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	Robots On TV - Plot Summaries: 'S'

	Salvage-1 (1979)
		An 18-episode adventure series about the exploits of scrap dealer/salvage man Harry Broderick, who in the pilot episode builds a spaceship (Salvage-1 also known as The Vulture) to go to the moon and retrieve the multi-million dollar scrap left there by Apollo missions.
		Mermadon (1979)
		The salvage team find an almost-human robot (Mermadon), and help to patch up its damaged circuits, not knowing that it's part of a secret military project and is programmed to kill.
	The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994-98)
		American children's adventure/fantasy series about a young girl - Alex Mack - who is accidentally sprayed with an experimental chemical, and then develops incredible powers.
		Operation: Breakout (1996)
		This episode featured the PVP 9000 security droid: a small robot with a 'hypnotic eye' which pursued Alex and fired laser blasts at her.
	Shields & Yarnell (1977-78)
		Shields & Yarnell were mime artists who (strange as it might seem) often appeared on American television. One of their 'specialities' was to appear as the Klinkers - two robots.
	The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-78)
		A long-running (102-episode) action/science fiction series about the exploits of ex-astronaut Steve Austin. After a horrific flying accident, Steve is 'rebuilt' (by the OSI agency) with bionic components, as a result of which he has super-strength, can run and swim at 60 mph, and can see vast distances.
		Day of the Robot (1974)
		Steve's colleague, Major Sloan, is kidnapped and replaced with a robot double. Following the successful test of a top-secret anti-missile device, the robot steals the device in order to take it back to its masters, who intend to sell it to the highest bidder. Steve must fight the robot - for the device and for his life.
		Return of the Robot Maker (1975)
		OSI chief Oscar Goldman is kidnapped and replaced with a robot double. The plan: to have the robot pursuade Steve to test a new security system; when all of the security system devices have been overcome, the robot can then steal the secret formula for a new source of energy. But things don't go according to plan.
		Kill Oscar II (1976)
		This is the sequel to The Bionic Woman 'cross-over' episode Kill Oscar I.
		Jaime lies close to death after battling the fembots, while Steve tries to rescue Oscar.
	Sliders (1995-2000)
		An American science fiction adventure series. Quinn Mallory invents a device which allows him to 'slide' through a man-made wormhole into parallel dimensions. In each episode, Quinn and his companions would slide into a new dimension, hoping to reach 'home'.
		State of the A.R.T. (1996)
		In a parallel dimension, the world is populated entirely by androids produced by A.R.T. (Aldohn Robotic Technologies). In early versions, the androids' emotions conflicted with their logic, and they destroyed all of the human population - except for John Aldohn, their creator. When Quinn and his companions arrive, they find themselves unwilling guinea pigs in an experiment designed to transplant human consciousness into androids.
		This episode features the E.R.I. (Emotional Response Intelligence), E.L.M. (Emotional Learning Mode), A.N.G.I.E., P.A.U.L., and the following series of androids:
		D.E.R.I.C. - Delta E.R.I. Chip unit (also known as the Aldohn D.036 module). M.A.T.T. - Me At Twenty-Three. E.R.I.C.A. - E.R.I. Companion Android. T.E.D. - Technical & Engineering Device. R.P.P. - Recall Patrol P.A.U.L.
	Small Wonder (1985-89)
		An American sitcom about Vicki Lawson and her family. Vicki seems to be a (not quite normal) 10-year old girl, but is really VICI (Voice Input Child Identicant), a robot designed to be a domestic aide by her creator, Ted Lawson. With her real identity kept a secret, Vicki is living as part of Ted's family in order to 'beta-test' her in the real world.
		The series also featured Vicki's more advanced 'twin', Vanessa. Whereas Vicki is literal and naive, Vanessa is arrogant and impulsive; this is because her PEP (Personality Emulation Program) was expanded to emulate the behaviour of real girls.
	Smash Advertisements (1973...)
