PROOF - Robots On TV - Plot Summaries: 'O'

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Robots On TV - Plot Summaries: 'O'

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Otherworld (1985)

An 8-episode science fiction/fantasy series. While on a sightseeing tour of the Pyramids, the Sterlings - a typical Californian family - accidentally enter the parallel universe of Otherworld. The Sterlings must now find their way to the Capital Province of Imar where, they hope, the Supreme Governors will return them home. However, they're being pursued by the Zone Troopers who will do terrible things to them if they're caught.

Rules of Attraction (1985)

Settling into their new home, the Sterling family realizes that every one else in town is an android. Well, all of the family realizes except Trace, who has fallen in love with Nova, a young girl, not knowing she's an android.

The Outer Limits (1963-65)

A 49-episode science fiction anthology series, often considered the BEM (bug eyed monster) show of all time. Is there anyone out there who doesn't remember the introductory voice-over ("There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture...") ?

I, Robot (1964)

Dr. Link, a research scientist builds a robot, Adam which is grotesque in appearance, but has a gentle, humanlike personality. When the scientist is found murdered, Adam is accused of the crime and threatened with destruction by the authorities. However, Link's niece gets a defence attorney to force the case into court, in a trial the like of which the world has never seen before.

The Brain of Colonel Barham (1965)

Colonel Barham - a respected veteran space explorer - knowing full well that he is shortly to die from an incurable disease, allows his brain to be transferred into a robot body as part of a scientific experiment. The experiment is successful, and the half-robot, half-human hybrid can move and talk... but it also develops strength far in excess of expectations, and soon becomes a threat that everyone agrees must be destroyed.

The Outer Limits (1995...)

An anthology science fiction/fantasy series, this is a similar - though slicker and more 'adult' - continuation of the original Outer Limits. Only one (so far) of the original series episodes has been remade (I, Robot), all the other stories being original to this new series.

Valerie 23 (1995)

Scientist Frank is a paraplegic as the result of a traffic accident. When his boss at Cryo-botics asks if he'll test Valerie 23 - a female robot designed to be a companion to physically disabled men - Frank reluctantly agrees. Valerie carries out everyday domestic shores perfectly and, as she's programmed to please, even provides Frank with a sexual outlet. But then she starts to display other emotions, and when Frank's attractive female therapist takes an interest in him, Valerie's jealousy takes a dangerous turn.

The New Breed (1995)

When Andy is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, he breaks into the University laboratory and injects himself with a fluid containing prototype 'nanobots' - microscopic robots designed to repair human tissue at the molecular level. Not only do the nanobots destroy the cancer in his body, they also slowly correct all the other minor defects, turning him into a perfect (and highly virile) human. After he's laid submerged in water for a long time, the nanobots develop gills on Andy's neck. While Andy's horrified, the nanobots continue to make bizarre 'improvements' to his body, until he - and the scientists who developed the nanobots - realize that something must be done before his body is completely impenetrable.

I, Robot (1995)

When Dr. Link, his inventor, tries to adjust his programming, Adam - a normally gentle and good-natured robot - goes berserk and kills him. Adam is arrested for the murder, but has no memory of the attack. Link's daughter hires a civil liberties attorney to defend Adam, but the attorney is more interested in self-promotion than justice, and wants to bring the case to public trial. At the pre-trial hearing, a representative of the military tells them that Adam was being retrofitted to turn him into a killing machine, and that his 'gentle' personality was being erased. The case cannot be allowed to go to trial, because this information cannot be made public.

Resurrection (1996)

The future Earth is lifeless, as the result of biological warfare, and only androids inhabit the planet. Two androids - Martin and Alicia - share a terrible secret: they've grown a human being (Cain) from the DNA of a single human hair. Martin and Alicia must keep Cain hidden from the military androids, led by Moloch - whose intention is to eradicate all traces of human existence, so that the human race can never rise again.

