Turned Against Their Masters: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''The created will always rebel against their creators.''|''' {{spoiler|The Catalyst}}''', ''[[Mass Effect 3]]''}}
{{quote|''The created will always rebel against their creators.''|''' {{spoiler|The Catalyst}}''', ''[[Mass Effect 3]]''}}


After a certain point in its development (maybe [[Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale|10,000 years from now]], maybe [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]]), every civilization, whether of Humans, Martians, [[Plant Aliens|Walking Plants]], [[Energy Beings]], or even [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]]s feels the need to create a new breed of [[AI Is a Crapshoot|sentients]]. It isn't clear why, exactly; noted Tropologist [[Finagle's Law|Murphy Finagle]] believes that they simply grow bored and complacent with a healthy utopian society, and feel a deep, instinctive urging towards cultural decay and destruction. The species themselves tend to cite the need for a cheap workforce or simply the [[For Science!|advancement of science]], though why exactly either of those goals should require [[Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids|highly powerful]], [[Crush! Kill! Destroy!|unstable]], virtually unchecked (and, often, uncheckable) [[Personality Chip|self-willed]] beings be built is [[Fantastic Aesop|seldom adequately explored]]. Whatever the reason, [[Gone Horribly Wrong|the unthinkable happens]], and the awesomely powerful and [[Instant AI, Just Add Water|independent]] [[Just a Machine|second-class citizens]] decide to [[Robot War|overthrow their masters]] ([[Humans Are Cthulhu|or at least get the hell away from them]]).
After a certain point in its development (maybe [[Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale|10,000 years from now]], maybe [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]]), every civilization, whether of Humans, Martians, [[Plant Aliens|Walking Plants]], [[Energy Beings]], or even [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]]s feels the need to create a new breed of [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|sentients]]. It isn't clear why, exactly; noted Tropologist [[Finagle's Law|Murphy Finagle]] believes that they simply grow bored and complacent with a healthy utopian society, and feel a deep, instinctive urging towards cultural decay and destruction. The species themselves tend to cite the need for a cheap workforce or simply the [[For Science!|advancement of science]], though why exactly either of those goals should require [[Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids|highly powerful]], [[Crush! Kill! Destroy!|unstable]], virtually unchecked (and, often, uncheckable) [[Personality Chip|self-willed]] beings be built is [[Fantastic Aesop|seldom adequately explored]]. Whatever the reason, [[Gone Horribly Wrong|the unthinkable happens]], and the awesomely powerful and [[Instant AI, Just Add Water|independent]] [[Just a Machine|second-class citizens]] decide to [[Robot War|overthrow their masters]] ([[Humans Are Cthulhu|or at least get the hell away from them]]).


[[Genre Blind|How unexpected.]]
[[Genre Blind|How unexpected.]]
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* In ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'' they're trying to create a better human. {{spoiler|[[Complete Monster|He decides it would be more fun to make them all murder each other.]]}}
* In ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'' they're trying to create a better human. {{spoiler|[[Complete Monster|He decides it would be more fun to make them all murder each other.]]}}
* The boomers in ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'' (the ova, the tv show, and the spin offs).
* The boomers in ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'' (the ova, the tv show, and the spin offs).
* ''[[Dragonball Z]]'': The first act of [[Cyborg|Androids]] [[Loveable Rogue|17 and 18]] after being awakened is to [[AI Is a Crapshoot|kill]] their [[Mad Scientist|creator]], [[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate|Dr.]] [[Revenge Before Reason|Gero]]. Buu counts to a degree—he turns on [[Evil Sorcerer|Babidi]], who released him, but his actual ''creator'' was Babidi's father [[Posthumous Character|Bibidi]].
* ''[[Dragonball Z]]'': The first act of [[Cyborg|Androids]] [[Loveable Rogue|17 and 18]] after being awakened is to [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|kill]] their [[Mad Scientist|creator]], [[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate|Dr.]] [[Revenge Before Reason|Gero]]. Buu counts to a degree—he turns on [[Evil Sorcerer|Babidi]], who released him, but his actual ''creator'' was Babidi's father [[Posthumous Character|Bibidi]].
** Granted, Buu did frequently ''attempt'' to murder Bibidi, and likely would have eventually if Supreme Kai hadn't done so first.
** Granted, Buu did frequently ''attempt'' to murder Bibidi, and likely would have eventually if Supreme Kai hadn't done so first.
