Sporadic Internet connectivity and what appears to be an ear infection have delayed this weeks blog. However the show must go on as they say so here goes…
We all like robots, robots are cool. This is an undeniable fact and one I intend to exploit in a quick blog that will celebrate my favorite droids, cyborgs and all things semi robotic. Yes, I could have posted something more thought provoking but like I said I have an ear infection and I can’t concentrate – so sue me.
10. Darleks. Proving that even with a sink plunger and egg whisk* you can be both terrifying and formidable The Darleks are Britishness at its finest. Somehow a design that should be god awful has stood the test of time and become as iconic as anything Hollywood has to offer. Even in their over exposed current state I still love these guys.
9. Kryten. Originally meant to be a one off character by season 3 of Red Dwarf he was a regular cast member. Played by Robert Llewellyn as a robot with a Canadian accent Kryten is one of the more unique robotic creations ever conceived. Personally I prefer him before he broke his programming but I cannot fault the fact that he is perhaps the only character in the show who’s character develops and evolves.
8. Opitmus Prime. Lets face it, the dude is iconic. Regardless of how you feel about the TV show or films the character himself is one of the most recognisable robots ever made. Kudos to Peter Cullen for giving him a personality through a distinctive and memorable voice.
7. Cylons. Not the flesh covered ones from the new show or the CGI updates but the old school man in a suit robots from the 70’s show. You can keep your clever plots and social commentary I like my evil robots to be shiny, plastic looking and say “By your command”.
6. S.I.D. Technically a computer but he had a son call son of S.I.D and they were both voiced by Kenneth Williams. If you are going to out camp C3P0 who better to do it than the king of the double entendre? Also Galloping Galaxies really needs to be released on DVD.
5. The Terminator (model T800). A cyborg killing machine from the future played by Arnie – hell yes! Again an iconic character that is simply perfect. I would argue that this is one of the Governators best roles (behind maybe Commando) and although it didn’t take much acting he helped make it one of the best evil cyborgs ever seen on film.
4. Bender. Futurama is one of my all time favorite TV shows, nothing has come close to the genius of the first 4 series, and I doubt nothing ever will. This list would be remiss without the inclusion of Bender who remains (like Kryten before him) one of the most unique robotic characters out there. What I love about him is despite being a despicable character he is somehow so damn likable, which is a damn hard trick to pull off.
3. Starscream. (TV version) Do I really need to explain? Everything about Starscream is great. He is a backstabbing, snivelling, scheming character who has more personality than the whole cast of robots in all of Bays movies. Much as it pains me to leave Megatron off this list Starscream beats him hands down.
2. R2D2. Basically a rolling plot device R2D2 is, and always will be one of the best robots ever designed. A swiss army knife on wheels that has inspired a generation of nerds all over the world. One of the few things Lucas got right.
1. Data. A controversial first choice but I never said this was a best of, rather a list of my favorites. I grew up with Data, he was present throughout my teenage years so I will always have a soft spot for him. Of course it helps that Brent Spiner is a class act, but he was always my favorite TNG character and my favorite Android.
So there you have it, probably not the best blog ever but at least it was fun to write 🙂
*The third Doctors words not mine