In Our Own Image (1998)

Mac 27 is Innobotics' most advanced android, supposedly incapable of emotions. But during a debugging session, Mac kills a scientist and escapes, taking a hostage, Celia. In a deserted warehouse, Mac transfers instructions for his repair directly to Celia's optic nerves, and she becomes a reluctant 'nurse', trying to fix Mac's mangled circuits. But along with the repair instructions, Mac has also passed Celia details of previous android experiments. As Innobotics moves closer to recapturing Mac, Celia tells him that his actions show that he does have feelings. But why is she trying to help him, when not so long ago he had threatened her life ?...

The Hunt (1998)

In a world in which hunting animals has been banned, humans pay big money on the black market to hunt androids which have been retired from the mines. For the hunters, this seems an ideal solution, as the androids have 'inhibitor chips' which prevent them from harming humans. George, his son Mark, his older brother Clute, and their guide Pete go on a hunt to track down four androids led by Kel. What most of them don't know is that Clute - in order to present them with a real challenge - has given the androids the means to disable their inhibitor chips, and to fight back with deadly force!

Identity Crisis (1998)

In a top secret military program, Captain McCoy's consciousness can be temporarily transferred into an android version of himself, creating an almost indestructible robotic fighting machine, with the intelligence and experience of a man. When an accident occurs during a test, McCoy's body dies, leaving his consciuousness trapped inside the android McCoy. But the transfer process isn't perfect, and the interface between his mind and the robot body is set to break down within 12 hours. The android McCoy breaks out of the military establishment in order to find out what went wrong... and how it can be undone.

Mary 25 (1998)

Innobotics bosses are skeptical when Melburn and his colleague Charlie Bouton - who previously invented the flawed Valerie 23 - announce the invention of Mary 25, a robot nanny. To show his confidence in the robot, Charlie announces that he will take Mary 25 home, and allow her to look after his own children - a plan which his wife and his children are not too keen on. The problems start when Mary 25 gets to Charlie's home; the robot has to be 'fine-tuned' to take account of the subleties of child care. But Melburn realizes that more than 'operational' problems have arisen... Charlie has become emotionally attached to Mary.

The Promised Land (1998)

This episode featured robot-patrolled guard camps in which the remnants of the human race were kept, following a war with the alien Tsal-Khan.

Small Friends (1999)

Gene Morton is in prison for killing a man who tried to take the credit for his own research, but is genuinely remorseful and full of guilt. Lonely in this incarceration, he has built a collection of small 'friends', the MEMS (microelectromechanical machines), out of scrap from the prison workshop. The MEMS, which he keeps in a matchbox, are controlled by a small keypad and can perform an amazing variety of tasks when working together. When Lawrence, a fellow prisoner, breaks the prison hard man's CD player, Gene (realising that the hard man, Marlon, is likely to kill Lawrence) takes pity on him and sends his MEMS to fix the player. His kindness is repaid by Lawrence and Marlon blackmailing him; they threaten to kill his daughter and grandson unless he uses the MEMS to get them out of prison. What can Gene do ?

Simon Says (2000)

Gideon Banks, whose wife and son were killed in a road accident 20 years ago, builds a small robot at home from parts he's stolen from his employers, Concorde Robotics. The robot contains his son Simon's memory engrams, recorded when Gideon was working on a 'neural archiving project', and to Gideon the robot is Simon. When Gideon is caught stealing parts by his boss Ron, he takes Ron home to meet Simon. Ron tells Gideon that Simon has been built using his company's technology and parts, and that it is therefore his property, but when he tries to take Simon, Gideon's paternal instincts take over and he accidentally kills Ron.

Glitch (2000)

Tom and Wendy seem a perfect couple, but at night Tom has nightmares of being stuck in a blazing building, carrying a screaming child. He thinks he's going crazy. But Tom is really an android, created by the late Joe Walker to rescue humans from perilous situations, and the nightmares he's experiencing are suppressed memories of mission simulations. Walker had foreseen that his colleague, Normandy, would try to 'militarize' Tom, and had implanted delayed action warnings in Tom's brain. When Walker appears to Tom as a hologram urging him to get away from the laboratory, Tom escapes with Wendy, hotly pursued by Normandy and his security forces. Can Normandy outwit two of Walker's greatest inventions ?

