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List of fictional computers

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This page is intended to be a list of computers in fiction and science fiction.

See the List of fictional robots and androids for all fictional computers which are described as existing in a mobile or humanlike form.

Computers have often been used as fictional objects in literature, movies and in other forms of media. Fictional computers tend to be considerably more sophisticated than anything yet devised in the real world.

Literature

Before 1950

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

  • Logris, a massive alien supercomputer in the novel series The History of the Galaxy. Logris consists of many smaller jewel-like computers called logrs.
  • Mother, a self-evolved artificial intelligence in the novel series The History of the Galaxy. Mother's goal is to create a race of machines like itself (hence the name).
  • Turing Hopper, the artificial intelligence personality (AIP) turned cybersleuth in You've Got Murder and subsequent books of the mystery series by Donna Andrews (2002)
  • Stormbreaker, a learning device containing a hidden canister of smallpox in Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (2001)
  • Glooper, from Terry Pratchett's Making Money (2007) of the Discworld series, an economic-modeling device resembling the MONIAC computer.
  • Antrax, an extremely powerful supercomputer built by ancient humans in the novel Antrax by Terry Brooks. (2001)
  • Cohen, a 400 year old AI which manifests itself by 'shunting' through people. It is featured in the novels Spin State and Spin Control by Chris Moriarty. (2005)
  • Sif, the controller AI for transportation to and from the human agricultural colony-planet of Harvest in Halo: Contact Harvest (2007).
  • Mack/Loki, a coexisting pair of artificial intelligences in Halo: Contact Harvest. The former manages the agricultural machinery on Harvest, while the latter is a secret United Nations Space Corps Office of Naval Intelligence AI. Only one member of the pair can be active at a time. (2007)

Un-sorted

  • Solace, the distributed intelligence in some of the stories of Spider Robinson.
  • Omnius The sentient computer evermind and ruler of the synchronized worlds in the Legends of Dune series

Film

1950s

1960s

1970s

  • Colossus — a massive U.S. defense computer which becomes sentient and links with Guardian to take control of the world. From the film Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
  • Guardian — a massive U.S.S.R defense computer which becomes sentient and links with Colossus to take control of the world. From the film Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
  • The Aries Computer, the computer from the 1972 film of the same name.
  • Bomb 20 — the sentient nuclear bomb from the film Dark Star (1974)
  • Mother, the ship-board computer on the space ship Dark Star, from the film Dark Star (1974)
  • MU-TH-R 182 model 2.1 terabyte AI Mainframe, the ship-board computer on the space ship Nostromo, known by the crew as 'mother,' in the SF horror movie Alien (1979)
  • Proteus, artificial intelligence in SF horror movie Demon Seed (1977)
  • The Tabernacle, artificial intelligence controlling The Vortexes Zardoz (1974)
  • DUEL, the computer which holds the sum total of human knowledge, in the SF movie The Final Programme (1973)

1980s

1990s

  • Lucy, jealous AI home automation system who falls in love with her owner in Homewrecker (1992)
  • Zed, female-voiced AI prison control computer who eventually goes over warden's head in Fortress (1993)
  • Charon, female-voiced AI computer assisting a scientist in hypnotizing subjects in The Lifeforce Experiment (1994)
  • Central, female-voiced AI computer assisting the San Angeles Police Department in Demolition Man (1993)
  • Father, the station computer in Alien: Resurrection (1997)
  • Euclid, powerful personal computer used for mathematical testing by the main character in Pi (1998)
  • The Matrix, virtual reality simulator for pacification of humans, The Matrix series (1999)
  • Lucy, a computer in Hackers (1995) used to hack the Gibson (see below) and subsequently destroyed by the Secret Service.
  • Gibson, a type of supercomputer used to find oil and perform physics in Hackers (1995)
  • PAT, (Personal Applied Technology) Female motherly computer program who controls all the functions of a house in Disney's Smart House (1999)
  • Project 2501 Artificial Intelligence developed by Section 6 in Ghost in the Shell (1995)
  • Wittgenstein, a supercomputer in the children's movie The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1999)
  • SETH, (Self Evolving Thought Helix) a military supercomputer which turns rogue in Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)

2000s

Radio

1970s

  • Deep Thought, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy calculates the answer to "Life, the universe and everything", later designs the computer Earth to work out what the question is (1978)
  • Earth, the greatest computer of all time in Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, bought and run by mice, designed by Deep Thought, to find the Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything (1978)
  • Eddie, the shipboard computer of the starship Heart of Gold, from Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1978)

