| Author |
Message |
Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Friday, July 11, 2014 - 11:51 am 
I saw some discussion about this in the Premieres thread and thought that we could talk more about it here. I thought it was good. I like Halle Berry a lot. I just hope that it is moving fast enough for today's TV audience which seems to have a short attention span.
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Reenie
Member
06-24-2006
| Friday, July 11, 2014 - 12:04 pm
I watched it too Jimmer. Thanks for the thread!
It was good (IMHO)! The little robot boy was fascinating! Let's see where it goes. It's on my DVR.
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Wrennez
Member
11-03-2009
| Friday, July 11, 2014 - 1:54 pm
I too thoroughly enjoyed it! Can I say Luca, always loved him, he was a bonus.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, July 11, 2014 - 3:38 pm
I watched it, and will continue. 
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Strategist
Member
07-01-2014
| Friday, July 11, 2014 - 7:29 pm
Thanks for starting the thread, Jimmer.
I thought the show was excellent.
I really liked all the special effects. They do so much good stuff for TV these days.
The story line sounds quite interesting. I want to see where her pregnancy storyline goes.
I did find it a bit odd that the husband was so adamant that there should be no shut off button for a world full of robots gone wild. If I was asking for an investment, I would implement some kind of safeguard even if it is just to make the investors happy. Not that I'm creating any robots at this time...LOL
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Sanfranjoshfan
Member
09-17-2000
| Friday, July 11, 2014 - 9:09 pm
I understand his point of view...he does not believe there is "soul" and his mechanical boy is learning to become his own person just like a biological boy does. If neither of them have a soul and if both of them are products of their environment, then having a shut-off to kill the robotic-boy-machine is no different that having a shut-off to kill the biologic-boy-machine.
They are both machines, just ones made of different materials.
I don't think he sees his robot son as substantially different than a biological one....so he wouldn't want to kill one kind of child anymore than he would want to kill the other..
That's an interesting plot line for this show and it's rich with possibilities.
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Strategist
Member
07-01-2014
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 4:19 am
Yes but...
If the machine has the distinct capability of destroying his species or the world, it might be a good idea to build in a safeguard -- at least for the beta testing.
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Sanfranjoshfan
Member
09-17-2000
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 10:53 am
"If the machine has the distinct capability of destroying his species or the world"
Every biological boy could have the capability to become a Hitler, but we don't have a plan to kill them, just in case. And there is no evidence at all that a robotic boy could or would destroy the species or the world. That's just a made-up sci-fi plot line as far as the real world is concerned. I don't think they equipped that robotic boy with death lasers or anything. He's just a boy that's made out of non-biological materials.
It reminds me of the idea floating around for years that there is a "murder gene" that causes people to lose control and commit murder. If that were found to be true, then biological boys should all be tested and, if they have the "murder gene", they could put down.
That's all I'm saying...as far as the inventor is concerned, the robot boy is a real boy. His robot was intended to foster an emotional connection. Making such a connection will allow the owner/parent to love the robot boy just like they would a biological one.
I'm just playing devil's advocate here because I think this is an interesting idea in Extant. It deviates away from the automatic supposition that if boy is built in a lab by scientist, it is inherently more dangerous than one that was biologically built in the womb of a woman....assuming, of course, that both children develop their personalities through their experiences and their environments AND that neither child has what is commonly referred to as a "soul".
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 12:25 pm
Is the boy always going to be the same age? That's the thing that limits it for me, if you either have a child who's always six (but presumably getting more and more intelligent from learning) or you have to take him to the lab and ~ta da~ now he's eight then you're constantly reminded he's a machine.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 1:15 pm
Interesting question, Kitt. What do you do with the old robot bodies, if he 'ages'?
I agree about no kill switch, but there are other issues.
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Sanfranjoshfan
Member
09-17-2000
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 2:21 pm
Another limiting factor is that he uses up his batteries and apparently he can't reach around to his lower back to replace them without assistance.
There's your kill switch...let his batteries run down! Or, if it's an evil bio-boy, let him throw his tantrum until he wears himself out and falls asleep. They ALL fall asleep sooner or later.
