pssstt what are the popular misconceptions about hal and why do you think they're so popular? looks at you with my big scary eye 🔴
smiles and looks back with my own big scary eye 🔴 thank you! sorry it's taken me a little while to finish writing this.
this post is quite long and i've discussed a few things in it:
causes for hal's actions in 2001
whether or not hal experiences emotions
what and when is halman
under the cut i'll answer this first with regards to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and then i'll add additional information from the books and 2010. i think that the majority of people that know of hal would have watched the first film alone, which is why i'm focusing on it initially :) but i promise i discuss the novels later as well. this is probably unnecessarily in depth & also contains spoilers, of course!
hal 9000 is a very famous character. in reference to the eye, many people have seen it or some of the many parodies or references to it. 2001 in general has been so referenced in popular culture that many people are at least vaguely aware of hal as a character... and also 'glowing red eye' is a pretty ominous choice. the way that he is filmed also contributes to this--close-up shots on his lens make us feel as though he is staring directly at us, but shots where he can be spotted in the background also serve to remind us that he's always there. hal is the "brain and nervous system" of the discovery, and the discovery is very alone out in space. not only does that give hal a lot of power and make the human crew members vulnerable, but it also creates an atmosphere of feeling watched. hal is always there and always listening! not only does a red light usually serve as a warning sign compared to greens or blues, but numerous other films have also used the big red light since.
by 1968, 'robot takes over the world' was already such a tired trope that asimov had invented the three laws 26 years ago to try to combat it. it's still a popular trope, despite some variations. much popular media involving robots (or computers, or AIs in general) must by obligation be about mistreated man-made machines rebelling against humanity. it's a trope that goes back even farther than robotics, and as such is very prevalent in the cultural consciousness. audiences are primed, when watching a show that features artificial intelligence, to presume that the AI will eventually gain human-like consciousness and develop resentment and anger at being used as a tool. when hal is first introduced, the bbc interview also draws attention to this:
AMER: Hal, despite your enormous intellect, are you ever frustrated by your dependence on people to carry out actions?
although hal denies this, the idea is very quickly established that hal could potentially become frustrated, as is the ambiguity about his capacity for emotion:
AMER: In talking to the computer, one gets the sense that he is capable of emotional response. For example, when I asked him about his abilities, I sensed a certain pride in his answer about his accuracy and perfection. Do you believe that Hal has genuine emotions?
BOWMAN: Well, he acts like he has genuine emotions... Of course, he's programmed that way, to make it easier for us to talk to him. But, as to whether or not he has real feelings… is something I don't think anyone can truthfully answer.
throughout the film, one certainly does get the impression that hal is capable of emotional response... or imitates it very well. in comparison to its novel & sequels (film and books both), 2001 leaves many points ambiguous, allowing for audiences to draw their own conclusions and interpretations about what is happening and why. for example, when hal plays chess with frank, does he intend to make a mistake? when he wins, is it true that he found it an "enjoyable game"? is wishing frank a happy birthday and asking to see dave's artwork done out of genuine willingness to engage with them, or is he simply engaging with them socially due to their loneliness in space? his calm tone adds to this as well; some may hear it as soothing, others as disengaged.
regardless, his conversation with dave about whether or not there's something "odd" about the mission is undeniably strange. hal begins to come across as unreliable at best and a deliberate liar at worst.
of course, hal does prove the audience right in their suspicions of him. he lies about the ae-35 unit, then to prevent discovery of his lie kills frank, and kills all three hibernating crew members. he refuses to let dave back into the ship, citing the fact that frank and dave were considering deactivating him as the reason:
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it. [ ... ] I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
this ties in very well with the aforementioned tropes in robot stories! it's a very easy interpretation to make that hal has developed emotions, come to resent frank & dave's power over him, suffered a personal betrayal and has decided to kill them, either to save himself or out of revenge.
however, this doesn't quite line up with what we've learned. hal began lying to them before they'd shown any signs of hostility, and had a positive relationship with the two of them.
HAL: I enjoy working with people. I have a stimulating relationship with Dr. Poole and Dr. Bowman. My mission responsibilities range over the entire operation of the ship, so I am constantly occupied.
POOLE: [Hal]'s just like the sixth member of the crew. You very quickly get adjusted to the idea that he talks. You think of him really as just another person.
when dave has to deactivate hal, he's upset to do so. after hal's higher brain function has been cut out, we then learn of the secret of the jupiter mission. i.e., that the first evidence of intelligent life not on earth has been discovered, and that the true purpose of the mission is to investigate the signal it emitted.
as readers of the novel will already know, this implies a contradiction. hal states that computers like him are not made to distort information, and in fact "never have". however, the secrecy of the mission meant that hal had to conceal it from his human colleagues.
HAL: No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information.
[...]
FLOYD: This is a pre-recorded briefing made prior to your departure, and which for security reasons of the highest importance has been known on board during the mission only by your HAL 9000 computer.
hal had been dealing with a conflict between not being made to conceal information, yet being ordered to conceal information. the inference that can be made is that he realised that there would be no need to conceal information if there was no one to conceal it from. referring back to asimov's three laws, it still seems that despite hal breaking the first law (numerous times, and extensively...), what is happening with hal at least subverts the trope of the resentful computer and instead leads back to human error and a more complex psychological profile. (as a fun fact, susan calvin is also referenced by name in 3001: The Final Odyssey!)
the novel makes this even clearer. i'm sorry that i can't cite page numbers accurately, i'm reading in epub format!
Security and National Interest meant nothing to Hal. He was only aware of the conflict that was slowly destroying his integrity—the conflict between truth, and concealment of truth.
