Murderbot: When It Takes an AI to Show Us What Being Human Means

By John Kirk

Rating: A

In the far future in which the Apple TV+ series Murderbot is set, even AI will get to the point will be compelled to ask itself,: “Am I good enough?” It’s also the measure of the bot when the answer is, “No, but keep trying.”

It’s a good lesson wrapped up in an entertaining sci-fi story, and it’s what makes Murderbot not only a fun watch but a thoughtful one as well.

Based on the book series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, Murderbot is set in an undefined time in the future when the galaxy has been colonized and is divided up into different principalities. Some have a sense of nationality; some are founded on ideal principles and others are run by corporate auspices.

 But some things don’t change, especially the fragility of being and acting human, a state of being that requires the use of technology to protect it.

Enter Murderbot. Played by Alexander Skarsgård, the Murderbot is a Security Robot, or SecUnit, that has hacked its own programming and passes itself off as one that is still under corporate control. It hides itself from view as best as it can, but when it gets contracted by a planetary survey crew, it has no choice but to go along with the contract in order to protect its identity.

When the job goes south, Murderbot ends up defaulting to its base programming of protecting its clients anyway, but out of a self-directed choice to do so.

Murderbot is an ironic name. For reasons of its own, that will be revealed later in the season, it has nicknamed itself this, out of a developing sense of dark humour. The SecUnit is far from a serial killer. It is impassive and relatively emotionless, but it protects the humans under its care well.

Of course, it logically reasons that to disregard its purpose would be to invite suspicion, and therefore, its survival is inextricably linked to theirs. But there is more to it than that.

Its real pursuit is to be left alone to ponder its own existence and watch endless hours of melodramatic media like Sanctuary Moon, a space-opera it enjoys watching that helps it to understand humanity better. What’s actually funny is that the during the protection and association with its humans, it learns about social engagements, human values and even develops rudimentary friendships with them.

With combat programming, ablative armour and built-in energy weapons, Murderbot is a formidable opponent. And there is enough technological excitement to enthrall sci-fi enthusiasts galore. But the real joy in this show is seeing its computer brain puzzle out why one of the humans is trying to hug it.

Murderbot’s rogue nature is a bit of a mystery to itself. It hacked its own programming out of survival after an incident that is only alluded to in its background. This is always in the background and is a puzzle not just for the bot, but also for the audience to wonder.

The series concerns itself with the current events that force the bot to keep the humans safe. But during that time, we observe more about what the Bot is learning about its past and that’s also a draw to this series.

While protecting its human crew, Murderbot is also trying to figure out its own developing humanity. It didn’t ask for sentience, but the act of hacking itself gifted it with self-awareness. And strangely enough, it becomes not only a better Sec-Unit, but in a socially awkward way, we see it becomes more human.

A large part of the enjoyment of this show is also watching  Skarsgård replicate the constant internal monologue the bot has with itself in the books. While Murderbot doesn’t self-narrate through the show, we can tell by his performance and expressions that he is experiencing conflict caused by the humans.

We see this as it reacts to the suspicious nature of Dr. Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) or is confused by the kind and benevolent nature of Dr. Mensah, the expedition’s leader (Noma Dumezweni). The show allows for a blend of sci-fi action, comedy and even a bit of suspense thrown in for good measure. Just don’t mind the bot as he’s “checking the perimeter.” That’s just code for he’s working things out.

With its precise and meticulous adherence to the novels, the cast’s stellar performances, and a quirky type of humour that fans of this genre will instantly relate to, Murderbot is among the year’s best streaming shows.

Murderbot. Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, David Dastmalchian, Noma Dumezweni, Jack McBreyer, Tamara Podemski, John Cho, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna.Murderbot streams on Apple TV on Friday, May 16.