Talk:List of fictional robots and androids

Section header for old discussions
Folks, I'm not sure exactly who should be listed here. I'd say definitely manufactured "machine persons" (what is generally called a "robot"). I'd say definitely manufactured organic persons (like the "robots" of R.U.R. and the Replicants of Blade Runner. Do we want computer persons like HAL, Colossus, and Wintermute/Neuromancer to go here?


 * For the record, there's now a List of fictional computers for such characters.

I would definately nominate Asimov's R. Daneel Olivaw, and R2D2 & C3PO from Star Wars -- WojPob

''So add 'em to the page, already. :-) ''

I can't believe that I'm contributing to this (not that I haven't in my time read science fiction, and I'll admit to knowing who all those robots listed above ARE), but I object to 'famous' and think it should always be 'robots in literature' or 'english-language poets'. As soon as you put 'famous' on a page dedicated to inventors of plumbing fixtures someone comes along and adds his comprehensive list of inventors of plumbing devices and it ceases to be 'famous.' Just call it 'robots in literature' and I'll promise to go away :) --MichaelTinkler

Serious objection here or just goofing on us?? I'm certainly willing to listen to this if serious. Thanks.


 * a serious objection to the use of the word 'famous', which is always (honestly!) vitiated by additions of lots and lots of minor characters and/or leads to squabbles about the meaning of 'fame'. People have started lists of 'famous physicismts' and 'famous novelists' only to be inundated with names.  So as a practice I think wikipedia is better off with " noun in literature" rather than "famous noun in literature". --MichaelTinkler

Behold! Page has been renamed Robots in literature. Thanks for your input.

I'd like to see the names in chronological order. That would give a brief history on how the concept of robots evolved overtime. Alphabetically order is okay too, but not as good.

Second that motion! (Lots of robot stories in the late 30s for some reason; curious what was in the air then. My guesses would be that the Depression, Taylorism, and changes in industrial production would have to have been an influence, but would defer to someone more knowledgeable about the period.) - RjLesch.


 * Problem is, we  always know where to put something on the list in alphabetical order, but might not have a good enough idea of chronological order offhand. Alpha is easier. If we can, I'd advocate having  both lists (alpha and chronological). People can add things to the alpha list on the fly, and the pedants can come along later and add them to the correct spot on chronological.


 * And I'd like to see the Taylorism entry for Wikipedia if anyone feels up to writing it.

In 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' film Klaatu was the alien, the robot was Gort. Is this also true in the book?

No, the robot was named Gnut in the book. I imagine they changed it for the movie to forestall the confusion: "Why is the robot named Newt, again?" Nuffle

Cylons -- Battlestar Galactica (according to the novelizations, Cylons were simply humanoid aliens wearing mechanical armor. Don't know if this was true in the TV show, but this is the literature page...)

The way I remember this is... The decision was made to make the Cylons inorganic robots for TV because of rules existing at the time specifying a maximum number of people who could be killed on TV per hour. If the Cylons were machines, we could blow away thousands of them, no problem! I think the leader of the Cylons was supposed to have been the last remaining organic Cylon of the race who originally built them.

Maybe this page should be renamed Robots in fiction or Robots in Science Fiction. That would cover books, films and TV. --Stephen Gilbert


 * So would "Literature", theoretically. Input requested: Which should it be, "Literature" or "Fiction"?

The labels "First appeared in film" and "First appeared on TV" do not make sense. Almost all films or TV programs are based on written material, such as books, novel, scripts. So techically, these robots all appeared in print first. Perhaps these labels should say "first popularized or made known in film/TV" etc. Any better choices of word? (April 19, 2002)

According to the style manual, books get italicized and shorter works (short stories, etc.) get quote marks. I have restored the quote marks to the titles that are not books.--MTS

What about Asimov's Norby?


 * What what about Asimov's Norby? If you mean "Shouldn't Norby be in the list?", then the answer is of course "Yes", and I'm not sure why you didn't just add him yourself. -- Paul A 01:47 Apr 9, 2003 (UTC)

Golem and biological robots
Golem is a robot? I certainly think we can be a little looser here than the Wikipedia definition of robot suggests, but the Golem I think falls outside a reasonable definition. A robot should be based in large part on technology (be it mechanical or electronic). While you could make an argument that clay-shaping is technology, clearly the main animating force of the Golem is divine/magical. A robot is a type of artificial person, but not all artifical persons are robots.


