Remote Body: Difference between revisions

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[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|A character has one or more bodies that can be operated remotely]]. Likely with equal or greater performance than if said character was physically present. Distinct from [[Fighting a Shadow]] in that the character is not an [[Eldritch Abomination]] with only a small piece sticking out in our time and space, but a person (human, alien, whatever) that operates a separate device or number of devices. Although, this distinction can get a little messy if, for example, a [[Brain In a Jar]] was given remote control of one or more machine bodies.
 
Perhaps they are robots, cloned cyborgs, hard light, whatever. For story purposes what matters most is whether or not [[Your Mind Makes It Real]] and [[Keystone Army|if the connection can be sabotaged]]. And sometimes [[Remote Yet Vulnerable|having a remote-operated body is no protection]].
 
Compare and Contrast: [[Actually a Doombot]], [[Body Surf]], [[Decoy Getaway]], [[Demonic Possession]], [[Enemy Without]], [[Myself, My Avatar]], [[Robot Me]], and [[Soul Jar]].
 
{{examples}}
 
== Anime and Manga ==
* In ''[[Arpeggio of Blue Steel]]'' (and ''[[Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova-]]''), each member of the Fleet of Fog has a core that contains their consciousness. They can generate one or more bodies from nanomachines that the core controls directly or remotely, from human-like "Mental Models" up to warships.
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* In ''[[PS238]]'' when Tyler was infected with an alien virus and put in stasis Victor von Fogg cloned him and replaced most of the clone's brain with a remote control device linked to Tyler's virtual interface. However, thanks to a meddling angel and demon the clone developed independent consciousness and superpowers, now he's known as "Toby".
 
== Fan Works ==
* in [[Doghead Thirteen]]'s ''[[Harry Potter]]/[[Warhammer 40,000]]/[[Skyrim]]'' crossover fic ''The Scourge From the North'', Hermione Granger figures out how to do this first with golem limbs and then with a full golem copy of herself.
 
== Film ==
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* ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'': The hero spends most of the movie as the controller of a synthetic alien.
* ''[[Gamer]]'': The hero spends most of the movie being controlled like a video game [[Space Marine]] then at the end puppeteers the [[Big Bad]], kind of.
 
 
== Literature ==
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* This is the entire premise of David Brin's ''[[wikipedia:Kiln People|Kiln People]]''. One can make duplicate bodies out of a special clay, and send them off to do things.
* [[The Culture|Culture Minds]] control avatar bodies to interact with the people they watch over.
* ''Summa Technologiae'' by Lem in Chapter 6 ("Phantomology") analysed possibilities of using [[Brain-Computer Interface|devices providing artificial sensory input and repurposed motoric output]] to realistically experience interaction with real world (as opposed to [[Virtual Reality|simulated]]), and named such hypothetical practices "teletaxia". The most obvious use being exploration of dangerous areas.
 
 
== Live Action TV ==
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* An episode of ''[[Crusade]]'' had [[Clarke's Third Law|Galen]] generate a sort of remote hologram of himself to discover who had been kidnapping and vivisecting crewmembers who got seperated from the others while on the planet. His [[Bad Bad Acting]] as the Homonculus makes this scene a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]].
* This is the premise of the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[Doctor Who/Recap/S32/E05 The Rebel Flesh|The Rebel Flesh]]". At least, until a [[Lightning Can Do Anything|storm hits]] and what are supposed to be remote-operated bodies develop an independent consciousness...
 
 
== Tabletop RPG ==
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* Occasionally used in ''[[Eclipse Phase]]'', though full [[Brain Uploading]] is just as common.
* ''[[Exalted]]'' gives us the [[Ridiculously Human Robot|Alchemicals]], whose bodies become too small for them as their [[Power Level|Essence score]] increases and must make the leap to first [[Giant Robot|Colossi]] and then [[Genius Loci|Metropoli/Patropoli]]. As there are times when they need to interact with the populace, however, they have access to Charms that allow them to produce a human-sized version of themselves.
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' got a few sells doing this. Project Image allows projection that's non-corporeal, but allows to cast other spells "from" it. Astral Projection allows to visit the Outer planes or other Prime worlds, while the traveller's real body stays home.
 
