I had a conversation with my brother not too long ago, and it got me thinking about sentient weapons.
When
you take a look at science fiction, there aren't many good examples of AI
weapons. However, when you look in fantasy there are. A perfect example
is The One Ring, from Lord of the Rings. It has a personality and it weighs on the ringbearers' conscience; it corrupts them and it causes them to do things that they
wouldn't normally do. Another example is the anime Bleach. All of the Soul Society have sentient swords--each with a soul and personality of it's own--and they influence the warriors who
wield them. Sometimes they even take over the soul reapers' consciousness in order to fight.
That's all fine and good because it's fantasy and you have magic. That
explains everything away (as long as the writing is consistent).
But, for science fiction, sentient weapons have been taboo. Up until recently, that is. A few years ago this little movie called Ironman hit Hollywood. That sort of changed the way contemporary audiences viewed sentient weapons. Jarvis, Ironman's half-sentient artificial intelligence was a game changer. Jarvis interacts with Tony Stark and controls the robotic exosuite. Also, Jarvis' calculations enhance Tony's reaction times in battle.
That got me to thinking... what if
you had a fully sentient weapon (in the form of artificial intelligence or
virtual intelligence or some other form of intelligence)? For example, what if there was a gun with feelings and thoughts?
What if it could make decisions? And sometimes... without the wielders permission???
I
love this terrible, horrifying, dastardly idea!
It's a writer's dream! Then you can have a fantastic conflict of character. The wielder and the weapon are in a sense one
entity. And yet, they can be at contra-disposition (meaning at odds--I like big words...) with each other. The sentient weapon sees its purpose as only to destroy. And because of that, we know it craves murder. That's how it feels satisfied in life. Whereas
the wielder (human or whatever species the wielder might be) may be trying to save lives. What happens when the blood thirsty weapon goes on a rampage?
CONFLICT!
That's what happens. Conflict.
Now take it a
step further and ask, “What if technology were so advanced that the
artificial intelligence/virtual intelligence was sentient and NOT ONLY
could make its own decisions but also TAKE OVER the mind/body of the
host!?!?!"
Then you would have a very conflicted character!
Just a few plot ideas that came to mind (shooting from the hip):
Someone
comes across this weapon that's been buried away in an ancient alien
locker somewhere. They accidently activate it and they decided want to study it. As
they do, the weapon starts to connect to the neural pathways of the
individual until it takes over the body.
The other thing was, “How does how does the weapon speak?” There are a few ways you could speak.
via display
It could not speak, maybe it just takes action (like pulling the trigger, even when the host/wielder didn't intend to).
- or it could speak through the user
- OR it could use telepathy. This is especially cool, because you could have it mind meld with the host, but because no one else hears these "voices" then the wielder isn't sure if they're going insane or if they're actually communicating with a weapon. A new form of crazy!
- or, or, or, ZOMFG or, it could communicate with other computers (like the Geth in Mass Effect)!
The point is, there's a lot of interesting ways you could play with a sentient weapon in a story. Why don't we have more of these portrayals in science fiction!?!?!
****Below are Doctor Who Spoilers. If you haven't seen the 50th Anniversary Episode, then do not read!!!!****
One of the best displays of a sentient weapon that I've ever seen in science fiction, was in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, Day of the Doctor. The Moment was the weapon to end all wars. (Side note: The Tardis doesn't count because it's more of a sentient vehicle, than a weapon) Apparently the Time Lords feared it, because they knew it was a weapon that could morally judge them. Nicknamed the "Galaxy Eater", and "Bad Wolf," The Moment took the form of the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler. Through a series of events, this sentient weapon convinced The Doctor to save Galifrey (spoilers!!!) from total destruction by freezing the entire world in an alternate reality.
I'm defiantly not doing the story justice... But having a weapon that can convince the protagonist to change their world view--as a writer--is a really fucking fascinating prospect!
So, I bring all of this up just to say two main points:
1. We need more ~well written~ sentient weapons in science fiction.
2. I am writing one in my novel.
; )
That is all...