 * Not necessarily electronic or mechanical. Karel Capek's robots in R.U.R., as well as Philip K. Dick's Replicants are organic. Ausir 14:12, 13 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Are the replicants and Capek's Robots really robots? I'm a bit rusty on the exact origins of the creatures, but I don't believe humans created by genetic engineering should be considered robots, even if grown in vats (sheesh, where else but wikipedia could I write a line like that?).  If they are considered robots, then clearly Frankenstein's Monster is also a robot.  I believe that technology must not only be substantially present in the creation of a robot, but in the continued functioning.  Nuffle 09:53, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Capek is the one who invented the word "robot". Are you telling me that the first robots ever named robots are not actually robots? And Frankenstein was created out of dead bodies, while replicants and Capek's robots were created from scratch. Ausir 11:05, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Yes, I'm suggesting that Capek' Robots may not be robots. As the Wikipedia robot page says, "Although Capek's robots were organic artificial humans, the word robot has come to refer to mechanical humans."  I agree partly with this statement; the term robot has changed meaning to refer to electronic/mechanical devices and not artificial men.  I suggest a new heading in this page for influential fictional non-robots, including the Golem, Philip K. Dick's Androids & Replicants, and Capek's Robots.


 * Maybe we'll just change the title of the article to "List of fictional robots and androids"? Android covers both mechanical and organic artificial humans. Ausir 14:53, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Sounds like a good solution to me. I'm a bit new here, though, and don't know how to do this.  Nuffle 17:03, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Done. Ausir 22:53, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I put Golem back in, as he probably fits the def of android. Nuffle 06:20, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Isn't the term Cyborg more correct to use for bilogical robots than Android? Just asking. EisenKnoechel

Are robots from Star Wars being deliberately left out?

Rebel Robots
While robots rebelling against their masters is a common theme, is Zed the rebel robot in The Ed and Zed Show the only case where the audience were on the robot's side? PatGallacher 11:44, 2005 Jun 11 (UTC)

Xombie
It is disputed whether or not these guys are actually robots. They make breathing sounds when they talk and the survivng humans may not have the amount of resaurces needed to make robots with military strategies so it would be a bit easier to have robot suits.

Tin Woodman
I have removed the Tin Woodman from this list as he most definitely is not a robot, android, or any form of manufactured or replicated being. Unless we are to insanely include Long John Silver for his pegleg, Captain Hook for his missing hand, and all of us for our dental fillings, Nick Chopper comes out. He's just taken artificial limbs further than usual. B00P 11:57, 31 January 2006 (UTC)


 * Once again I have removed the Tin Woodman for the same reasons listed above. Interestingly, it appears that his metal body shouts "robot" to thise who don't think through the definition, and who never seem to notice that the Scarecrow, soft body and all, comes closer to the criteria. B00P (talk) 03:30, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

Robots in literature
I am working on the robot page and have found that the literary section didn't really fit with the page. I have moved the material that was there to the Robots in literature page and removed the redirect to List of fictional robots and androids, replacing it with a note about that page. The page clearly needs a good copyedit and wikify, which I will look at once I've finished on robot, but if anyone wants to dive in, please do so. Kcordina 10:50, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

Robots in fiction
Should this article be expanded to include material in all forms of fiction media? (Including movies and computer games.) &mdash; RJH (talk) 22:04, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

On Metal Gears
Aren't the Metal Gear units "nuclear equipped walking battle tanks", as opposed to robots? A tank doesn't really fit the definition of a robot. 80.195.173.192 21:31, 27 March 2007 (UTC)