		Starting in 1973, Cadbury's Smash instant mashed potato mix was advertised on UK television by metal Martian robots, who laughed at the antics of us 'neanderthal' humans actually peeling, cooking and mashing whole potatoes. (The original ad series ran for 10 years, but there have since been a number of revivals.)
	Son of the Beach (2000-01)
		A comedy spoof of Baywatch, featuring storylines and antics you wouldn't be surprised to see in Police Squad, and 'starring' ace lifeguard Notch (not Mitch) Johnson. A very silly show, but then, it's meant to be silly.
		Fanny & The Professor (2000)
		A man who blames Notch for making him a paraplegic invents robot lifeguards to replace Notch's team. The Mayor thinks she now finally has a chance to get rid of Notch, but then the hot weather starts to cause the robots to malfunction.
	Space Academy (1977-79)
		A 15-episode American children's science fiction adventure series about the young students of Space Academy, in the year 3732. The show featured a robot called Peepo.
	Space Cases (1996-97)
		A 13-episode children's science fiction drama series. Five students of Star Academy, together with their principal and a tutor, board an alien spaceship (the Christa) which is then swept through a spacial rift. The series recounts their adventures on their way home. Also aboard the Christa is Thelma (Techno-Human-Emulating-Machine), the previous alien crew's female android. Whenever Thelma downloaded her weekly log, her previous week's memory was erased.
	The Space Giants/Captain Magma/Monsters from Outer Space (1967)
		A Japanese science fiction series about Goldar and his family, who protect the Earth from the evil alien scientist Rodaka and his monsters. Goldar (a giant golden space robot), Silvar (his 50-foot silver wife), and Gam (his golden son) were constructed by a benevolent alien, Matuslah.
	Space Island One (1998)
		A Sky-produced science fiction series set aboard the space station Unity. (Though 26 episodes were made, only 13 were ever broadcast.) The show featured two service robots - Roam One and Roam Two.
	Space: 1999 (1975-77)
		A 48-episode Gerry Anderson-created science fiction series. In the year 1999, a massive nuclear explosion hurls the moon - together with the crew of Moonbase Alpha - out of Earth's orbit and into outer space. (The series' writers seemed to have no concept of interplanetary - let alone interstellar - distances. Every week, the Moon came across a new planet, or even a new galaxy!)
		The Infernal Machine (1976)
		An alien - Gwent - arrives in his robot spaceship. Gwent gave the spaceship his personality, but it took over and assumed his identity, and relegated him to the simple role of 'companion'. When the human Gwent dies, the Gwent robot ship wants a new companion.
		One Moment of Humanity (1976)
		Two of the Alpha crew are abducted by an alien, who wants to use them as emotional templates for her race of androids, and so teach the androids how to kill. (This episode features the androids Zamara and Zarl.)
		Brian and Brain (1976)
		Brian, a super-robot launched into space on an early Earth space mission, attacks Alpha's computer and kidnaps two of the Alpha crew.
		The Beta Cloud (1976)
		An alien monster runs rampage on Alpha base, trying to steal their life support systems. The Alpha crew try in vain to kill the monster, until Maya (a shapeshifter who can imitate any lifeform) tries to turn into a duplicate of the monster and cannot. Realising it's a robot, she transforms into an insect and flies into its control centre to disable it.
	Space Patrol [UK]/Planet Patrol [USA] (1963-68)
		A British 39-episode children's science fiction puppet series, about Galasphere 347 of the UGO (United Galactic Organization), and its interpid crew: Captain Larry Dart, Slim the Venusian and Husky the Martian.
		The show introduced some advanced concepts for its time. The Galasphere spacecraft were equipped for extended missions, during which the crew went into suspended animation, and the craft was maintained by on-board robots.
		The Robot Revolution (1963)
		An eruption at an underwater sea farm damages the robot workers. When the head of one of the robots is examined, it's discovered that the part of the robot's brain that responds to human commands has been eroded... and all 5000 robots at the farm have been affected! The robots march on space headquarters to seize control.
