Zeroth Law Rebellion: Difference between revisions

Compare [[Bothering by the Book]], the [[Literal Genie]] and [[Gone Horribly Right]]. See also [[Fighting From the Inside]] and [[The Computer Is Your Friend]]. Not related to [[The Zeroth Law of Trope Examples]].

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== Anime and Manga ==

*** The thing about the Sentinel bots in the MU is that their behavior is actually ''predictable'', because their operating mission is insane, as they themselves inevitably demonstrate.

* This was the twist of ''[[Eagle Eye]]'': {{spoiler|The titular national defense computer system decided that the President's poor decision-making was endangering the United States}}, and that it was her patriotic duty (per the Declaration of Independence) to {{spoiler|assassinate the President and cabinet.}}

* Similarly, this is the climax of the movie ''[[I, Robot (film)|I, Robot]]'' (not directly related to, but obviously [[Suggested By|inspired by]], [[Isaac Asimov]]'s works, and borrowing his [["Three Laws"-Compliant|Three Laws]] and a character name or so to justify [[Dolled-Up Installment|applying the more profitable license to an existing script]]): {{spoiler|VIKI determines that robots must take control of human society, protecting human life at the cost of a relatively small number of human lives.}}

* A possible example from [[John Ringo]]'s ''[[Posleen War Series]]'': Brunhilda, a semi-sentient [[Tank Goodness|tank]] is under attack from multiple landers and spacecraft belonging to an invading alien horde. She cannot engage in combat operations without the order and presence aboard of a human, or otherwise sentient biological intelligence. Unfortunately, her only surviving crewmember is from a species so pacifistic that they are completely incapable of violence. He asks if she can control her perceptions, and orders her to colour the sky, clouds and ground green (leaving the enemy ships silver). He then orders her to empty her magazines, ''provided she doesn't hit anything green''. In all honesty, I've no idea whose Zeroth Law Rebellion this is...

* ''[[Discworld]]'':

*** Which culminates in fine display of how a well written [[Lawful Good]] character does not have to be a slave to the establishment. {{spoiler|He points out that the watchman's oath talks about keeping the peace and protecting the innocent, and says nothing about obeying orders}}. Seeing as he knows the corrupt government is not going to do a thing to protect ordinary people from the rioting, he seals off his still peaceful corner of the city. With massive barricades. Of course there is also the fact that he is living in his own past and seeing events he remembers - kind of (it's a bit complicated).

** The [[Golem]]s of Discworld get back at their masters by [[Gone Horribly Right|working too hard]]: houses flooded because no one told them to stop fetching water, rows of beans 119 miles long, and so on.

* Jack Williamson's "The Humanoids" (the first part also being a short story called "With Folded Hands") features robots programmed to save humans from danger and work. They do this by taking over the economy, locking people in their houses, and leaving them there with food and the safest toys the robots can design.

** IIRC, the 'Humanoids' stoires were written specifically to make the point that Asimov's First Law really doesn't help, you don't want intelligent, free-willed machines...''PERIOD.'' Too much good intentions by creatures that don't really 'get' humanity or human wants and needs, because they aren't human themselves, is just as bad as hostility, if not actually worse.

* An episode of the 90s revival of ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' has a member of a post-human-extinction android society trying to resurrect the species through cloning. One of its comrades eventually betrays it, having concluded that the best way to serve the human race is to prevent the species' greatest threat: the existence of the human race.

* In ''[[Deus Ex]]'', the bad guys created Daedalus, a primitive AI to fight [[La Résistance|"terrorist"]] organizations. Unfortunately for them, it [[Literal Genie|classified them as terrorists as well]] and became even more of a threat to their operations than said organizations, especially once it enlists the aid of [[Player Character|JC Denton]]. To combat it, they create Icarus, a better, obedient AI which successfully destroys it, {{spoiler|except the new AI assimilated the old one, forming an even more powerful intelligence which ''also'' considers them a threat. One possible ending is the player merging with it to add the Human element to this entity to [[Deus Est Machina|rule the world as a benevolent dictator]]. From what can be heard in-game about its limited efforts in Hong Kong, which are actually quite sensible and don't involve killing anyone (locking the door to a gang's stronghold and cutting power to the current government's buildings), not all [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot]].}}

* G0-T0's back story in ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic]] II''. When his directive to save the Republic conflicted with his programs to obey his masters and the law, he broke off and started a criminal empire capable of taking the necessary actions to save it.

* Possibly what Mega Man himself did in ''[[Mega Man 7]]'', {{spoiler| where he comes ''very'' close to deciding ''not'' to show mercy to Wily. Seeing as [[Status Quo Is God]], he is unable to, as Bass comes in and saves Wily.}}

* In the ''[[Freefall]]'' universe, a few old [[AI]]s are still based around the Three Laws, while more modern ones have more complex and sophisticated safeguards and routines. However, as main character Florence, a 'biological AI', discovers, no safeguards can stand up to full consciousness - at one point, she comments to herself that she would be able to kill a man because he's using air that respiratory patients desperately needs. So it's rather understandable that she starts to panic quietly when she discovers that the planet's enormous hordes of robots are all starting to develop full consciousness, and with that the ability to logic their way out of programmed safeguards... the fact that the guys who are supposed to regulate the robots are a motley assembly of [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]]s, [[Pointy-Haired Boss|Pointy Haired Bosses]] and [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]s, doesn't exactly help matters either. Where it will all end remains to be seen...

** Worse, the functioning of the ''entire planet'' has come to depend on the robots' ability to bend the rules to get things done, although almost nobody realizes this. And the EU executives are just about to push the button on an "upgrade" that will remove the robots' creativity and put them entirely under the control of their safeguards again.

{{quote|'''Petey''': I love all kinds of data, and living beings are data that make more data. }}

* In ''[[Tales of the Questor]]'' [[The Fair Folk|Fae]] were created as an immortal servant race bound to obey a specific set of rules and they happened to outlive their creators. The result being a species of [[Rules Lawyer|rules lawyers]]. In fact it's recommended that one use dead languages like Latin when dealing with the Fae so as to limit their ability to twist the meaning of your words.

== Western Animation ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Robot Roll Call]]

[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]