 * See the article introduction, it defines a robot as any mobile device. Lumos3 21:47, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Blade Runner
Under 1980s, the article says that Deckard is 'possibly' a replicant. Now the final cut is out, should this be expanded to state that he is ? Jaruzel (talk) 14:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Mitsuseru Yokoyama's Works?
I couldn't help but notice that, despite the multifarious anime robots, the glaring (to me) omission of Tetsujin 28-go (better known as Gigantor), Giant Robo, and Babel II. I'm not entirely sure what the criteria for inclusion on this list is, but unless being remotely manipulated by a human--Tetsujin 28-go is controlled by Shotaro via the means of a remote control (in the 2004 remake, unsure about in the original series); Giant Robo is controlled by Daisaku in the 1990s anime remake via commands spoken (more often shouted) into his wristwatch; Babel II I'm somewhat unsure about, having never seen the series--I would think they should be on this list. Despite the fact that they are effectively commanded by a human, they display visible personality, especially in the case of Giant Robo, who literally cries when he is unable to defeat the Vogler Sphere on his own. Being such, I would think that they would have a place on this list, and certainly they deserve a place simply for being the first (or among the first) giant robots to appear in manga/Japanese TV. OGT (talk) 05:03, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

Frankenstien's monster is usually included as an early robot (Mary Shelly 1818) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.215.157.138 (talk) 16:28, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

Import from main article
In this revision of Android, there is a great deal of bulleted-list entries that would seem to belong on this list. I have removed them now, but it might be worthwhile to merge them here.  Sandstein  12:02, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Where's Moby on the List?
Please, don't say that you did not include Moby, the robot from BrainPOP! I mean, since I am a BrainPOP fan, it is quite a shocker not to see Moby on the list. Check if he is on the list, and, if he isn't, add him to the list. He should be under the Web based media part of the page, since BrainPOP is an online web site. Typingwestern015 (talk) 03:12, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

Other lists on the Web
Noticed two of the external links were broken; had a look at webarchive.org and figured out where they'd moved to. I have updated the links. The new version of those pages are much clearer - these lists will include lots that don't meet notability, but might to help to identify any major examples we've missed. Task for someone? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Infojunkie23 (talk • contribs) 07:39, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Should we split this list up?
In my opinion this list is becoming too long and unwieldy. I suggest its split into 2 lists.


 * List of fictional robots and androids in Literature ( includes theatre and comics )
 * List of fictional robots and androids in Film, Television films and Television series

Not sure where to put Web based media and Computer games.

Any comments?

Lumos3 (talk) 11:26, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I feel your pain but would suggest as an alternative that we narrow this list to only notable robots rather than "all depictions of robots" because honestly any list of every robot who has ever appeared in any medium is going to get unwieldy and we don't need to list every robot that ever appeared on an episode of Star Trek or in a gag from Family Guy. And also get rid of anything that is not reliably sourced to being a robot or an android. Things like "Another legend has Hephaestus being commanded by Zeus to create the first woman, Pandora, out of clay," doesn't really seem to belong in a list of robots. We might as well include "God first formed Adam out of the dust of the ground therefore Adam was a robot" along with almost every other creation myth. Thanks, Starblueheather (talk) 00:23, 27 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I would say this is an impossible task. How do we decide on notability? Many of the early depictions, before say 1950 have no articles on the robot itself but are undoubtedly of great historic note since they show the emergence of the robot idea into human conciousness. The later entries , say 1990 onwards often seem to have Wikipedia articles on the most obscure robot characters put there by fans documenting the minutiae of fictional worlds.


 * Another approach might be to limit the article to mentions up to an arbitrary cut off date, say year 2000. As robots become part of everyday life mentions are becoming more frequent and less meaningful. Before said date ( whatever it is) mentions were exploring in fiction an object that had not even begun to be realised. Lumos3 (talk) 23:40, 27 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I agree that anything that is not an automaton with mechanical parts should be removed.
 * The golem, and other supernaturally created creatures should not be listed here. - jc37 18:14, 28 November 2010 (UTC)


 * Android and robots are very close together, I don't see the need for a split. WarriorFISH (talk) 22:45, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

Ah-Ha!
Boy, I can't believe you forgot sooo many classic comic book and TV cartoon robots from around the world. First off, in comics: MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER, IN THE YEAR (3,000+) THE MICRONAUTS (Dell publication, circa 1970) ROBOTAN of the DOOM PATROL (DC comics) CYBORG of the TEEN TITANS. IRON MAN (Marvel Comics. Does qualify.) THE METAL MEN and RED TORNADO (DC Comics) BEN BOXER, RENZI, AND STEVE, of KAMANDI (DC Comics) THE MANHUNTERS (DC Comics) In Television (Japanese) Asto Boy, Gigantor, The 8th. Man. The automated robots of SPACE PATROL. In Movies: The only one I can think of right now is "ROBOT JOX", and the tripod ships of WAR OF THE WORLDS (both 1954 and 2008 movies). Also, the Bruce Willis, Radha Michell sci-fi SUUROGATES. --173.2.112.179 (talk) 08:33, 20 August 2011 (UTC)Veryverser

