Manic Monday--Asimov Would Approve

It's nice to see respect for old school.

Of course, one of the more famous series in science fiction is Isaac Asimov's Robots series. The central tenet of those stories that all robots equipped with positronic brains had 3 inviolate laws hardwired into them:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Most of Asimov's robot stories revolved around situations where those Laws came into conflict, and trying to decipher how some unexplainable robot behavior could always be explained by figuring out how the Laws were being applied.

(Yes, I know about the Zeroth Law, and the about some of the exceptions and amendments later writers have introduced. As I said, we're staying old school in this post)

Anyhoo, 10 years ago weeks, in 2000 AD #1240 (2001), Richard McTighe and Mark Buckingham did a story that, while not necessarily 100% within Asimov's guidelines, is pretty damn close. With, of course, a 2000 AD spin.

In the distant future, aboard the luxury starliner Bachhus, poor bellhop robot Hopbot 657 witnesses a terrible crime:

But the killer figures out how to silence the "witness":







So Hopbot 657 is in quite the pickle, as the guy keeps killing and robbing rich passengers, and the poor little robot, trapped by this story's version of the Laws of Robotics, is forced to be a silent accomplice.

Until, that is, he talks to the robo-police investigating the crimes:

So...



Ha ha. Reminder, kids--don't mess with the Laws Of Robotics. They're not just suggestions--they're the LAW!!