Family Values (2001)

Jerry Miller's home life is in chaos. His children are unruly, and his wife - resentful of the time he spends away from the family - is getting to like Vodka just a little too much. So Jerry gets a Gideon 4000 robot, which is programmed to help out in many different ways, on a 30-day trial. Gideon proves his worth, and things change dramatically for the better. But then Jerry has doubts... Gideon seems a little too influential in the family. And when he tries to get rid of Gideon, well it seems like Gideon's virtually replaced him!

Mona Lisa (2001)

The beautiful Mona Lisa is a highly expensive 21st century android Mata Hari, with exceptional strength and intelligence. Capable of learning, but haunted by her capacity for murder, she escapes from her laboratory and meets up with the streetwise and cynical Teddy, who helps Mona evade capture. As Mona's creators near ever closer to recapturing her, she seeks desperately to experience the emotions of friendship and caring... emotions which Teddy has studiously tried to avoid.

Out of the Unknown (1965-71)

An 86-episode UK science fiction anthology series of single plays, Out of the Unknown was described (by the Daily Express) as "...the best adult science fiction series ever to be written for the small screen".

Andover and the Android (1965)

Roger Andover will take over the family electronics business and inherit a fortune from his aunt Mathilde... but only if he's married. However, Roger's an ambitionless, solitary individual, to whom human relationships are a complete mystery. Then he has a bright idea - he acquires one of the firm's new female androids and announces that she's his wife, Lydia. Everything goes fine, until Lydia's circuits start to get confused.

The Midas Plague (1965)

In the future, the robot age has arrived: robot labour and cheap energy make the production of goods easy. But in a world where only the rich can lead a 'simple life', what happens to people lower down the social scale like Morrey - who's swamped under a deluge of consumer goods that he could never possible consume in his life time ?

The Fastest Draw (1966)

Amos Handworthy's grandfather was a U.S. Marshal in the wild west, with the quick-draw skills necessary to stay alive in those days. To carry on the family honour, Amos invents a gun-toting robot, which he's programmed to be fractionally slower than himself. But will he risk his life in a duel with real bullets ?

Satisfaction Guaranteed (1966)

When executive Larry Belmont goes off on a business trip, he leaves his wife Claire at home, together with their new household TN3 robot, 'Tony'. Can Tony, she wonders, really do housework and anything else a man can do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, willingly, without complaint ?

The Prophet (1967)

On an orbiting space station, robot QT-1 (Cutie) directs the massively powerful solar energy beams down to the power receivers on Earth; the slightest miscalculation or misdirection of the beams could mean disaster. But Cutie seems to have got religion, and can't understand how puny creatures like humans could have created something as logical and nearly indestructible as himself. Two technicians, Donovan and Powell, have got to clear up Cutie's theological problems before he threatens all life on Earth.

Liar! (1969)

For reasons unknown, robot RB-34 (Herbie) is different to other robots - he can read human minds! Because of this, he interprets the First Law of Robotics ("A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm") in a rather unique way: he only tells humans things which he believes won't hurt their feelings. Can Susan Calvin - robot psychologist - get Herbie working properly again (and without having her feelings hurt in the process) ?

Out of This World (1962)

A 13-episode UK science fiction anthology series, hosted by Boris Karloff. The episodes were based on stories by leading SF authors, including Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and John Wyndham.

Little Lost Robot (1962)

In 2039, on a space base near Saturn, an angry engineer tells a robot to "get lost", and it does just that... running off to join a group of 20 other robots who appear to be rebelling against their human masters. Susan Calvin - robot psychologist - has to be brought in to clear up the situation.

Impostor (1962)

While Earth is at war with the alien Outspacers, a security officer believes that scientist Roger Carter is really an Outspacer robot bomb in disguise. Unless Carter can prove his innocence, he's condemned to death.

The Outsider/Gangster World/Semi Automatic (1988)

In 2028, Gangster World is the most popular theme park on the planet. Controlled by the Donald 2000 computer, the park is populated by RCUs (Robotic Carbon Units), designed to fulfil every visitors wish. Shortly before Donald 2000 is to be replaced, a routine check is made on the park, but something is terribly wrong. An RCU is on the rampage and has already attacked some of the park's human guards - its purpose: to find and kill the park's Chief Technician.