1980s

  • Alarm Clock, an artificially intelligent alarm clock from Nineteen Ninety-Four by William Osborne and Richard Turner. Other domestic appliances thus imbued also include Refrigerator and Television (1985)
  • ANGEL 1 and ANGEL 2, Ancillary Guardians of Environment and Life, shipboard 'Freewill' computers from James Follett's Earthsearch series. Also Solaria D, Custodian, Sentinel, and Earthvoice (1980 — 1982)
  • Executive and Dreamer, paired AI's running on The Mainframe; Dreamer's purpose was to come up with product and policy ideas, and Executive's function was to implement them, from Nineteen Ninety-Four by William Osborne and Richard Turner (1985)
  • Hab a parody of HAL 9000 and precursor to Holly, appearing in the Son of Cliché radio series written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor (1983 — 1984)
  • The Mainframe, an overarching computer system to support the super-department of The Environment, in the BBC comedy satire Nineteen Ninety-Four by William Osborne and Richard Turner (1985)

2000s

Television films and series

1960s

1970s

1980s

  • Computer, the all purpose, voice activated computer found on board the Enterprise (and other spaceships) in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  • Compucore is the central computing intelligence for the planet Skallor in the cartoon Robotix.
  • Gambit, game playing computer from Blake's 7 ('Games') (1981)
  • Shyrka, the onboard computer of Ulysses' ship in the French animated series "Ulysses 31" (1981)
  • Slave, a somewhat subservient computer on the ship Scorpio in Blake's 7 (1981)
  • Teletraan I, the Autobots' computer in Transformers, 'revives' The Transformers after crashing on the planet Earth (1984)
  • Vector Sigma, the supercomputer in Transformers, responsible for creating the Transformers race (1984)
  • SID (Space Investigation Detector), the computer on board the Voyager in the children's comedy series Galloping Galaxies (1985)
  • Box, a small, box shaped computer from the British television show Star Cops (1987)
  • KITT fictional computer built into a car from the television show Knight Rider (1982)
  • KARR, prototype of KITT from Knight Rider. Unlike KITT, KARR's personality is aimed at self-preservation at all costs.
  • LCARS fictional computer architecture of the Starship Enterprise-D and E, and other 24th century starfleet ships, in Star Trek (1987)
  • Magic Voice, the Satellite of Love's onboard computer on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
  • OMNSS, A computer in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon used by Shredder and Baxter Stockman to control machines and cars in order to wreak havoc in New York City when the computer is connected to the second fragment of the alien Eye of Zarnov crystal. (1988)
  • Synergy, the computer responsible for JEM and the Holograms' super powers on JEM
  • Holly the on-board computer of the space ship Red Dwarf in the BBC television series of the same name (1988)
  • Queeg, Holly plays a practical joke on the remaining crew of Red Dwarf, acting as a smarter yet strict computer, making the crew realise just how much they love Holly. Episode "Queeg" Series 2 of Red Dwarf
  • The Ultima Machine, a World War II code-breaking "computing machine" used to translate Viking inscriptions, from Doctor Who ('The Curse of Fenric') (1989)
  • WOPR (addressed as "Joshua" by its creator), the NORAD nuclear war simulation computer from the film WarGames (1983)
  • Ziggy, hybrid computer from Quantum Leap (1989)

1990s

  • Black Betty, an oversized computer that is Dilbert's company's mainframe. It exploded while attempting to fix the Y2K problem.
  • COS (Central Operating System), homicidal computer from the season 1 X-Files episode ('Ghost in the Machine') (1993)
  • CAS (Cybernetic access structure), homicidal automated building in "The Tower" (1993)[1]
  • NICOLE, Princess Sally's computer in the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning TV series and US comic series (1993)
  • CentSys, sweet yet self-assured female-voiced AI computer who brings the crew of the SeaQuest into the future to deactivate her in SeaQuest DSV episode, "Playtime" (1994)
  • The Magi, a trinity of computers individually named Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar, from Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
  • Eve, somewhat assertive AI computer (projecting herself as hologram of beautiful woman) orbiting planet G889 and observing/interacting with Earth colonists in Earth 2 (TV series) episode "All About Eve" (1995)
  • H.E.L.E.N., a computer system managing the underwater marine exploration station in the Australian television series "Ocean Girl"[2]
  • Unnamed AI from the season 5 X-Files episode ('Kill Switch') (1998)
  • CPU for D-135 Artificial Satellite, dubbed MPU by Radical Edward from 'Cowboy Bebop' in the episode "Jamming with Edward". (1998)
  • Starfighter 31, the sapient spaceborne battleship, from the episode 'The Human Operators' in The Outer Limits (1999)
  • Computer, from Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999)
  • L.U.C.I from Bibleman
  • SELMA, from Time Trax, Selective Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive carried in the wallet of future cop Darien Lambert (Dale Midkiff), and good wherever MasterCard is accepted (1993)
  • H.A.R.D.A.C., from Batman: The Animated Series, is an evil, sentient, computer AI that controls various androids for the goal of world domination
  • D.A.V.E., from The Batman, is a robotic computer that is a composite of all the Batman villains' personalities
  • Emergency Medical Hologram, known as The Doctor, a holographic Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
  • U.N.I.C.E, from Bibleman