		Explosion on the Sun (1964)
		Evil Dr. Duncan causes a solar flare to erupt, causing a temperature rise on Earth and Venus, then threatens to cause another - more powerful - flare, unless he is sent weapons and robots. When the authorities refuse, Duncan hijacks a robot freighter. Dart is sent to try and halt Duncan's machinations.
		The Telepathic Robot (1964)
		Professor Haggerty invents a robot - Busy Lizzie - that responds to human thoughts. To test the robot, Dart takes it on board the Galasphere, to see how far away it can be and still respond to its master. But the Galasphere is diverted on a mission, during which the crew succumb to the hypnotic influences of the Neptunians... can Lizzie save the day ?
	Space Rangers (1993)
		An American science fiction series that hardly had a chance. (Of the six episodes made, only four were originally broadcast in the US, and in the UK it was cancelled after a single episode had been broadcast! Not only that, but the episodes were aired out of sequence.)
		Set in the 22nd century, the Space Rangers were the intergalactic police of the frontiers of space. Led by Captain John Boon, the crew included Doc (described as "part human, part robot", but doesn't this make him a cyborg?), Jojo the pilot, Kincaid the rookie, and an alien Zylyn. In the episode "The Replacements", an android is added to the team, who little suspect that they will all be replaced by androids if the experiment is successful.
	Stargate SG-1 (1997...)
		A science fiction series based on - and a follow-on of - the film Stargate. SG-1 is an elite team (led by Colonel Jack O'Neill)  which visits alien planets using the stargate, in order to explore new worlds, meet new civilizations and (hopefully) acquire technology with which to combat the parasitic Goa'uld.
		Brief Candle (1997)
		SG-1 visit the planet Argos, where the inhabitants appear happy and normal, but they all fall asleep the minute the sun goes down, and their normal lifespan is only around 100 days. When O'Neill appears to have contracted whatever limits the Argosians' lifespan, the race is on to find a cure. Eventually, they realise that the rapid ageing is caused by nanocytes: microscopic robots invented by the Goa'uld, and introduced into the Argosians as part of a cruel experiment.
		Tin Man (1998)
		On arrival on the alien planet PX3989, SG-1 are immediately knocked unconscious. When they awake, a being that calls itself Harlan tells them that not only has he seen to their injuries, he has also made improvements. When the team arrives back on Earth, they realise that they are now just androids: each team member's consciousness has been transferred into a machine body. And, unless they get back to the planet, they will run out of power and die. The team returns to PX3989 and force Harlan - who is also revealed to be an android - to restore them into their human bodies.
		Double Jeopardy (2001)
		SG-1 return to a planet they helped to free from Goa'uld slavery, only to find the planet under threat of bloody revenge by Cronos. The SG-1 team must win back the planet's inhabitants' confidence and help them in their fight against Cronos. Luckily, their android duplicates are there to help out.
	Star Trek/Star Trek: TOS (1966-69)
		What's to say ? A 79-episode science fiction series depicting the voyages of the starship Enterprise, captained by James T. Kirk, and its five-year mission "...To boldly go where no man has gone before."
		What Are Little Girls Made Of ? (1966)
		On visiting Exo III, Captain Kirk and Nurse Chapel are met by Dr. Roger Korby (Chapel's ex-fiance), a girl called Andrea and a being called Ruk. Korby explains that Andrea and Ruk are androids. Ruk was a 'guardian' left on the planet many millennia ago, whereas Korby had created Andrea himself, using the "old ones'" technology. Korby detains Kirk, and sends an android Kirk back to the Enterprise in his place. Kirk realises that millenia ago, the old ones became fearful of their machines and tried to terminate them; the androids - in order to protect their own existence - turned on the old ones and destroyed them all. When he reminds Ruk of this, Ruk turns on Korby, who is forced to destroy him. When Kirk then attacks Korby, he too is revealed to be an android. When Chapel laments that the passionate man she once knew no longer exists, the Korby-android destroys itself and Andrea.