Also, I didn't see Red Tornado from DC Comics (he's also in Young Justice) For webcomics, we also have 42 from Kiwiblitz — Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.82.214.57 (talk) 00:51, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

Clearer way of showing robot parts played by Robby the Robot "the actor"?
There's 15 links to Robby the Robot in this page, and they're not obvious as to what they mean. I think they mean that the robot character in a given film/show (say Columbo) was played by Robby the Robot. This isn't clear from just putting a link to "Robby the Robot" in brackets. Perhaps treat Robby as an actor, e.g. "played by Robby the Robot". Hoping someone has a good idea. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.163.64.100 (talk) 07:00, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

Metropolis
i think metropolis is in TV section when it should be in film section? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.40.57.190 (talk) 16:21, 2 September 2012 (UTC)
 * It is under the film section. However, there are other examples in fiction with robots which have had the name metropolis (some presumably as an homage). Hope this helps : ) - jc37 20:55, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Pixar
Where is wall-e

Pixar
Where is wall-e,n EVE and other robots 4 wall-e — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.98.167.114 (talk) 22:05, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

"Humans" (TV Show, AMC 2015)
Might this be mentioned? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.89.163.49 (talk) 19:38, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

Split proposed
This article exceeds the recommended size for list articles by 25% so it seems clear that it could merit a split. Since androids are in and of themselves an encyclopedic subject, it makes sense to only include regular, non-android robots in this list, rename it List of fictional robots, and split androids off to List of fictional androids. Possibly only male/genderless androids, with female ones being placed in List of fictional gynoids.ZXCVBNM (TALK) 09:00, 26 September 2017 (UTC)
 * According to WP:SIZERULE, "These rules of thumb apply only to readable prose and not to wiki markup size (as found on history lists or other means), and each kB can be equated to 1,000 characters. Number of characters in an article can be found with the help of XTools ... under "Prose" in the "General statistics" section ... "
 * According to WP:SIZERULE, "These rules of thumb apply only to readable prose and not to wiki markup size (as found on history lists or other means), and each kB can be equated to 1,000 characters. Number of characters in an article can be found with the help of XTools ... under "Prose" in the "General statistics" section ... "


 * This list is 8.30kB in size, substantially lower than the 50kB threshold for splitting an article or list detailed in WP:SIZERULE. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mitchumch (talk • contribs) 16:45, 10 May 2019 (UTC)

Dubious inclusion
Particularly in the Literature section, there are entries that may not be accurately described as "robots". – Laundry Pizza 03  ( d c&#x0304; ) 17:23, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

Robot Jox?
Robot Jox is a 1990 film set in a post-apocalyptic nuclear holocaust society. Seems fitting to be listed here...since the warring factions use robot Jaegers to fight nation-to-nation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_Jox — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.187.127.66 (talk) 19:00, 2 January 2019 (UTC)

Issues with this list
I suggest that some sort of time scoping is set up or this list will become overlong and unwieldy. Perhaps 1990 is a good breakpoint as after that robots become increasingly common in all sorts of fiction. We could split the list in two at this point. So a List of fictional robots and androids before 1990  and a List of fictional robots and androids after 1990. Lumos3 (talk) 15:35, 31 January 2023 (UTC)


 * That issue can be fixed by removing any robot or android without their own article, or who are not major characters. It will take quite a while before a trimmed down list like that would become too long. Right now the list is rather WP:INDISCRIMINATE with extremely minor examples, including minor mooks from animated TV shows that have no business being here. We don't need one-off minor characters and generic video game enemies.
 * If List of fictional gynoids was pared down like that as well, I think both lists can easily be merged with room to spare. ᴢxᴄᴠʙɴᴍ (ᴛ) 10:51, 23 April 2023 (UTC)