Androids

(February 10)

I sit down to reflect on the clear, warm weather we're having and decide to break out a bottle of Sam Adams Alpine Spring beer.  Let's stick a fork in this (non)winter!

I feel a bit reassured that robots and androids will not be the cause of EOTW; at least not androids of human making.  There just isn't time to invent them, unless some Japanese company has been holding out on us all and has a giant, secret warehouse of ready-to-ship androids.

Don't get me wrong, I love stories and movies about robots -- they're right up near the top of my list.  And I would support the development of androids -- ethical androids, of course.  We humans get closer to completing this quest each year.  It's too bad we are simply out of time.

This leads to our next classic Trek episode, "I, Mudd."  Harry Mudd returns from Season 1, and this time he is the "ruler" of a planet occupied by thousands of androids who originate from the Andromeda Galaxy and are keen on studying human beings and to serving them -- although the androids' notion of "service" includes keeping the humans confined to the planet.  This is tough on Harry, since on the one hand he especially enjoys the female models (technically 'gynoids,' but when's the last time you heard that word?), he also yearns for his freedom and tries to trap Kirk and gang into taking his place.

This episode was clearly comic in nature and I found myself hooked and LOL.  Perhaps one of the most hilarious (and bizarre) segments of any episode so far is in the last portion of this one:  the Enterprise crew really get to step out of their characters and act out nonsensical sketches in front of their robot captors in a coordinated effort to disrupt their logic circuits.  Kirk has an uncanny ability to set logic traps for artificial thinkers; a ploy he has used numerous times to date.

Oh, before I forget, I watched the pilot episode of NBC's The Firm yesterday, where I spotted Cylon "Number Six" (Tricia Helfer) in a new role.  Here's an interesting question:  is a cyborg a type of android?  Does it make a difference if the cyborg is predominantly machine, like The Terminator, which can function even if it sheds its organic exterior, or predominantly organic, like I, Robot's Del Spooner?

And, was Deckard a replicant?

Drops from My 2012 Bucket: Feb. 10, 315 days remaining

I, Mudd  (500 Stellas...)
Metamorphosis  (When an energy being loves a man...)
Journey to Babel  (Aliens of all colors assemble!)

Video Mission Update: 40 / 728 hours = 5.5%