Discussion: Androids Among Us
Androids--synthetic beings that look like us but lack many of our flaws and weaknesses--go back at least to R.U.R. in 1921, but may have their true precursor in Frankenstein's monster, a being that surpassed its creator in strength but forever cursed him for its inability to lead a normal human life. The desire to be human is a thread that goes from Pinocchio to Data, and it’s reassuring to think that an artificial human would trade all its superior strength and intelligence to be a “real boy.”
Dorian, however, is not part of this tradition. Producer Naren Shankar said at Comic-Con:
With Data, he wasn't human but he wanted to understand humanity. In Almost Human it kind of got turned on its head, which I frankly found very attractive about the show. Because you have a synthetic who is actually quite human, and in many respects more human than the human. And the human, who has synthetic parts--he seems a little bit disengaged and disconnected. The notion of a robot actually teaching him how to become human was more interesting.
With that in mind, what do you think androids could have to teach us? How “human” can androids really be? What do you think about sentient beings being kept on a virtual shelf until they’re needed? What kind of android do you hope Dorian will be, and what challenges will he face?
Dorian, however, is not part of this tradition. Producer Naren Shankar said at Comic-Con:
With Data, he wasn't human but he wanted to understand humanity. In Almost Human it kind of got turned on its head, which I frankly found very attractive about the show. Because you have a synthetic who is actually quite human, and in many respects more human than the human. And the human, who has synthetic parts--he seems a little bit disengaged and disconnected. The notion of a robot actually teaching him how to become human was more interesting.
With that in mind, what do you think androids could have to teach us? How “human” can androids really be? What do you think about sentient beings being kept on a virtual shelf until they’re needed? What kind of android do you hope Dorian will be, and what challenges will he face?