Alan Gabriel's Role, and Dorothy

Yeah, let's save all the explicit stuff for the AS boards . . . or, maybe not.

But seriously, I'm glad that people are interested in this kind of topic. To me, the question of where the line between human and non-human falls is a big part of Big O. There are plenty of examples of ambiguous cases . . . Dorothy, Gabriel, the cat Pero, Instro, just to name a few.

The main focus of this show has been on mechanical "artificial" people, but it's interesting to note that there is some mention of genetic engineering. Suppose that everybody in Paradigm had been designed and created in a lab . . . and then grown cell by cell. Would they be any less human than naturally-born humans? Personally, I don't see much difference between these biological constructs and something like Dorothy. Both are created artificially by other humans . . .

Just wondering . . .

Wow, good thoughts, Black Phoenix. We've talked about the Roger/Beck foil balance, but this Alan/Dorothy comparison is equally as strong, isn't it?

I liked Alan Gabriel as a character. It was easy to root against him when he was so evilly mean/cruel in his treatment towards Roscoe and Dorothy.

And he adds another dimension as just another character trying to do his own thing - playing all of the sides for his benefit. And it brings to light another aspect of the humanity/android mix, like you had discussed.

I thought the "ending" for Alan was well done. He sort of got what he deserved, and the legacy of Schwarzwald was well played.

Good stuff!

"Love is when someone else's happiness is essential to your own" -- Heinlein

If we start with this definition, then it is obvious that someone can love an android. We love pets, cars, and dolls, don't we?

The real question is what sort of response do we expect from the person or object we love. In Dorothy's case it becomes clear as the series progressed that she is perfectly capable of the full range of human emotions. Perhaps over time she integrated the memories and emotions of the original human Dorothy into her own character. However it happened, the result was a person who expresses the full range of human emotions. Dorothy is more expressive than Roger is.

Star Trek aside, there is nothing magical about human emotions. They are caused by chemicals in the brain. We KNOW this, but we don't act like we know this. There is no physical reason to suppose that what can be done with chemicals cannot be done electronically, or even mechanically.

Therefore Roger can love Dorothy, and Dorothy can love Roger.