Of course, this is all just speculation...some of our questions might be answered next week!
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 4:03 pm
Did he kill the bird? Is that an omen of things to come?
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Strategist
Member
07-01-2014
| Saturday, July 12, 2014 - 4:27 pm
Interesting discussion. I'm just having fun with the premise of creating an artificial life form that might have the potential of destroying humanity.
I do love the show and really like the thought that was put into developing the "look and feel" of the future.
I hope this show sticks around since I also want to know...did he kill the bird?
Actually, all the plot lines seem interesting. What happened in outer space? What will happen with the pregnancy? How about all the monitoring that's going on? It seems like quite a lot of stuff is going to build over the next few shows.
I am glad that they were able to create so much interest in the premiere. Sometimes they spend so much time laying the groundwork that we don't get to know the characters. This time it seems some of us are already invested in the people and the story.
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Spunky
Member
10-07-2001
| Tuesday, July 15, 2014 - 4:43 pm
There were a few things that bothered me, maybe because I had higher expectations, but the boy bothered me a lot, it almost ruined the whole thing for me, I'm all for artificial intelligence but it has to be just a bit more believable than what we saw, the boy should not at all look so human in appearance, the fact that you can just open his back and fix him up, is just too cartoonish and then be totally human in emotions and actions made me laugh a bit. If they're so advanced why don't they simply have more 'clones' as they would probably have that kind of technology, but a machine that acts like a small child gives me the creeps...
Kitt, that's a great observation about the growing up of the child, how is it possible that a machine evolves like a human being??
Other details in the series were for me 'deja vu', those new computers wherever there is glass, it's not new. The mysterious pregnancy is what got my attention as it has the potential for various reasons. Is it possible that somewhere in space those 'appearances' could happen but may be aliens taking on the image of the dead dearest to the woman, who knows... (we've seen that in Contact).
Also some previews of the whole series seems to be quite exciting, only that little boy doesn't quite fit in.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - 10:51 pm
Well, we found out how the robot kid grows up. They just make him new bigger parts periodically.
I like this show, but tonight was a little slow for me. The previews look like it really picks up, though.
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Gidget
Member
07-28-2002
| Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - 11:49 pm
I was wondering about the middle of the lab where they could seemingly read all of the child's biologics. It almost seemed to me that there is a plan to make a lot of the same "model" once this one is well developed.
Love the look of the show. Love the feeling that it is not that far into the future to be unbelievable. I hope they continue to go the route of writing real stories rather than just drift off on dozens of story lines that never wrap up.
I'm so tired of Lost clones.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Thursday, July 24, 2014 - 12:29 pm
Just a quick comment on their phones...
The idea of transparent phones seems so ridiculous to me. Then anyone around you could see everything you are doing on your phone. Who would want that? I can see how for the tv show it's fine so the audience knows what they are doing on the phone, but in real life it would be crazy.
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Strategist
Member
07-01-2014
| Thursday, July 24, 2014 - 2:26 pm
I was thinking the same thing about the transparent computers.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Friday, July 25, 2014 - 10:17 am
Yep, me too!
I watched just before I went to bed lat night and kept falling asleep. Is the old man who told her in the car that it was her and her husband's child part of the evil plot (whatever it is) or was he told that and believed that?
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, July 25, 2014 - 10:25 am
He's part of the plot.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Friday, July 25, 2014 - 10:42 am
thanks! I just could not keep my eyes open, I think I missed half of it, off an on!
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Chieko
Member
11-20-2003
| Saturday, July 26, 2014 - 11:48 pm
may be aliens taking on the image of the dead dearest to the woman,
That's what I was thinking.
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Sportsfan
Member
09-03-2007
| Sunday, July 27, 2014 - 1:32 pm
I think its alien's as well.
I heard the oriental guy say to the old man "maybe they are already here" or something to that effect.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Sunday, July 27, 2014 - 2:52 pm
I think Halle Berry is just about the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
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Strategist
Member
07-01-2014
| Sunday, July 27, 2014 - 8:10 pm
She is gorgeous and she never seems to age.
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