If you were forced to be cyberneticized

Cafe Society
1

Sorry for the sudden surge of cyborg-related threads, but i’ve been watching Season 2 of Doctor Who (i have my ways, but won’t get into them), and the Cybermen and Dalek based episodes have got me thinking…

if i was forced to be “upgraded”, what cybernetic lifeform would i upgrade to?

the Borg? individuality crushed, treated as a cog in the Galactic machine, the contents of my mind sifted through to see what would best serve the Collective, body studded with painful looking implants, however the catchphrase is cool “We are Borg, you will be assimilated, resistance is futile”

the Cybermen? as with the Borg, individuality crushed, mind linked into a collective conciousness, at least the armoured body shell looks cooler than the Borg, but the catchphrases are dumber “You Will Be Upgraded” (can the Borg sue for copyright infringement here :wink: ) “Delete!!”

the Daleks? locked inside a cold metal cage, unable to touch, all emotions removed except rage, unless equipped with antigrav units, stairs would be a problem “El-E-VATE!”, on the upside, i’d get a cool death ray, personal shielding, a cool blue eyestalk, and a much cooler catchphrase “EX-TER-MI-NATE!!!”

if i was forced, i’d probably chose to be Dalek’ed…

what about you? Cyberman, Borg, or Dalek?

2

I want the “upgrades” from the Dragon-Ball Z androids. No contest. Heck, I could kill all the other androids for kicks.

3

Bionic woman.

…uh, man.

4

Okay, but bear in mind, the last two posters stated what they’d want to be upgraded to, as in willing cybernetic transformation, not what you’d choose if you were forced to choose…

so i’m altering the question slightly, first question, if you were forced to be cyborged, what would it be, Borg, Cyberman or Dalek?

second question, if you were to voluntarily upgrade, what would it be, this one’s wide open

my answer to question 1; Dalek’ed
my answer to question 2; Robocop (after Directive 4 was removed)

5

…with big Chainsaw hands, RZZZZ!!!

It’d suck about the 5 foot tall limit though… :wink:

6

Maybe I’d volunteer to get in on this hot cyborg action.

by the way, can anyone point a guest to a thread to tell me what the heck THAT was all about?

7

Can’t I choose to be a $6,000,000 man?

8

Johnny Mnemonic upgrades for me. Designer Brain.

9

If forced: Borg. There are references within the series that it is somewhat pleasant to be part of the Collective as long as you are within a cube or otherwise close enough to other Borg to be part of a community. Plus, Seven of Nine.

My choice: Do you require that some biological tissue be left? If not, I’d opt for my mind to be uploaded into software and transferred to a T-1000. New look every day! :slight_smile:

If you do, Robocop sounds good. No directives, and I get the gun.

Or even better: I could have my brain encased in a vat in a bombproof bunker and remote-control any number of humanoid RC units. A whole army of me.

10

I want to be a pleasure-bot.

Like that one in “AI.”

11

Same, for the same reason. Besides, there’s a small chance I might get rescued.

If I have a choice, I’d go with the package that Mickey Finn from Spider Robinson’s Callahan’s Place books got, minus the slave implants the Masters put in of course. Personal FTL travel, nuke proof, and enough firepower to torch a planet.

12

With the strength of 5 go-rillas!

Makes my nipples hard just thinking about it.

13

Ghost in the Shell-style armored cyborg. Able to leap, if not over, then from tall buildings and not get hurt. Super strong, super fast, able to withstand a grenade blast from close range, still myself in my mind, look pretty much human (though it’s hard to tell in animation, it is apparently possible to tell a cyborg from a normal human). Can surf the net with my mind. And I could add any accessories I wanted. Invisibilty anyone?

Just remind me not to do any body-swapping with geishas.

The DBZ androids would be fun too.

14

There are some references in The Transformers: Generation 1 that suggest that a Human consciousness can be transferred into a Cybertronian body. And that a cyborgization process, re: Headmasters/Targetmasters, may be possible.

15

A simulant from Red Dwarf for me:

“The difference between a psychotic Mechanoid and a psychotic Simulant is that the android would not rip off a human head and spit down its neck. Simulants are virtually indestructible and could easily take several rounds from a Bazookoid suffering little damage.” (from The Sadgeezer’s Guide to cult SciFi - http://www.sadgeezer.com)

16

I want to be an Adrian BarboBot!

17

I had a dream last night that I was HAL and my dream person told HAL to execute a self-destructing command aĺa Spock at which point I woke up.

18

If I positively had to choose one or the other, I’d go for becoming a Cyberman. Why?

1.) They are arguably not evil. They genuinely believe that “upgrading” is the best possible thing to do for humanity - they’re not in it for the looting or pillaging.

2.) Style. Cybermen may be unemotional killing machines, but they care about style. In “Doomsday”, they actually mock the Daleks for their lack of it. It goes something like:

Cyberman: Your design is inelegant.
Dalek: We care nothing for elegance!
Cyberman: Obviously.

Snap!

19

If I had to be forced, I’d be a Borg, but only if I could get some of that analgesic cream. Nobody likes to have rashes.

If I had a choice, I’d probably go for a relatively low-impact cyborg setup, like in the Honor Harrington books, where Honor has a cyber-prosthetic arm capable of superhuman strength AND having a built-in pulser gun for self defense, and a cybernetic eye that includes high-definition zoom vision and various other info-organizing goodies.

20

1.) Necrons ; psychologically just like the Daleks, but you get to look like the Terminator without the fake-flesh, and you get a bad-ass death-ray! (not a 1920’s-style one though)

2.) Hmmm… I was gonna say Ghost in the Shell style full-body cyberization. Get to choose my bodies’ appearance, can pass for ordinary person, superhuman physical abilities, etc…

But Dragonball Z Androids do get a sweet deal. World-destroying power, tireless, apparently don’t need food (so no going to the bathroom anymore), keen sense of fashion (if we’re assuming #17 & #18 style), don’t seem to feel pain (or at least a very muted form of it), can still sexually reproduce with ordinary humans, etc.

Then again, flesh is weak, and merely a temptation. Give me full on roboticizing ala Sonic the Hedgehog, if I can keep my free will (like Uncle Chuck, or Mecha Knuckles in the Archie Comics Mecha Madness special) AND get a big power-up (flight, ray-guns, energy shields, etc.).

Just kidding, given a choice I’d go with smiling Bandit, I’d still be overweight, and balding, but I’d still be me, too. Call Dr. Gero and make me an appointment.