** ''The Complete Ninja's Handbook'' has Shadow Form spell; the resulting body [[One-Hit Wonder|has 1 hp]], but this still allows to find at least one danger ahead.
** Al-Qadim has spell Sand Form that creates a "body" from sand controlled by the spell recipient, whose own body remains in suspended animation, but with normal senses. The sand "body" can see, hear, talk, cast spells… If it's destroyed, there's a [[Your Mind Makes It Real|potentially fatal shock]], but the link can be safely terminated at any time.
 
== Video Games ==
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* ''[[Xenosaga]]'' has a couple of these too, particularly Doctus and Wilhem. Doctus employs multiple android replicas of herself that are all tied into her consciousness (she's also hinted to be a cyborg herself) so she can be multiple places at once and operate in public without leaving her secret base. Series [[Big Bad]] Wilhelm, meanwhile, has a giant mecha named Joshua; unlike the other mechs in the series, Joshua is actually an extension of Wilhelm's physical body.
* This is the premise of ''[[Cortex Command]]'', where humans, being [[Brain In a Jar|Brains In Jars]], operate robotic bodies.
* In ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', {{spoiler|EDI gains control over a Cerberus-built robotic body. She's still physically located within the Normandy and any damage to the body will have no effect on her, but she can control it as long as it's within range of the Normandy's communications array, which can reach anywhere in the galaxy.}}
 
 
== Web Comics ==
* Moire Dziva in ''[[Umlaut House]] 2'' prefers to meet people using dragon like "marionettes".
* Sometimes AI in ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' act in bodies that don't host their "brains". So far there were {{spoiler|King Lota}}, Crypt Spiders working as mind-record archivists, "a platoon of armed avatars" acting as top-security marines on board of a [[TheSubspace BattlestarAnsible|battleplateHypernodes]] andtheoretically aextend roboticrange to "representative"anywhere typein avatarthe (withGalaxy", headbut matchingsince theeven owner'sthose holographiccan avatar)be anjammed, avatars AIare decidedlimited to useeither tonon-combat "makeuse personalor appearancesthe moreterritory meaningful".under Still,good it'scontrol hardand towith tellbackup whereforces those(such remotes fitas on theboard scaleof froma pureship externalcontrolling devices to [[Hive Mind|semi-autonomous]] extensions of an AIthem).
** SinceIt's evennot [[Subspacevery Ansible|hypernodes]]widespread can be jammed, avatars are limited to either non-combat use or the territory under good control and with backup forces (such as on boardoutside of aplain shiputility controllingpurpose, them)however. It's also not widespread because toTo communicate with "meatspace" AI commonly use a tiny floating projector with [[Projected Man|holographic avatar]], which can be as articulate and variable as necessary. Most actual work, andrather tothan dopiling actualall workthe sendeggs fullyinto autonomousbasket robotsof (with[[Master mentalComputer]], capabilitiesusually dependingis ondelegated theirto expectedsmall tasks)local systems, such as fabber bots for construction and overseefully autonomous tactical robots for fighting - after all, specialization is an advantage. The- mainunder reasongeneral tooversight ''not''of opta for"larger" the latter andAI. expandOne insteadlimitation is the time necessary to grow and properly test a new individual AI, (which isdepends on the complexity - it's a problem with warship grade AI, but not much with lesser vehicles or run-of-the-mill repair bots, even the talking ones).
** So far there were {{spoiler|King Lota}} and "a platoon of armed avatars" acting as top-security marines on board of a [[The Battlestar|battleplate]].
** Chinook controls a space station the size of a planet, so technically most unattached robotics there are included, but some of it was taken elsewhere. The new additions include Crypt Spiders working as mind-record archivists and occasionally doubling as general-purpose remotes, and later a robotic "representative" type [//www.schlockmercenary.com/2016-12-22 avatar] (with head matching the owner's holographic avatar) to "make personal appearances more meaningful". Of course, it's hard to tell where each of those remotes fits on the scale from pure external devices to [[Hive Mind|semi-autonomous]] extensions of an AI.
* ''[[Freefall]]'' has some AI using remote bodies, especially when [http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2100/fc02049.htm the "main" one] [http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2800/fc02782.htm is a vehicle].
 
== Western Animation ==