machines who interpreted its exploratory mission and cache of human knowledge as a desire to learn all that could be learned. Starfleet detected the malevolent alien force inside a massive cloud of energy headed straight for Earth, easily destroying cutting edge Klingon warships along the way. Since the statute of limitations on spoilers should have expired by now for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, we’ll start out with the fact that the destructive living machine known as V’Ger, the main antagonist of the first film in the franchise, is an evolved version of Earth’s own fictional Voyager 6 space probe. As chaos reigns in the park, Delos’ slogan becomes painfully ironic: “Boy, have we got a vacation for you!” V’Ger – Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979 As a first time visitor to the park, paying a whopping $1000 dollars a day to attend, Peter Martin must defend himself against the scourge after his friend and guide, John Blane, is killed by the Gunslinger. Although the androids in the Wild West themed amusement park run by a company called Delos were supposed to serve the human guests, indulging their every violent and sexual desire, the Gunslinger, who was designed to be a worthy opponent for those wishing to experience a simulated shootout, inexplicably went beyond its programming and began killing park attendees.Īlthough the Gunslinger is not the only robot to become “infected,” as the Delos scientists surmise, he is certainly the most visible in the movie. Be careful what you wish for! The Gunslinger – Westworld, 1973īefore there was Ed Harris as The Man In Black, there was Yul Brynner as the Gunslinger in the original film version of Westworld. Needless to say, when Colossus is connected to Guardian by American operatives wishing to learn more about the enemy’s capabilities, the combined A.I. One of the first things Colossus notices upon activation is that “there is another system.” A computer called Guardian is in charge of the nuclear defense on the other side of the Iron Curtain. What better way to protect humanity from war than seizing control of everything for the good of all?īut the Soviets have not been sitting on their hands.
Less work for them, right? Unfortunately, Colossus eventually begins to interpret its nuclear defense directives with much more draconian logic. When Colossus, the defensive system in charge of protecting the United States in The Forbin Project, spontaneously achieves sentience, the reaction from those maintaining the computer is initially pleasant surprise. HAL’s villainy was belied by his soothing, ASMR-friendly voice, but make no mistake: the HAL 9000 will do anything to prevent itself from being shut down.Ĭolossus/Guardian – The Forbin Project, 1970 Its iconic red “eye” was actually a camera aperture, one of many scattered throughout the ship. HAL, a shortening of “heuristically programmed algorithmic computer,” was the control center of the Discovery One spacecraft in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Those who have seen the trailer have no doubt noted that Tau basically looks like HAL 9000 with a triangular “eye,” and since Hal was really the earliest example of the rise of the machines in movies, we’ll start there… HAL 9000 – 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 program, the titular Tau, voiced in sinister fashion by Gary Oldman. Tau, which premieres on the streaming service June 29, 2018, stars Maika Monroe as a woman who’s forced to participate in a sinister experiment inside a smart house equipped with a revolutionary A.I. With Netflix’s Tau ready to take audiences by storm with its artificial intelligence run amok, it seems appropriate to reflect upon the many computers in film that have gone beyond their programming and risen above their human creators to become emotionless overlords.
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