A is for Android (and a thank you) - Blogging from A to Z April Challenge

It's the 1st April and that means a go for the A to Z Challenge, however, before we start A is also for ARLEE BIRD who founded this whole thing. This is a BIG THANK YOU for all the hard work. It is such a great concept and wonderful for getting everyone connected.

Now, on to the meat of today's post.

Okay, so I know there are some geeks out there who are now thinking of their phone, but when I think android, I still imagine Data or The Androids of Tara. I suspect I probably saw my first android when watching Dr Who, since that show had many things like that, and I grew up watching it. So today I will take you through some of the most memorable androids I have come across from film and TV.

Data (Star Trek: TNG)

Now Data is very close to my heart, because I became a huge Trekkie through Star Trek: The Next Generation and I remember watching Encounter At Farpoint, where we were introduced to this strange android-man, who could not whistle, like it was yesterday.

Brent Spiner plays him with a childlike humanity as he moves his way through the world of Starfleet with competence and sometimes wonder. His character grew through all the seasons of the show and on through the movies and I still adore Data.

My favourite moment from him has to be when Tasha Yar asks him if he is fully functional; it is just so perfect.

Twiki (Buck Rogers)

I have to say I don't love Twiki the way I love Data. He is a small mechanical man from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and he's a little bit annoying. Now, don't get me wrong, Buck Rogers just wouldn't be the same without Twiki, but sometimes, especially after they changed his voice, I just wanted to throw him in the nearest trash compactor :).

When we first meet Twiki, he is Dr Theopolis' ambuquad, in that he carries around the member of the Earth computer council so that Dr Theopplis can be mobile. However, Twiki soon becomes Buck's firm friend and totally ready to get into any trouble Buck can find with him.

D84 (The Robots of Death, Doctor Who)

One of my favourite episodes of Doctor Who is The Robots of Death, which originally came out in Jan 1977. Now I was only four and a bit when this originally aired, so I didn't see it then, but it is one of my favs to rewatch.

Leela and the Doctor land on a sandminer that is run by a decadent crew and a whole bunch of human-like robots. The problem is, people are dying, so the Doctor gets the blame. Of course it's not him and central command also think something iffy is going on, because they've put D84 on board.

Now D84 looks like a Dum, one of the lowest forms of robot, who can't speak and only carry out menial functions, but he's a lot brighter than that. I love the way the robots speak, with a lilting voice, and I love D84 because he's badass :).

Bishop (Aliens)

Now, no list of memorable androids would be complete without Bishop. Firstly, I love Lance Hendrickson as an actor and he's as good in this as everything else and Bishop is superbly kick arse.

I love the way he tries to put Ripley at her ease and is still totally ready to back her up even though she is hostile. He's intelligent, fast and could probably take out the whole squad of marines if he wanted to. Bishop is an  android to look up to.

Roy (Blade Runner)

I remember watching Blade Runner as a teenager and I always wanted the replicants to survive and thrive. Their lot in life is not a happy one and the way Roy brings them together and looks after them is so poignant. All they really want is to live and they are doing the best with what they have been given.

Roy is something of a psychopath when it comes to humans, but that is because he has no choice. He wants to protect his own and extend his own life in an impossible world. I never wanted him to kill Deckard, but I kind of wanted him to win the fight at the end. If you have never seen Blade Runner and don't want to know what happens at the end, stop reading this part now.

The moment when Roy saves Deckard just before he dies is one of the most memorable moments in cinema as far as my mind is concerned. The raw emotion has stayed with me ever since I first saw it. It is a true moment of directorial and acting brilliance.

David 8 (Prometheus)

I know some people really dislike Prometheus, but I think is it superb film. In fact I wrote a glowing review of it here if you would like to read it.

As far as I am concerned David 8 is one of the best bits of the movie. He is creepy and yet attractive at the same time, giving a whole contradiction vibe that is simply superb. David 8 is totally amoral, he simply does what he has been told to do and the more we, the audience, see of it, the worse it gets.

When we see him bleaching his hair and watching Laurence of Arabia, it is utterly bizarre. He is possibly the freakiest android I've ever seen on film and that makes him simply perfect. He looks human, but he so totally isn't. Kudos to the director and Michael Fassbender.

So, there you have it, my most memorable TV and Film androids. What are yours?

If you enjoy androids in fiction, Soph and I have some short stories with androids/cyborgs in them. You can find them in the following anthologies:

       

If you would like to see what all of my posts will be about in advance, click here to see my theme post.
My twin and I are also doing the A to Z Challenge over at our fantasy erotica blog: http://fantasyboysxxx.blogspot.co.uk/