	Otherworld (1985)
		An 8-episode science fiction/fantasy series. While on a sightseeing tour of the Pyramids, the Sterlings - a typical Californian family - accidentally enter the parallel universe of Otherworld. The Sterlings must now find their way to the Capital Province of Imar where, they hope, the Supreme Governors will return them home. However, they're being pursued by the Zone Troopers who will do terrible things to them if they're caught.
		Rules of Attraction (1985)
		Settling into their new home, the Sterling family realizes that every one else in town is an android. Well, all of the family realizes except Trace, who has fallen in love with Nova, a young girl, not knowing she's an android.
	The Outer Limits (1963-65)
		A 49-episode science fiction anthology series, often considered the BEM (bug eyed monster) show of all time. Is there anyone out there who doesn't remember the introductory voice-over ("There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture...") ?
		I, Robot (1964)
		Dr. Link, a research scientist builds a robot, Adam which is grotesque in appearance, but has a gentle, humanlike personality. When the scientist is found murdered, Adam is accused of the crime and threatened with destruction by the authorities. However, Link's niece gets a defence attorney to force the case into court, in a trial the like of which the world has never seen before.
		The Brain of Colonel Barham (1965)
		Colonel Barham - a respected veteran space explorer - knowing full well that he is shortly to die from an incurable disease, allows his brain to be transferred into a robot body as part of a scientific experiment. The experiment is successful, and the half-robot, half-human hybrid can move and talk... but it also develops strength far in excess of expectations, and soon becomes a threat that everyone agrees must be destroyed.
	The Outer Limits (1995...)
		An anthology science fiction/fantasy series, this is a similar - though slicker and more 'adult' - continuation of the original Outer Limits. Only one (so far) of the original series episodes has been remade (I, Robot), all the other stories being original to this new series.
		Valerie 23 (1995)
		Scientist Frank is a paraplegic as the result of a traffic accident. When his boss at Cryo-botics asks if he'll test Valerie 23 - a female robot designed to be a companion to physically disabled men - Frank reluctantly agrees. Valerie carries out everyday domestic shores perfectly and, as she's programmed to please, even provides Frank with a sexual outlet. But then she starts to display other emotions, and when Frank's attractive female therapist takes an interest in him, Valerie's jealousy takes a dangerous turn.
		The New Breed (1995)
		When Andy is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, he breaks into the University laboratory and injects himself with a fluid containing prototype 'nanobots' - microscopic robots designed to repair human tissue at the molecular level. Not only do the nanobots destroy the cancer in his body, they also slowly correct all the other minor defects, turning him into a perfect (and highly virile) human. After he's laid submerged in water for a long time, the nanobots develop gills on Andy's neck. While Andy's horrified, the nanobots continue to make bizarre 'improvements' to his body, until he - and the scientists who developed the nanobots - realize that something must be done before his body is completely impenetrable.
		I, Robot (1995)
		When Dr. Link, his inventor, tries to adjust his programming, Adam - a normally gentle and good-natured robot - goes berserk and kills him. Adam is arrested for the murder, but has no memory of the attack. Link's daughter hires a civil liberties attorney to defend Adam, but the attorney is more interested in self-promotion than justice, and wants to bring the case to public trial. At the pre-trial hearing, a representative of the military tells them that Adam was being retrofitted to turn him into a killing machine, and that his 'gentle' personality was being erased. The case cannot be allowed to go to trial, because this information cannot be made public.
		Resurrection (1996)
		The future Earth is lifeless, as the result of biological warfare, and only androids inhabit the planet. Two androids - Martin and Alicia - share a terrible secret: they've grown a human being (Cain) from the DNA of a single human hair. Martin and Alicia must keep Cain hidden from the military androids, led by Moloch - whose intention is to eradicate all traces of human existence, so that the human race can never rise again.
		In Our Own Image (1998)
