Writer's Block: Robotic

[iko]

Who (or what) is your favorite fictional robot?

When I first read this question, it popped into my head with music from the television programme and all:

"Your plastic pal whose fun to be with!"

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been part of my cultural vocabulary ever since I was 7. Friday and Saturday nights, the local PBS station

Comments

[808]

Your post made me nostalgic for the Friday/Saturday nights of British comedies that PBS aired. I remember they were a special time to look forward to and see something different than the everyday. I wouldn't want to give up our current ease of access of course, but I still miss the specialness of the time.

An analog was Saturday night, 10am-4am when a local radio station would play music from a dance club without commercials. I got introduced to almost all of my favorite groups at the time that way. It was music one never heard anywhere else on the radio, at least not in Dallas in the mid-80's. And when you ran into a kid at school who also knew who "New Order" was, you were instant friends.

[iko]

OMG that brings back memories! There's a local FM radio station that played New Wave and alternative-style music when I was in junior high and high school. I remember one really late night calling in and getting on the air and sounding like a stupid kid saying how much I loved the music they played and how it's nice to know that there are people out there that loved Depeche Mode as much as I did (I had a six foot plus poster of DM in my room at the time).

It makes me sad that around a year or so later, they changed over to a country music station and nowadays, I think they are a rock music station.

[entangled_now]

I want to second the fact that your post made me nostalgic, it's been so long since I've watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I feel awful about the fact that i still don't own it.

[iko]

I watch it at least once a month (sort of), just because it's what I throw on the television when I need to get to work. It's like the perfect in-the-background-while-working material for me. I don't formalize my watching of it, like I do Brazil or The Nightmare Before Christmas, which I've sort of ritualized the watching of it every year around Christmas.

[iko]

I thought the design for the new Marvin was really cute, and Alan Rickman is a really great voice for the role, but the execution of the entire film sort of crushed me.

[ursulahitler]

What was your take on the Hitchhiker movie? For me it was like seeing this wonderful thing from my childhood dicked over in the worst way. I walked out fuming, in a big geeky froth. Rickman had a fine enough Marvin voice, but the look was all wrong and as long as Stephen Moore is alive the role of Marvin is SPOKEN for!

Marvin would maybe top my fave robot list. Oh, but then there's Data! (Android, I know, but I presume we're talking about fictional automata more generally and not just "robot" robots.) And then there's Bender from Futurama. And Robby the Robot! Oh, how can I choose?!

[iko]

I can tell you what it was like watching it in the theater on opening weekend:

My favorite line of the entire series is right at the very beginning. I was absolutely DEVASTATED in the theater when it didn't come and I spent almost the entire film in near-tears. It's such a silly and stupid thing, but it completely broke my heart, especially since I was so psyched for the film for so long. Martin Freeman! *hearts* Mos Def! *hearts* Bill Nighy! *hearts* Alan Rickman! *hearts* Freaking HELEN MIRREN! *hearts <3 hearts* Sam Rockwell! *hearts* There's just so much to love for me but it just didn't do it.

I spent like a week afterwards listening to the radio plays again to drain the poison out. Completely melodramatic, but I'm quite melodramatic about Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

My partner just got into Futurama and there are amusing bits, but it's not my favorite thing. I only superficially pay attention to it when he watches it.