225: Electric Soul

[NeoShinGundam]

I'd just like to add in a QI kind of way that another reason for Japanese liking of robots can be traced thorugh their religious practices. Since basically any object can/is in possession of a kami (a spirit) that means that even a robot has feelings and soul in a much different sense from what we Westerners are used to. This argument goes over into the "electric-soul" article as well, where I think that Robo as a chrono-trigger character held a much different meaning to the Japanese audience. More in the lines of ones devotion to ones own "place in the world" and the rebellion against such. As well as the concept of allegiance, a very hot-topic in many Japanese tales and modern mangas.

Also, the fact that Robo is a machine, but tends to plant life with great care moves past poetic-irony to a commentary on mankind's relationship & connection to nature.

Amazing article Brendan. Chrono Trigger DS just jumped a few spots on my wishlist!

 

[MagusVulpes]

a truly great article. kudos man.

and now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to go play CT.

 

[Puregrrr]

Great article! I love CT and have played it tons of times, but never even thought about it like this. However, the article resonates with all those feelings I've had playing it but never read into.

 

[Snowpact]

Great article. Takes me way back .

I take issue with the following segment:

"Robo's altruism raises a question of ethics. Left to its programming, a robot is liberated from the ambiguity of free will; it simply does as it is designed to do. Even Isaac Asimov's famous laws, which dictate whom a robot can or cannot harm, serve to defer morality. Hardwired according to these restrictions, a robot may be civil, but it cannot be kind."

I'm not sure how the author jumps from 1. Asimov's 3 laws/programming == can do no evil (ish) to 2. cannot truly mean to do good. I mean, if you analogize the three laws into... say really effective policemen (ala minority report) who gently stop you before you do anything 'evil' does it really follow that you do not have the capability to sincerely be good?

I would like to use Reverend Gregory House to emphasize a point: Would you say that, because House cures people (thereby helping them and doing something good), that he is kind? Not exactly, right?

And although a machine can be programmed to do no evil, thus making it a good or at least a neutral "being", it doesn't (automatically) mean that it is kind, because usually someone (or something) is be called kind if they do good out of choice, a personal conviction and/or personal crusade to help and to be both kind and good to people and things.

And now I've lost my train of thought or where I was going with this... I hope I've made my point

*frowns at himself*

 

[BlindMessiah94]

Well done!

Maybe all those clowns out there that thing Chrono Trigger has a bad story can read this and see it's story lies in it's characters, such as Robo.

Again, truly amazing job, sir.

 

[starchaserart]

Robo is one of the many reasons that I find Chronotrigger so compelling a game. For me one of the really heart wrenching moments is when after the defeat of Lavos he goes to step through the portal to his time period and Luca tries to stop him. She knows that the future is being re-written and most likely that he will cease to be but Robo quite gently tells her that the future will have a place for him. A beautiful moment where a robot, shows faith. A very spiritual moment for an artificial person.

I really loved this article, thank you for writing it.

 

[theultimateend]

A similar character exists in the Magic: The Gathering realm by the name of Karn. He ends up creating his own planet/universe (Mirrodin). He is easily my favorite character in the entire series from the very first book to the latest Zendikar series.

You'll notice none of his abilities are attacks .

He is a passifist which is tied humorously with the fact that if he ever DID start fighting, the conflict would be over because he'd just utterly destroy anything around him (being a massive walking wall of metal basically).

He is just so damn loveable.

At any rate. It is always nice to read a story about robots that isn't dragging the painfully old cliche of Terminator through the mud. If a quantum event happened where 'that' ceased to exist I think every new robotics story would be the better for it .

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Oh Robo, you magnificent mechanical manifestation of tragedy! I'm glad you got your very own article at last!

OT: Nicely done... Now I need to play CT again.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Great article. You could probably make one of these character studies for every CT party member except Chrono himself- the plot is just that good- but Robo is one of my favourites.

Instead of a perilous escapade that may end with erasing himself, he becomes a legendary hero and martyr in the past along with Fiona. And he's had 400 years to ponder why it is that time gates began increasing in number.