		Mac 27 is Innobotics' most advanced android, supposedly incapable of emotions. But during a debugging session, Mac kills a scientist and escapes, taking a hostage, Celia. In a deserted warehouse, Mac transfers instructions for his repair directly to Celia's optic nerves, and she becomes a reluctant 'nurse', trying to fix Mac's mangled circuits. But along with the repair instructions, Mac has also passed Celia details of previous android experiments. As Innobotics moves closer to recapturing Mac, Celia tells him that his actions show that he does have feelings. But why is she trying to help him, when not so long ago he had threatened her life ?...
		The Hunt (1998)
		In a world in which hunting animals has been banned, humans pay big money on the black market to hunt androids which have been retired from the mines. For the hunters, this seems an ideal solution, as the androids have 'inhibitor chips' which prevent them from harming humans. George, his son Mark, his older brother Clute, and their guide Pete go on a hunt to track down four androids led by Kel. What most of them don't know is that Clute - in order to present them with a real challenge - has given the androids the means to disable their inhibitor chips, and to fight back with deadly force!
		Identity Crisis (1998)
		In a top secret military program, Captain McCoy's consciousness can be temporarily transferred into an android version of himself, creating an almost indestructible robotic fighting machine, with the intelligence and experience of a man. When an accident occurs during a test, McCoy's body dies, leaving his consciuousness trapped inside the android McCoy. But the transfer process isn't perfect, and the interface between his mind and the robot body is set to break down within 12 hours. The android McCoy breaks out of the military establishment in order to find out what went wrong... and how it can be undone.
		Mary 25 (1998)
		Innobotics bosses are skeptical when Melburn and his colleague Charlie Bouton - who previously invented the flawed Valerie 23 - announce the invention of Mary 25, a robot nanny. To show his confidence in the robot, Charlie announces that he will take Mary 25 home, and allow her to look after his own children - a plan which his wife and his children are not too keen on. The problems start when Mary 25 gets to Charlie's home; the robot has to be 'fine-tuned' to take account of the subleties of child care. But Melburn realizes that more than 'operational' problems have arisen... Charlie has become emotionally attached to Mary.
		The Promised Land (1998)
		This episode featured robot-patrolled guard camps in which the remnants of the human race were kept, following a war with the alien Tsal-Khan.
		Small Friends (1999)
		Gene Morton is in prison for killing a man who tried to take the credit for his own research, but is genuinely remorseful and full of guilt. Lonely in this incarceration, he has built a collection of small 'friends', the MEMS (microelectromechanical machines), out of scrap from the prison workshop. The MEMS, which he keeps in a matchbox, are controlled by a small keypad and can perform an amazing variety of tasks when working together. When Lawrence, a fellow prisoner, breaks the prison hard man's CD player, Gene (realising that the hard man, Marlon, is likely to kill Lawrence) takes pity on him and sends his MEMS to fix the player. His kindness is repaid by Lawrence and Marlon blackmailing him; they threaten to kill his daughter and grandson unless he uses the MEMS to get them out of prison. What can Gene do ?
		Simon Says (2000)
		Gideon Banks, whose wife and son were killed in a road accident 20 years ago, builds a small robot at home from parts he's stolen from his employers, Concorde Robotics. The robot contains his son Simon's memory engrams, recorded when Gideon was working on a 'neural archiving project', and to Gideon the robot is Simon. When Gideon is caught stealing parts by his boss Ron, he takes Ron home to meet Simon. Ron tells Gideon that Simon has been built using his company's technology and parts, and that it is therefore his property, but when he tries to take Simon, Gideon's paternal instincts take over and he accidentally kills Ron.
		Glitch (2000)
		Tom and Wendy seem a perfect couple, but at night Tom has nightmares of being stuck in a blazing building, carrying a screaming child. He thinks he's going crazy. But Tom is really an android, created by the late Joe Walker to rescue humans from perilous situations, and the nightmares he's experiencing are suppressed memories of mission simulations. Walker had foreseen that his colleague, Normandy, would try to 'militarize' Tom, and had implanted delayed action warnings in Tom's brain. When Walker appears to Tom as a hologram urging him to get away from the laboratory, Tom escapes with Wendy, hotly pursued by Normandy and his security forces. Can Normandy outwit two of Walker's greatest inventions ?
		Family Values (2001)
