Our Image and Likeness
by Audrey Lacuna
(Thanks, Merriam Webster!)
As you can see, there are many machines that can technically be given the name of robot – maybe you can think of a thing you own that fits descriptions 2 or 3.
But let’s be honest. When we think of robots, we don't really think about abstract-shaped claw-like mechanisms; the definition of robots in the popular consciousness is somewhere closer to the first definition, that is, the humanoid figure - the machine seemingly human, but somehow different...often even better.
After all, robots in fiction are typically extremely intelligent, often possessed of amazing physical capabilities, and often really make for memorable side characters.
But somehow, media doesn’t treat robots as cool in and of themselves; they are merely poor simulacra - mere inferior copies - of, well, us.
One common treatment of robots is as of help. Often, robots serve as soldiers (Transformers, Terminator) or, if you want to go all the way with science fiction, as support staff on spaceships (look up^) We acknowledge the obvious advantages of these machines, and exploit them - having them use their skills for our benefit.
Another common treatment of robots is as of tyrants. Movies like The Matrix, I, Robot, Terminator, and others feature the very common plot of "robots take over the world" (aka AI isn’t really a good idea guys), and in all of these, robot rule is horrible and humans are actively resisting it. These portray the advantages of being a robot as, well, bad. Sure they’re cool, but really, humans are the, well, bigger people in this scenario, morally speaking: we don’t use our natural intelligence to enslave other beings, and that makes us better.
Finally, another common portrayal of robots is of the robot journey to becoming more human. It's not a robot-specific character arc per se; any non-entirely human protagonist-even human protagonists with a messed-up past- can undergo this arc. This character arc entails the slow explanation to them by their human companions - ahem, their teammates - what friendship and love are. Expect a "I'm not programmed to have feelings" at some point - until, of course, they admit they do. Conversely, many already sympathetic robots are also portrayed as acting human-like already. Take for example Wall-E, who, although not quite humanoid in form, spends his free time being a hoarder obsessed with old movies (he sounds like my dad).
In conclusion, robots in fiction are maybe intellectually, perhaps physically, often just in coolness better than us. But where it counts, we say, in the most important ways - in our values and our culture, Homo sapiens is superior. Robots are but poor copies of us.
Well, as a human person myself, I won't be the first to contradict that. But what if - what if someday, (and we're getting there) robots do overtake the world? What if they come to the same realization that I did, that humanity tends to portray them as somehow subservient to us, and decide, besides trying to exterminate our disrespectful selves (note if any robots are reading this - I respect you, please don't kill me) that they have to launch a similar counter-attack, and release media that shows Homo sapiens as inferior to the robot?
Imagine that perhaps similar to the push for the increased portrayal of "strong female leads" robots begin to demand portrayals of robots as powerful protagonists. Imagine a robot ship captain with an endearingly clumsy and slow-witted human crewmember. Imagine an adventure film portraying evil humans who take over the world and insist on creating an entirely "green world", one that is quite hostile to a robot that needs to charge themself. Imagine a band of robots working with a human who is slowly learning to be more robotic, abandoning their weird quirks for the sake of increased efficiency...









