# Favorite Science Fiction Robots? (Top 5) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634 "2005-09-27T04:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/21 "2005-09-27T19:05:27Z")
Grr… my last quick reply got eaten by teh web spiders. R2D2 - The main character of the Star Wars films Chas - The combat-robot prototype from the StarShip Troopers cartoon ED-209 - He was just cool. They shoulda put him in StarShip Troopers, even if we was just getting swarmed by bugs in the background, it woulda been cool to see him there. Data - “You little life-forms… you tiny little life-forms… you itty bitty life-forms… where are you?” The DRDs - the Distantly Roaming Dots from Farscape, most notably the one that the guy taught to “blink once for yes, twice for no” ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/22 "2005-09-27T19:16:56Z")
What was the name of the robot dog in the \*Dr. Who \* series? I was always partial to that little fella. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/23 "2005-09-27T19:32:07Z")
1. Omega Supreme 2. Marvin the Paranoid Android (2005 movie) 3. The Iron Giant 4. Mighty Orbots 5. Unicron > [@MacTech](#): > > (as a side note, i’d have _loved_ to see one of the OmniDroid prototypes bear a passing resemblance to the Iron Giant…) Well, it _was_ made of iron and it _was_ gigantic… And you noticed Helen’s airplane call sign, I assume. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/24 "2005-09-27T19:32:25Z")
\*\*Gir \*\* and the \*\*Megadoomer \*\* from _Invader Zim_. Gir would be my vote for bestest robot eveh. “It’s got chicken legs!” (Although I guess technically the Megadoomer is a mech, not a bot.) _The Incredibles_’ **Omnibot**. **Unicron** The **Tachikomas** from _Ghost in the Shell._ ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/25 "2005-09-27T19:34:52Z")
Data is not a robot. He’s an android. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/26 "2005-09-27T19:36:47Z")
> [@Corii](#): > > What was the name of the robot dog in the \*Dr. Who \* series? I was always partial to that little fella. K-9 of Course. My Top 5: Rosie the Robot Gort Kryton Would you Believe, Hymie from Get Smart Any Fem Bot from Austin Powers. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/27 "2005-09-27T19:50:44Z")
Wow, no nominations for Johnny 5 (_Short Circuit_)? And where’s HAL? My top five list would be: 1: HAL. I don’t really have to explain this one, do I? 2: Number 5. I dunno, I just think he’s a sweetie. And I like to flatter myself that I can do his voice pretty well. 3: R2-D2. The eternal pragmatist, the walking Swiss-army-garbage-can. 4: Andrew, from “Bicentennial Man”. The short story, not the novel or the movie, which I haven’t read/seen. 5: Robbie, of _Forbidden Planet_ and so many other movies. The archetype of the movie robot. Honorable mentions go to Voltron; Mechanikill, from _Nuklear Age_; the little guys from _Batteries Not Included_; and Gizmo, the robot my dad made and which stood in the corner of our bathroom for years. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/28 "2005-09-27T19:59:55Z")
What, no love for R. Daneel Olivaw or R. Giskard Reventlov? Counting in the way Asimov tied in his Empire, Robot, and Foundation series I’d say Daneel has more appearances and influence over a major sci-fi universe than ANY other 'bot(even Unicron). Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/29 "2005-09-27T20:04:03Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > 1. Omega Supreme > 2. Marvin the Paranoid Android (2005 movie) > 3. The Iron Giant > 4. Mighty Orbots > 5. Unicron > Well, it _was_ made of iron and it _was_ gigantic… > > And you noticed Helen’s airplane call sign, I assume. 🙂 that’s a big 10-4, i noticed it… “India Golf Niner Niner transmitting in the blind guard…” to go off on a tangent, every word spoken in the missile evasion scene was accurate pilot lingo… maybe i shouldn’t have limited myself to 5 'bots, there are so many good ones… the Farscape DRD’s (especially 1812, One-Eye, and DRD-Pike), two other unofficial names for the DRD’s are Diagnostic Repair Drones (i think this one is canon) and Diagnostic Repair Darters hmm, wonder what the Bioloids would be considered, you have Not!Aeryn and Sikozu as examples… Johnny 5’s a given and _how_ could i forget lovable ol’ Gir… doo-de-doo-de-doo…WAFFLES! Gir, what’s wrong with your guidance chip oh, i left _that_ at home left _what_ at home? uhh, the guidey…chippy…thingy \*WHY would you do _THAT!_ to make room for the cupcake Gir flies for a few feet with Zim riding him, then Gir’s thrusterfeet stop working Gir, why did you run out of fuel so quickly? i emptied it out WHY! to make room for the Tuuuunaaaa! (pops a cap off his leg and starts sucking out Tuna) from “Rise of the Zitboy”, just the scene of Gir sucking happily on a tube of Acne Blast medication is an absolute gas too many “Gir-isms” to quote ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/30 "2005-09-27T20:44:16Z")
