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Georgia Moreland

ASEN 1969

Professor Koehler

14 April 2023

Droids throughout the Decades: A Fascination in Film

Since the dawn of modern technology, humans have been fascinated with the concept of

android assistance. This interest has recently developed into pieces of technology, such as Siri or

Alexa, but our relationship with robot assistants began long before that. The concept of androids

became popular during the space age when technology was pushed further beyond its limits than

ever before. This fascination turned into a cultural movement with movies incorporating

androids into their plots. The development of androids through film has not only grown and

developed over time, but has exponentially propelled our interest in space and technology as a

species.

Stanley Kubrik is arguably one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time. His 1968

blockbuster hit, 2001: A Space Odyssey, has become a pillar of science-fiction because of its

surreality and cinematography. The film follows a group of astronauts and their journey to

Jupiter after humanity uncovered a mysterious monolithic object. The group must go on a

journey to find the origins of this object and are accompanied only by the supercomputer aboard

their ship, known as H.A.L. 9000. Their mission cannot be completed without the help of

H.A.L., but problems soon arise when H.A.L. turns against the crew. He does this in order to

protect and continue his programmed directives, which is what a computer is supposed to do.

While he is the antagonist of the film, the concept of H.A.L. pushed the technological limits of

the late 1960s and thus created a new fascination for artificial intelligence. H.A.L. is one of, if
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not the most, iconic androids in film history because of the nature of 2001: A Space Odyssey, in

addition to being a pioneer in the movie industry. While some were impressed by H.A.L.’s

intelligence, many were frightened. H.A.L. 9000 was not the first evil artificial intelligence to be

shown in film, but at the time, it was the most disturbing and realistic android showcased in a

movie.

While 2001 is known as a cinematic masterpiece, there is one other space movie that

could arguably be said to be more well known. Star Wars: A New Hope shaped generations and

serves as the first movie in one of the highest grossing trilogies of all time. In short, the film

follows Luke Skywalker and his battle against the dark side. He is accompanied by two spunky

droids, known as R2D2 and C3P0. These two androids differ from H.A.L. 9000 in many ways.

For starters, the droids in Star Wars are able to physically move around and follow their master,

whereas H.A.L. was a crucial part of the spaceship that could not be removed. In addition to this,

these droids wanted to serve and protect Luke, rather than attempt to kill him, like H.A.L. did his

crew. R2D2 and C3P0 are also known for their banter and personalities, which makes them

more lifelike to the audience. This transition from an evil supercomputer to a friendly,

neighborhood droid created a new bond between humans and androids that H.A.L. may have

previously severed.

Movies have advanced exponentially since the 1970s. CGI has been practically perfected,

which has allowed for filmmakers to push the boundaries of space and science fiction. In

Chrisopher Nolan’s 2014 hit, Interstellar, we are shown what extremes movies have been able to

push thus far. Similar to 2001, Interstellar follows a group of astronauts and their journey

through the stars. They are looking for a new home for humanity through a wormhole past

Saturn, that could serve as humanity's interstellar oasis. The robot assistant in Interstellar has
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many of the same properties of the droids described in the previous movies I’ve discussed.

TARS, the android assistant for the Interstellar crew, is a necessary part of their spaceship, but

can also accompany them on their missions outside of the ship. However, TARS is not a stagnant

robot. The cube-like monolithic body that TARS resides in can shapeshift into different cubes

and forms. This is the most advanced version of an android in comparison to the other two films.

The development from HAL 9000, to R2D2 and C3P0, to TARS, has greatly illustrated

humanity's fascination with androids. There is good and evil residing within technology, but

people will always be curious by the concept of a non-living consciousness. These films are not

only iconic because of their storyline, but how they have developed the relationship between

humankind and androids.