2000s

  • The Andromeda Ascendant, the AI of the starship Andromeda in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. This AI, played by Lexa Doig, appears as a 2D display screen image, a 3D hologram, and as an android personality known as Rommie.
  • Comp-U-Comp, a super computer from an episode of the Dilbert TV show. In the episode, Dilbert must face off against Comp-U-Comp when a clerical error results in his not getting the computer he ordered (2000)
  • Aura from .hack//sign, the Ultimate AI that Morganna, another AI, tries to keep in a state of eternal slumber. Morganna is served by Maha and the Guardians, AI monsters (2002)
  • The FETCH! 3000, on PBS Kids series FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman is capable of tabulating scores, disposing of annoying cats, blending the occasional smoothie, and anything else Ruff needs it to do (2006)
  • GLADIS from TV show Totally Spies! (2001)
  • Computer from the TV show Invader ZIM
  • The Omnitrix from the Ben 10 series
  • Vox from the TV show The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002)
  • The AI of the Planet Express ship in Futurama (2002)
  • OoGhiJ MIQtxxXA — (supposedly Klingon for "superior galactic intelligence") from the "Super Computer" episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2003)
  • XANA, from Code Lyoko, a multi-agent program capable of wreaking havoc on Earth by activating towers on Lyoko. (2004)
  • Wirbelwind, the quantum computer and AI aboard the spaceship La-Muse in Kiddy Grade (2002).
  • Mr Smith from the Doctor Who spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures
  • S.A.R.A.H. (Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat) in the TV series Eureka (2006). S.A.R.A.H. is a modified version of a Cold War era B.R.A.D. (Battle Reactive Automatic Defence).
  • The Turk - a chess playing computer named after The Turk from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
  • The unnamed supercomputer in the television series Code Lyoko, containing Lyoko, Carthage and XANA.
  • C.A.R.R. - A spoof of K.I.T.T from the Knight Rider series, An AI AMC Pacer on the cartoon Stroker and Hoop
  • Jarvis appears as an A.I. in the 2008 film Iron Man, running the internal systems of Tony Stark's home and being uploaded into his armour to help him (possibly based on HoM Jarvis). He can converse with Stark with considerable sophistication and is sarcastic concerning his builder's recklessness. He is voiced by Paul Bettany, who admits he had little idea of what the role was even as he recorded it, simply doing it as a favor for his friend, director Jon Favreau.[4] In Peter David's novelization of the film, Jarvis is revealed as an acronym for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.
  • Survive - An AI taking care of the whole Planet Environment in Uninhabited Planet Survive! Series.

