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Short Circuit 2's storyline is actually a Very Special Episode against the dangers of pedophilia/abuse of special needs children.

Johnny 5 is mentally and socially a small child, having no experience whatsoever with how the world works and always getting into things (as children often do) to satisfy his growing hunger for knowledge and self-identity. Oscar and Fred are older, wiser, and more unscrupulous men who act like Johnny's friend to butter him up to get him to do what they want, extorting his naivety to make it seem like a game to Johnny and not make him question what's really going on. And, after they're through with him, they either try to pass him off to some other fellow unscrupulous person or snuff him out. Ben plays the part of the responsible parent, trying to warn Johnny about the dangers of such men and teaching him the difference between "good" interactions and deeds and "bad" interactions and deeds. Could go either way, as the typical depiction of such treatment to both "normal" and mentally handicapped children and adults (for the latter) are eerily similar.

Benjamin is an Indian corporate spy.

Think about it: he has a stereotypical Indian accent, heavy enough that only if his parents or grandparents had just recently moved to the States could he still be considered a US citizen and still keep it; in the first movie, he claims his ancestors came from US cities, but in the second, he's studying up on how to become a US citizen; he had his last name changed between movies; and, despite the fallout over the SAINT Prototype snafu in the first movie, he's still able to make miniature Johnny 5 robots without any legal or federal retaliation. Either he's so deep undercover that his US employers don't realize he's not a native, or he forced a deal sometime during his tenure at Nova.

The SAINT robots are made from the salvaged AIs of crashed Transformers.

Number 5 is Wreck-Gar, which is why he's the only one to regain sentience; his brain is designed to be compatible with kludged-together alien systems.

The SAINT robots are made from stolen Cyberdyne Systems technology

The company that produced the robots hire industrial spies to steal technology from Cyberdyne Systems.

The SAINT robots are the prototypes of robots later made by Buy-n-Large.

• Number Five even looks like WALL-E. His existence was covered up by the military before the technology was sold to Buy-n-Large, leaving the company unaware of the potential "sentience glitch".
  • Add to this that WALL-E's re-sentience at the end of the movie is caused by EVE's electrical spark kiss, and Johnny 5's sentience is caused by a bolt of electicity.

Number/Johnny 5 is an Unfleshed Promethean.

• Well, he was brought to life by lightning, the Creative manifestation of the Divine Fire...

The future of the franchise is as an ultra-gritty cyberpunk thriller.

The year: 2011. Twenty-three years ago, SAINT No. "Johnny" 5 was legally declared alive and granted US citizenship. Three years ago, Ben Jahrvi's company -- formerly a manufacturer of children's toys, more recently a manufacturer of domestic and industrial robots -- closed in disgrace after accusations of robot slavery, and millions of sentient machines have entered society. However, anti-robot discrimination and violence are running rampant, and robots speak in hushed whispers of a savior named Saint John who will come and lead them to equality. Meanwhile, Jahrvi's factories have mysteriously begun operating again under the supervision of a heavily modified SAINT-model robot whose plans don't involve human-robot equality. Short Circuit 3. Revolution is not a malfunction. And they're doing a remake instead? Man, They Wasted A Perfectly Good Cyberpunk Plot.

• So, let's see what science-fiction says about the future. Either robots have taken over, robots have taken over, robots have taken over, robots have taken over, robots have taken over or robots have taken over. What was your plot about, again?
  • I'm proposing transforming a family-friendly romantic comedy series about a gentle, pop-culture-quoting robot into an ultra-gritty cyberpunk thriller, and your main objection is that it's too predictable? Well, if it helps, maybe Newton Crosby could show up in the third act with a suit of powered armor...

The remake will be very, very good.

Greg Milano's script will be taut and intelligent but still funny and family friendly, and won't lean too heavily on regurgitated pop culture references. Director Tim Hill has learned a lot since Hop and Alvinandthe Chipmunks, and will endeavor to explore the human condition from the view of an outsider in a way that isn't preachy, trite, insultingly simplistic, or overtly sentimental. The CGI will be good but subtle and won't dominate the picture. All the actors will bring their A games, especially the kid playing Johnny 5's emotionally troubled young friend, whose performance will provide a rock-solid emotional anchor for the film. The film won't just surpass the original; it'll actually surpass nostalgia-addled fans' memories of the original.

It could totally happen.