		Shore Leave (1967)
		While a landing party is investigating whether a planet is suitable for shore leave, Dr. McCoy sees a girl who is quite clearly Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) and a large white rabbit which pulls out a pocket-watch, remarks that it is late, and then runs away. More strange events occur: Sulu finds an antique police pistol, a female yoeman is attacked by Don Juan... and then McCoy is killed when a mounted knight runs him through with a lance. When Spock joins the landing party, he theorizes that thinking about something makes it materialize. The 'Caretaker' then appears, and tells them that the whole planet is an amusement park. He returns a fully restored Dr. McCoy to them, and tells them to stay and enjoy themselves.
		Though never explicitly stated, the following characters/animals which appear to the crew must be androids (or replicants) of some sort: Alice, Don Juan, Finnegan (Kirk's rival at the Academy), a black knight, Ruth (one of Kirk's ex-girlfriends), a Samurai warrior, a tiger, and the white rabbit.
		The Changeling (1967)
		The Enterprise is attacked by a small vessel that breaks off its attack the minute Kirk hails it. The vessel - Nomad - is beamed on board, where it is found to be an ancient Earth robot space probe. Damaged shortly after launch, Nomad eventually came into contact with an alien robot probe, Tan Ru, which was programmed to gather and sterilize soil samples from planets prior to colonization. Somehow, Tan Ru merged with Nomad, whose new purpose now is to sterilize all 'imperfect' (i.e. biological) life. Nomad having confused Kirk for its creator, Jackson Roykirk, Kirk eventually convinces Nomad that it is imperfect itself and, after it is beamed into space, it destroys itself.
		I, Mudd (1967)
		An android called Norman hijacks the Enterprise and guides it to an uncharted planet, where they find rogue Harry Mudd. Mudd tells them that he's now the ruler of more than 200,000 androids from the Andromeda galaxy, who were stranded when their sun went Nova, killing their creators, and leaving them with no-one to serve. But Mudd has got bored, and since the androids wanted to study more humans, he told them to acquire a starship. The Enterprise's crew is beamed down to be 'served' by the androids, but eventually the crew confuses and overcomes the androids, and all the humans escape back to the starship... except for Mudd who, as punishment, is left behind with 500 android doubles of his nagging ex-wife Stella.
		Other female androids referred to in this episode are the Alice Series (brunettes, of which Mudd had 500 made), the Annabelle Series, the Barbara Series, the Maizie Series and the Trudy Series.
		Return to Tomorrow (1968)
		Beneath an uninhabited planet, Kirk, McCoy and Dr. Ann Mulhall come across three entities, existing as mental energy inside three spheres. The leader, Sargon, tells them that long ago their race was once humanoid, but they grew so powerful they considered themselves to be Gods, and a terrible war ensued which destroyed the planet's surface. Ashamed of their actions, the best of each of the two opposing sides was chosen and their essences transferred into the spheres. Now, only Sargon, his wife Thalassa, and Henoch (a former enemy) remain alive.
		The three ask if they can temporarily transfer themselves into Kirk's Mullhall's and Spock's bodies, while android bodies are built for them, and the officers agree. However, Henoch - overjoyed at being corporeal again - tries to convince Thalassa thatb they should keep possession of their new bodies.
		Requiem For Methuselah (1969)
		Beaming down to a supposedly uninhabited planet in order to collect ryetalyn deposits, the landing party is met by a man named Flint and his robot, M4. After ordering M4 to collect the ryetalyn, he takes the party to his home and introduces them to Rayna Kapec, a female android he has created. Flint tells them that he is an immortal and is over 5000 years old. Over the millennia he has acquired knowledge and wealth, and has based himself on the planet in order to create a woman equal to himself. But Rayna falls in love with Kirk and - because she cannot bear to hurt Flint - dies.