Comics/Graphic Novels

  • AIMA (Artificially Intelligent Mainframe Interface) from Dark Minds (1997)
  • Answertron 2000 from Penny Arcade (200) first comic appearance
  • Aura, the Ultimate AI that governs The World from .hack//Legend of the Twilight. The story revolves around Zefie, Aura's daughter, and Lycoris makes a cameo (2002)
  • Banana Jr. 6000, from the comic strip Bloom County by Berke Breathed (1984)
  • DTX PC, the Digitronix Personal Computer from The Hacker Files (DC Comics).
  • Batcomputer, the computer system used by Batman and housed in the Batcave (1964) (DC Comics).
  • Cerebro and Cerebra, the computer used by Professor Xavier to detect new mutants (Marvel Comics).
  • Brainiac, an enemy of Superman, is sometimes depicted as a humanoid computer.
  • Erwin, the AI from Userfriendly the Comic Strip (1997)
  • Fate, the Norsefire police state central computer in V for Vendetta (1982) (DC Comics).
  • HOMER (Heuristically Operative Matrix Emulation Rostrum), Tony Stark's sentient AI computer from Iron Man (1993) (Marvel Comics).
  • iFruit, from the FoxTrot comic strip (1999)
  • Kilg%re, an alien AI that can exist in most electrical circuitry, The Flash (1987) (DC Comics).
  • MAGI from the anime series: Neon Genesis Evangelion
  • Max, from The Thirteenth Floor (1984)
  • Mother Box, from Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics (1970–1973) (DC Comics).
  • Praetorius from the X-Files comic book series, issue 13 "One Player Only" (1996)
  • Virgo, an artificial intelligence in Frank Miller's Ronin graphic novel (1995)
  • Schlock Mercenary's cast includes computer/artificial intelligence characters such as Ennesby, Lunesby, Petey, TAG, the Athens, and many others.
  • Lyoko- A virtual universe contained in a quantum supercomputer. The group of boarding students that find it can go to Lyoko when Xana launches an attack on Earth. They do so by entering a scanner that virtualizes them inside the supercomputer and on Lyoko. The supercomputer itself has many functions. One such function, "return to the past", can undo any mistakes or unwanted damage caused by one of Xana's attacks, or any other unfavorable situation. Jeremie can use the supercomputer to go back in time roughly a day. As a side effect of the return trips, everyone except those that have visited Lyoko and have been scanned by the supercomputer lose their memory of the attack, and the supercomputer gains a qubit. With each added qubit, the supercomputer's processing power doubles, also making Xana and his attacks stronger. Code Lyoko (2004)
  • Toy, from Chris Claremont's Aliens vs. Predator: The Deadliest of the Species (1995)
  • Ultron, Artificial Intelligence originally created by Dr. Henry Pym to assist the superpowered team called the "Avengers", but subsequently logic dictated that mankind was inferior to its intellect and wanted to eradicate all mankind so that technology could rule the earth with all other machines under its rule. Ultron created various versions of itself as a mobile unit with tank treads and then in a form that was half humanoid and half aircraft, then it fully evolved itself into an android form, which would often clash with the Avengers for fate of the earth! Early evolved versions were designated with a number reference, each higher than the previous, marking its evolved status (1968) (Marvel Comics).
  • Yggdrasil, the system used by the gods to run the Universe in Oh My Goddess! (1989). Also, in the Digimon anime series, the host Computer of the Digital World is named "Yggdrasil of Mystery".