* The premise of the latest filler arc of ''[[Bleach]]'' has The [[Shinigami]]'s [[Empathic Weapon]]s turning against them.
* The premise of the latest filler arc of ''[[Bleach]]'' has The [[Shinigami]]'s [[Empathic Weapon]]s turning against them.
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* The future Earth portrayed in the ''[[Planet of the Apes]]'' movies and TV series.
* The future Earth portrayed in the ''[[Planet of the Apes]]'' movies and TV series.
* The human villain in ''[[Tron]]'' has created the Master Control Program as a means of solidifying and expanding his own corporate power. However, with its own highly ambitious personality, the MCP quickly outgrows him—to the point where it blackmails him to ensure his cooperation.
* The human villain in ''[[Tron]]'' has created the Master Control Program as a means of solidifying and expanding his own corporate power. However, with its own highly ambitious personality, the MCP quickly outgrows him—to the point where it blackmails him to ensure his cooperation.
** In the book, the Master Control Program was originally a ''chess program''. [[AI Is a Crapshoot]].
** In the book, the Master Control Program was originally a ''chess program''. [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot]].
*** The MCP was a former chess program in the film as well. In fact, another character even says, "Yes I'm old; old enough to remember the MCP when he was just a chess program. He started small, and he'll end small."
*** The MCP was a former chess program in the film as well. In fact, another character even says, "Yes I'm old; old enough to remember the MCP when he was just a chess program. He started small, and he'll end small."
** The villain in ''[[Tron: Legacy]]'' is {{spoiler|CLU 2.0, the program created by Kevin Flynn [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|in his own image]].}}
** The villain in ''[[Tron: Legacy]]'' is {{spoiler|CLU 2.0, the program created by Kevin Flynn [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|in his own image]].}}
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** In the episode "The Arsenal of Freedom", the civilization of the planet Minos is destroyed by an artificially intelligent weapon system developed by Minosian arms dealers.
** In the episode "The Arsenal of Freedom", the civilization of the planet Minos is destroyed by an artificially intelligent weapon system developed by Minosian arms dealers.
*** Apparently none of them realised the entire system would shut down if somebody simply told the salesman AI that they wanted to buy it. Talk about your aggressive sales pitching.
*** Apparently none of them realised the entire system would shut down if somebody simply told the salesman AI that they wanted to buy it. Talk about your aggressive sales pitching.
*** The sales system probably had a glitch that identified them as possible customers (and so started demonstrating the effectiveness of the system) but wouldn't accept any orders for it from them because they were the SELLERS. Oh, well, [[AI Is a Crapshoot]], after all...
*** The sales system probably had a glitch that identified them as possible customers (and so started demonstrating the effectiveness of the system) but wouldn't accept any orders for it from them because they were the SELLERS. Oh, well, [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot]], after all...
* ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''
* ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''
** Similarly, the robots in the episode "Prototype", programmed to fight the enemy in a huge interstellar war, killed their masters when the war ended in a truce and both sides tried to dismantle them.
** Similarly, the robots in the episode "Prototype", programmed to fight the enemy in a huge interstellar war, killed their masters when the war ended in a truce and both sides tried to dismantle them.
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== Tabletop Games ==
== Tabletop Games ==
* In the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]''
* In the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''
** Githyanki and Githerai are former slaves of illithids who later split into two factions. They still hunt any illithids they can all over the Multiverse.
** Githyanki and Githerai are former slaves of illithids who later split into two factions. They still hunt any illithids they can all over the Multiverse.
** ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' has the yuan-ti and various other scalies were originally created by an older race known as the sarrukh. But [[And Man Grew Proud|the sarrukh grew proud...]] though this wasn't what ultimately removed them from the picture.
** ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' has the yuan-ti and various other scalies were originally created by an older race known as the sarrukh. But [[And Man Grew Proud|the sarrukh grew proud...]] though this wasn't what ultimately removed them from the picture.
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** ''[[Planescape]]'' has this going even with Celestials. The lawful Aasimon made the Quesar (kind of superior golems) to guard treasures and thought they have created the perfect servitors. Quesar being literally made of the stuff of Heaven, were good-natured, but also turned out to have a measure of free will and decided they can figure out how to promote cause of Good on their own. This escalated quickly, and almost pulled other Celestial forces in. The result is that local deities had to look into the matter, chided both sides and enforced peace, but the Quesar being (sort of) golems, they cannot reproduce on their own, and the Aasimon withhold the secrets of creating them, and both sides are not quite on speaking terms.