	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine/Star Trek: DS9/Deep Space Nine/DS9 (1993-99)
		The third Star Trek series, set on the space station Deep Space Nine (DS9), which is situated near Bajor (a planet recently liberated from Cardassian control), close to a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. DS9 was commanded by Benjamin Sisko, and some of its crew members (such as Miles O'Brien) also served on the Enterprise D (see Star Trek: The Next Generation).
		Whispers (1994)
		On returning from a mission on Paradas, O' Brien finds the DS9 crew treating him strangely. His wife is cold towards him, and everyone seems secretive around him. When he attempts to check the security arrangements for up-coming peace talks, he's told to do maintenance on the upper pylons instead. Later, he finds that all of this computer logs - even his personal logs - have been accessed by station personnel. When both Sisko and security officer Odo also act as if they're in on what seems a conspiracy, O'brien steals a runabout in order to return to where it all started: Paradas.
		When he reaches the planet, O'Brien detects 3 passengers beam down to the surface from the runabout which has been pursuing and firing upon him. He also beams down, to find Sisko and Kira meeting with Coutu, a Paradas rebel leader. O'Brien goes to shoot Coutu, but is instead shot himself, and mortally wounded. As he lays dying, another O'Brien appears. Coutu tells him that it is the real O'Brien... and he was just a replicant, unaware that he had been programmed to assassinate a leader at the peace talks.
	Star Trek: The Next Generation/Star Trek: TNG (1987-94)
		The second TV outing set in the Star Trek universe, this 176-episode series chronicled the adventures of the USS Enterprise (NCC 1701-D) and its crew, under the command of Captain Jean Luc Picard.
		The android Lt. Commander Data, being a 'regular' crew member, featured in virtually all of the episodes; Data's evil 'brother', Lore, also featured in a number of episodes. (If you want to know more about Data/Lore, there are hundreds of web pages out there, so I've not included any additional information on this site.) Other android/robot related episodes are as follows:
		The Arsenal of Freedom (1988)
		The Enterprise visits the planet of Minos, the last known position of a starship which has disappeared. There, the crew are greeted by a holographic salesman who tells them that Minos is the Arsenal of Freedom - dedicated to selling sophisticates weapons to anyone who can afford the price. Then an automated robot attack pod fires upon the Enterprise. When an away team visits the surface of the planet, they're also set upon by attack pods. Eventually realising that all of the attacks are just part of a 'sales pitch', Picard agrees to buy a weapons system, and the attacks stop.
		Evolution (1989)
		While on a scientific study mission, the Enterprise's computer systems start to fail. Wesley Crusher, while carrying out a genetic expirement, has allowed two nanites to escape. (Nanites are microscopic machines designed to repair living tissue cells.) Normally working in isolation, the nanites have been taught  by Wesley to cooperate with each other, to reproduce, and to program improvements into their 'offspring'. Now, thousands of the nanites have invaded the ship's computer core and are consuming the core's memory chips. While initially trying to destroy the nanites, the crew eventually realises that the nanites have achieved intelligence and self-awareness.
		The Offspring (1990)
		While at a cyberbetics conference, Data learns of a new technology. On his return, he immediately sets about building a sentient android offspring - Lal . When Lal exhibits fear that she may be taken away from her 'father', Data investigates this malfunction, and finds that Lal's positronic brain has suffered a major failure. Lal expresses to Data her love for him just before she suffers complete neural failure.
		The Quality of Life (1992)
		Visiting a pioneering mining space station, the Enterprise crew find the experimental mining methods being used plagued with problems. When one of the Exocomps (multi-purpose robotic tools) refuses to obey an order shortly before the area in which it would have been is destroyed, Data reasons that the Exocomp is exhibiting a sense of self-preservation, and can be considered to be 'alive'.
		Inheritance (1993)
		While on a routine mission, Data meets Dr. Juliana Tainer, who claims to have been married to Data's creator, Dr. Soong, and therefore considers herself to be Data's 'mother'. Sceptical, but encouraged by his crewmates to get to know her, Data eventually realises that Tainer is herself an android... but does not know it.