		Jerry Miller's home life is in chaos. His children are unruly, and his wife - resentful of the time he spends away from the family - is getting to like Vodka just a little too much. So Jerry gets a Gideon 4000 robot, which is programmed to help out in many different ways, on a 30-day trial. Gideon proves his worth, and things change dramatically for the better. But then Jerry has doubts... Gideon seems a little too influential in the family. And when he tries to get rid of Gideon, well it seems like Gideon's virtually replaced him!
		Mona Lisa (2001)
		The beautiful Mona Lisa is a highly expensive 21st century android Mata Hari, with exceptional strength and intelligence. Capable of learning, but haunted by her capacity for murder, she escapes from her laboratory and meets up with the streetwise and cynical Teddy, who helps Mona evade capture. As Mona's creators near ever closer to recapturing her, she seeks desperately to experience the emotions of friendship and caring... emotions which Teddy has studiously tried to avoid.
	Out of the Unknown (1965-71)
		An 86-episode UK science fiction anthology series of single plays, Out of the Unknown was described (by the Daily Express) as "...the best adult science fiction series ever to be written for the small screen".
		Andover and the Android (1965)
		Roger Andover will take over the family electronics business and inherit a fortune from his aunt Mathilde... but only if he's married. However, Roger's an ambitionless, solitary individual, to whom human relationships are a complete mystery. Then he has a bright idea - he acquires one of the firm's new female androids and announces that she's his wife, Lydia. Everything goes fine, until Lydia's circuits start to get confused.
		The Midas Plague (1965)
		In the future, the robot age has arrived: robot labour and cheap energy make the production of goods easy. But in a world where only the rich can lead a 'simple life', what happens to people lower down the social scale like Morrey - who's swamped under a deluge of consumer goods that he could never possible consume in his life time ?
		The Fastest Draw (1966)
		Amos Handworthy's grandfather was a U.S. Marshal in the wild west, with the quick-draw skills necessary to stay alive in those days. To carry on the family honour, Amos invents a gun-toting robot, which he's programmed to be fractionally slower than himself. But will he risk his life in a duel with real bullets ?
		Satisfaction Guaranteed (1966)
		When executive Larry Belmont goes off on a business trip, he leaves his wife Claire at home, together with their new household TN3 robot, 'Tony'. Can Tony, she wonders, really do housework and anything else a man can do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, willingly, without complaint ?
		The Prophet (1967)
		On an orbiting space station, robot QT-1 (Cutie) directs the massively powerful solar energy beams down to the power receivers on Earth; the slightest miscalculation or misdirection of the beams could mean disaster. But Cutie seems to have got religion, and can't understand how puny creatures like humans could have created something as logical and nearly indestructible as himself. Two technicians, Donovan and Powell, have got to clear up Cutie's theological problems before he threatens all life on Earth.
		Liar! (1969)
		For reasons unknown, robot RB-34 (Herbie) is different to other robots - he can read human minds! Because of this, he interprets the First Law of Robotics ("A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm") in a rather unique way: he only tells humans things which he believes won't hurt their feelings. Can Susan Calvin - robot psychologist - get Herbie working properly again (and without having her feelings hurt in the process) ?
	Out of This World (1962)
		A 13-episode UK science fiction anthology series, hosted by Boris Karloff. The episodes were based on stories by leading SF authors, including Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and John Wyndham.
		Little Lost Robot (1962)
		In 2039, on a space base near Saturn, an angry engineer tells a robot to "get lost", and it does just that... running off to join a group of 20 other robots who appear to be rebelling against their human masters. Susan Calvin - robot psychologist - has to be brought in to clear up the situation.
		Impostor (1962)
		While Earth is at war with the alien Outspacers, a security officer believes that scientist Roger Carter is really an Outspacer robot bomb in disguise. Unless Carter can prove his innocence, he's condemned to death.
	The Outsider/Gangster World/Semi Automatic (1988)
		In 2028, Gangster World is the most popular theme park on the planet. Controlled by the Donald 2000 computer, the park is populated by RCUs (Robotic Carbon Units), designed to fulfil every visitors wish. Shortly before Donald 2000 is to be replaced, a routine check is made on the park, but something is terribly wrong. An RCU is on the rampage and has already attacked some of the park's human guards - its purpose: to find and kill the park's Chief Technician.