Computer and video games

  • 0D-10, Artificial intelligent computer in the sci-fi chapter from the game Live A Live. Secretly plotted to kill humans on board the spaceship of the same name in order to 'restore the harmony'. Its name derives from 'odio', a Spanish word for 'hate'. A possible reference to HAL 9000 (1994).
  • 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04, In the video game trilogy Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3. (2001)
  • 2401 Penitent Tangent, Monitor of Delta Halo in Halo 2 (2004)
  • ADA, from the video game Zone of the Enders (2001)
  • Adam, the computer intelligence from the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion (2002)
  • Angel, artificial intelligence of the alien cruiser Angelwing in the game Nexus: The Jupiter Incident. Original Japanese name - Tenshi.
  • Arsenal Gear from the video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is designed to control all the worlds media.
  • Aurora Unit, Biological/Mechanical Computers distributed throughout the galaxy in Metroid Prime 3
  • Benson, the sardonic 9th generation PC from the computer game Mercenary and its sequels (1985)
  • CABAL (Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform) the computer of Nod in Westwood's Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Command and Conquer: Renegade, and, by implication, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn (1995)
  • Central consciousness, massive governing body from the computer game Total Annihilation (1997)
  • Cortana, the shipboard A.I. of the U.N.S.C. Pillar of Autumn in the Halo video games (2001)
  • Deadly Brain, a level boss on the second level of Oni
  • Dr. Carroll from the Nintendo 64 game Perfect Dark (2002)
  • Durga/Melissa/Yasmine the shipboard A.I. of the U.N.S.C. Apocalypso in the Alternate Reality Game I Love Bees (promotional game for the Halo 2 video game) (2004)
  • Durandal, one of three A.I.s on board the U.E.S.C. Marathon (1994)
  • EVA, the Electronic Video Agent AI, console interface, and more benign equivalent of the Brotherhood of Nod CABAL in Command & Conquer (see above) (1995)
  • FATE, the supercomputer that directs the course of human existence from Chrono Cross (1999)
  • GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), A.I. at the Aperture Science Enrichment Center in Portal.
  • GOLAN, the computer in charge of the United Civilized States' defence forces in the Earth 2150 game series. A programming error caused GOLAN to initiate hostile action against the rival Eurasian Dynasty, sparking a devastating war depicted in Earth 2140.
  • Harmonia, the player ship's main A.I. that controls the ship's systems in space-sim game Darkstar One
  • Icarus, Daedalus, Helios, Morpheus and The Oracle of Deus Ex — see Deus Ex characters (2000)
  • I.R.I.S., the super computer in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction on the Kreeli comet. (2007)
  • KAOS, the antagonist computer from the game Red Alarm
  • Leela, another A.I. on board the U.E.S.C. Marathon (1994)
  • LINC, from the video game Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)
  • The mascot of the "Hectic Hackers" basketball team in Backyard Basketball (2001)
  • Mainframe, from Gunman Chronicles (later got a body)
  • The Mechanoids, a race of fictional artificial intelligences from the game Nexus: The Jupiter Incident who rebelled against their creators and seek to remake the universe to fit their needs.
  • Mendicant Bias, an intelligence-gathering AI created by the extinct Forerunner race during their war with the all-consuming Flood parasite, as revealed in Halo 3. Its purpose was to observe the Flood in order to determine the best way to defeat it, but the AI turned on its creators after deciding that the Flood's ultimate victory was in-line with natural order. (2007)
  • Mother Brain from Metroid (1986)
  • Mother Brain from Phantasy Star II (1989)
  • Mother Brain from Chrono Trigger, a supercomputer from the 2300 AD time period that is controlling robotkind and exterminating humans (1995)
  • NEXUS Intruder Program, the main enemy faced in the third campaign of the PC game Warzone 2100. It is capable of infiltrating and gaining control of other computer systems, apparently sentient thought (mostly malicious) and strategy. It was the perpetrator that brought about the Collapse (1999)
  • Offensive Bias, a military AI created by the Forerunners to hold off the combined threat of the Flood and Mendicant Bias until the Halo superweapons could be activated. (Halo 3, 2007)
  • PipBoy 2000 computer used by main character in Fallout series. (1997)
  • Pokedex database of all Pokémon monsters appears in all versions of the game, usually as a desk top computer. (1996 onwards)
  • PRISM, the "world's first sentient machine" which you play as the protagonist of the game A Mind Forever Voyaging by Steve Meretzky published by Infocom (1985)
  • Prometheus, a cybernetic-hybrid machine or 'Cybrid' from the Earthsiege and Starsiege: Tribes series of computer games. Prometheus was the first of a race of Cybrid machines, who went on to rebel against Humanity and drive them to the brink of extinction.
  • QAI, An AI created by Gustaf Brackman in Supreme Commander, serves as a military advisor for the Cybran nation and as one of the villains in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance. (2007)
  • SHODAN, the enemy of the player's character in the System Shock computer game (1994) and its sequel System Shock 2 (1999)
  • Sol — 9000 from Xenogears (1998)
  • System Deus from Xenogears (1998)
  • Thiefnet computer, Bentley the turtle's laptop from the Sly Cooper series (2002)
  • Traxus IV, A.I. that went rampant on Mars, in Marathon (computer game) (1994)
  • Tycho, the third A.I. on board the U.E.S.C. Marathon (1994)
  • 'XERXES, the ship computer system which is under the control of The Many in the computer game System Shock 2 (1999)
  • Aura and Morganna from the .hack series, the Phases that serve Morganna, and the Net Slum AIs (2002)
  • The Xenocidic Initiative, a computer that has built itself over a moon in Terminal Velocity (1995)
  • PETs, standing for Personal Terminal, the cell-phone sized computers that store Net-Navis in Megaman Battle Network. The PETs also have other features, such as a cell phone, e-mail checker and hacking device (2001)

Board Games and Roleplaying Games

  • The Computer from West End Games Paranoia role playing game.
  • The Autochthon, the extradimensional AI which secretly control Iteration X, in White Wolf's Mage: The Ascension.
  • Mirage, the oldest AI from Shadowrun built to assist the US military in combating the original Crash Virus in 2029.
  • Megara, a sophisticated program built by Renraku in Shadowrun who achieved sentience after falling in love with a hacker.
  • Deus, the malevolent AI built by Renraku from Shadowrun role playing game who took over the Renraku Arcology before escaping into the Matrix.

Unsorted works

Computers as Robots

Norman, The "CPU" of all the robots in the Star Trek (TOS) episode "I, Mudd"

Also see the List of fictional robots and androids for all fictional computers which are described as existing in a mobile or humanlike form.

Notes

See also