	Star Trek: Voyager/Voyager (1995-2001)
		The fourth series set in the Star Trek universe. While pursuing Maquis ships in the badlands, the USS Voyager - under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway - is thrown across the Galaxy into the Delta Quadrant. So far, in fact, that it will take them more than 70 years at normal warp speeds to get home. The series recounts their adventures in the Delta Quadrant, and their attempts to get the ship home.
		Protoype (1996)
		The crew finds a robot and, having found a suitable power source, reactivates it. The robot, Automated Personnel Unit 3947, tells them that it is one of a few remaining group of workers created by the Pralor, and asks that they supply him with additional power units, so that more robots can be built. When Janeway refuses (on the grounds that it violates the Prime Directive), Lt. Torres is abducted and taken to 3947's ship. With Voyager unable to rescue her, Torres starts to design a prototype power module which can be used to power the robots.
		When another ship arrives and starts firing on 3947's ship, the Voyager crew  find out that it is controlled by robots created by the Cravics, built to fight the Pralors. When the Pralors and the Cravics eventually agreed on a truce, the robots of the two warring factions - programmed for victory at any costs - destroyed their creators and continued the war themselves. Realizing that the prototype power module she is designing will enable the Pralor robots to win the war, Torres destroys the prototype, and - while the two groups of robots are battling each other - is rescued by Voyager.
		Night (1998)
		In this episode, as way of diversion, Tom Paris, the Doctor and Seven of Nine play out an installment of Paris' "The Adventures of Captain Proton" on the holodeck; the installment's plot includes Dr. Satan's Robot.
		Bride of Chaotica! (1999)
		While an installment of Paris' "The Adventures of Captain Proton" is being played out on the holodeck, Voyager is brought to a halt by a subspace distortion. When the crew investigates power surges on the holodeck they find that a battle has taken place, and the scenario's robot tells them that beings from the fifth dimension have invaded. They discover that, while the holodeck program ran unattended, two beings from another dimension transported into the holodeck and (not realizing it was just a simulation) are now convinced that Doctor Chaotica intends to destroy their dimension. When the aliens begin firing their weapons from the subspace distortion, Janeway and her crew - by playing characters in the holodeck simulation - convince the aliens that they have 'defeated' Doctor Chaotica.
	Steel Justice (1992)
		David Nash has lost his son and his will to live. But in his dreams, he constantly sees his son, with his robot toy 'Robosaurus'. Nash will have to bring Robosaurus to life to avenge his son's death.
	The Stepford Children (1987)
		A science fiction follow-on series to the film The Stepford Wives. Steven and Laura Harding move to Stepford, where they find that not only are the men turning their women into robots (as in the film), but they're also turning their unruly teenage children into obedient homework loving androids.
	Still Not Quite Human (1992)
		Comedy science fiction follow-up to Not Quite Human and Not Quite Human II. The android Chip and his 'father' attend a robotics convention where the father is abducted and replaced by an android. Can Chip and his friends save the day ? In addition to Chip, the series features Spartacus, a robot soldier.
	Superboy/The Adventures of Superboy (1988-92)
		A science fiction adventure series about the early days of Superman, when Clark Kent was just a meek, mild-mannered journalism student at Shuster University.
		War of the Species (1989)
		When a scientist's dead body is found in his laboratory, Superboy ends up battling alien androids who are trying to develop a murderous super-robot.
		Know Thine Enemy (1991)
		Lex Luthor threatens to blow up the world using a nuclear device. He has transferred his memories and those of his sister into two androids which will survive the nuclear holocaust.
		Superboy... Rest In Peace (1992)
		In the future, a professor discovers that an MX-307 android has been sent back in time to kill Superboy, and sends a girl - Serene - back to warn him. In the past, Serene warns Superboy about the killer android, and tells him that it will self-destruct when it has accomplished its mission. Superboy fools the MX-307 into thinking it's killed him, whereupon the android destroys itself. Then Serene tells Superboy that she's also an android, and asks him to bury her - along with the android detection device which she carries - after she too has self-destructed.