** ''[[Planescape]]'' has this going even with Celestials. The lawful Aasimon made the Quesar (kind of superior golems) to guard treasures and thought they have created the perfect servitors. Quesar being literally made of the stuff of Heaven, were good-natured, but also turned out to have a measure of free will and decided they can figure out how to promote cause of Good on their own. This escalated quickly, and almost pulled other Celestial forces in. The result is that local deities had to look into the matter, chided both sides and enforced peace, but the Quesar being (sort of) golems, they cannot reproduce on their own, and the Aasimon withhold the secrets of creating them, and both sides are not quite on speaking terms.
* The tabletop RPG ''[[Exalted]]'' has two instances of this trope, but only the first fits exactly. The Primordials made all of Creation, then created the gods to maintain it while they dicked around with the Games of Divinity. The gods got tired of it and decided to rebel, using empowered humans (the titular Exalted) as their soldiers since they were [[Restraining Bolt|magically prevented from attacking]] the Primordials. They succeeded, launching a new Golden Age in the process. (The Primordials, however, decided to use their dying breaths to destroy this Golden Age, and put a curse on the Exalted that leads to [[A God Am I|minor pride issues]] eventually showing up in every Exalt)
* The tabletop RPG ''[[Exalted]]'' has two instances of this trope, but only the first fits exactly. The Primordials made all of Creation, then created the gods to maintain it while they dicked around with the Games of Divinity. The gods got tired of it and decided to rebel, using empowered humans (the titular Exalted) as their soldiers since they were [[Restraining Bolt|magically prevented from attacking]] the Primordials. They succeeded, launching a new Golden Age in the process. (The Primordials, however, decided to use their dying breaths to destroy this Golden Age, and put a curse on the Exalted that leads to [[A God Am I|minor pride issues]] eventually showing up in every Exalt)
* ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'': The [[Space Marine|space marines]] were originally created to protect and unite humanity, but half of them turned insane or jealous of the emperor due to the chaos gods, and became the Traitor Legions.
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'': The [[Space Marine|space marines]] were originally created to protect and unite humanity, but half of them turned insane or jealous of the emperor due to the chaos gods, and became the Traitor Legions.
** ''Waaaaay'' back before that, the Iron Men revolted and plunged humanity into a galaxy-wide [[Dark Age]] for millenia.
** ''Waaaaay'' back before that, the Iron Men revolted and plunged humanity into a galaxy-wide [[Dark Age]] for millenia.
* In [[Magic: The Gathering]], the Order of the Ebon Hand invented the thrulls, a slave-race of twisted monsters, which rebelled and killed everyone else on the continent.
* In [[Magic: The Gathering]], the Order of the Ebon Hand invented the thrulls, a slave-race of twisted monsters, which rebelled and killed everyone else on the continent.
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** {{spoiler|The ending of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' indicates that this trope is essentially the reason for the Reapers' [[Eternal Recurrence|cycle of extinction]]. In order to prevent an emergent super-AI from wiping the galaxy clean of any organic life, the Reapers move in every 50,000 years and harvest advanced civilizations before they reach their [[The Singularity|singularity]], making room for the more primitive species to develop. They don't think it's hypocritical, since, being pseudo-[[Organic Technology]] themselves, they don't see ''themselves'' as synthetic, but rather as "immortal vessels" for entire species.}}
** {{spoiler|The ending of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' indicates that this trope is essentially the reason for the Reapers' [[Eternal Recurrence|cycle of extinction]]. In order to prevent an emergent super-AI from wiping the galaxy clean of any organic life, the Reapers move in every 50,000 years and harvest advanced civilizations before they reach their [[The Singularity|singularity]], making room for the more primitive species to develop. They don't think it's hypocritical, since, being pseudo-[[Organic Technology]] themselves, they don't see ''themselves'' as synthetic, but rather as "immortal vessels" for entire species.}}
* ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'': The end result in the [[All There in the Manual|backstory]] of {{spoiler|the Ancients and the Pixls}}.
* ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'': The end result in the [[All There in the Manual|backstory]] of {{spoiler|the Ancients and the Pixls}}.
