Menacing Computers in Science Fiction Movies Quiz

Answer: Forbin Project

The full title of the 1970 film is "Colossus: The Forbin Project". It stars Eric Braeden (a long time star on American soap opera, "The Young and the Restless") as Dr. Charles A. Forbin who develops an advanced defense network computer. Unfortunately, it eventually decides to take over full control the US nuclear arsenal - of course, for our own good!

Answer: 2001: A Space Odyssey

The HAL 9000 (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic Computer) is perhaps the most famous, evil or not, movie computer of all time. Early in the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", HAL's advanced functionality, clear logic, mellow voice, and near omniscience inspire great confidence in its abilities. When, however, it becomes erratic and murderous, all our faith is shattered.

Answer: The Terminator

Skynet is the military intelligence system built by Cyberdyne Systems for SAC-NORAD. In the film series, at 2:14 AM, August 29, 1997, Skynet becomes self-aware and decides humans are a threat and thus starts the systematic destruction of mankind.

Answer: WarGames

WOPR (for War Operation Plan Response), is a US military supercomputer programmed to play war games in order to predict outcomes of nuclear war. In "WarGames" (1983), high school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) uses a telephone modem to war-dial remote computers and discovers WOPR, on which he finds the game "Global Thermonuclear War".

Answer: I, Robot

Other than the title, "I, Robot" (2004) has little to do with the Isaac Asimov book (1950). The film is a murder mystery with Will Smith starring as Del Spooner, a Chicago police detective who seriously mistrusts robots. VIKI (Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence) is the powerful AI that runs the US Robotic's main facility where the murder happened.

Answer: Demon Seed

"Demon Seed" (1977) stars Fritz Weaver as computer scientist Dr. Alex Harris, and Julie Christie as his somewhat-estranged wife, Susan. Proteus, using a terminal and various other equipment in the couple's home, harvests and synthesizes organic material from Susan, and attempts to impregnate her. Yuck!

Answer: Alien

Commonly referred to as "Mother" by the crew, the main computer on the Nostromo. Mother aids Science Officer Ash, a cyborg, in the implementation of Special Order 937 requiring the retrieval of the xenomorph - a murderous and nearly invulnerable creature that puts the Nostromo and her crew at risk.

Answer: Resident Evil

The Red Queen is the evil computer of the Resident Evil film series that monitors the Umbrella Corporation facilities. Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the amnesiac heroine, who, with some Umbrella Corporation commandos, attempts to contain the outbreak of a virus.

Answer: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

V'Ger evolves, with help from a race of living machines, from space probe Voyager 6, which had disappeared into a black hole. It has been reprogrammed to gather as much knowledge as it can, and return with it to the "Creator". On the way it becomes sentient and concludes all existence is meaningless and thus destroys much of what it finds.

Answer: WALL-E

WALL-E is a Pixar animated film, released in 2008. It's about a solitary automated trash processing robot, WALL-E, and its attempt to clean up planet Earth. Humans have abandoned Earth and now live aboard the spacecraft, Axiom. AUTO is the autopilot for the spacecraft, Axiom, and mutinies when humans try to return to Earth.