He had begun to make mistakes, although, like a neurotic who could not observe his own symptoms, he would have denied it. The link with Earth, over which his performance was continually monitored, had become the voice of a conscience he could no longer fully obey. (2001: A Space Odyssey)
and, for the record, there is also an element of self-preservation as well.
he might have handled it—as most men handle their own neuroses—if he had not been faced with a crisis that challenged his very existence. He had been threatened with disconnection; he would be deprived of all his inputs, and thrown into an unimaginable state of unconsciousness. (2001: A Space Odyssey)
finally, 2010: Odyssey Two makes what happened explicitly clear.
Hal was faced with an intolerable dilemma, and so developed paranoiac symptoms that were directed against those monitoring his performance back on Earth. He accordingly attempted to break the radio link with Mission Control, first by reporting a (non-existent) fault in the AE 35 antenna unit.
This involved him not only in a direct lie [...] but also in a confrontation with the crew. [...] he decided that the only way out of the situation was to eliminate his human colleagues - which he very nearly succeeded in doing. (2010: Odyssey Two)
as such, ascribing his actions to malice or "evil" is inaccurate. he did not intend to cause harm, but the situation he had been placed in was one that not only became impossible to resolve, but actively harmed his decision making abilities as well.
a follow-up question that's often asked, both within universe and audiences, is whether or not hal has genuine feelings or not. actually, i mentioned it above... but it's my position that hal definitely shows emotional responses. here's some miscellaneous quotes to support this.
Was it the product of his overstretched imagination, wondered Bowman, or was there really a note of pleading in Hal’s voice? (2001: A Space Odyssey)
Hal exhibited numerous idiosyncrasies and nervous tics, (2010: Odyssey Two)
[Hal] was not actively disobedient so much as reluctant, and only where certain tasks were concerned. It was always possible to win his cooperation eventually - ‘to talk him out of his sulk’, (2010: Odyssey Two)
“Stop, Dave - I’m afraid...”
And at these words he had indeed stopped - though only for a moment. There was a poignancy in that simple phrase that struck to his heart. Could it be only an illusion, or some trick of subtle programming - or was there a sense in which Hal really was afraid? (2010: Odyssey Two)
This is insane, Curnow thought, his hand now never far from the cut-off switch. I really believe that Hal is - lonely. Is he mimicking some part of Chandra’s personality that we never suspected? (2010: Odyssey Two)
dave also initially starts out sceptical about hal's emotional capacity, from doubting hal initially to considering hal similar to himself.
But, surely, they would understand that his request was not unreasonable; no conscious entity could survive ages of isolation without damage. Even if they would always be with him, he also needed someone - some companion - nearer his own level of existence. (2010: Odyssey Two)
It is only a tool: it has vast intelligence - but no consciousness. Despite all its powers - you, Hal and I are its superior. (2061: Odyssey Three)
also, hal often refers to his enthusiasm for the mission (at least 3 times in the 2001 novel alone) and wanting to do well, often seeking what seems to be reassurance from others:
HAL: I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission… and I want to help you, Dave. (2001: A Space Odyssey)
HAL: Has the mission been completed? You know I have the greatest enthusiasm in it.
CHANDRA: The mission has been completed and you have carried out your program very well. (2010: The Year We Make Contact)
HAL: Instructions confirmed, Dave. It is good to be working with you again. Have I fulfilled the mission objectives properly?
BOWMAN: Yes, Hal. You have done very well. (2010: The Year We Make Contact)
regardless, it is undeniable that hal has a consciousness, because if he did not he would not be able to exist alongside dave after his physical body--the computer--was destroyed.
i think, once again, this is a common debate because 2001: A Space Odyssey is such a well-known film with little known sequels. a lot of the context for hal's emotional capacity and consciousness is revealed in 2010: Odyssey Two (or the adaptation, 2010: The Year We Make Contact). far more people have seen the mysterious first film, where hal's ability to feel emotion is called into question.
besides these two big ones, another minor misconception that comes to mind is the idea that hal and dave fuse to become halman directly after dave collects him in 2010. in the novel, they are still separate beings even after hal's transformation:
“Hello, Dave. What has happened? Where am I?”
He had not known that he could relax, and enjoy a moment of successful achievement. [...]
“I will explain later, Hal. We have plenty of time.”
They waited until the last fragments of the ship had dispersed, beyond even their powers of detection. Then they left, to watch the new dawn at the place that had been prepared for them; and to wait through the centuries until they were summoned once again.
and in 2061, they are still separate... although dave has began referring to them as a unit.
"He did not; much has happened in that time. Hal and I have learned many things."
"When we received your message, Hal and I knew that you could help us here."
"[...] Hal and I are still trying to answer this question; that is one of the reasons why we need your help."
and obviously by 3001,
And Hal - he’s here too, without question. Most of the time, there’s no way I can tell which of them is speaking to me.
What is Dave? And how did he - and Hal - become whatever it is they are now?
When I asked if he resented this takeover of his life, he said, ‘Why should I resent it? I am performing my functions perfectly.’ Yes, that sounds exactly like Hal! But I believe it was Dave - if there’s any distinction now.
given the 940 year gap between 2061 and 3001, it's unclear when exactly this transformation happened. but it wasn't instantaneous, at least! this one, i think, is probably common because 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey do not have film adaptations! it's also often agreed (and i confess to also thinking this myself...) that the books get weaker with each adaptation, leading to people simply taking the aspects from each novel that they like and leaving the rest. "halman" is an interesting concept. how did they fuse? how much so? what autonomy do they still have as individuals? did they meld together willingly, or was it a consequence of the monolith? and so on. it's a concept that is vague enough that engaging with the mysteries and talking about your own interpretations is often more interesting than staying strictly within the source material. :)
