Just a Machine: Difference between revisions

[[File:just_a_machine5_2342.jpg|link=Gunnerkrigg Court|right]]

 

'''Secretary:''' (thinking) ''When they bring in doughnuts, they have names.''|''[[Freefall]]''}}

 

* A constant theme in ''[[Astro Boy (manga)|Astro Boy]]'', with anti-robot groups wanting to limit or destroy all intelligent robots.

** And in ''[[Pluto]]'' as well. Notably, {{spoiler|a robot boy is going to be sold for parts despite still being partly alive. Another robot buys him to raise as a child.}}

* In the [[Mahou Sensei Negima]] chapter ''The Logic of Illogic'', Hakase viewed Chachamaru as [[Just a Machine]] until she found Chachamaru's video folders, which were loaded with shots of Negi (and cats).

* In ''[[Crest of the Stars]]'', the Abh, a genetically engineered race, regard themselves as still being humans, but according to enemy propoganda, 'Abh aren't people, they're organic machines', which is readily admitted as their true origin by an Abh not ten seconds after the propaganda is shown. They were specifically meant for long distance space exploration before faster than light technology had been fully developed.

** Galloway refers to Optimus Prime as a "pile of scrap-metal" after his dead body is delivered back to base. And this is even after Optimus managed to verbally own the guy in a debate which featured topics such as [[Humans Are Bastards|human nature]] and whether they could defend themselves against a Decepticon invasion. Then again, Galloway is just a huge [[Jerkass]].

** In the third film, {{spoiler|Sentinel Prime}}'s hatred for humanity comes partly from how humans see the Autobots as this. {{spoiler|Especially when it comes to him and Optimus, who are the last remaining Primes.}}

* In ''[[Terminator]] 2: Judgment Day'', Sarah Connor tries to invoke this when trying to convince John to destroy the Terminator reprogrammed to protect them.

'''John:''' Alright, "it"! But we need "it"! }}

* [[I, Robot (film)|"Human beings have dreams. Even dogs have dreams, but not you, you are just a machine."]] Subverted, since he is one of the few people who actually see robots as not just machines (and loathes them for it).

* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' and ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' feature this trope heavily in episodes where characters interact with [[A Is]], up to and including causing the slow deaths of non-hostile Asurans out of paranoia. At least taking this attitude towards Fifth came back to bite them.

** This attitude is at least challenged in ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' when Rodney realizes that in order to destroy the Asurans he has to build one and send it to its "death."

'''McKay''': "Death"? It can't die – it's not alive! It's a programme! }}

** Fran eventually even made McKay uncomfortable with her blase attitude towards (and excitement for) her impending destruction.

'''McKay''': Should never have given it speech. }}

* ''[[Smallville]]'', in the season 7 finale did this in probably the worst way possible:

'''Clark:''' [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|You're not a man]]. }}

** Then Clark kills him with a smile on his face.

** These were pulled wholesale from Bungee's earlier ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'' series, in which the AI Durandal and his continuing psychotic break/growth into his own individual person drives the plot. You spend much of the games as his errand boy and captive audience to his philosophical ranting. He gets better and less rant-y after he gets over the Anger stage, but you still spend most of your time as his favored pawn and his favorite person to explain his new personal epiphanies to.

* Used in ''[[Mass Effect (video game)|Mass Effect 1]]'' after talking to {{spoiler|[[The Man Behind the Man|Sovereign]]}}. However, {{spoiler|being an [[Eldritch Abomination]] whose race has committed galactic genocide ''many'' times over the course of ''[[Time Abyss|millions of years]]'', it has more than enough room to turn it back on you and call you [[Inverted Trope|Just An Organic]].}}

** For that matter, it applies to all artificial life, at least in the first game. If you argue in favor of robot rights, nobody is going to take your side, you get [[Karma Meter|renegade points]] for refusing to hand over information that could allow a genocide of the Geth, and the only other AI you get to talk to will rather blow itself up than listen to you no matter what you say.

** All of this is subverted to Hell in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' with [[Spaceship Girl|EDI]] (your ship's AI) and {{spoiler|Legion, your geth teammate, who reveals that the geth you've been fighting are a splinter faction.}}

* In ''[[Artifice]]'', two security guards taunt the android soldier Deacon in the opening scene, referring to him as just "an appliance"

* In ''[[Freefall]]'', Florence Ambrose (An anthropomorphic red wolf) is classified as an AI, and as such, is treated like [[Just a Machine|Just A Robot]] by a few, especially the mayor!

'''Mayor's aide:''' I guess. Still, it seems so lifelike. }}

** It is worth noting that this gave the Mayor a very nasty [[Kick the Dog]] moment for some...in a ''humor'' comic, much to the surprise of the author.

*** When the mayor learns of the update (thought not the motivation behind it), {{spoiler|she gets another [[Kick the Dog]] moment by choosing to do nothing about it to prevent human obsolescence.}}

* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]''. Antimony and Kat seem to regard the Court's Robots as equals, which puts them at odds with the official Court policy. For example, [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=663 the student handbook has some brutally callous pointers] for the all-too-common situation of Robots falling in love with students:

** Later, [[Demonic Possession|Jack]] rather brutally kills a guard robot. Annie is horrified, and Jack dismisses her: [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=706 "So what? It's just a dumb robot."] It's another definite indication that Jack is [[Not Himself|not in his right mind]].

** In a flashback, we see that Jeanne didn't seem to think that highly of the Robots.

* There seems to be some discrimination against AIs in ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'', despite the fact that none of them have [[Turned Against Their Masters]]--[[Deus Est Machina|except for one]], and that's because his masters were [[Fantastic Racism|xenophobic]] [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|warmongers]].

* ''[[Spacetrawler]]'' is unusual in that [http://spacetrawler.com/2011/01/25/spacetrawler-114/ the robots themselves admit that they're just machines.]

'''Potty-bot:''' I was ''programmed'' to care! I'm a product of ''Wastebiotics'' Brr-buhm-brrrrrrrrrrrr! Specializing in emotions people are ''algorithmed'' to empathize with! }}

* After the AI War told in the written backstory of ''[[Cwynhild's Loom]]'', robot development is restricted to prevent any machine from reaching sentience or looking human.