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Encyclopedia > The Bicentennial Man
"The Bicentennial Man"
Author Isaac Asimov
Country Flag of United States USA
Language English
Series Robot Series
Genre(s) science fiction short story
Published in Stellar-2
Publisher Ballantine Books
Media type Book
Publication date February 1976
Preceded by —That Thou art Mindful of Him
Followed by Mother Earth

The Bicentennial Man is a novella in the Robot Series by Isaac Asimov. The story formed the basis of the novel The Positronic Man (1993), co-written with Robert Silverberg, and the 1999 film Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams. Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Isaac Asimovs Robot Series is a series of books by Isaac Asimov, both collections of short stories and novels. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This article is in need of attention. ... —That Thou art Mindful of Him (1974) is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, which he intended to be an ultimate probe into the subtleties of his Three Laws of Robotics. ... Mother Earth is a science fiction novelette by Isaac Asimov. ... A novella is a narrative work of prose fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. ... Isaac Asimovs Robot Series is a series of books by Isaac Asimov, both collections of short stories and novels. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... The Bicentennial Man is a novella by Isaac Asimov. ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Robert Silverberg (January 15, 1935, Brooklyn, New York) is a prolific American author best known for writing science fiction, a multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. ... Bicentennial Man is a 1999 film starring Robin Williams based on the well-known novella of the same name by Isaac Asimov. ... Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21, 1952)[1] is an American actor and comedian. ...


The original story was awarded the Hugo Award for best science fiction novella of 1976. The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ...


Plot summary

In the twenty-first century the creation of the positronic brain leads to the development of robot laborers and revolutionizes life on Earth. But to the Martin family, their household robot NDR-113 is more than a mechanical servant. "Andrew" has become a trusted friend, a confidant, and a member of the Martin family.


The story is told from the perspective of Andrew (later known as Andrew Martin), an NDR-series robot owned by the Martin family, a departure from the usual practice by U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men of leasing robots. ASIMO, a humanoid robot manufactured by Honda. ... The fictional corporation US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. ...


Andrew's initial experiences with the Martin family are replete with awkward moments which demonstrate his lack of socialization. However, he is much better with inanimate objects and animals and begins to display sentient characteristics (such as creativity; emotion; self-awareness) traditionally the province of humans. He is taken off his mundane household duties, for which he was intended, and allowed to pursue his creativity, making a fortune by selling his creations. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Sentience is the capacity for basic consciousness -- the ability to feel or perceive, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. ...


Andrew seeks legal protection stemming from his initial creative output and eventual full recognition as a human, by gradually replacing his robotic components with organic ones, and citing the process as a transformation from robot to human. Succeeding generations of the Martin family assist him in his quest for humanity, but each is limited to what degree they are prepared to acknowledge. Only when Andrew allows his positronic brain to "decay," thereby willfully abandoning his immortality, is he finally accepted as a human being. This event takes place on the two-hundredth anniversary of his creation, hence the title. A positronic brain is a fictional technological device, originally conceived by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. ...


Foundation universe

This story is set within Asimov's Foundation universe, which also includes his earlier Susan Calvin positronic robot tales. It is clearly set a number of centuries prior to the events of his novelette "Mother Earth" and the novel The Caves of Steel, during a period in which the Spacer worlds have yet to turn against the people of the Earth, and in which the U.S. Robots corporation is still active. Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). ... Dr. Susan Calvin, from a cover to I, Robot. ... Mother Earth is a science fiction novelette by Isaac Asimov. ... The Caves of Steel is a book by Isaac Asimov. ... In Isaac Asimovs Foundation/Empire/Robot series, the Spacers were the first humans to emigrate to space. ... The fictional corporation US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. ...

Before:
—That Thou art Mindful of Him
Included in:
The Complete Robot
Robot Visions
Series:
Robot Series
Robot Visions
Followed by:
Mother Earth


—That Thou art Mindful of Him (1974) is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, which he intended to be an ultimate probe into the subtleties of his Three Laws of Robotics. ... The Complete Robot is a collection of science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1940 and 1976, which were previously collected in books I, Robot, The Rest of the Robots, and other anthologies. ... This book is a collection of short stories and essays by Issac Asimov listed bellow. ... Isaac Asimovs Robot Series is a series of books by Isaac Asimov, both collections of short stories and novels. ... This book is a collection of short stories and essays by Issac Asimov listed bellow. ... Mother Earth is a science fiction novelette by Isaac Asimov. ...

