Androids in Television

Androids have appeared on TV since the late 1950s and below are some well-known examples.

In Small Wonder, a television series from the 80s the android is a ten year old girl named V.I.C.I. (Voice Input Child Identicant) or Vicki for short.

The show chronicles the family of a robotics engineer, Ted Lawson, who, after he secretly creates a robot modeled after a real human girl, tries to pass it off as their daughter.

Another famous android on TV is Lieutenant Commander “Data” from Star Trek: The Next Generation, a late 80s – early 1890s science fiction television series.

Although Data has superhuman computational powers, he has difficulties understanding various aspects of human behavior and is unable to feel emotions or understand certain human idiosyncrasies.

In the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (sometimes abbreviated as Terminator: TSCC) an American science fiction television series that aired during the 2007-08 television season, an android woman (i.e. a gynoid), Cameron, protects the humans from being killed.

Cameron is a Terminator whom John Connor sent back from 2027 to protect his earlier self.

Her model and exact capabilities are not known, but she can mimic human mannerisms better than the T-800 model could, and she can also consume small amounts of food, a first for Terminators.

Her endoskeleton is constructed of a metal, called coltan, and Cameron’s outer organic covering and appearance is modeled after a captured human resistance fighter, Allison Young.

Red Dwarf (1988) features Kryten (full name Kryten 2X4B-523P), a neurotic slavenoid (robotic servant).

He is very humanoid, with the exception of the flat cubic planes visible on his face and head, and stands at 6 feet tall. Kryten’s design is mostly plastic, but there are some slight organic elements in his construction.

The Cylons (Cybernetic Lifeform Node) are sentient machines created by humans, in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series and its prequel Caprica.

They have several forms, some of which resemble and even mimic the behavior of humans, while others are mechanical in appearance and function.

The Cylons are capable of the same psychological and emotional responses as human beings, but have certain superhuman abilities, such as increased stamina and strength and the ability to connect with computer systems.