Top Five Sci-Fi Robots

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Spacedock delves into five of sci-fi's best robot designs.

THE SOJOURN - AN ORIGINAL SCI-FI AUDIO DRAMA:

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Spacedock does not hold ownership of the copyrighted materiel (Footage, Stills etc) taken from the various works of fiction covered in this series, and uses them within the boundaries of Fair Use for the purpose of Analysis, Discussion and Review.

[Spacedock]

Get "Designing the Perfect Space Fighter - A Spacedock Reference Book" here!

[Wanderer]

I always loved hearing Legion trying to explain the psychology of the Geth and their nature as sentient programs. The Geth really came across as alien yet familiar all at the same time.

[PolymurExcel]

BT from Titanfall 2. He's technically a mech, but also I think, fills the roll of a robot when he's not being piloted.

Edit: oh wait, I completely forgot about Bishop from Aliens. Android, but close enough. Oh, he didn’t have R2D2 or CP3O either. May not have been special, those last two, but they sure are iconic.

[davebignell]

The Encyclopedia Galactica defines a robot as "A mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of a man."
The Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as "Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun To Be With."
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy describes the Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as: "A bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes."

[wild_lee_coyote]

I would have included Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. It was amazingly complex and well puppeteered to be lifelike without feeling jankey. I like that it wasn’t humanoid like so many seem to be. Also it was one of the first complex robots to actually be the protagonist of a move and not a sidekick.

[NimbleTack]

The design of the robots from Interstellar really put me in mind of Huey, Dewey, and Louie from Silent Running. Small robots with a lot of character which were filmed as in-camera effects using four multiple-amputee actors.

[leipajuusto]

For the underwater thing you mentioned you have to put cyclops from subnautica in there. It just feels like perfect moving base and building it makes you feel like you did something important.

[JustTheJames]

Absolutely criminal that Kryton from Red Dwarf wasn't an honerable mention. A prime example of robot comedy done right

[LilFeralGangrel]

The Tachikoma/Fuchikoma from Ghost in the Shell are my favourite. I mean they're technically mecha/spider tanks but they have AIs and are autonomous so i think they count!

[TheTeddyIsALiar]

Man that Lost in Space movie had so much cool tech. The robot was so cool, the space fighters were cool, the guns were cool, the ship was cool, the space suits were cool, the segmented flip up combat helmet was AWESOME.

[kyleobryant]

I think a top list of shuttle or auxiliary craft would be very cool.
Any chance for Stargate to top the charts again

[killingragethrowback]

Poor Legion just didn't get enough screen time. For what little he did have, he was adorable.

[ECAPS.]

TARS and CASE from Interstellar is such a good robot design. I really like that they're helpful robots that seems plausible in real life. They felt really organic yet mechanical at the same time.

[chrisjohnson]

I'd love to see a breakdown on the seaQuest herself sometime for an underwater episode. Not sure if Red October would be as interesting other than her Caterpiller Drive, but would be cool to see.

[Tsyroc]

I would have included Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet". Not only was he cool and reused in various shows when I was growing up he was also able to replicate things. IIRC, he made a ton of whiskey based off of one sample.

I also like the clicky mechanical relays he has showing in his head.

[MasterGeekMX]

The Drone Ships from Oblivion... man, how to make a ball with cannons into a scary entity.

[daverage]

Very unusual choice for Number 1, but definitely a good one. Despite being big metal rectangles, Tars had a ton of personality. While it might seem crazy, I always loved VINCENT's look from 'The Black Hole'. The anti-grav spheres on the bottom, the chunky yet curvy garbage can look....really loved it.

[Rasc]

I'm glad the Orville is part of the list. I recently watched every season for the first time and the show is so inspiring. Plenty of lessons to teach how to be a better person. I love it so much.

[Majere]

The first thing I thought of when I saw the video title was the moment in Lost In Space where the robot, being remote-piloted, turns to the father and says "DAD! MOM SAYS TO BE CAREFUL!" whilst looming over him like a sentient 18-wheeler.
I'll always have a special place in my heart for VINCENT and Maximilian from The Black Hole, though that's probably because of seeing it at just the right age. And a special mention has to go to BB-8 for the beautiful moment where Lucasfilm, having endured weeks of moaning over switching to a CGI droid, rolled the practical model out on stage to widespread incredulity.

[TwoTonTiger]

Y'all are going to laugh at me, but I love Blade Wolf from Metal Gear Rising. I love how his thought process is just human enough to make his more robotic quirks stand out. Listening to him talk about consciousness, souls, and the meaning of life is endlessly fascinating to me.