The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov

The Prime of Life • Feminine Intuition Waterclap —That Thou art Mindful of Him • Stranger in Paradise The Life and Times of Multivac The Winnowing The Bicentennial Man Marching In Old-fashioned • The Tercentenary Incident Birth of a Notion The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories is a science fiction anthology written and edited by Isaac Asimov (ISBN 0-385-12198-9). ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Femine Intuition is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1969. ... Waterclap is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... —That Thou art Mindful of Him (1974) is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, which he intended to be an ultimate probe into the subtleties of his Three Laws of Robotics. ... Stranger in Paradise (1974) is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... The Life and Times of Multivac is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... The Winnowing is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... High Fidelity is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Old-fashioned is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... The Tercentary Incident is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Birth of a Notion is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ...

The novels of Isaac Asimov

Robot Series: The Caves of Steel | The Naked Sun | The Robots of Dawn | Robots and Empire

Empire Series: The Stars, Like Dust | The Currents of Space | Pebble in the Sky

Foundation Series: Prelude to Foundation | Forward the Foundation
The trilogy: Foundation | Foundation and Empire | Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge | Foundation and Earth

Lucky Starr series (as Paul French):
David Starr, Space Ranger | Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids | Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus | Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury | Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter | Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn

Other science fiction novels: The End of Eternity | Fantastic Voyage | The Gods Themselves | Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain | Nemesis | Nightfall | The Ugly Little Boy | The Positronic Man

Mystery novels: The Death Dealers | Murder at the ABA Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Isaac Asimovs Robot Series is a series of books by Isaac Asimov, both collections of short stories and novels. ... The Caves of Steel is a book by Isaac Asimov. ... The Naked Sun is the second novel in Isaac Asimovs Robot series. ... The Robots of Dawn is a whodunit science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1983. ... Robots and Empire is a 1985 science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov. ... The Galactic Empire Series contains Isaac Asimovs three earliest novels and one short story: The Stars, Like Dust (1951) The Currents of Space (1952) Pebble in the Sky (1950), his first novel Blind Alley (1945), short story reprinted in The Early Asimov They are only loosely connected. ... The Stars, Like Dust is a book by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. ... The Currents of Space is a 1952 novel by science fiction author Isaac Asimov. ... Pebble in the Sky - science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, published in 1950. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Prelude to Foundation Prelude to Foundation is a novel written by Isaac Asimov. ... Forward the Foundation Forward the Foundation is a novel written by Isaac Asimov. ... Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). ... Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov in 1952. ... Second Foundation Second Foundation is the third novel of the Foundation series written in 1970. ... Foundations Edge Foundations Edge is a novel by Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. ... Foundation and Earth Foundation and Earth (1986) is a science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, the fifth novel of the Foundation Series and chronologically the last in the series. ... Lucky Starr is the hero of a series of books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name Paul French. Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the Cold War and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the... David Starr, Space Ranger is the first in a series of juvenile science fiction novels Isaac Asimov wrote in the early 1950s. ... Lucky Starr is the hero of a series of books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name Paul French. Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the cold war and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the... Lucky Starr is the hero of a series of books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name Paul French. Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the cold war and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the... Lucky Starr is the hero of a series of books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name Paul French. Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the cold war and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the... Lucky Starr is the hero of a series of books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name Paul French. Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the cold war and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the... Lucky Starr is the hero of a series of books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name Paul French. Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the cold war and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the... The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction novel, with mystery and thriller elements, on the subjects of time travel and social engineering. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Gods Themselves is a 1972 science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov (ISBN 1061500534). ... Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain is a 1987 science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov about a group of scientists that shrink down to microscopic size in order to operate on a brain tumor. ... Nemesis is a science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov. ... Nightfall is an influential science fiction short story (later adapted into a novel) by author Isaac Asimov, about the coming of darkness to the people of a planet ordinarily illuminated at all times on all sides. ... The Ugly Little Boy is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... The Death Dealers is a mystery novel by Isaac Asimov published in 1958 (later republished as A Whiff of Death). ... Murder at the ABA (1976) is a mystery novel by Isaac Asimov, following the adventures of a writer and amateur detective named Darius Just (whom Asimov modeled on his friend Harlan Ellison). ...

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  Results from FactBites:
 
The Bicentennial Man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (464 words)
The story formed the basis of the novel The Positronic Man (1993), co-written with Robert Silverberg, and the 1999 box office flop Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams.
Asimov was one of several authors commissioned to write a story revolving around the phrase "the bicentennial man", which the writers were to interpret in whatever way they chose.
In The Positronic Man the trends of fictional robotics in Asimov's Robot Series (as outlined in the book I, Robot) are detailed as background events, with an indication that they are influenced by Andrew's story.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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