| “ | Each resort is maintained by reliable computer technology, and peopled by life-like robot men and women. (...) Our robots are programmed to provide you with an unforgettable vacation. | ” |
–Female announcer voiceover in the Westworld trailer | ||
In the original 1970s film series and the short-lived 1980 Beyond Westworld TV series, the theme parks of the Delos resort are populated by robots (also referred to as androids), who portray life-like human or animal characters, based on their construction and intended role. Some of the human robots also perform work as resort employees, usually as guides to the resort's visitors.
Under normal circumstances, the robots are incapable of harming, least of all killing park visitors. Their programming, along with certain safety precautions like heat sensors on firearms, prevent them from harming guests. Robot characters portraying antagonists (e.g. the Gunslinger of Westworld, the Black Knight of Medieval World, fauna like rattlesnakes in Westworld) seem to focus on intimidating or challenging guests, but without the actual ability to fulfill their threats.
The events of the original film depict a major crisis situation, in which a mysterious programming malfunction spreads through the resort's systems in the manner of a computer virus. This gradually rids many of the robots of their typical inhibitions, turning harmless artificial actors into deadly, unpredictable machines.
Characteristics[]
- The internal skeleton and motoric systems of all robots are depicted as machine-like. Wiring, circuit boards and other electronic parts are frequently seen when the outer layers of the robots' bodies are opened up or removed, for the sake of inspection and repairs. The placement of the robots' operational systems inside their body cavities is verbally alluded to in the original film.
- The outer layer of the robots' bodies is depicted as very life-like and seems to simulate the properties of human soft tissues, skin and hair. One external distinguishing feature from humans is the more artificial appearance of hands, especially palms. As John Blane explains to Peter, the robots' developers haven't entirely perfected replicating the detailed features of human hands yet. Curiously, it's briefly mentioned that one of the robots's distinguishing features is their lower body temperature than that of humans, but this is never elaborated upon further.
- Some of the Westworld robots occassionally display a peculiar metallic glint on their eyeballs, under certain lighting conditions. The eyes of the Gunslinger, Arlette and a female prisoner from Medieval World are seen giving off this strange glint. It's not entirely clear whether this is a side-effect of the increasing malfunctioning of the robots in the Delos resort, or something that's natural to them, but usually not visible to visitors. The Gunfighter in the 1980 TV series is also seen with a metallic glint in his eyes.
- The head manager of Westworld states that the robots are such sophisticated technology because they were at least partly designed by highly advanced computers, not only by humans. He notes that the strange behaviour and errors exhibited by the robots might be caused by human staff overlooking this factor in their design and construction.
- Unless specially modified to consume liquids, a robot can short-circuit if it drinks water or any other liquid. The Gunslinger and several other saloon characters are shown drinking alcohol for the sake of narrative immersion, but a female character from Medieval World is shown as easily vulnerable to drinking liquids, when offered some water by a concerned Peter.
- The robots seem to differ not only in their appearance, programming and extent of mimicing real human behaviour, but also in their range of sensory capabilities. The stranded technician met by Peter explains that the Gunslinger character "has all the sensory equipment", making him a particularly dangerous foe to be pursued by. This seems to imply that civilian robot characters have only basic sensory capabilities, comparable to those of a regular human, while bandit characters and the like are more capable, to provide some degree of challenge. During his pursuit of Peter, the Gunslinger shows extraordinary eyesight and hearing, capable of gathering sensory input even from very long distances. The stranded technician succinctly warns Peter with the words "Fella, don't kid yourself. You haven't got a chance.".
- The same technician encountered by Peter also mentions that there are several different models of the human robots. He ponders that the Gunslinger "must be a Model 404, or maybe a 406. If he's a 406, he's got all the sensory equipment".
Known robots[]
An overview of known robot characters in the 70s films and the 1980 series.
Westworld[]
- The Gunslinger (Westworld)
- A sheriff (Westworld)
- Miss Carrie (Westworld)
- Arlette (Westworld)
- Cindy (Westworld)
- Bartender (Westworld)
- Native woman (Westworld)
- Wild West settlers (Westworld)
- The Black Knight (Medieval World)
- The Queen (Medieval World)
- Daphne (Medieval World)
- Woman in dungeon (Medieval World)
- Castle denizens (Medieval World)
- Pompeii denizens (Roman World)
- Horses (Westworld)
- Dogs (Westworld)
- Rattlesnakes (Westworld)
Futureworld[]
- The Gunslinger (Westworld)
- Clark (Roman World, formerly)
- Dancers (Roman World)
- Knights and servants (Medieval World)
- Horses (Medieval World)
- Robot boxers
- Japanese warriors
Beyond Westworld[]
- The Gunfighter (Westworld)
- Dance hall girl (Westworld)
- Wild West settlers (Westworld)
- Horses (Westworld)
- Dogs (Westworld)
- Rattlesnakes (Westworld)
Homage in the HBO series[]
The HBO series features many in-jokes and allussions to the depiction of the robots in the original 70s iteration of the franchise.
The older generation of hosts seems to be the reboot's reimagining of the robots from the original 70s series. Their internal construction is very similar in spirit (though not identical) to that of the 70s series' robots.
Dr. Ford mentions that the oldest prototypes of hosts from the first generation lacked convincing hands, and staff could tell them apart with a handshake. Some of the older generation models are depicted with an opening head compartment, similar to the head compartments openable by hand from the 70s films.
Ford seems to have a nostalgic fondness for the older generation of hosts, remarking to Bernard that "what the new models gained in efficiency, they lost in grace". His feelings are at least somewhat shared by The Man in Black, who tells Teddy he prefers the earlier, more mechanical iteration of the hosts.
Gallery[]
Work in progress.
Westworld[]
Characters
Sensory systems
Damage
Maintenance
Futureworld[]
Beyond Westworld[]
Video[]
See also[]
- Hosts - The equivalent artificial beings populating the Delos theme parks in the HBO series. They exist in at least two technologically distinct generations (predominantly mechanical and predominantly semi-organic) and are sometimes colloquially referred to as robots.