Lately, I've found out more about black robots. Please click here to see JSVB Post #519, where I introduce my idea that there are very few robots designed to look like people who aren't white.
I would consider the most famous robot of colour to be Robby The Robot, whom I have painted above, adding a traditional French Maid's uniform for comedy effect.
I should also point out the newer iRobot® Roomba® models can come in black. I figure a black Roomba® is pretty much the equivalent to Robby The Robot with a feather duster. Maybe the Roomba® is more eager to sweep out dust bunnies from under beds and couches, though.
My friend Tony pointed out that Simon/Number Four from the re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica" television series was a black Cylon. I never watched the program past the first couple of episodes. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, I found that sort of show too hard to watch. Much like Japanese cinema after Hirosohima and Nagasaki, American movies and shows seemed intent to replay that disaster over and over again as either catharsis or entertainment. Either way, it felt exploitative to me.
Today, looking over pages of Internet BG lore, I see that it's also very complicated. Gone are the goofy, clumsy Cylons that can get killed when the child's pet robot dog bites one on the ankle. Modern audiences demand a cybernetic villain with complex motives and behaviours. Somehow, messing with our empathetic responses becomes acceptable television, enough to sell whatever needs to be sold during the commercial breaks. Not that I am complaining, just that I find that I am not understanding the new Battlestar Galactica at all. I get it enough, though, that I can see where a black Cylon would be a good fit for the show.
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