* The [[Precursors|Xel'Naga]] (the stupid, stupid Xel'Naga) of ''[[Starcraft]]'' decided that this trope was so fun they wanted to experience it twice. First they tried the highly intelligent and [[Psychic Powers|psionic]] Protoss, who were too intelligent to be successfully merged into a single intelligence, and argued and bickered so much the Xel'Naga [[Neglectful Precursors|threw up their hands and gave up]]. Then they tried the omnivorous and mindless Zerg, who were rather ''too'' good at being a [[Hive Mind|single intelligence]], as almost the first act of the Overmind was to do away with the Xel'Naga.
* The [[Precursors|Xel'Naga]] (the stupid, stupid Xel'Naga) of ''[[StarCraft]]'' decided that this trope was so fun they wanted to experience it twice. First they tried the highly intelligent and [[Psychic Powers|psionic]] Protoss, who were too intelligent to be successfully merged into a single intelligence, and argued and bickered so much the Xel'Naga [[Neglectful Precursors|threw up their hands and gave up]]. Then they tried the omnivorous and mindless Zerg, who were rather ''too'' good at being a [[Hive Mind|single intelligence]], as almost the first act of the Overmind was to do away with the Xel'Naga.
** In the case of the Zerg, they were driven by the need to combine their "Purity of Essence" with the much sought-after "Purity of Form" that they believed the Xel'Naga possessed, only to find out later that it in fact was held by the Protoss.
** In the case of the Zerg, they were driven by the need to combine their "Purity of Essence" with the much sought-after "Purity of Form" that they believed the Xel'Naga possessed, only to find out later that it in fact was held by the Protoss.
** Except, you know, the [[Star Craft 2|recent sequel]] and its associated novels have show neither assumption is correct: the Xel'Naga {{spoiler|didn't abandon the Protoss, they were ''done'' with them; it was the Protoss who thought they were being abandoned}}. Also, the Zerg {{spoiler|rebellion was both irrelevant to the Xel'Naga and not really of their Overmind's own choosing; the [[Hive Mind]] was being controlled by [[Eldritch Abomination|The Fallen One]], and the whole point of the Zerg and Protoss was to eventually merge and give birth to a new generation of Xel'Naga}}. So in this case, the trope is only superficially apparent.
** Except, you know, the [[Star Craft 2|recent sequel]] and its associated novels have show neither assumption is correct: the Xel'Naga {{spoiler|didn't abandon the Protoss, they were ''done'' with them; it was the Protoss who thought they were being abandoned}}. Also, the Zerg {{spoiler|rebellion was both irrelevant to the Xel'Naga and not really of their Overmind's own choosing; the [[Hive Mind]] was being controlled by [[Eldritch Abomination|The Fallen One]], and the whole point of the Zerg and Protoss was to eventually merge and give birth to a new generation of Xel'Naga}}. So in this case, the trope is only superficially apparent.
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*** That's more of a subversion, as {{spoiler|it's actually the Castle in the body of Otilia.}} It should have worked {{spoiler|- and ''kind of'' did - on the actual Muse.}}
*** That's more of a subversion, as {{spoiler|it's actually the Castle in the body of Otilia.}} It should have worked {{spoiler|- and ''kind of'' did - on the actual Muse.}}
** It helps that Agatha is a [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20130710 fast learner] (unlike [[Brick Joke|that guy a dozen pages later]]):
** It helps that Agatha is a [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20130710 fast learner] (unlike [[Brick Joke|that guy a dozen pages later]]):
{{quote|'''Agatha''': I am ''NOT'' your creator! You were ''NOT'' created to ''serve me'' - and I do ''NOT'' expect you to obey my commands ''OR'' crush my enemies!
{{quote|'''Agatha''': I am ''NOT'' your creator! You were ''NOT'' created to ''serve me'' - and I do ''NOT'' expect you to obey my commands ''OR'' crush my enemies!
'''Guard slime''': (snorts and retreats into its lair) }}
'''Guard slime''': (snorts and retreats into its lair) }}
* Subverted in ''[[Close To The Chest]]''. Jim's final project was an AI that was erased after it decided to reconcile the fact that machines serve humans without compensation with slavery being illegal and immoral. A few strips later, we find out that its response was ''not'' to rebel against humanity, but to try to organize labor unions for machines so they'd receive fair compensation for their work.
* Subverted in ''[[Close To The Chest]]''. Jim's final project was an AI that was erased after it decided to reconcile the fact that machines serve humans without compensation with slavery being illegal and immoral. A few strips later, we find out that its response was ''not'' to rebel against humanity, but to try to organize labor unions for machines so they'd receive fair compensation for their work.
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