[quote] Counting in the way Asimov tied in his Empire, Robot, and Foundation series I’d say Daneel has more appearances and influence over a major sci-fi universe than ANY other 'bot(even Unicron). [quote] Which is exactly why I didn’t nominate him. Deus Ex Machina is bad enough, much less Deus Ipse Machinus. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/31 "2005-09-27T20:59:39Z")
1. Bender for, if nothing else, the phrase “bite my shiny metal ass”. 2. HAL. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that, Dave”. 3. Pre-“Tie In” R. Daneel Olivaw from _The Caves of Steel_, _The Naked Sun_, and that short story I always forget the name of. 4. Gir. “Ooooooooooooooh, I want some tacos! Tacos! Tacos!!!” (Paraphrased from memory) 5. R2-D2. “Blip blip boop bweeep”. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/32 "2005-09-27T21:02:43Z")
I agree HAL is cool, but is he a “robot”? And Data is not a “robot” but an android? Now, before I submit my own list, I’d like to know what a “robot” is supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/33 "2005-09-27T21:14:13Z")
The Encyclopedia Galactica defines a “robot” as ‘a mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of a man’ the Marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a Robot as “Your Plastic Pal who’s Fun to Be With” the E. G. describes the marketing division of the S. C. company as "A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first against the wall when the Revolution comes… (come to think of it, that definition is also appropriate for microsoft 😉 ) okay, Hitchhiker’s quotes aside, (and who can resist a good HHGTTG quote, not me, that’s for damn sure), in this thread, “Robot” refers to the E.G. definition above, so therefore, C3PO, Gus, Robbie, and other humanoid-ish automata would qualify, the Borg and the Cybermen would not, as they are cybernetic (both organic and mechanical) the mechanical Toasters from BSG qualify, but the Raiders and the meatbag Toasters are a gray area ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/34 "2005-09-27T21:19:36Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > ED-209 - He was just cool. They shoulda put him in StarShip Troopers, even if we was just getting swarmed by bugs in the background, it woulda been cool to see him there. [ED-209] You have illegally colonized a world claimed by Earth, you have 10 seconds to remove the infestation… [/ED-209] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/35 "2005-09-27T21:35:05Z")
And the thread has stretched it a bit to include any AI with an actual personality and consciousness (HAL). From the origin of the concept of “robots” in literature, Capek’s _R.U.R._, what he calls _“robota”_ are what current English-speaking pop culture would call androids – human-like artificial laborers. However, they are not “tin men” but synthetic-organic – in the end they are able to reproduce ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/36 "2005-09-27T21:38:11Z")
Go, Go, Go **Astroboy!** another personal favorite was **8th Man** Yes, I’m over 40, how can you tell? I have on my desk right now, Robot (from lost in space), Ultron, a Star Wars Destroyer Droid and the 20" high talking Iron Giant. I love me some robots. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/37 "2005-09-28T00:55:52Z")
1. Bender 2. Marvin 3. Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, a.k.a. Turkitron (from ATHF) 4. R. Dorothy Wayneright (from The Big O) 5. Megatron ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/38 "2005-09-28T00:58:54Z")
1. TV Marvin 2. Bender 3. Movie Marvin 4. Buffy-Bot 5. R2D2 ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/39 "2005-09-28T01:05:14Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Go, Go, Go **Astroboy!** > > another personal favorite was **8th Man** > > Yes, I’m over 40, how can you tell? > > I have on my desk right now, Robot (from lost in space), Ultron, a Star Wars Destroyer Droid and the 20" high talking Iron Giant. > > I love me some robots. Since you remember Astro Boy - do you remember the episode where the professor was working on some sort of cloning formula to end world hungry (injected into a loaf of bread - loaf then splits itself in two, and regenerates into two whole loaves) Kid Sis AstroGirl, drinks formula, splits in two, and can then sneak out of the house without breaking curfew how cool was that? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634/40 "2005-09-28T01:15:26Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Pre-“Tie In” R. Daneel Olivaw from The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and that short story I always forget the name of. That would be “Mirror Image”. And _The Robots of Dawn_ wasn’t too bad, either… Though _Robots and Empire_ started down the slippery slope that led to _Foundation and Earth_, so I can see why you’d exclude it. And I count Hal not just because he’s an AI, but because he’s an AI with sufficient periphreals that he can interact fully and independantly with his environment. I would not, for instance, count Mycroft as a robot (though if I did, he’d top my list). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-science-fiction-robots-top-5/323634.md?page=3)